Just a chair…

How many of us are vowing to start exercising after our wonderfully, over-the-top, calorie loaded, Thanksgiving Day?  Are we checking out Black Friday exercise equipment offerings today?  Or maybe looking into getting a gym membership for a Christmas present. 
When I was a little girl my Grandma would sometimes stay with us.  Grandma was getting older and a little thick around the waist.  My ever health conscious mom was doing everything she could to keep her from gaining any more weight.  We’d line up chairs across the living room floor, one for each of us, and turn on the old green tube television to exercise with Jack LaLanne. 

Here was this muscular guy with what sounded like an accent to me, in a jump suit and ballet slippers, urging us to get up off the couch and MOVE!  We’d stand behind our chair and kick our legs.  Then hold on while doing deep knee bends.  Then we’d sit on the chair and pull our legs in, kick out, lift and hold… The funniest was the face contortions to firm up the face muscles.  No face lifts for this generation.    
He’d say things like “Anything in life is possible if you make  it happen” and “The food you eat today is walking and talking tomorrow”.  Apparently he was onto something about how to live, since he lived to the ripe old age of 96.
Last weekend, when grandson Dakota was with us, I fixed all of the wrong things – bagels, fried foods, lots of potatoes, and *horrors* bought ice cream.  Central Dairy Muddy Waters ice cream.  For those of you who are not from this area do not know what you are missing.  Central Dairy Ice Cream is the best ever!  Anyway, I told Dakota that Grandpa and I needed to get back into the habit of going to the gym.  He couldn’t believe his grandparents have a gym membership at all… which got me to thinking about how my parents and grandparents exercised, which got me to thinking about Jack Lalanne and our fun afternoons in the living room.  It’s strange how the mind works – or at least how my mind works.  Now if I could just get my body moving in as many different directions and as quickly as my mind.
No, I haven’t gone back to the gym (yet), and the kitchen chairs are still where the belong, pushed in under the kitchen table.  But you just never know when motivation will hit. 

In the meantime, I think I’ll join Dakota and Whiskey on the floor, relaxing in front of the wood stove.  Move over guys, I’m coming in.

What’s been going on in my world…

Where have I been, you ask?  Life is out of control.  But you don’t want all of the gory details, now, do you?  I didn’t think so.  Instead I’ll just leave you with a glimpse of my world this past week.
This guy showed up to spend a few days with us. Since many neighbors have horses, it took quite a few calls before we figured out where the prison break took place.  She belongs to the one neighbor we didn’t call, because she is known to not take very good care of her animals and this ol’ gal looked very well groomed.  I guess we should have known, though, because our neighbor’s fences are atrocious.  It turns out she had two rescue horses.  Had is the key word.  This one ended up in our field.  The other one she found dead.  I’m thinking she doesn’t need to be rescuing any more horses.

This guy showed up too, but unlike the horse, he was invited.  It is amazing how helpful a 15 year old can be.  Thank you for all of your help, Travis.  Hopefully all the running we did with you (and driving practice!) made up for it.

I do believe the mums are done for this year. 
 

We are getting a metal roof put on the house, thanks to hail damage this last spring and summer.  You would not have caught me on that roof with the wind whipping around like that.  Shoot, who am I kidding?  You would never get me on the roof!  Period.

Bailey never changes.  She just stays lazy, with an attitude.

My roses are going for the last hurrah of summer.  Isn’t this one beautiful?  The scent is oh so sweet.

And Whiskey keeps us entertained every night as he plays catch with his many toys.  He is so spoiled!

I haven’t been around the blogs much lately, but that will change soon I’m sure.  It is too hard to stay away!  Have a great weekend all.

The dance

When we introduced Bailey into our life, we were a bit concerned about how our 9 lb Demon Dog would get along with this who knows how many pound cat (20? 30?)… I just know when I pick him up, he is heavy!
The two warily dance around each other, usually keeping a bush or something between the two of them.  I don’t believe there is any chance they will be best of buds, but they have learned to respect each other.  Wouldn’t it be nice if the human race could learn to do the same?


Bailey made himself right at home.  He sleeps on his own personal cushion on my rocking chair.  Now that Spring is finally here, he has even learned to share that chair with me when I take time to front porch sit.  We love Bailey.

We wanted a big ol’ tom cat that would lay around on the porch and do a little hunting in his spare time - and that is what we got.  He is perfect in every way.

And Whiskey?  He is doing fine.  He cautiously sniffs the air before he heads out to do his thing.  Don’t you just love the tough guy stance he takes?  Yep.  We love our Demon Dog too.
 

Progress

This…

Has been reduced to this…

Whiskey is very proud of me.
The plan is to sort them by three categories:  page layout ideas, journaling ideas, and technique ideas.   I’m trying to use the KISS principle.  I tried to do the sorting while I was reducing, but kept putting pages on the wrong stack.  I guess I’m not as good at multitasking as I thought I was!

James spent the day with me yesterday, recuperating from a chest cold.  He wasn’t much help, though.  His only contribution was to lay around and play with his lego’s.  Oh and make me smile every time he grinned at me and I looked into his big brown eyes.  The bear hugs were nice too.
Stay tuned…