Ice Cream Time

There's never a bad time when it's ice cream time!  Mr Z and Ms J always enjoy an after dinner treat at GG's house!

It was a day of recovery for me after not feeling well yesterday. I probably felt good enough to hit the gym, but I didn't.  Tomorrow.

An afternoon at mom's watching the last season game of the Diamondbacks and they won!  

All the little things that make up our life can be viewed as annoyances, or they can be looked at as making memories.  We had the TV on in the background and an ad came on showing a cowboy.  And Ms J, who is 3, says "Ooooo a cowboy, I like cowboys."  I wondered to myself where that came from!  Turns out she had been to the rodeo in Queen Creek with her Dad.  We had a long, involved conversation about bull riders.   Turns out she didn't ride, she just watched.  Hehehehe

I Am Amma

Amma is an Old Norse word for grandmother.  My granddaughter has always called me Amma and I am going to keep it with my new great granddaughter. 

Meet Isabella Marie, the newest little one!

Amma loves you, Izzy!

In a Funk

As of yesterday, I am a great grandma! (Pics soon)

But I'm in a funk today.  I had my pneumonia vaccine and I think I'm feeling the effects....  headache, some odd nausea,  and the whole "i don't want to get outta bed".  

And maybe a little family crap thrown in for good measure.

Ain't it fun.

Old Friends

Yesterday, I got a phone call from an old friend.  We met in 6th grade, and have been friends ever since.  Thats more than 50 years ago now!  As with all friendships, its on and off because we don't live near each other any longer. 

Between the two of us, we have struggled through many of life's problems. But we stick through it. 

She went through a long stint (months and months) in the hospital, and still has some residual issues. But that doesn't make our friendship any less special.

In friendships that are long standing, there is a shared history that makes when the phone rings, its like picking up where you left off, even though a long time has passed by.

Treasure those friendships!

Blue Jacket

I am currently reading "Legacy" by Danielle Steel and it has triggered a couple things for me. First, in the bigger picture, a woman is tracking down her family history, her genealogy.  I have always been interested in my own, and have tracked many details about my ancestors. Lucky me, I have the kind who never left notes or letters or journals, and were always closed mouthed about our history. 

But in the story, she finds a part of her history is a Sioux woman named Wachiwi.  And that reminded me of the outdoor drama called "Blue Jacket", at an outdoor theater in Xenia, OH.  An extremely enjoyable show that pulled me in to the story every time I saw it.  

Sitting in a dark outdoor theater where actors galloped by on horses was very entertaining!!  When the stage was dark, and lit by a spotlight on an Indian on a white horse, oh my the sense of oneness pulled you in and captured your attention. 

"He was only sixteen when the Shawnee Indians took him from his home. But he wasn't captured. He went willingly. And, after many years of proving his bravery in battle against the colonists, he was named war chief of the Shawnee. His name was Blue Jacket." (Michael P. Spradlin)

Photos courtesy of Dayton Daily News:

Grandmotherly

I'm feeling rather grandmotherly today.  Yesterday my nephew put a car seat in my car to enable me to tote around his kids.  Which will be OK.  I think.  I feel a little old to just be grandma. My own granddaughter is 22. 

Tuesday is fall ball practice.  Mr Z is only 8, he needs reminders to bring his things.  He forgot his hat and water bottle yesterday.  I didn't know I would have Ms J so my bag of treats was a little light. But we wandered over to the lake to have a look at the ducks.  It was 108 degrees when we started out, but we walked across the grass which is much cooler than sidewalks. 

I wonder what the rest of the week will hold??? 

Ms J and Mr M -- they're both 3!  And according to them, you hold hands when you're good friends!!!

Get Outdoors!

Fall ball is a good excuse to get outdoors, sit in the stands and applaud all the efforts of the kids. Its not easy when it takes 2 hours to play 4 innings. So you learn to look around and see other things as well. 

The smell of fresh cut grass.  A great sunset.  Young kids playing in the dirt. A helicopter as it glides across the horizon. 

Sometimes its easier to just stay home, in the AC, curled up watching a show on TV. But I'm always happy when I make the choice to do something outdoors. So get outside, take a walk, sit in the sun, or watch a neighborhood ballgame!!

Simple Sillies

In retirement, I have found I don't have to do grocery shopping or laundry on any certain day, just when its needed.  

So I was grocery shopping yesterday, and there's a cannabis store in the strip mall.  I was there at 9am. On a Sunday.  And there was 20 cars in the parking lot!  Do that many people need cannabis that early on a Sunday morning?!?!?! 

On another note, I've dropped 4 lbs and hit the gym again today.  35 minutes, 8.5 miles on the bike.  The other side of that is drinking lots of water.  I seem to log *many* steps just going to the bathroom so often!

Tonight my nephew has a baseball game. Reminds me when my boys were in Little League; games or practice, I was there for it all.  It becomes a lifestyle! The only thing changed between them and now ... the GameChanger app. It lists the entire schedule and you can text within the team. How that would have been so handy!!!

On Being a Teen

It was 1978, and I was engaged to be married.  But I was only 19, and had doubts about starting a marriage before I had even found myself.  That sounds like a cliche, but I was very unsure.  Or maybe it was the man I was unsure about. 

As a kid, I was always serious and driven. Work before play and all that was how I was raised.  He was raised much different. Part of his appeal for me was just that, no anchor, no direction, free to do as he wanted.  In hindsight, I can see that lifestyle might have looked good, but didn't work for me.

So I dated an older man .... and I was torn. I spent as much time as I could with him, and I was in love. And hurting. On a whim, he and I visited his parents... wise and friendly folks willing to talk. I was so at home with them, we stayed and watched TV. Turns out, Helter Skelter was being televised.  For some reason, every time I see a blurb about the movie, I go back to thinking about Ron and his parents, and a lost love.

In the end, after telling my folks I didn't want to get married, they had me counseled by their Pastor, by relatives, and in the end I felt so guilty about the pain they were feeling that I ended up going through with the marriage.

There's a secret part of me that remembers walking down that aisle wishing Ron would rescue me like a knight in shining armor, but that only happens in fairy tales. 

Maybe times are better now, more communication toward young girls, more accepting of situations, or choices. I wouldn't want to be a teen again, things are too different.  

But I still have those feelings, those memories, from time to time.  It reminded me yet again when I saw an ad for Helter Skelter.  Guess Ron is my guy who got away. 

Little Red Fiat

My second husband was into cars. He had an old LaSalle that he had fixed up, and an opportunity for him to buy a 1972 Fiat that needed work came along.  It was a convertible, with 4 on the floor, and I loved driving it!

It was the summer of 1990, and we had to shuffle the kids back and forth with my ex.  When I pulled up in this Fiat to drop off the kids, seeing his face  .....  ahh, good times.

Tooling around in this zippy little car with the top down was great in the summer. And then it got cold, and my car wouldn't start. I knew I would have to resort to taking the kids to school in the Fiat.  Wouldn't be much of a problem but we had to drive with the top down as the back window was corroded and you couldn't see out of it.  I sure didn't need a ticket!

So I bundled the kids up, and tossed a blanket over each of them and headed across town!!   We always laugh when we remember how silly we looked that morning!  Sometimes i wish I had kept that!

80s Rock ROCKS!

"Nothing but a good time".  I happened across this on Paramount+ and its a montage of 80s hair bands.  This music is so iconic!  And the first band featured is Quiet Riot. I recognized Rudy Sarzo, and that brought back another memory ......

When I turned 40, a friend of mine got tickets to a night at a bar, with Quiet Riot playing.  Talk about a wild night! Cocktails and a concert.  This was 1999, so the 80s were over.  After the band played their set,  my goofy girlfriend ran up and asked the band to announce my birthday.  I was mortified!  I hate that kind of thing.  After the concert, the band did a meet and greet, signed autographs. 

Among that memory brings to mind my boys.  Brian and Doug *loved* hair bands, the 80s rock. So much that they bought guitars and learned to play so many of the songs.  I always liked taking credit for "raising my boys right, cuz they liked rock 'n roll" !!!

This is a great show that talks about the growth of 80s music and the history behind the scenes.  Excellent!

Soap Operas

Do y'all watch soap operas, or ever watched them?  As a teenager, I used to dash home for lunch, sometimes with my friend Melanie, to watch All My Children with Susan Lucci.  But if I missed some episodes, it didn't really matter.

After I grew up, got married, had kids, my interest in soap operas went by the wayside.  The night time soap, Dallas, kept me intrigued, but who could resist the charming JR??  

Now that Mom lives here, much of what I watch is based on her likes.  And watching the same shows gives us something to talk about.  (Because she likes to talk!!!)  She watches The Bold and the Beautiful.  I'm happy with once a week, I don't enjoy all the dragged out drama and convos. Ugh! 

But I had to research how soap operas started.  "Soap operas' are daytime serials with a dramatic content aimed primarily at a female audience. The soap opera emerged in the US radio industry of the early 1930s when the advertising agencies of the soap, toiletry, and foodstuff industries took on the role of developing programs that could attract a female audiences. (Via sciencedirect.com)

When it comes to film or TV, I'd rather have more than just talk. I can't (won't!!) watch the talk shows she watches. And with sports, there's more action than talk. Unless it's a female announcer who goes in and asks a player how it feels to .... do whatever they just did.  I don't want to know how "it feels" and do men really want to talk about their feelings when they've just made an incredible home run or 3point basket? *eyeroll*  Don't get me started!!!

Ok, finished my episode of TB&TB for the week, now on to finish cleaning up the backyard!!

Hello, Fall!

Every June, I start my mantra "Hurry up, September!" I repeat it at least once a day during our summer heat.  And now its here! 

Yesterday it only reached 98 degrees.  It was Tuesday, family dinner night, and I'm helping out my nephew, taking Zane to baseball practice.  Sitting out at the ballfield with the sun beginning to set, a nice cool breeze blowing, and I remember what it was like watching my nephews play, then my own sons play ball.  It becomes a lifestyle for the time being. 

Sports are played different here, we have spring baseball and fall ball to avoid the summer heat. 

An Army helicopter flew over, the sky was clear as it shifted from blue to dusky purple.  And it was a super moon rising at the same time.  Hello, fall!! I'm happy you're back!

Slow the Roll

Back to PF again today.  And I hopped on an elliptical first thing. 10 yrs ago I was doing 45 mins 5x week on one.  Today, it was all I could do to last 5 mins!  I could have pushed it, but probably unable to walk without pain tomorrow!  So I'm going to go slow for now!  Then it was 25 mins on the bike. Yay me!

But mins and distance don't matter as much as getting my heart rate in the cardio zone.  But my Fitbit keeps food track of me ... whenever my heart rate goes over 145bpm (based on my age and fitness level!) It tells me to slow my roll. I chuckle when I see that, but I know I don't want to overdo it, so I make a conscious effort to breathe and lower that bpm. Personally, I feel good at 135bpm.

That being said, its not fun when your jody is older than your mind.  I still think I can do things that end up making me look silly .... or worse, with stiff muscles the next day!  When they say use it or lose it, your muscles are included, too!

Sunday Ballgames

Sunday means visit mom again to watch the Diamondbacks play a game.  But what's with grabbing the crotch.... does the camera just happen to catch it or do they touch themselves that often??  It makes me chuckle. And grab my phone so I have something else to look at.  Mom watches so many games, maybe it doesn't bother her any more. Haha

Then there's all the politics talk.  I'm the type who keeps my opinion to myself. Mom has always been a staunch Democrat, and as much as she doesn't like the Republican options, whatever is happening goes on repeat for me to hear. I'm ready for the vote to be over!

On the way home, I turned the corner and saw this in the neighbor's front yard. And its a good message!!!

Washington DC

Back in 1997, in a final attempt to rebuild our marriage, my ex and I took a trip to the east coast.  I flew in on the morning of the 4th of July, got my rental car, and located my hotel. The concierge gave me advice about the difficulties of a car and parking in DC, so I drove over to the local Metro parking lot, bought myself a ticket and hopped on a Metro train.  (If you know me, you know how out of character it's for me to travel alone!!)

I was pretty brave to just head downtown without a destination or purpose.  I found my way to The Mall. I walked around the Lincoln Memorial then headed back toward the Washington Monument. I grabbed a lemonade from a street vendor and sat down in the grass to rest.  There were a lot of folks setting up blankets and chairs to watch the fireworks show;  I curled up and found myself waking from a nap right there on the grass! (Thank goodness no one attempted ... anything!)

I didn't get to see the fireworks, I had to head back to the Metro, locate my car and pick my husband up at the airport. 

I've always wished I could spend time in DC, but the hubs was in a hurry to cover a lot of ground along the east coast. I ended up being the driver the entire trip; one of our arguments was about him being able to see all the sights while I was seeing was the lines on every freeway.

That's when I knew this wasn't going to be the trip that helped make our marriage work.

The mind is a funny thing.  I remember that day - alone in DC - as the best. It was the highlight for me! 

Good vs Bad Days

Every one has them, both good and bad days.  You got a promotion (good), the car won't start (bad). But what about those days that aren't either? What do you call those days?

On my To Do list today was hit the gym for some bike time.  Usually, I get there, slap on the headphones and the music gets me going.  Today?  Nope.  I just couldn't get in the groove.  So it wasn't a matter of good vs bad, more like indifferent.  How do you get past that??

Music usually pumps me up, rising the bike spikes some chemicals in my body that make me feel good, but today felt like one of those days where I just want to curl up with a book and read a good story. 

I plowed my way through my 30 mins, 7 miles session, came home and put the ice on my knee and read. For an hour.  I moved to the couch and read for another half hour. 

We all have these days, I guess how we handle them is how we learn about ourselves.  Me? I felt like I needed to drink a gallon of caffeine, but I really think I need to get back to taking vitamins again. Maybe that will help!

How Ironic

With my second husband, we drove to Death Valley.  On vacation.  In the summer.  I think it was 1992 or 1993. Yes, crazy, but thats what he wanted to do.  We were in our Chevy Van, which had no AC.  

We explored a few places, but didn't wander far from the van.  It was 121 degrees.   It was mind boggling to me at the time; living in the Bay Area all my life, it was rare to have temps near 100.

How ironic is it now that I choose to live in the Valley of the Sun where we are currently on a streak of 108 days with temps over 100.  Yes, we track all kinds of odd things here!

Life takes us on funny turns, and we don't know what's in our future. Makes me wonder what will be next on the horizon???

Simple AI

I joined the Simple app, and one of the features is artificial intelligence.  She goes by Avo, and I can ask questions, and they are answered quite intelligently!

So far, I'm feeling successful with the intermittent fasting and nutritious eating. I discussed it with my doc and he approved of my choice.  We shall see how it goes!

This made me smile!!! I like this AI thing!

PS:  No matter how well all this is going, there is no better feeling than climbing into a bed made up with clean sheets and being able to be at rest.  ❤ 

All Ok

You've got this, it will all be ok.

For some reason, I was moved to post that today.  Someone needed to hear that, maybe it was you. If so, my prayers are with you. I've been through many of life's trying times, and I know how it feels.

History

I was never a fan of history in high school.  But when someone makes history interesting, its easier. And maybe getting old(er) has to do with views on history.  I was always a fan of genealogy, and have worked on my own off and on for years.

Lately I've been watching Aerial America from the Smithsonian Channel. And it got me thinking as they're showing homes of famous people in history.   Frank Lloyd Wright's creations, Monticello, the home built by Thomas Jefferson.  

What famous people of our times will make the history books?  The home where Elon Musk grew up?  Some ex President homes will make the list, but who else?

I've been a strong believer in "you can't know where you're going unless you know where you've been."  I know there's a joke being made to looking through our own grandparents photo albums compared to what our grandkids will look at: our Facebook or Instagram accounts showing our meals? Items we wish we could buy? 

If you use Facebook,  their memories feature shows what you posted in the past on a certain day.  When you look at it, is that what you want future generations to see? 

In my own mind, this is the challenge for us to consider.  What do you want your grandchildren, or their children, to learn about you?  How easy is it to think what we do now won't affect future generations, but we're wrong.

It will. Choose wisely. 

DIET: a 4 letter word

Yes DIET is a four letter word. Ugh.  It's so easy to think that a person is going to diet to lose weight.  I dislike this word as to me it feels like its temporary.  If you're like most people (including me) diet doesn't work.  It needs to be a lifestyle.  And I'm working on mine (again!)

I joined PF and have been going off and on but I need to kick it up a notch, go every day.  I also downloaded the Simple app today.  It's a weight loss app that focuses on intermittent fasting, healthy eating and exercise.  Surely, with all that combined, I should have some success!!  I'm crossing my fingers .... and zipping my lips! Haha only healthy foods, please!

When I log foods, Simple records the time, and rates how balanced the meal is. It does the same for hydration as well.  It says I should drink 88 oz, my personal goal is 96 oz per day.  Sometimes that's not possible if I'm out running errands!! It also connects to my Fitbit and exercise is recorded as well. 

So we shall see how it goes in a few days. Wish me luck. On second thought, wish me success!!!!   Thanks!

What's In Your Corner?

Everyone seems to have their "corner".  At mom's, she has stuff surrounding her chair.  She's got her red light therapy belt plugged in, her foot massager plugged in, a regular lamp plus a "daylight" lamp. Then there's two tables so she can have her other stuff, lotion, drink, reading book, devotions book, calendar to record sports games, basket of embroidery project and box of Kleenex of course! And don't forget the footstool and her wastebasket!!

It makes me chuckle with everything in her reach.  Its kind of like the desktop of a worker ... everything right there when you need it.  But don't most people do that?

I'm sitting here thinking about my own space.  I'm not so bad in the living room... I don't spend a lot of time watching tv, unless I'm painting rocks. But then all my supplies are in a rolling rack and can be put away easily.

I *do* have a place, I have lots within reach next to my bed. There's a clock, phone charger, drink, pill box. Then there's Vaseline, Vicks, shea butter, baby lotion and magnesium oil spray.  Why? Because you never know when you will need something during the night.  And I hate turning on a light if I need to find something.  

We all feel better when we have our "stuff" nearby.  Maybe it makes us feel secure.  And sometimes its practical with things in reach so you're not getting up and down over and over. 

I try to be organized, and I try for minimalist when I can. I'm not fond of stuff that stacks up, but I'm human, so I'm guilty of it too. Maybe I need to concentrate on this aspect of my own life and lessen some of the stuff that surrounds me.

What's in your corner??

Paints and supplies

One cart, on wheels, easily hidden

Heatwave

Friday, and an extreme heat warning for today and tomorrow, so not much going on. Hopefully the last heat wave of the year. 

Zipped over to the gym, 7 miles in 30 mins on the bike. That was enough; having trouble with my knee again. Seeing the doc on Tuesday. I've been trying to diet and drink more water, and getting some calorie burn. So far, no luck.

An early diamondbacks game Saturday, so I'm at mom's to watch.  Sunday's game is late evening.  Wouldn't be so bad except body still hasn't adjusted to later bedtimes,  later wakeup.  I'm still awake each morning at 5am - way too early when I don't have to get up!!

Out There WooWoo

I have always been one of those with an interest in things that aren't of this world. Or, not of what the norm is. I've always been ... intuitive. But its more than that. Over the years, I have had strange encounters.  

When I was in my late teens, I was watching tv with my boyfriend and I had a vision.  A white Volkswagen Beetle would be driving toward me with its lights off and if I wasn't careful pulling out to make my turn, I would get in a wreck.  I left his house with a lot of care, pulled to the intersection and looked carefully.  There to my left was the white Volkswagen coming at me.  Woo woo woo

Off and on I have had many of these visions, I chalked it up to deja vu. But in later years, I started to be curious about these kinds of things.  

A photo of my son taken in my living room has a definite ghostly girl in it. I've taken photos where an odd oval appears in the photo, along with its shadow, but there was nothing in the room. 

An early evening drive out near Red Mountain, the sun was setting and I could see something hovering.  I wasn't the only one seeing it, a group of people also saw it and were pointing up at it and shouting.

Early this morning it was a very vivid image of my son holding my dog, Sadie, who died 4 years ago. While seeing them gives me a lot of comfort, it is also spooks me in the moment. 

I'm not going to try to convince anyone, or explain it to anyone. Sometimes, you just have to see it to believe it.  I've seen things, felt things, experienced things that I can't explain. And thats ok. I welcome and accept even the unexplainable things.  

If this girl is a ghost haunting my house, she doesn't do scary things.  But I have come home to find doors normally kept closed are open, some doors normally open are closed.  Extendion cords that I always roll up and hang on a hook are extended across the garage.  Most of them aren't troublesome, they just make you feel like you did something that you know you didn't do.  Woo woo woo. 

Yay September!

Every June, I begin my mantra "Hurry up, September!" Because I know that's when the extreme heat will start to fade,  and we can begin enjoying the outdoors again.

This morning, the temp was 82, so jumped up to head for a morning walk! 

September in the Valley of the Sun will give us some high temps, but they will balance out with milder mornings. The sun won't rise during the 5ams any longer, and the sunsets are amazing.  It's also another month until the snowbirds arrive, which makes September a great month to get out and do things.  

Now I can change my mantra to "get out there and do it!" 

Labor Day

And we labored taking care of MrZ and Miss Jo.  Its a long day when it's too hot outside to keep kids busy.  We spent time in the morning outside, though.  Tried our hand at backyard bowling! 

Then back inside we go.   We played a a fav indoor game of hide and seek.   I hide a stack of seashells and they find them. Always fun :)  about 2 months ago, we were playing, and one shell stayed hidden, we couldn't find it!  Today???  We finally found the missing shell! Woot!! 

Miss Jo played in the backyard with her little car and two of my Cabbage Patch babies from the 1980s, Mia and Marty.  Marty was Brian's when he was young. He played with him often. At one point he drew a shark on Marty's arm ... it was his tattoo.  lol 

After our exciting morning, I finished out that day watching the Diamondbacks take on the Dodgers.  Good game, but we lost. 

Monsoon!!

Arizona summer storms can be spectacular.  Lately all of them have been during the night.  Today was the exception.

I drove home from mom's and right into a dust storm,  then thunder, lightning and rain!  

Lucky me, I washed my car this week.  Guess what I'll be doing again Tuesday??? Hahaha

PS: Arizona doesn't require drivers license renewal very often.  When I got mine in 2008, I didn't need renewal until 2024, so I left it on the back burner and only realized today that it expires Tuesday!  Thank goodness for online processing!!! Sometimes technology pays off!!!  Woot!

Another Funday Sunday

Sunday, but the Diamondbacks game isn't being televised so we're watching game shows. Eh, its ok. 

However, she had another bad night of pain, and she's convinced that the CT scan did something to her.  We had another talk and I reminded her again that a CT scan is a series of xrays. Her pain isn't muscular although she insists her muscles hurt.  Fibromyalgia pain is nerves, chronic nerve pain.  I'm still certain this is her anxiety. She says she's fine. She's not.  Maybe she will learn how to get past this.  

My great niece Miss-J is here for an hour so we're playing some ipad games.  She's 3 and in preschool.  Fun times with her!!