Five things that made me happy today – 9/30/22

Be tolerant of those who are lost on their path. Ignorance, conceit, anger, jealousy – and greed stem from a lost soul. Pray that they will find guidance. 

Lakota Code of Ethics

1. Still very temperate overnight – temps in the mid 50s when I got up. The sun has been out most of the day, but it’s still only 66 deg. I’m happy with the cool weather.

2. I spent a lot of time this morning writing my Intentions Review for September.

3. AT&T finally lured me into replacing our 2-year-old iPhone 12s. First I checked with my tame IT specialist (#2 son), and he approved of that move. They are ordered because they weren’t in stock. Now to wait to see what all the fuss is about. We skipped from 12 to 14, so we’re not being obsessive about getting the newest and best.

4. Lunch was pork chops, cinnamon apple sauce, and fresh Brussels sprouts.

5. The Congress seems to have found their moral compass and passed the continuing resolution to keep the government open – no threatened shut-down. Will miracles never cease?

How about you? What made you happy today?

Intentions Review for September 2022

My Star Word for this year is Solitude. I’m taking it as an affirmation that my introverted tendencies are just fine.

“We are human beings, not human doings:”. I set these intentions for who I want to BE not what I want to DO. As with last year I will hold these intentions loosely, and may add new ones or subtract some of these as the spirit moves me.

NOTE: *indicates intention added in June

1. Traveler
   1. Train Trip to Upstate New York – postponed until at least Spring 2023
      1. Summer of 2022
      2. Cost
      3. Start saving now
   2. Northern Washington with Bill
      1. Because of the weather and traffic, we opted to visit Port Townsend instead of Leavenworth. We got pictures of the sound, the mountains, the shore, etc.
      2. Cost – lunch for two
   3. Whale Watching with Al
      1. August 11-13
      2. Cost – I paid for the boat tickets, Bill paid for a larger car, and we each paid for our own food and lodging
2. Content
   1. Habits to keep
      1. Exercise 1 hour a day 5-6 days a week (see 3-C)
      2. Eat healthy food (see 3-C)
      3. Stick to regular schedule of noon meals – mostly good, but not obsessively so
         1. Sunday – eat out
         2. Monday and Friday – meat, starch, fresh vegetable
         3. Tuesday – feed yourself (sandwich, salad, pre-frozen pasta)
         4. Wednesday – soup of the week, or salad
         5. Thursday – pickup Fast Food
         6. Saturday – finish off leftovers or charcuterie plate during Football season
   2. Habits to change
      1. Focus on how I feel when I’m exercising and eating right and try to ignore the numbers – Check
      2. Really listen to Al instead of thinking I know what he’s going to say – It’s a work in progress
3. Healthy
   1. Both cataracts are done. New glasses are in place and I see fine
   2. I’m double vaccinated and double boosted, and so are all my family. We will be getting the bi-valent COVID vaccine on Friday, October 7. I’ll wait for my flu vaccine until the end of October to have immunity longer through the spring.
   3. *My new Primary Care Physician gave me a new prescription for healthy living
      1. 5 or more fruits and vegetables daily – generally okay
      2. 1 hour or more of physical activity daily – usually
      3. 2 1/2 hrs of aerobic activity a week – check
      4. 2 days of strength building activity a week – I have a regularly scheduled meeting with my personal trainer – two days a week for balance and strength.
      5. 0 soda & sugary drinks – more water – check
   4. *Lose 2 lbs a month before my 80th birthday (will complete the goal I set in 2014).
      1. June 2022 – minus 3 lbs – minus 3 lbs total
      2. July 2022 – minus .8 lbs – minus 3.8 lbs total – I was definitely on track before Al had to go into the hospital (had lost 1.8 lbs). Then, the combination of no time to cook, and having Bill here put me off
      3. August 2022 – plus .8 lbs – minus 3.2 lbs total – The combination of my Birthday trip and hot weather that chased me inside set me back
      4. September 2022 – minus 1.4 lbs – minus 4.6 lbs total. Back to slow, but steady.
4. Learner
   1. Great Decisions – first Wednesday of every month
      1. Changing Demographics – Interesting, but nothing earthshaking
      2. Outer Space – interesting perspective from others in the class
      3. Climate Change – I led the discussion and everyone seemed to enjoy the conversation
      4. Putin’s Russia – interesting history, but mostly overcome by events and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
      5. Myanmar and Asean – interesting, I guess, but I’m really not interested in that part of the world (I probably ought to be)
      6. Quad Alliance – Very similar to the discussion of Myanmar and Asean
      7. Industrial Policy – Biden’s policy of economic stimulus has lead to increased job growth
      8. Drug Policy in Latin America
      9. Biden’s Agenda
   2. MasterClass – I didn’t renew my membership. It felt like I wasn’t using it enough to make it worthwhile.
   3. Read at least 24 books this year
      1. Finish the Inspector Lynley series
      2. In the Presence of the Enemy – Elizabeth George – finished
      3. Deception on his Mind – Elizabeth George – finished
      4. In Pursuit of the Proper Sinner – Elizabeth George – finished
      5. The Sacred Bridge – Anne Hilllerman – finished
      6. A Traitor to Memory – Elizabeth George – finished
      7. A Place of Hiding – Elizabeth George – finished
      8. From Rocket Boys to October Sky – Homer Hickam – finished
      9. With No One as Witness – Elizabeth George – finished
      10. Mother Lode – Gretchen Staebler – finished
      11. What Came Before He Shot Her – Elizabeth George – did not finish
      12. Careless in Red – Elizabeth George – reading
5. Writer
   1. 5 Things that Made Me Happy Today – I’m definitely keeping up with this.
   2. Stories from my Life – abandoned
      1. Publish a story at least twice a week
      2. Okay to use and/or expand other things I’ve written
   3. Memoir (longer form) of our 50th Anniversary Trip – I have finished most of it. Wondering how or when to set it loose in the world.
6. Friend – Remember the only person I can change is me.
   1. Accepting Mindset
      1. Try to give other people the benefit of the doubt
      2. Ask questions instead of jumping to conclusions
   2. Introverted actions to take
      1. Send a kind message to distant friends at least once a month – done
      2. Keep up with friends on Facebook – done
      3. Send an email or text message to people who do nice things for me or for other people – done, but not as many as I should.
      4. Keep up with my sisters – weekly on Zoom – done (my lifeline for sanity)

Five things that made me happy today – 9/29/22

When we do the best we can, we never know what miracle is wrought in our life, or in the life of another. 

Helen Keller

1. Cool, with scattered clouds – upper 50s this morning. It was 68 deg. for a high this afternoon.

2. I spent more time this morning reading on my current Inspector Lynley novel. I’m so glad I gave up on the last one. It was totally uninteresting. This one is great.

3. Burger King burgers for lunch today.

4. Over to the Wellness Center about 1:30 pm to work out on the NuStep and get my cardio going while l listened to HCR talk about finishing the founding framework including adding the Louisiana Purchase to the lands for the United States.

5. Then, met with my personal trainer for balance, and strength. Good workout!

How about you? What made you happy today?

Five things that made me happy today – 9/28/22

I hope I’ve learned enough to let gratitude replace resentment, acceptance replace criticism, faith replace hopelessness, and love replace indifference. 

Bebe Nicholson

1. It was in the mid 50s when I got up with drizzle predicted for the rest of the morning. AT LAST some rain. The drizzle lasted until after lunch and promises to come back after sunset. The high temperature this afternoon is headed toward the mid 60s. Fall is really here.

2. The hanging basket that was asking for water last night, seems to have been satisfied with the rain we’ve gotten. It’s looking perky again.

3. Over to the Wellness Center at noon to get all my steps for the day accomplished before lunch.

4. In honor of the cool, drizzly day, I fixed Bear Creek’s Cheddar Potato Soup for lunch. I also added some of the pate and some carrots to my lunch. Good on a cold, rainy day.

5.  I originally planned to spend the morning watching the January 6th hearing, but since it was cancelled, I was able to read some on my new Inspector Lynley novel. I finally admitted that I didn’t want to keep reading the one I was working on, and shelved it, unfinished. I’m so excited I made the change.

How about you? What made you happy today?

Five things that made me happy today – 9/27/22

Do not grow old, no matter how long you live. Never cease to stand like curious children before the great mystery into which we were born. 

Albert Einstein

1. It was low 50s and clear when I got up, even though my weather app said it was foggy. Sunny and warm most of the day with a high in the mid 70s.

2. In Bible study, we looked at Lamentations 1:1-6. Someone said it reminded them of Ukraine, and how those people must be feeling. The preacher asked what we could do. I, of course, reminded everyone “feed the hungry, house the homeless, comfort the afflicted, support the poor, etc.” That seems to me to be the thru-line of the Bible. We are God’s hands and feet.

3. I got the sheets and towels all washed, and ran the dishwasher before the housekeeper came. She put clean sheets on the beds, cleaned the kitchen, cleaned the bathrooms, and swept, mopped and vacuumed the floors.

4. HCR did a good job answering political questions. Again, someone had said they were so tired and. discouraged. She said “We need to take up oxygen. Go to school board meetings, challenge people who disparage the government. Don’t listen when people complain about inflation, unless they want to curb the movement of wealth up.”

5. Greisser Girls Gab this afternoon. Wine with people I don’t have to explain myself to. Who could ask for more?

How about you? What made you happy today?

Five things that made me happy today – 9/26/22

Remember the plants, trees, animal life who all have their families, their histories too. Talk to them, listen to them. They are alive poems. 

Joy Harjo

1. Cool and clear this morning at dawn, with another spectacular sunrise – mid-50s. Much warmer today with temperatures in the upper 70s or low 80s before sunset.

2. I finally got around to doing the NYT Crossword Puzzle on the day it came out. PERFECT I was so pleased with myself that I went over to the Wellness Center and got most of my steps before I had to meet my personal trainer. All that stuff done and dusted before lunch.

3. I fixed chicken, green beans, and a tomato for me, with noodles for Al. I drowned the chicken in red wine and called it coq au vin. Not bad for a change of pace.

4. I got the laundry all washed, dried, delivered, folded and hung up right after lunch.

5. Gazebo Group meets today. It will be comfortable or even too warm to sit outside and drink wine.

How about you? What made you happy today?

Five things that made me happy today – 9/25/22

Security is not found in constructing defenses out of fear, but in building bridges out of hope.  

Anonymous

1. Another beautiful sunrise this morning – temps in the low 50s. It warmed up nicely and got into the mid-70s before nightfall.

2. First regular church service with our new pastor, Ofe Rosario. Good sermon about Jeremiah telling the people who had been taken to Babylon that they needed to settle down and live where they found themselves – marry, have children, plant crops, build homes. It was particularly poignant because Ofe is an immigrant, and a new resident of the Pacific Northwest.

3. I understand what he’s feeling. Remember I’ve lived in 26 or 27 different houses in three countries, and five or six states. You absolutely have to settle down where you are, because, even if you are able to go back, the home you remember and the people you remember have either changed or they aren’t there anymore.

4. I’ve been jonesing for fish for several weeks, and I finally got Al to agree to go to Harbor Lights for dinner today. He had ground sirloin steak with a baked potato and green beans, and I had pan-fried trout with rice pilaf and green beans.

5. We got a table by the window and watched the boats going up and down the sound, and the water birds skimming, and diving. There were two cormorants sitting on one of the posts. One had probably gotten cold, and he was so funny looking sitting there with his wings half-folded. He looked like he had his hands in his pockets.

How about you? What made you happy today?

Five things that made me happy today – 9/24/22

To be astonished is one of the surest ways of not growing old too quickly. 

SIDONIE-GABRIELLE COLETTE

1. Mid-50s and mostly clear when I got up – sunny when the sun got up. Sunrise is now after I’ve gotten up, and fixed my tea. Before long, sunrise will be after breakfast and sunset will be long before supper. It got up to 72 deg this afternoon under continued sunny skies.

2. Over to the Wellness Center this morning, and got all the exercise I’m going to do today done.

3. I got some Green Peppercorn Pate yesterday to add to my charcuterie lunch with crackers, Boursin, carrots, and sweet gherkins. I grazed throughout the afternoon including a few cashews, some cantaloupe, and a dab of cottage cheese.

4. The Ducks played at 1:00 pm against Washington State – their first conference game of the year. They had a lot of trouble and were down until about 4 minutes left in the game, when they suddenly remembered who they were and what they were doing, and ended up winning 44-41. I don’t know whether my heart would stand another game like that.

5. The rest of the afternoon and evening will be spent watching whatever football game takes my interest – Arkansas v Texas A&M – USC v Oregon State – Stanford v Washington. I’ll go to bed full to the brim with football.

How about you? What made you happy today?

Five things that made me happy today – 9/23/22

Notice that autumn is more the season of the soul than of nature

Frederich Nietzsche

1. It was warmish and cloudy (upper 50s) when I got up. The temperature managed to get to 69 deg. this afternoon under partly cloudy skies. Nice, but breezy. They promised a shower or two today, but there doesn’t seem to be any evidence of it yet.

2. I guess it’s the Equinox messing with me. but I’ve been feeling blah today. I keep feeling like it ought to rain (our area has had the driest summer ever). If it’s not going to rain, at least the trees ought to be turning red (which they aren’t). What flowers there are, are looking wilted. <sigh>

3. The animals seems to believe it’s time for the turn of the year. A FAT raccoon was scavenging in the yard, under my window this morning. As I said yesterday, Bucky has a fine set of antlers.

4. We got a mesquite marinated pork roast at the commissary on Wednesday. It was almost two lbs and way too big for just the two of us, so I cut it in three pieces and froze two of them. We had the other one for dinner today with rice and asparagus. I also got the asparagus at the commissary, but I think they must have put something on it to make it look fresher than it was. It was edible, but not great.

5. Sorry if today’s post is a downer. I’ve got itchy feet, and no where to go and no money to spend.

How about you? What made you happy today?

Five things that made me happy today – 9/22/22

Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain. 

Anonymous

1. Warmish overnight with dawn temperatures in the low 50s – breezy and cloudy. It hung in there at 69 deg. through the afternoon, under sunny skies with scattered clouds.

2. Happy first day of Autumn. I got out my fall sweatshirts today.

3. I had a restful morning while Al went to a committee meeting. I was glad I wasn’t there.

4. I went by Metropolitan Market and picked up a little bit of pate for my lunch on Saturday. Then to Burger King to get Whoppers for Al and me for lunch.

5. Session with my personal trainer after lunch. He says I’m improving. I hope so. I agree that I feel a little steadier on my feet.

How about you? What made you happy today?