Cranky C. McCrankister

Hi All!

It has been a day or so since I posted. That is mostly due to the fact that I have been C.R.A.N.K.Y. So cranky in fact that I think it was making my stomach upset yesterday. So cranky that I didn't want to interact with anyone - even by blog! So cranky that I just hid in my bed for most of the day. I didn't even go swimming.

Cranky!

Today I don't feel quite as cranky. In fact, I woke up feeling pretty darn good. Until I figured out that I didn't have time to water my flowers. That brought back a bit of the crank. However, I am trying hard to fend off another attack of cranky. Wish me luck!

WHY was I cranky?

Well, there are just so many reasons that I came up with which could possibly be the cause.

First, I have been having this weird gas attack lately. I had one a while back - the gas makes my chest hurt (right side) and then I take a Gas X and things get better. However, this time it was compounded by the fact that I saw a commercial about one of the medications I am on causing heart problems. Naturally, I immediately began to wonder if the gas was really heart issues!

That led me to consider going to the doctor to find out if my heart is okay. However, I don't really like my general doc too much and I don't want to go to him to find out that it is only gas. Also - I don't have pain when I swim or walk which - I would think I would if it was my heart, right??

I am so good an justifying everything. Anyway - I don't have pain in my chest (right side) anymore. So the problem is moot until the next time . . .

Another possible reason for the cranks is that I signed up for TWO classes this semester but only ONE of them is actually going to happen. That means that I will have at least another semester of school in my future. It seems like this is the never ending education!

Don't get me wrong - I am all about life-long learning but . . . this is just getting ridiculous! I am READY for the formal stuff to be over with!

Yet another possible reason (a real long shot) for the cause of the cranks is that school is starting Monday here. Now, it has been a couple of years since I stopped teaching and, to tell the truth, I am sort of glad that I am not teaching anymore. However, there is something about the whole "going back to school" thing which sort of tugs at my heart. I really, really, really love teaching and I am very good at it. *sigh*

Still another possible reason is that it is still HOT, HOT, HOT here with absolutely NO RAIN! I got a message on Facebook from a friend who lives in the same city - she said it rained at HER place. Not so much as one drop at mine! Not. One. Drop! I even watered my flowers hoping to lure in the rain!

It seems like the rain constantly goes around my house. In fact, yesterday Hubby came home and said that he drove through rain to get home from work. DROVE THROUGH RAIN! Of course, the rain stopped before he made it to our house! We must have some sort of rain-proof force field around our house!

So it is back to watering.

Are those enough reasons to be cranky????

Like I said - today I don't feel nearly as cranky so hopefully, it will be a better day.

sdg
Hope you have a happy day!
dg
Trisha
sfg
Voice Update: Still doing well. Enough said.

All Wind and No Rain!

Hi All!

dghj

Once more we have missed some much needed rain. The weathermen showed storms all around us - north, west, and east - but NOTHING actually happened in our neighborhood except this . . .

Of course, winds like this are not uncommon in our area. We often have high winds with absolutely no chance of rain. Which we REALLY need. Did I mention that we need some rain around here?

sgjh

This morning, the clouds left over from yesterday's storms were still in the area and while I was swimming my laps I spied a flash in the far distance. With that I was out of the pool and drying off. I was not going to be taking any chances with lightening in the area - even if it was far away!

sfg

I did manage to get in ten good laps AND my walk to and from the pool. There was even a brief shower (about a dozen drops) while I was getting my gear together to leave the pool. Unfortunately, that shower didn't last even until I got out of the gate and onto the sidewalk! Rats!

fgdj

Even thought the dark clouds are still hanging around, I did water my flowerbeds. I have learned from experience that if I don't water then it definitely WON'T rain. But, if I water, sometimes, just sometimes, it really does rain! I have my fingers crossed!

dfg

Yesterday wasn't too exciting. I headed to Big Lots to get some "filling" for a package I sent to my parents (hey Mom, be watching for a package! And don't worry - I DID buy some stuff but it was not too expensive and you and Dad are worth it!). Then I bopped to the post office where I was the second to three people in line. That was an anomaly since there is ALWAYS a huge line at our post office - the home to the slowest moving employees in the world! After the post office I went to the new pizza place for a yummy pizza lunch and time to read my latest book. After eating I headed to Kroger's for fruit.

Going into Kroger's was a bit nerve-wracking for me because Hubby had stopped in late last week for some milk and reported back that there had apparently been a problem with the seafood counter. The entire store smelled like rotting seafood (with some rotten veggies thrown in for "flavor") and bleach. This made me hesitate a bit about going into the store. . . .luckily, there was no lingering hint of the nasty smell! Yeah!

dfh

Oh, the small things which make my day!

dh

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

dgh

Trisha

dgh

Voice Update: Doing well. I read my hour sitting out on the back patio in the nice breeze.

A Thought About Clouds

Hi All!

Let me just say that it is HOT here! We are supposed to be getting a "cold front" (yeah, right!) but so far - nothing! At least we had a few clouds this morning that kept the sunlight out of my eyes while I swam. We haven't had many clouds around for a while.

The clouds - and the lovely empty headedness I can attain while swimming - have me thinking. As I go back and forth - and back and forth - and back and forth- I gaze up at the clouds (not every lap but often enough). Sometimes I see objects in the shapes of the clouds. Other times I watch the planes flying through the clouds.

And then there are the times that I just look at the clouds and think that God must have been having fun "finger painting" with the clouds.

You must admit that at times, clouds do look like a big finger painting picture.

sfg

Check it out the next time you have a moment. Just look up at the clouds and imagine.

fg

Trisha

fg

Voice Update: Still reading but still being the big procrastinator (or the big ignorer?) of the massage and exercises. Not good. Not good at all!

Passing the Time . . .

Hi All!

Blogger is being weird about letting me on the darn site. I moderate a comment and then can't do anything else without having to log in again. What is up with that? I guess it is better than not letting me on at all - which was happening last week!

This weekend was nice for me. I had lunch with Beth - a good friend from ASL/Interpreting classes. She is such fun to talk to and to discuss philosophical issues with!

When I got home I took a nap - nice!

On Sunday Hubby and I made a trip to Wal Mart (he didn't have any lunch meat for today and that would have been disastrous had we not gotten some right away!!). While there we were talking about the emails which show "Wal Mart People" - funny people seen at Wal Mart (we saw our share!) and commented that we probably fit right in!

Now that is scary!

Other than the lunch and the trip to Wal Mart, my weekend was quiet. I am still waiting to find out if the two classes I signed up for this semester will actually be happening (they might not due to low registration). I read a good book (actually two books in one) by Debbie Macomber - Country Brides. It was a nice, fast paced book just fluffy enough to be deemed summer reading. I also listened to some more of the podcast book I am listening to currently.

Shadowmagic By John Lenahan is a podcast book (a book written and then "published" as a podcast with the author reading the book) about a parallel world populated by elves, imps, banshees, and leprechauns. A young man, Connor, finds himself thrust into this world and has to deal not only with the oddities of the world but also the fact that many people are trying to kill him. Just because he happens to be the son of the one handed prince!

If you are into podcasts, check out Shadowmagic!

Skor had a good time at the "Kitty Entertainment Center" watching the birds this weekend. Of course, his "friend" the squirrel came to play too!

Poor Skor! So close and unable to touch!

fgh

Have a wonderful Monday!

sfgh

Trisha

sdh

Voice Update: I am pleased that I don't have too many hesitations or breaks lately. I must admit that in the past couple of days I haven't been doing my best on the whole massage aspect and the exercises but I have been diligent about reading out loud. Yes, I know that I SHOULD be more regular with the massage and exercises but . . . it is so easy to forget about having ABSD when my voice is doing well. The same trap that I fall in from time to time. *sigh*

New Shoes and What's Up With Blogger?

Hi All!

Here are pictures of my new Croc flats. They look like brushed suede but are really all plastic/rubber. The insides have the normal Croc insoles and they are really cushy. I think they will be perfect for standing on my feet interpreting!

I think that the lighter brown strip on the heels adds a nice touch!

dfg

The only problem I have seen so far is that the textured plastic collects cat hair! *sigh* Another thing to use the lint roller on!!!

dfg

Okay - if you use Blogger I have a question for you. Have you had a difficult time logging on lately? I log in and get sent right back to the log in page! Everything is right - the user name and password - but it won't log me in.

fg

I couldn't get in at all yesterday!

dfg

Today I had to try to get in three or four different times and then finally went to my blog site and logged in from there. Frustrating!

dfg

Currently, I am reading Summer's Child by Luanne Rice. It is very good and I would rather read it than do much else. However, I do force myself to do things like clean, cook, wash dishes, etc.

dfg

This book is about a woman who has been missing - presumed murdered - for nine years. A retired detective is still bothered by the case and keeps following any new leads which come up even though they are few and far between. The missing woman's grandmother - who raised her - still lives in the same house and is privately grieving the loss of her grandchild and great-grandchild (the woman was pregnant when she disappeared).

dfg

Then there is the small community of Cape Hawk in Eastern Canada. A new woman and her daughter moves in and the daughter immediately makes friends with Rose - another nine year old girl. Rose has severe heart problems which have needed multiple surgeries in her short life and one more "final" surgery looms in the near future.

dfg

Interestingly, both the new woman in town and Rose's mother have a shared past. They have both left abusive husbands and came to Cape Hawk to hide out and start again.

dfg

Things get more interesting as the retired detective starts following a lead which might take him right to Cape Hawk and to these two women.

dfg

I am getting close to the end of this book and can hardly wait to find out what happens!

dfg

I would say that if you see this book hanging out in your local shop - snatch it up for a nice, addicting, quick, read.

dfg

Trisha

dfg

Voice Update: Well, I am now done with the Song of Songs and moving on. The Bible really is interesting, isn't it? My voice is holding its own with few hesitations, etc. My throat is a bit crunchy but that tends to happen when I wait so long between visits to Susan!

My Butterfly

Hi All!

Believe it or not, I went to the bookstore and DIDN'T BUY ANYTHING!!! How weird is that?!? I was looking at American Sign Language Dictionaries and found a couple that might work. I want to take another ASL student with me to get their opinion before I shell out the bucks!

After browsing the bookstore I headed out into the Mall. I had some "oriental chicken" from the Manchu Wok and then a cookie from Great American Cookie. Then I walked down to Lane Bryant to check out the clothes.

I didn't find anything I HAD to have so I started the walk back to the car. Then I found a pair of shoes at the Croc kiosk I had to have. I will show you tomorrow!

Then it was home to finish up my book - An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon. Let me tell you - it was good! Normally, the story line of books wraps itself up towards the end of the book - this book just kept going - right up until the last page!
sfdgj
Now I can't wait until the next book comes out to find out what happens. Too bad she takes more than two years to get a book out!

I guess the good things are worth the wait!

Now some pictures of my Fiberoptic Butterfly. I think I told you that my Mom sent me the butterfly that my Aunt Donna (my FAVORITE Aunt Donna!) bought me. Aunt Donna thought that we should all have at least one. Well . . . it is working. It is solar powered and changed colors at night.

I have included a video to let you see it work but first, a little "shout out" to my Hubby and his college roots. . .

Hope you enjoyed!

dfg

Trisha

dfg

Voice Update: Doing well. Now that I finished my book I will be back to reading the Bible soon.

My Digital Picture Frame

Hi All!

No - I didn't post yesterday because . . . well, I sat down to get my swimsuit turned right side out (I had recently washed it) and . . . I fell asleep. I woke up about an hour or so later with the swimsuit still in my hand! I guess I needed some sleep!

Anyway - when I woke up I called Mom and chatted for a while but never really felt like I was "awake" all day. I read some more of my good book and watched another "chick flick" I recorded from the Hallmark channel.

Then I listened to some more of the podcast book Shadowmagic by John Lenahan. Remember, I told you a bit about it a while ago when I first started listening to the book.

The book is about a young man (who is still in high school so maybe 17 or so??) and his father (who only has one hand) getting ready for the day when two strangers on horseback appear at their door. Two strangers dressed in medieval looking clothes. Two strangers who try to kill the young man, Connor.

However, instead of killing Connor, the strangers capture Connor and his dad and take them to a mysterious world full of magic, imps, elves, banshees and more. A world where trees "talk" and must be asked for their wood and fruit. A world where it seems like everyone wants to kill Connor.

Luckily, Connor's mother - a sorceress of shadowmagic - shows up and saves Connor and his father from certain death. Then . . . Connor finds himself on his own after his father is injured by his aunt (who was trying to kill Connor NOT his father). On his own, Connor finds a couple of odd friends - one is a banshee and one is an imp prince. They have adventures while trying to reunited Connor with his mother - in the hopes of sending Connor back to the "real world" where no one is trying to kill him!

The last part of the story that I heard had Connor and his friends facing an imminent attack from an entire clan (troupe, tribe, group?) of Banshees.

I can hardly wait to see how they get themselves out of THIS mess.

As a side note, the podcast book is accompanied by Irish music from a band called Lunasa. I have been spending some time looking into their music this morning and . . . they are a good Irish band. So - if you are into Irish music, check them out!

My walk/swim was nice this morning - except for the humidity! True, it was 81 when I woke up and hotter by the time I got home but . . . it was the humidity that really made things difficult. It was like getting slapped in the face when I walked outside!

The water this morning was warm. Not too warm to swim in but, it certainly did make catching my breath tough at times. Unfortunately, it was too warm outside for the water to make the ambient air feel cooler when I got out so . . . hot, hot, hot!

Hopefully, today I will make my way to a local mall to check out American Sign Language dictionaries at the book store, to eat lunch at the food court, and to just wander around for a bit! Doesn't that sound like fun?

I am ending the post with a picture. I recently got my digital picture frame up and running again. I put on a bunch of miscellaneous pictures and have the frame set to run automatically during the evenings.

It is fun to sit and watch the pictures change. Every once in a while a picture comes up and it is just so pretty. Like it should be framed and hung on the wall all the time.

This is one of them.

Have a super day!

dfh

Trisha

zsdgh

Voice Update: Doing well despite my rather lax exercising lately (due to headaches) and my cancelled speech appointment. I am still reading out loud (still from my book by Diana Gabaldon) as much as possible.