Currently Thankful

The name of the post should have given you a clue that, while I don't really know how I'm going to do it (just flying by the seat of my pants here), I'm going to be combining my Currently and Thankful Thursday posts. That's because I'm getting around to it late today and tomorrow (Thursday) I have to work all day.

Currently, the weather is a dismal gray and the temperature has fallen from a high in the 50s early this morning to 34. Winter is back again, but I am thankful we had a couple of beautiful days with temperatures in the low 60s...even if it did rain most of yesterday.

I am currently thinking about work and the fact that I turned in my resignation today. My last day is March 9. In doing the math, it just wasn't paying for me to keep working...at least at this job. It pays halfway decently, but I do not get reimbursed for mileage or expenses. I can only deduct those on our taxes and with the price of gas (and everything else) constantly going up, the deductions aren't enough. I am thankful I had the opportunity to work with my clients. Each one of them is very dear to me and I am sure one or two will continue to be a part of my life. I will mostly likely remain unemployed until at least after our vacation in September. I will be able to help with the grands and enjoy the summer with them. Another thing to be thankful for.

What I'm currently reading is "It's Not Supposed to Be This Way" by Lysa TerKeurst. It tells the story of what happened in Lysa's life that led up to her writing "Forgiving What You Can't Forget." I'm thankful for her honesty in sharing her journey and helping so many others.

I'm currently watching, "Blacklist," and the Robertson's (of Duck Dynasty fame) podcast "Unashamed." I just discovered the podcast is on YouTube. I'm thankful for the oddball faith and family message of the Robertson's. I also just learned that Phil has a daughter that he never knew about. Her story of finding out Phil was her father is very similar to my own journey to finding my father.

I'm currently feeling thankful for my pretty boy, Jasper. That could change at any moment because he has a tendency lately to have late night episodes of destruction, knocking things off the kitchen island and counters or, just for fun, tipping over the electric water fountain (that I had to get because he's fussy about his water) and spilling half a gallon of water all over the floor. It's a good thing he's handsome and has his snuggly moments.

I'm thankful for friends old and new. We went out to dinner last night with all the gang from my old Bible study group. It was the first time we'd gotten together since the beginning of January. So much fun! Sitting at the table behind us was my oldest friend and a current neighbor and then in came the wife of one of the elders at my current church. It was a great night of good food and laughter.

Y'all, I am just so thankful. Life is good and God is great! I am always celebrating my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As long as I have Him in my corner I will carry on and be glad and thankful in every moment.

Currently

In my neck of the woods...

The weather is a frosty 15* with clouds. No snow in the forecast and a high of only 24* today. Most of the old snow and ice is finally gone...only some large piles made by plowing remain. We did get a light dusting overnight.

I'm reading Is It Me? Making Sense of Your Confusing Marriage: A Christian Woman's Guide to Hidden Emotional and Spiritual Abuse by Natalie Hoffman.

I finished reading Murder as a Second Language by Joan Hess.

I'm celebrating Valentine's Day, of course! Tim is coming home earlier than usual today and we are going out to dinner at a popular local Italian restaurant. I will also see the kiddos at some point. I have little Valentine's bags for them.

I'm thinking about so much stuff!

**The little girl who stayed with our daughter's family last week. Her father did finally come and get her late Friday night to spend the weekend with her...though no one really believes he paid that much attention to her.

If (and that's a big if with his health and mental state) he went to work last night, he had to bring the girl back to either his mom or Megan. Since he has refused to answer calls or texts from Megan or Cody it was probably his mom. Megan expects to get her back today, however, even though no communication with the father. I had told her last week I didn't think she should have nagged the guy to take her for the weekend...Megan is trying so hard to believe and push him into be a good father. Sometimes that just isn't the case. She says if she gets her back this week she isn't going to call or text at all...just wait to see how long it takes him to ask about his daughter or to come see her. It will be better for the girl. She did not want to go home with her father and she was so happy and thriving with Megan and Cody.

**My head is still spinning from my church's marriage conference this past Saturday. I was on the planning committee so it was a busy day (and night before) for me. It was a great day! We had a good crowd, yummy food, generous prizes, and excellent speakers.

We had everyone from a couple married for 52 years, to newly engaged couples, to single people, to one going through divorce. There was something for everyone and as the singles and the divorced one said, they were hoping to learn how to do things right if they get married in the future.

Megan and Cody went and they were surprised. Everything the speakers talked about resonated with them and their situation. When we broke for lunch, they stayed talking to the speakers for at least 20 minutes! The only thing Cody struggled with was how friendly and nice everyone was. lol What a great problem, right? Seriously though, he is very shy or has social anxiety so it was a bit overwhelming for him. I think that was a good thing. He was raised in a pretty closed off, dysfunctional family. Seeing what warm, friendly Christians are like  ('cause you know not all of us are and those who aren't are the ones coloring the world's opinion of all of us) was a blessing. He and Megan both seemed amazed by it.

I only heard one sad story from the whole thing. One woman had invited a young woman she works with who was newly engaged. On Friday the woman was very excited about her fiancee coming home from working out of state. She called at the last minute Saturday morning to cancel. Apparently, the fiancee only came home to break up with her. On Valentine's weekend. Ouch.

Work isn't happening today. My client sent a text last night saying he didn't have any money this week. I asked if he wanted to hang out or do something that didn't cost money, but he opted to wait until next week. I'm pretty much okay with the bonus free day. 

I'm feeling relaxed, happy, and content.

I'm focused on today's to-do list. Valentine's cards and gifts to deliver, time slips to turn in, a messy desk to clear off, a wedding rsvp to return, and dinner to get ready for.

A quote to share:

Currently In My World...

The weather is pretty mild. The sun was out today (Tuesday) and we saw the mercury get up near 50! Tonight is only going down into the 20's and Wednesday and Thursday are both predicted to be in the low to mid 40's...quite mild for this time of year. Friday is only supposed to be in the low 20's, but here's hoping the latest big storm will have already moved through and the milder temps will save us from having to deal with a big mess.

Still reading Mummy Dearest by Joan Hess. I didn't have much time to read until today. I should finish it tomorrow.

We're watching Blacklist and Tim's started to rewatch Longmire. I'm chomping at the bit waiting for the new season of Sweet Magnolias to hit Netflix on Friday.

I'm thinking about what to make for Sunday. Another lady and I were sort of volunteered to provide the snacks for the finger food fellowship following the morning service. Some people get really carried away, but we've been warned not to do that. We are thinking a fruit tray, crackers and cheese, and cookies.

Also, what to do with my hair. I'm finally going to the salon on Thursday. Inches are coming off, but I don't know what's going to happen with the color yet. I may go for a lighter color. I may just go for some highlights to blend the gray. Or I just may let it go natural. I'm waiting to see what it looks like after all the old stuff is cut off.

We are celebrating nothing. Other than Valentine's Day, we don't have anything to "celebrate" this month.

I couldn't be more thankful for the bowling alley I take several of my clients to. They are very accommodating of those with special needs and a lot of folks who work with these sweet souls bring them there. It has been a life saver during the cold winter months when there is so little we can do. Most companions/aides choose not to bowl with their clients, but it's good exercise for me, too, so I opt to bowl with all but one of them...and that's only because that one is too impatient to wait for me to have a turn. lol

In the kitchen you'll still find cold weather comfort foods...soups, stuffed chicken breasts, steak, and Sunday Tim had the grands over for breakfast and whipped up bacon, pancakes, and eggs!

That's all that's going on at the moment. I hope all of you are ready for and stay safe and warm during this next round of winter weather!

Currently...

My blogging mojo seems to be missing in action at the moment. January and February are always such "meh" months here in southwestern Pennsylvania. Everything is gray and dreary with the sun missing in action more days than not. I don't suffer from SAD, at least not since I started taking massive daily doses of vitamin D3 several years ago, but I'm not particularly motivated to write, either. Even so, I think I can manage an update via the Currently format. So, here we go.

The weather: clear skies tonight with the temperature coming in at about 10*. I do believe Friday's forecast predicts a struggle to raise the mercury to 20*.

Finished reading: A Conventional Corpse, A Claire Malloy Mystery by Joan Hess. This was a reread, though not on purpose. There are quite a few books in the series and I haven't read them all. I picked up a few at Goodwill earlier in the month. I hope they won't all be rereads. (By the way, if you like Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series, you would probably like this series. Joan Hess is pretty funny.)

Watching: I finally got caught up on Virgin River, but I've been leaving the remote in Tim's hands lately so I've "watched" lots of action type films. Some were not bad. Some...well, those are hours I'll never get back.

Thinking about: What I need to do the next couple of days. Tim's half-aunt (I don't know if that's a thing, but she was his dad's half-sister and a year younger than Tim's oldest sister)...anyway, she passed away yesterday. At one time she and I were very close and we pretty much raised our kids together, but once they were grown we kind of drifted apart. I tried for years to stay in touch, but she had health issues (and perhaps a few mental ones) and she never returned calls and always had excuses for not doing anything if I did get through to her. In recent years when I'd see her she was so heavily medicated she wasn't really with it. It's sad, really. 

We will attend the viewing tomorrow evening and on Saturday the only one of Tim's sisters that is in the area and I will go to the funeral.

Megan and I went shopping last night and delivered a big load of quick, easy to grab food to the family and offered our condolences. 

Cooking: Lots of heartier, comfort type foods can be found in the kitchen lately: roasts, mashed potatoes and gravy; chicken noodle soup; stuffed peppers with mashed potatoes; my doctored up version of beef fried rice...

So, yeah...lots of calories and we're eating too much cause it's too cold to go outside for long. It's the usual winter hibernation pattern. Eat too much, move too little.

Work: Yeah, I'm not even doing much of that between the bad weather, clients cancelling because of illness or fear of the cold and weather, and one client whose mother (who probably would have qualified for the programs the agency offers had they existed when she was younger) tends to forget about my scheduled appointments and takes her son off to do something else and doesn't cancel. I'm starting to get everyone back on track and I do have to work tomorrow and then again on Saturday afternoon.

That's about all that's going on around here. What's happening in your part of the world?

Currently

I am...

Watching...Mysteries at the Museum on Discovery+. If you haven't figured it out yet, I am fascinated by the world's mysteries and oddities.

Reading...Christmas by the Book by Anne Marie Ryan. It's about a middle-aged couple in the English village of Stowford who run a quickly failing book store and what they do to give some of the town's residents a much needed dose of cheer. It's a lovely story, so far. I'll write more after I've finished.

Loving...that I am done working until after Christmas and I am only working twice next week, for just a couple of hours at a time, so I can be home since Tim is taking vacation.

Celebrating...the birth of Jesus, of course!

Thinking...about so many things, really. Should we go out to eat early on Christmas Eve before going to church or get Chinese takeout afterward? The things I still need to get done...a bit of wrapping, picking up gift certificates, baking one batch of my favorite cookies. The new client I was just assigned. And it's hard not to think about our son and his children and wonder what is happening in their lives and how the children have grown and changed in the year and a half since we last saw or heard from them. Our granddaughter will become a teenager the day after Christmas.

Feeling...festive and pretty relaxed for two days before Christmas.

Grateful...for my family and friends, that all are safe and healthy, and to be blessed with the things in life that are important.

A quote to share...

I don't expect to post again until after Christmas, so I wish you all the very merriest of Christmases, filled with all the love and joy your heart can hold!

Currently...

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas as the decorations are finally all up, the shopping is in full swing, the wrapping has begun, and the obligatory Christmas movie is on the TV...it's not a Hallmark, though, but a very odd one called Christmas Time about two brothers who've been estranged for years (one brother thinks he's a time traveler...like I said, odd).

The weather

Anyway, the sun is shining and the temperature is in the mid 40's. Not particularly Christmassy, but nice, and the coolest day we'll see until the weekend.

Listening to

Still the 24/7 Christmas music radio station.

Watching

Already told you. Oops.

Loving

The way I feel this Christmas. It feels like everything has shifted back into clear focus, that priorities are in order, and it's all about Jesus. I mean, it always has been, but I've often stressed over things that just don't matter. This year...I'm relaxed and focused on what Christmas is all about. As for the rest, whatever gets done or happens will be fine.

Celebrating

Today is Colton's birthday. My little Boogie Man is 5 years old. How can that be? He has brought so much joy and love to our lives and I am so thankful for him.

Thinking

About our dear blogging friend, Linda, and the heartbreak she and her husband are experiencing due to the loss of their beloved son, Liam, over the weekend. My heart aches for them and I ask you to keep them in your thoughts and prayers if you would.

Feeling

Grateful and blessed.

Grateful

Beyond measure for my family (even the ones that don't speak to us) and friends, my church, my pets (especially now that the kitty is settling down some) and this good life the Lord has blessed me with.

No quote today.

Just a wish that you love and enjoy every moment of your life and the people who fill it. Take the time to pay attention to and appreciate the things that really matter. Don't sweat the small stuff or the stuff that won't even matter tomorrow.

Currently...

The weather... is a chilly 25 degrees this morning, but we should make it into the low 40's later on. We're going into a warm up that will have temperatures in the mid-60's on Saturday!

Listening to... the 24/7 Christmas radio station in the car and in the house.

Watching... more Christmas movies.

Loving... being part of a church this Christmas. It is really helping me to stay focused on what's important and I'm enjoying the season as I haven't in quite a while.

Celebrating... nothing but Christmas at the moment. Colton's birthday is coming up next Monday. He will be 5 years old. How the time has flown!

Thinking... about Tim's health. He saw the doctor last week and was sent for a sonogram of his kidneys because the doctor felt that's where the pain in his side was coming from. We didn't hear anything until yesterday, but the sonogram shows a large stone in each kidney. The info has been forwarded to Tim's urologist (yes, he actually has one because he has had quite a few kidney stones and a large bladder stone in the past). I hope she will move on it quickly, but doubt she will with Christmas looming. So, the prayer becomes that the pain will not become so great as to ruin Christmas and Tim's planned vacation days...because you know when these things happen, it always seems to be on a holiday.

Feeling... annoyed with the kitten. I have never had one that is so....prickly. I can rarely touch him without being bitten or scratched. And he purrs the whole time.

Grateful... for my family, my friends, my church, my Bible study group, my small group, the Lord and my relationship with Him, and the way the messages at church, and in all my groups are echoing each other and building on the same thoughts.

Enjoying... the novelty of feeling relaxed about the holidays.

A quote I want to share...

Currently...

The weather... 31 degrees and light snow.

Listening to... Jasper bat something all across the floor and Daisy grumbling when he gets to close to her. This cat runs all day kind of like a spider monkey on crack and then when he crashes, he crashes hard.

Watching... episodes of Swamp People on Frndly.

Loving... just about everything. The season and all things Christmas, my clients and the things they enjoy doing. Friday I had a client here at the house all day and taught her to make chocolate candies. I heard she took them to church today and shared them with everyone. Tomorrow I get to go to (now don't be jealous) the Night of the Living Dead Zombie Museum, located in the Monroeville Mall, which is where the Dawn of the Dead movie was filmed. Not my thing.at.all.

Celebrating... a great afternoon at the local soup kitchen with some of the members of my small group from church. I discovered a woman I've known since we were kids is the main cook (she listened to God's call to retire from her job and take on the soup kitchen) and we all had so much fun sorting and putting away donated food, preparing today's meal, prepping Tuesday's meal, boxing up the meal, and passing it out. We will probably go back again. I may go back more often than that.

Thinking... about all that's coming up this month just at church, never mind everywhere else! A Christmas Tea, a Christmas dinner, Christmas Eve service, and more. And there are so many opportunities to do good for others. It is an especially big blessing to be part of a church again at this time of year!

Feeling... happy. Just plain old happy.

Celebrating... I can't think of anything beyond the season.

Grateful... that Leah wasn't seriously hurt last night when she fell and smacked her forehead off the corner of the coffee table (at her house, not here). Megan called me to go look at her because it immediately swelled up with a big bubble and was black and blue. It looked awful, but she was acting okay so I told Megan to just watch her. Today the swelling was gone and the bruise wasn't too bad and she was fine.

Enjoying... the cold and snow and being cozy inside with my family and pets watching movies and reading books.

A quote I want to share...

And your cake, too!

Currently...

I am...

Reading:  Christmas in Rose Bend by Naima Simone

Listening to: Tim, Daisy, and Jasper snoring. Really.

Loving: that my Monday client is always up for adventure. Today we drove to Sharon to see the Christmas trees at Kraynak's, picked out bags of "penny" candy at Daffin's, and had lunch at the flagship Quaker Steak & Lube.

Thinking: about what a busy day tomorrow is....errands in the morning, a client in the afternoon, and a Thanksgiving get-together with my Bible study group.

Feeling:  excited about the holiday season! *Humming: "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas."

Celebrating:  getting the pantry and kitchen cabinets clean out and organized.

Grateful for:  everything. I am pretty darn content with my life these days.

Weather:  30 degrees and dark.

Enjoying:  Jasper's cuddles. Most evenings he falls asleep sitting up and leaning against me.

A quote I want to share: It's not exactly a quote, but it's accurate.

Currently...

The sun is shining and at 65 degrees it feels more like September than the 8th of November. I don't think I ever remember us cutting the grass in November before, but here we are. It's supposed to be nice for a few days this week. Indian Summer?

I'm listening to... Jasper purr in my ear (he likes to sleep on my shoulder) and from somewhere in the neighborhood I can hear the buzz of a mower. 

I'm reading... No Ordinary Christmas: A Mistletoe, Maine Novel by Belle Calhoune. Local boy-turned-Hollywood-star, Dante West, is coming home to make his next movie in Mistletoe and everyone in town is excited...except the town's librarian, Lucy Marshall. When Dante took off for Hollywood without warning or even a goodbye, he broke Lucy's heart. Dante is eager to help boost his hometown's economy and to finally start making amends to the people he hurt when he left. Can the magic of Christmas help him do that with Lucy?

I'm watching... Hallmark Christmas movies, of course! And also a lot of the other shows streaming on frndly TV. Tim's enjoying the old cop and cowboy shows and I've been watching Only in America with Larry the Cable Guy, We Bought the Farm, and Mountain Mama's.

I'm celebrating... a negative result on my Covid test!

I'm worrying about... our daughter and her husband and, of course, the grandchildren. It seemed Megan and Cody were on the mend, but today they seem worse again. A neighbor who seems to have had it in the same way they do said her doctor told her to expect it to take up to 6 weeks to recover. I am praying Cody is able to return to work next week. They really can't afford for him to be off as long as he has been, let alone longer. 

I worry about Colton and Leah, too. When the kids seemed to be on the upswing, I sent the little ones home because Colt was pretty congested and doing a lot of coughing. Now that I've had a negative test, I don't want to risk getting sick. I will if Megan and Cody absolutely can't manage, but so far they are doing okay. 

I had fun... watching Colton and Leah play in the leaves yesterday. Tim was cleaning up the leaves in Mom's yard. They must have seen him and came out to play (we stayed socially distanced, but oh, was it hard). Tim used the leaf blower to pile the leaves up for them and they had a ball!

I'm enjoying... Jasper. Now that Daisy has quit barking at him non-stop and the kids haven't been chasing him, he's coming into his own and making himself at home. That usually means he's either harassing Daisy, crawling up something he's not supposed to be crawling up with his claws, or cuddled up on or beside me. A cat tree was delivered today. I'm hoping that draws his attention away from the furniture and curtains. Little stinker! I'd be mad at him, but he's so darn cute. His stripes are starting to come out more, too.

I'm cooking... lots of easy comfort foods. With everyone sick or busy and stressed it's been the way to go. Soups, casseroles, pierogies, etc.

Making me laugh... 

You can have your coffee and be buried in the can!

True of most men with most sicknesses.

Now that's the truth.

Yep. I would be Baby in Dirty Dancing walking into the party and saying "I carried a watermelon" when introduced to the hot guy.

True, but I'm more interested in a world where there are no snakes because they eat themselves. That is my kind of place! Snakes...ewww!

Currently...

The thermometer outside the kitchen window is reading 41 degrees this evening and the furnace is running. November has arrived. High temperatures will remain under 50 degrees all week.

I'm reading Confessions of a Curious Bookseller by Elizabeth Green. This book is really different. The entire book consists of emails, blog posts, hand-written notes, and journal entries between the main character, the rather odd owner of a used book store, and the people she comes into contact with. It's certainly unusual, but I'm hooked and have to know what happens next. 

I'm watching the most recent episode of NCIS. I had to get caught up and wrap my mind around the idea of no more Gibbs. As much as I like McGee...he's no Gibbs. Sigh.

I signed back up for frndly today so I'm good to go for the Hallmark Christmas movie season!

Cooking has not been a high priority lately because life has been busy. I was off today and looking forward to a productive day at home, but Megan and the kids were in and out and I kept Leah this afternoon while Megan took Colton to an appointment. Anyway, no time to do real cooking again. Supper was shrimp and corn chowder I'd bought at Sam's Club a few months ago and stuck in the freezer. It was amazingly good! If you like seafood you should look for it at Sam's.

I've been celebrating and enjoying all things autumn...those gorgeous photos I shared yesterday, Halloween, sweaters, cozy candles and blankets, and all the rest.

This evening I'm thinking about our son-in-law. We just got the kiddos over whatever nasty bug they had that left them both with double ear infections and now he is not feeling well.

Also about the friend who does my hair. Her mom has been in the hospital for a few weeks with covid. It has taken its toll on her lungs and there is nothing more they can do. They removed her from everything today and started her on a morphine drip.

What's new, in case you missed it, is that we've welcomed a new member to the family. Tim surprised me on Halloween with a Maine Coon kitten, who I've named Jasper.

I've also added one more "member" to the family, probably the only Basset Hound I will ever own. His name is Cooper and he's the easiest pet ever!

As time goes on you can expect to see Coop sporting seasonal attire.

Making me laugh:

Currently...

I'm running late today. Colton was not feeling well this morning and running a fever. All the thermometers we used to check at home were giving very high readings...104-105...so Megan packed him up and took him to the ER. Thankfully, they found his temperature a good bit lower at just under 102. 

Of course all manner of tests were run along with the dreaded Covid nose swab (this is poor Colt's FOURTH swabbing!), which made his nose bleed. He sure wasn't a happy camper. The good news is that while we are still waiting the results of the long-term test, the rapid test was negative and all the other tests for strep and such were negative. The doctor said he is 99.9% sure it's not Covid and is just some viral thing. We are all really happy about that and after being dosed with alternating Motrin and Tylenol all day Colton seems to be feeling a good bit better.

Leah was with me all day (I have cancelled my clients until we get Colton's test results) so that when Megan and Colton got home from the ER they could get some sleep. We ran some errands and picked up lunch to eat at home. I sure do love that little girl, but she can be a real stinker and keeps me on my toes and running.

Now, on to what's currently going on.

The weather...is just right for this time of year. We've been having sunny days with temperatures in the 50s and 60s and the nights are mostly in the 40s, though Monday night it dropped into the 30s! Yes, the furnace has run a few times.

Reading...nothing. I finished up a couple of cozy mysteries, reviews to come, but work and life have been crazy lately so I haven't started anything new.

Watching...still watching NCIS: New Orleans more than anything, but also some fun Halloween movies on Disney with the kiddos, and a rather eclectic mash up of whatever catches my interest.

As for movies, I took a client to see The Saints of Newark yesterday. Um...I guess it was good for a movie about the mob. Totally not my thing. My client picked it. It's definitely a guy movie...lots of gory violence, swearing, and sex. It was kind of awkward sitting there with my client, but he really enjoyed it (he is 26 and very high functioning). 

A better movie was God's Not Dead: We the People. I saw that last week with my Bible study group and really enjoyed it.

Cooking...in all honesty, not much of anything because of how busy I've been. I did manage to whip up ravioli tonight.

Celebrating...that I joined my church on Sunday. After the bad experiences I've had in a couple of past churches, I am still just walking on air, wanting to sing praises and shout for joy because of what a wonderful group of people are there. I honestly thought I'd never find such a church.

Thinking about...a phone message I received today. On a whim I applied for a job online last night. It is for an aide/paraprofessional at one of the schools some of my clients attend or have attended. The woman who is doing the hiring wants to talk to me. 

The job is a full-time one, Monday-Friday from 8:15-3:15. The pay is a few cents less than I'm making now, but it's more hours and I wouldn't have to work any nights, weekends, or holidays. It also has a retirement plan and paid sick days and vacation days.

I guess I will at least talk to the woman.

Making me laugh...

My granddoggie's Halloween costume.
Don't you love the face?

I know it's kind of naughty, but these peeps
get major points for creativity!

That's all the news from here. I hope you are all well and having a great week!

Currently...

It appears that there is no Tuesday 4 to join in this week, so a day late, but Currently it is.

The weather...was a beautiful 78 degrees today with sunny skies and a LOT of wind. Tomorrow, Tuesday, is supposed to be just a bit cooler with a high of 73 degrees, but there is rain in the forecast. 

Reading...I'm technically just getting ready to start reading Be My Ghost, A Haunted Haven Mystery by Carol J. Perry. I went to Barnes & Noble with my client today and they were having a buy one, get one half off sale.

Watching...I've finally gotten caught up on NCIS. Now I've moved on to NCIS New Orleans and I've just started watching NCIS Hawaii.

Cooking...in all honesty, nothing much the last few days. Tomorrow I'm making cabbage steaks, some late season corn on the cob, and...an as yet undecided meat.

Looking forward to...going to see God's Not Dead: We the People with my Bible study group next Tuesday and then next Friday, Tim and I are heading to Erie for a 3-day weekend. We will see my father, Tim's sister and niece, and spend plenty of time admiring the lake, eating wonderful food, and touring the wineries along the lake shore and the NY border. There will probably be some antiquing and thrifting involved as well. Maybe even a trip to the casino.

Thinking about...the fact that this Saturday is our son's 35th birthday...a milestone birthday...and because of his choice to shut us out of his life, we won't celebrate with him. I bought a card today and have decided that after a year I'm ready to write a letter to him, which I will include with the card. (Actually, I've written him several letters over the past year. They are put away in the safe, along with letters I have written to his children. Our daughter knows that if we are never reconciled or something happens and he has not come back around the letters are to be sent to them.

I'm thankful...that while our daughter's family has dealt with nasty colds and allergies recently, Covid was not in the picture...even though the school kept sending poor Colton home insisting he be tested again. The doctor finally wrote the school a rather firm letter that the poor kid has allergies and wearing the mask all day just aggravates it.

I'm celebrating...all things autumnal. The colors, the smells, the tastes (I had my first pumpkin pancakes today!), sweaters, soft glowing lights, festivals, and cozy evenings at home.

Making me laugh...

I hope that left you smiling.

Have a great week!

Currently...

The weather isn't looking too shabby. It's a little cloudy this morning, but Alexa assures me the day promises only partly cloudy weather and a high temperature of 83. A little warmer than I like at this time of year, but a good day to spend the afternoon in an air conditioned bowling alley with one of my clients.

It's supposed to be in the 80s all week so we've held off on closing up the pool just in case anyone wants to get in a last swim before the water gets too cold.

I'm listening to/watching Fox News at the moment. Yesterday Tim found Police Woman on the Tubi app and we watched several episodes of that. It was interesting to see some of the people who were on it in their younger days before they had shows of their own. The guy who played the dad on The Wonder Years had a small role in an episode and then in a later one I recognized the actor who played Hunter in the 80s series. I knew he had been a pro football player, but not that he had been such a cutie in younger days.

I'm reading nothing in particular as far as books go. In my Bible reading I'm in the book of Isaiah. Man, the things God had to say about Israel sound awfully familiar. 

I'm praying for the healing of those with Covid. It is really ramping up around here at the moment. My phone was blowing up on Friday with prayer requests for church members who have been diagnosed with it. Fortunately, none of them are terribly serious and none are in the hospital. We also learned yesterday that our niece in Louisiana has tested positive. So far she only has cold-like symptoms. Her kids are upset, though, as they'd just gotten back to school following the hurricane.

I'm also praying for continued health as I'm hoping to visit my biological father and half-sister this Saturday.

I'm thankful the anniversary of 9/11 came and went without any further tragedies. I know everyone was worried and with good reason, so it's a relief that nothing happened.

In the kitchen there is nothing going on today. I have my all day client today and then at supper time I have a meeting with a potential new client. Tim is going to be late getting home today so he's okay with that.

I'm celebrating that Tim seems to be sleeping better and says he doesn't hurt anywhere near as much as he has been. He began using CBD oil and taking Relief Factor and Pure Nature supplements last week. 

I'm a little irked that he started them all right away at the same time rather than staggering the starts, so we don't know if any single one of them is what's doing the trick. Knowing that could certainly save us a ton of money. All three are pretty pricey with the CBD oil being the most expensive.

Making me laugh...

Happy Monday! Have a great week!