SHUFFLING FURNITURE IN OUR SMALL FIXER-UPPER COTTAGE WITH ANNE OF GREEN GABLES

SUNDAY WAS VERY PRODUCTIVE.  ahhhh. My heart is singing. THANKFUL we got so much done.

Hubby made the trip to the HARDWARE STORE for the supplies he needed.  I stayed HOME for some quiet time that I sorely needed.  I didn't get my hair shampooed so I'll try again.

I got dressed and groomed, placed some laundry in and blogged.  Time out.  After LUNCH we slide the bulky Queen size mattress and boxed springs into the pink bedroom, but first boxes in the front Bedroom had to be removed out of the way.  Living room furniture and Dining room items in the way had to be shuffled to make a safer path for its new destination.  That in itself felt like a great accomplishment.  

When the two pieces were propped up in the pink room, I was thankful we got this far. The long awaited task was DONE.  Made my heart sing a grand melody.  Satisfaction flooded my soul. This had been on my mind for months and finally happened.  Not bad for two old people with ailments.

We carefully carried the headboard, footboard and side boards into the room placing them right beside the mattress and box.  A good feeling.  Look at that.  We made progress into turning the small TV room into a much needed Bedroom AGAIN.  It's been a year since we disassembled the Victorian Bed room and made a TV room.  Lived with it this way for a year and decided that the other Bedroom is better use of space for our TV room/Family room, but this time the Bedroom will be filled with 1930s furniture that belonged to my Hubby's Grandparents.  

Next the chest of drawers would be moved out of this room and into the small pink Bedroom. We took the 4 large drawers out of the piece and wheeled it into the pink room then placed the drawers back into the body of the piece.  Another accomplishment.  I cleaned the vacuum out so it would suck up old dirt in the corner of the room where this piece had sat.  Ready for its replacement, the Victorian dresser.

A path has been cleared out of the front Bedroom that is crammed full of this and that.  Wished I had snapped a pic so you could see the disaster that looks like hoarders live here.  Help somebody.  I can see the wall on the other side of the room where the chest of drawers was.

We had to detach the Victorian mirror from the body of the Victorian dresser that sat in the pink room.  This piece is extremely heavy.  The mirror came off then the marble slab top was removed and carried to the front bedroom.  The large heavy drawers were removed and carried to the front bedroom.  We wheeled the body of the dresser into the room and assembled the piece back together placing it in the new corner location.  Everything went well.  No breakage or injury. PTL.

After we got this far we took the evening off.  Feeling good about what we got done today on swapping the rooms.  We talked about the next step toward this task.  I'll clean off the vanity that is still in the front room then shuffle it into the pink room.  I figure that after I get the Victorian Dresser polished that I can sit folded bedding on top of it.  

Making some sense out of this.  The room has piles of bedding waiting for a new place to rest.  I have had no place to store it, but will need to create one soon.  For now the spot on top of the dresser will be a temporary spot.

The cedar chest will be shuffled where the vanity is sitting right now.  I will move it to the other side of the room so the cedar chest will sit in its new place to hold the large television set.  A temporary stand for the TV.  Later a corner closet will be torn out making the wall longer so the old buffet we have been using as a TV stand can resume its position.  This project will come much later.  sigh.

Right now the tv is resting on the sofa covered with a bedspread.  Perhaps by next week-end it will be hooked up again in the new TV room.  While we have no tele at the moment, I am using my laptop computer to watch late night movies like ANNE OF GREEN GABLES starring Ella Ballentine as Anne, Martin Sheen as Matthew and Sara Botsford as Marilla.  I've seen the movie before, but it is as good as ever.  I enjoyed it so much that I will watch the other two in the series. This version is well done and family friendly.

When the large TV is up and going again I will watch the movie again where the cinematography will be much appreciated.  While I watched the show, it made me want to walk in wide open spaces where the wind sways the flowers and whispers in my ear that I am accepted just as I am with no competition with another human being.  Just me and nature where I can pray freely out loud to God about life without any interruptions.  I long for this.

TODAY, I have plans of babysitting a grandson, do some laundry, pack up the things off the top of the vanity before it is moved, walk a mile and read.  May it be a blessed day.  Amen.

God, please watch over us and grant us peace.

~d

 

CAN I PULL A RABBIT OUT OF A HAT?

October here you come.  A great way to start something new or continue on?  It doesn't seem possible that the month is gone and a new one begins on Wednesday.  I did not meet all my goals for September.  With two days left perhaps I can pull a rabbit out of my hat.  Perhaps. 

Lord willing, this week I'll make great headway on the two bedrooms being cleared out and rearranged for functionality.

The front bedroom has served as a storage unit as we moved into our fixer-upper COTTAGE almost two years ago come Halloween.  I am in disbelief that we haven't already finished the front bedroom making it into an actual Bedroom.  I HAD CONVENIENTLY FORGOTTEN how exhausted we were after moving our belongings out of our big house that we sold.  

We had done all the packing of smaller items in boxes moving them to the COTTAGE beforehand and relocated the brunt of the furniture by ourselves except for hauling large pieces of furniture that we could not haul in the cruiser.  Help from our son-in-law, daughter and two grands took place with moving the large pieces of furniture that we couldn't.

We were exhausted.  Hubby had done loads of home projects on the property getting the house ready to sell.  I did what I could recovering from a hysterectomy.     

I forgot that I was recovering from a Hysterectomy before our move and about as soon as we sold the house Hubby seriously injured his foot requiring x-rays, MRIs, trips to doctors and surgeons. He is in a weakened state by non-Hodgkins lymphoma and also started having heart issues.  I fell injuring my tailbone that has issues to this day, AND I had two cataract surgeries that required recovery time with the results of the surgeries not going as planned.  THEN relational discourse happened with some family members which was and has been very emotional and straining. Bad case of the flu then a month later co vid.  The Bathroom was worked on and off during this time being remodeled and then finished as well.  All these issues slowed us down for sure, but we have kept going.  Asking God for continued strength.

How can I forget all the physical challenges and emotional junk we've had going on?  duh. PAUSE.  Feeling better?  Somewhat.  

I have to recall all of this to give me a break on how long it has taken to get to where we are today JUST NOW shuffling the rooms and getting better organized with our STUFF.  Downsizing continues.  I do not have to get in the dumps putting ourselves down that we have not dealt with it all FASTER.  Have mercy.  KEEP GOING.

We've had the reality of shuffling about in the tiny house so much stuff that it has taken a toll on having the front Bedroom up and going.  Also what energies Hubby did have were used on finishing out the Bathroom, attending our medical appointments and healing.

That's how this happened.  The journey has been hectic.

TODAY, I will work at moving the Queen size Mattress and Box Springs from the front Bedroom into the PINK Bedroom.  These are extremely heavy pieces.  It'll take the both of us to get this accomplished.  Sliding them through the maze called a Living room and Dining room will take some skill, if I do say so myself.  Turning sharp angles with bulky items will be tricky.  The small rooms are challenging when moving big items about and still be able to remain standing.  I'm in hopes that by this evening, these two pieces will be in the Pink room.  Hoping.

Smaller items that need dealt with are still present in the front room.  When I open the Bedroom door and look inside the room it makes my head spin to see so much out of order.  Being a minimalist comes to mind and becomes more attractive to me.  THIS I believe is healthier than what I morphed into.  So I will discard 50% of it.  When I get the garage cleaned out when the weather is cooler, then I can begin to put boxes of things to sell out there.  I can neatly stack boxes full of cast offs and when SPRING 2026 comes, I'll have a huge garage sale making some pocket change.  What doesn't sell can be donated to thrift and I'll be over the hump of indecisiveness.  That's a PLAN.

BAD NEWS.  Yesterday, my Husband shared some sad news with me that our favorite College Art Instructor's son, Matt was murdered when a nephew shot him.  He had gone to help his mother-in-law remove this nephew from her home as he was abusing Matt's mother-in-law.  The nephew shot Matt, Matt's wife and the grandmother.  Matt died on the spot and the other two survived.  Matt was 55 years old, married with two grown children.  My heart sank.  How horrible.  Sometimes when horrible things happen one cannot process it quickly and it takes a bit for it to soak in.  This was one of those times.  

Hubby has gone to the Hardware Store for some supplies for the porch rebuild.  A little quiet time to myself.  I think I had better get around for the day.  I really ought to go for a walk.  I think this should be a slow paced day.  Tomorrow I am going to babysit my youngest grandson.  This will be a blessing as he told me he had an acorn to give me.  Can't wait.  

Now where is that hat with a rabbit in it?

Blessings,

~d

Mr and Mrs Smooth demonstrating the art of Simply Smooth Swagger - Watch...

KANSAS CITY

ALL DAY AFFAIR IN KANSAS CITY.  Hubby's art prints were ready for pick-up. We got up early and took off for the day in KC.  Wearing a tropical looking dress, I said a prayer before we left HOME.  TODAY, the traffic troubled me.  A big semi-trailer truck began to crowd me out in the lane I was in.  Out of the corner of my eye I could see the body of his truck crowding me into a barrier.  Speeding up, I got around him and left the danger zone so he could pull into the lane without killing us.

This set the mood for me as I drove in KC traffic.  By the time we arrived back HOME, I truly was thankful to be safely HOME in small town America.  Not much here, but that's the beauty in it.

OUR DAY.  Breakfast in Topeka.  I tried a Starbuck's Egg, Pesto & Mozzarella Sandwich.  About 390 calories and lots of OTHER STUFF in the product.  I'd been better off if I had eaten the Egg and Cheese Protein Box.  

Had to let the sandwich cool off.  I suppose they nuke these which changes the molecular structure of the food.  Umm what does that mean?

Hubby wanted a CHIA LATTE.  A TEA RIGHT?  Looked up the calories on this one and squealed.  Ouch.  310 calories and 53 grams of sugar?  He can use the calories but not the sugars. On the other hand, the day before I had one and I had no idea the calorie count was this high and had so much sugar.  Like a meal.  If I do it again, I'll only get a small one. 

WHAT ARE WE REALLY EATING?  I'd probably should have packed our meals. 

After leaving Topeka, we drove the distance to the Print Shoppe in KC Missouri which is going out of business.  Our timing was so that we met the new owners.  Hubby's large print was fantastic.

It is a real treat to see his work as a print.  Wonderful.

Picked up the work and drove some neighborhoods.  Skipped going to the Gilliam House.   We drove to Union Station to eat, parked the car and changed our minds.  Decided to go to the Art Museum to eat in THE ROZZELLE COURT YARD.  What a gorgeous place.

Strawberry Arugula Salad with a Cherry Chocolate Cashew Bar on the side for me.  Water of course.  The salad was good, but it just didn't have enough in the bowl to sustain me.  Plenty of arugula and strawberries.  Chunks of granola were deliciously crunchy.  Picky eater here.  Still, I had been craving ARUGULA and man did I get it.  This salad would be a great side salad instead for a meal.

Strawberry Arugula Salad ($12.95)
Sherry Wine Reduction, Blood Orange Oil, Julienne Shallot, Burgundy Spiced Granola (Contains Nuts, Oats Hemp)(Add Feta Cheese $1.25)

The waiter that carried our meals to the table didn't utter a word to us.  Not a word.  Plates clinked loudly on the glass table top like he could care less.  Heavy handed.  Mixed up order. When getting an excellent waiter or waitress it helps with smiles going a along ways.   

We kept our visit to the Museum very short and decided to drive to Topeka to shop at SAMS.  I was ready to be HOME as the traffic tired me out way too much.  Old woman here.

It was early enough in the day to shop in Topeka.  I must be sick as I didn't even want to go to GOD'S STOREHOUSE.  It's been a minute since I've been there.

Needed disposable cups, cup lids, grooming supplies, hearing aide batteries, bottled water, paper plates.  Think that's all.  Bought no extras.  Ran up a bill.  I do believe prices are climbing.  

Making AMERICA great again is a disguise to raise prices in an already hurting economy.  How are tariffs making AMERICA great again when the customer gets hit with higher prices?  We the people are paying the higher prices from the tariffs.  Affecting us.  Supplies that America needs for their products come from foreign countries that are affected by the tariffs causing the increase in pricing which in turn affects the American market.  Even if we buy Products made in America, we are affected because these products have foreign articles needed to make the American products.  The little guy still gets jabbed. 

This day was almost a mini-vacay.  The meals and tea add up the expense for going to KC, but it was a much needed trip.  Going for enjoyment goes a long ways instead of always traveling for medical appointments so I shouldn't complain.  Be thankful we could do this.  

Stopped off at SugarCreek in St. Marys where I had a Rachel Salad for supper.  Really good. That's 3 meals out today.  Two salads.  

Journeyed HOME and rested.
Fell asleep in my chair and called it a night until 12:30 AM thinking it was 5 or so in the morning. Need to fall back asleep on this Saturday morning.

I'll hopefully work in the pink room to where the door's hole in the wall can be repaired.  Then I can proceed with moving the Bedroom furniture in.  I have played out this scenario over and over in my head which helps with the details.  Can't wait for this to be done.  What a thrill.

Another week has passed and I am not finished shuffling the rooms.  sigh.  I pray that I will get this done before October ends.  Shaking my head.

I have been watching way too much news on the computer.  I am addicted.  Time to detox again from it.  As for weight loss...I think I am a lost cause.  Should I give OMAD a try?  One meal a day.  Water FAST?  Lord, help.  Best time of day to do this is around noon.  I'm not sure I can do a water fast for three days.  Sounds rather radical and unhealthy to me.  If I eat OMAD for nine days then do a three day water fast, I'm not sure I will be able to do this.  Radical wit.  Too hard on my heart.  Watch out.

Blessings to you,

~d 

   

EXERCISING, BLINKING AT CHRISTMAS DECOR and DAILY PLANS

OKAY.  Spontaneous trip to MENARDS after exercise class.  I actually wasn't completely worn out today.  That's good.

I thought I'd go to the track to walk after exercising, but HUNY wasn't working on the porch when I drove by the house to let him know my plans.  So I honked the car's horn to get his attention as I figured he'd be in the living room resting to tell him I was going walking at the track.  I didn't have my phone so this was the next best thing.

Sticking his head out the front door, I asked him what he was doing?  He was taking a break. SOOO I changed my mind about walking and asked him if he wanted to go to MENARDS for more cement as he had said earlier he needed more.  He hopped in the car and away we went.  I had no shame going to town in my sweat pants and Tee-shirt.  If I had added some pearls I might have looked a bit out of place.  grins.

FIRST, we had LUNCH in Manhattan because we had not eaten yet.  CHICK-fil-A salad for me.  I suppose I thought it was so good because of the MSG that they use.  oops.  I fell for it.  We ate in the MENARDS Parking lot.  Weather was super nice.  Shopping to follow.  I enjoyed looking at their beautiful Mums.  CONCRETE picked up.

CHRISTMAS DECOR are on display at MENARDS.  Alrighty then.  I blinked and it is CHRISTMAS again.  My eyes bugged out.  Halloween and Fall Harvest items are out, but this seems like a good time for this.

Pleasant trip HOME and I'm resting.  Tonight I will wipe the walls down in the pink bedroom and walk the buffet across the room so the area in front of the hole in the wall has a clear path to it.  Think this week-end that we will go back to MENARDS and get the sheetrock to fill in the hole.  Rejoicing that I will be closer to having swapped the pink room out!  

Even with the house in a up roar, I need to be enjoying the remodeling and I have not been in my HAPPY PLACE for a while.    Enjoy the journey.  I'm trying.  I get down sometimes that this is where I am at being 70 years old.  I wish it were already finished.  Praying for revival in my soul. Let the good times roll.

HAPPY FRIDAY as the month disappears.  September meant our daughter-in-law celebrated her 48th birthday.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SHELL!!!  

We traveled to see my Mom in Des Moines, porch rebuilding started, and furniture shuffling taking place.  Holiday decorating will not happen as the porch is torn up, but I can aim for CHRISTMAS decorating come December 1st.  Hopefully I will get to decorate the porch then and I need to be gathering ideas for what to do.

BLESSINGS TO YOU AND YOURS.  Let LIFE be a happy journey where peace and grace are found.  Amen.

~d

GROOMING GROANINGS and REMODELING CONTINUES

WITH AUTUMN HERE, TIS BEST TO START TAKING VITAMIN C, ZINC WITH SELENIUM AND VITAMIN D3 WITH VITAMIN K2 AGAIN to help build up the immune system.  September in Kansas is a wake up call for letting you know that COLD weather is just around the corner with dips in the temp.

The RAG WEED is high making allergy sufferers miserable.  I've been pretty lucky so far as I have only had a little watering of my eyes with little side effects.  BUT THIS MORNING some coughing and clearing of the throat started out my day.  

DAY PLANS are in the works.  Exercise class this afternoon and if it's not raining afterwards, I might try really hard to get a walk in later.  Shall see.  I may be too tired to follow up with a walk.  Just saying.  Before I attend class, I have GOT TO shave my old legs.  I've got a crop growing on them.  Grins.  I am getting way too relaxed about shaving my limbs these days.  The armpits got it yesterday.  Mercy, they needed it.  I'm not real comfortable having so much hair growing under my armpits.  How some do not shave may be part of their culture.  I'm still embracing shaved armpits and legs.  As I get older, I may no longer care.  Same with make-up.  I seldom wear it anymore.  Occasionally.  

WORKING ON THE PINK ROOM.  The loose ends are here.  I'm still slow at it.  I ran the vacuum last night on the majority of the carpet.  There are still some boxes in the road.  By Sunday evening, the room will have the hole in the wall where the door was leading into the bathroom patched.  Will see how it goes.  I can't move pieces of furniture into the pink room until the wall is patched so I am at a pause and it's starting to bug me.  Keep busy anyways. 

Being that it's Thursday, the week-end isn't far off. Time gets away from me so easily.  Shazam.

ON THE HOME FRONT.  Hubby has been rebuilding a foundational stone wall under the porch. Part of the wall had collapsed under the front porch.  The stones were still there so it was a matter of rebuilding it.  He's doing a beautiful job on this.  

This complete rebuilding of the old 125 year old porch will take some effort, muscle, materials, cash and time.  That's just the way it goes.  He was sharing with me that the front cement stairs need replaced.  So we'll be figuring this one out.  The cement steps are massively heavy.  Not sure what technique will be used to remove it.  They are crumbling and need to go.

HEALTH.  The results came in for my Vitamin D and Vitamin B12 levels.  Both are in range, but not optimal.  Next week, I'll be having more labs for my yearly thyroid appointment so I'll know what my TSH number is.  Needing to get the questions wrote up that I'll be asking the APRN who sees me.  This will probably be the last time I meet with him as I am 15 years into this thyroid journey.  Yearly sonograms may be the way I go.  The TSH levels are something I can do on my own.  If the meds need tweaked, I can do so by calling my primary physician.  Shall see.  I know how to read the TSH levels.

I'd best get around taking care of my legs.  The clock is ticking and I will be heading out the door in a little bit to go to class.  There are 16 sessions all together of STAY STRONG STAY HEALTHY and I am on session number 3.

MEALS.  BRUNCH started out with cooked oatmeal topped with blueberries, strawberries, slivered almonds, chocolate, cinnamon and almond milk.  It was the best.  NO LUNCH.  SUPPER will be a huge salad.  Looking forward to this.  Increasing veggies is always on the back burner.  I think that reminding myself to do so is a good sign of having changed my eating habits.  I have a built in warning in me to be mindful of what I am eating.  That's a good thing.  

~d 

Only 3 INGREDIENTS and NO SUGAR! High Protein Chocolate Bars!

HERE'S TO LIFE IN THE PINK ROOM

TUESDAY.  Off to a very slow start on this rainy day.  Sipping HIBISCUS TEA this morning in a dimly lit living room.  Making plans for the day.  I have an exercise class this afternoon at 1 that takes about an hour to do knowing that afterwards I will probably want a NAP.

Instead of being energized I will more than likely be exhausted.  I work that way.  My body has a mind of its own.  I have been like this for years even when I was more physically fit and weighed a hundred pounds less.  I'd exercise then have to sleep it off.  I blamed my heart health on this. Anyways, I have to PACE MYSELF.

I'll continue working on the pink bedroom this week.  As slow as I am, it'll take a few days to clean it up.  Since it's rainy outside, my Husband cannot be doing concrete work so he said he'd help me with the pink room clean-up.  Yay.  I would appreciate the help.

Yesterday it was so beautiful outside with blue skies and sunshine.  We get a break from this with some cooler temps and rain.  The first day of AUTUMN was ever so pleasant.  

Here's to life,

~d

LABS, SHUFFLING ROOMS AND FIRST DAY OF AUTUMN

DROOPING EYELIDS.  Feeling the traveling that I did today.  No afternoon NAP.  Was up early to make a 10:10 morning LAB APPOINTMENT in Manhattan.  Waiting for the results for Vitamin D and Vitamin B12 results.  🩸Trying to stay on top of these numbers.  

🌅THIS MORNING, I woke to sunshine that filled the Living room.  We slept in our recliners that were moved to the Living room over the week-end.  Mission accomplished.  As the two bedrooms get shuffled and swapped, we're in a tizzy to make ends meet.  Topsy Turvy.  What a mess.  Don't look now, but we look like HOARDERS.  Peace be still.   

📺 The pink Bedroom that has been the TV room for a year, is nearly emptied now.  I have a bunch of paperwork to pack up and get out of the room before I vacuum the carpet and dust the walls.  Then the buffet that's been holding our TV will be moved across the room to where Hubby can cover up the hole in the wall where a door use to be before the Bathroom was remodeled.  This connecting door was closed off so the Bathroom vanity could sit where it is now.

🪚After the hole in the wall is patched, then the 1930's bed will be sit up and the buffet moved out to its new location in the other bedroom.  A lot of shuffling left to do.  sigh.  It's a work in progress and when it is completed I will celebrate.

OVER THE WEEK-END, 💇 Hubby had a haircut then returned HOME to discuss with me if we should go ahead and get porch posts that were an awesome price at MENARDS.  Yes, let's do this thing.  We needed 4 of them.  With no shipping, we'd save a bundle.  We loaded them up and I drove our cruiser HOME to unload.  The Cruiser is like a mini truck to us.  The things we have hauled in it are numerous. 

🍁🍂🍃 FIRST DAY OF AUTUMN is here.  Beautiful day.  About 73 degrees and sunshine.  Reminds me of days gone by.  We went to the QUEST LABS for my bloodwork and afterwards ate at THE HAPPY HIPPY where I dined on a healthy bowl of ACAI with the fixings.  AFTERWARDS we drove some neighborhoods looking at houses.  I enjoy sight seeing.  Went to Walmart to see if they have any of MY TEXAS HOUSE GREENERY out yet.  No luck or someone already cleaned them out?

🛒 To the grocery store for this and that.  Decided to drive these groceries HOME before getting the porch wood that is waiting for us.  This meant two trips to Manhattan today, but hey.  Rested a little bit before heading back to Manhattan for the lumber.  Loaded it up and drove the back roads to get HOME.  I'm inside resting before supper and Hubby is unloading the porch wood.   

Tuna Fish Sandwiches tonight.  Fast and quick clean-up for when I am tired.  I like watching on Monday nights Off Grid With Doug and Stacy at 7 PM CST on You Tube.  I get a kick out of listening to these HOMESTEADERS that are keeping up with the times.

Off to a blessed week.  

All the BEST to you and yours,

~d

   

THINKing ABOUT IT

TID BITS OF INFORMATION TO THINK ABOUT
~d

 

DON'T ROCK THE BOAT, BABY

I MAY BE SLOW, BUT I'M STILL IN MOTION! That means something.  Slow, but steady I go.  I did manage to get my walk in last night as it was growing increasingly darker outside.  I knew it was going to be dark by the time I finished my walk.  Hubby went to the track with me and even walked one lap around.  For someone with a bum knee, he did super well.

He hasn't been walking with me as he does other things with his time and has an injured knee.  I don't suppose he'll walk with me all the time.  That's alright as he is working on the rebuilding of the porch.  He has torn off the porch boards revealing the ground underneath.  He hopes to have this porch project completed before November 1st. 

I'm putzing about the COTTAGE rearranging two rooms slower than molasses as some say.  This is where I keep moving.  This week-end, I'll keep up the good work.  Pat myself on ze back.  Bills to write out and laundry as well.  Always.  This means we are alive.

This morning Hubby has traveled to the BARBER for a hair cut.  I have some quiet time to myself.  Checking the outdoor temperature to see if I can go walking or will have to wait until cooler temps.  The temps right now are 74 degrees and I figure around 7 this evening it will be about the same temp.  Picking this evening to walk.  My day energies need to go into the shuffling of the interior furniture.  That's made up.

MENTAL HEALTH UPDATE.  This will be a mixture of thoughts concerning a relative having issues with her husband and grown child plus being a mother in-law.  I've been having difficulties putting into words what I want to say.

I have been researching on how to deal with narcissist.  The husband is one and the wife is as well.  To help me process the dynamics of some relationships, I need some information to assist me.  I've had to come to terms with why I think I am suppose to FIX someone.  Losing some sleep over it.  Finally, I reminded myself that this person is very much a grown woman that will have to do the work herself to fix her situation and I am not her.  My issue is why do I think I can fix her?  Why am I entangled?  Yes, it is one thing to be concerned and lend a listening ear, but it becomes a different issue when the dumping does not stop for years.  Their inability to solve their problems needs work, but they are the one that needs to do it, not me.  They need help with resolving their problem.  I mean it's been going on for over 50 years.  The issues with her son has been going on for over 30.  She could use some professional help to teach her how to resolve problems instead of continually entertaining the problem.  She needs professional help.  

I do not have to be a dumping ground where the other person continually unloads on me about her troubled marriage and her issues with being a hurting mother.  I have listened to her for over 50 years about her hurting marriage.  Early on when this started to happen, I was young and not experienced with knowing I needed a healthy boundary so I wouldn't wear their problem.  I was lacking the experience on how to be a good listener and not wear the other person's frustrations. Truthfully, I can only do so much for another and they are the one that has to do the work in their personal battle.  Not me.  I wasn't trained how to do this and I lacked the insight.  

I can sympathized.  I can talk to her straight.  I can pray, but I do not have authority to be her and fix her issues.  I came to the conclusion that she wants to be the center of attention that just wants to whine and complain.  She does not want to change.  It is easier to whine and remain in the mess.  Finally she said she is going to go to a mental health worker.  Will she?  She needs to. SO does her husband.

My side of the story is why do I continually allow myself to listen to her complaining for entirely too long and not be able to turn loose of her pain?  I wear it.  I entertain it.  I run the reel in my head for days on end after the visit.  It's nonproductive.  It becomes destructive and time consuming.  Why do I allow myself to do this?  Am I allowing myself to have a victim mentality? YES.  She has a victim mentality because she stays stuck in her mess and I stay stuck entertaining the messy situation.  In order for me to be victorious and master this I AM STUCK MENTALITY, I have to release the mindset that I have been entertaining.  

If we went back to my upbringing, how the family dynamics were, what happened in my own marriage, etc.  I would be told that I need help processing with being a victim that had no voice. I felt I had no voice as a child and when this happens, you can begin to believe that you have no value.  You can become very insecure staying stuck with this mindset.  Something in the maturing process is missing.  It may not be the parent's fault at all.  It can be that the child is super sensitive and has embraced something they shouldn't have.  The need for excessive attention may be out of whack.

Having a victim mentality keeps us stuck within the bad situation and it may not improve.  That victim mentality can flow either way when the person continually complains as if they can not do anything to improve the problems and the one that is dumped on does not let the other person be the one to do the work to improve their situation.  

If I hang around and listen to the complainer for hours on end, I am a sounding board that when left alone cannot seem to turn that mess off.  The dumping zaps my energy and I cannot turn the noise off thus making me a victim.  I no longer want to be that victim.  I have to have a healthy boundary and know how to defuse their pain within my world.  I need to practice problem solving by turning their troubles off in my head.  I need to go to the cross and pray for them as well as to leave their problem with the Lord.  

We all need a voice.  Everyone one of us needs a voice and in order to have healthy boundaries, you may need to limit your time around people that want to be the center of attention and you aint it.  You may just be a warm body to dump on.  You do not have value to them other than you are a warm body to dump on.  You may have to excuse yourself from the relationship.  If you become their dump yard all the time when around them, you'll have to decide just how much of this am I going to listen to.

If you are around them, you have the ability to silence their message of despair.  If you are the unlucky one that continually listens to their same drama, then are they holding you captive and getting to be the center of attention?  You're allowing it by being polite and giving them full attention. Their need to be the center of attention is a mental health issue.  Are they emotionally disturbed?  Do they have personality disorders?  Are they a narcissist that has to have attention all the time?  Yes.  Something is terribly wrong with them.

To continually be the one complaining about the same angst for 50 years hasn't solved the problem.  The articles by experts that I have read say that sometimes you have to exit a relationship with a narcissist.  If that narcissist continues hurting you, you will need to acknowledge that you cannot change them.  They will not listen to you and you must look out for yourself which means leaving the relationship.  You have no worth to them.

What about myself causes me to continually get into relationships with narcissists?  I have to identify my weaknesses.  I am finding out where to draw the line and why would I personally want to be the scapegoat of their displeasure?  Why would I continually be willing to play the victim as well?  

Sometimes when we are a people pleaser, we get in over our heads to please and shouldn't, but we do.  We sometimes go along to get along.  Don't rock the boat, Baby.  My husband and I both have done this to keep peace in our childhood homes which has carried over into our adult relationships.  Strange thing is some relatives get away with rocking the boat because they can and have been granted permission to rock the boat with no consequences, but if you the victim says anything, you are belittled and told to hush.  Just take it.  When the one rocking the boat should be corrected instead of hushing up the victim without a voice they were allowed to keep rocking the boat.

Being an adult, I can decide just how long I will stay on the boat ride.  I don't have to buy the ticket.  I can stay off the boat, right?  That's correct.  AND I don't have to wear the narcissist's baggage either.  I believe I have made some progress dealing with narcissist.  God has helped me. Thank you.  

I am an adult.  I am able to make decisions.  

I can decide. 

~d 

Just pour egg over cauliflower, and the result will be amazing!

Watch on YouTube.

HOMEOPATHIC DOCS, EXERCISE and MISC.

I'VE GOT 30 minutes before I need to round up some exercise clothes and look for some shoes to wear to the STAY STRONG STAY HEALTHY exercise class.  So in the mean time I am sipping some ☕HIBISCUS TEA which is suppose to lower blood pressure.  

It's been 3 months since I went off the Olmesartan/HCTZ meds.  I've monitored my blood pressure readings throughout the day everyday and I am in a good range.  My feet have not swollen up as this was one reason I took the HCTZ was to prevent swelling feet.  I drink electrolyte water more often.  I believe the reason my feet swoll up in the first place was that I was low on electrolytes and instead of being checked for this, I was prescribed HCTZ which I have faithfully taken for ummm probably 15 years ???

With this medicine which is a diuretic more electrolytes are flushed out of your body causing high blood pressure.  I believe I was misdiagnosed and put on meds which was like placing a bandaid on a sore instead of getting to the root cause of the issues.  sigh.

HCTZ also contributes to higher cholesterol and higher blood glucose AND NOW the word is out that it contributes to skin cancer.  When I first mentioned the skin cancer link to my MD he said he hadn't heard this and he had always had good results with it.  I continued taking it for another year then I bailed ship.  Stopped taking it and doing well.  Soooooo, I am on a different path.  

AI Overview

Yes, hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) can cause higher blood glucose levels and increase the risk of new-onset diabetes, particularly with higher doses or longer-term use, and in patients with risk factors for diabetes. The exact mechanism is not fully understood but may involve increased insulin resistance, impaired glucose uptake, decreased insulin secretion, and changes in the gut microbiota. Patients with a history of diabetes or prediabetes should be monitored closely when taking HCTZ. 

How HCTZ Can Increase Blood Glucose

• Insulin Resistance: 

  HCTZ may worsen insulin resistance, meaning the body's cells don't respond as well to insulin, leading to higher blood sugar. 
• Impaired Insulin Secretion: 

  The medication may also reduce the amount of insulin the pancreas releases in response to glucose. 
• Gut Microbiota Changes: 

  Some research suggests that HCTZ can alter gut bacteria, contributing to glucose metabolism disorders. 
• Hypokalemia (Low Potassium): 

  Decreased potassium levels, a known side effect of HCTZ, may play a role in reducing insulin secretion by the pancreas, though this link is not always consistent. 

InMyOpinion.  Allopathy docs are more likely to cover up the symptoms that are taking place with meds than get to the root of the problem.  

Even though John D. Rockefeller was the nuts and bolts behind getting synthetic meds made from petroleum products and change the mind set of the American doctors plus medical training, I heard he had a staff of HOMEOPATHIC DOCTORS for treating his own family.  The last 50 years of his life involved HOMEOPATHIC PHYSICIANS, SO WHAT WAS GOOD FOR THE GOOSE WASN'T GOOD FOR THE GANDER.  

DID JDR use HOMEOPATHIC PHYSICIANS?  Yes, John D. Rockefeller and his family used homeopathic physicians, which was considered a type of holistic medicine at the time

. This is a historical paradox, as Rockefeller also used his wealth to heavily fund the standardization of modern, pharmaceutical-based medicine, which systematically marginalized holistic practices like homeopathy.    

Details of Rockefeller's use of homeopathy:

• Lifelong believer: Rockefeller was a lifelong believer in homeopathy and relied on homeopathic physicians for the last 50 years of his life.
• Personal physicians:
  • Dr. Myra King Merrick: She was the first female doctor in Ohio and delivered Rockefeller's son, John D. Rockefeller Jr., in 1874.
  • Dr. Mary Belle Brown: When Rockefeller moved to New York, he was treated by another female homeopathic physician who was the dean of the New York Homeopathic Medical College.
  • Dr. Hamilton Fisk Biggar: A long-time friend and neighbor, Biggar provided homeopathic care to the Rockefeller family for decades. 

Rockefeller's contradictory role in medicine:

• Funded conventional medicine: While personally using holistic care, Rockefeller directed his immense resources through the Rockefeller Foundation to overhaul medical education.
• Promoted the Flexner Report: He and his organizations funded the implementation of the 1910 Flexner Report, which championed a standardized, science-based, and pharmaceutical-focused curriculum.
• Marginalized homeopathy: As a result, medical schools that taught alternative therapies, like homeopathy, were defunded and pushed to the fringe of American medicine.                     

The paradox of his public actions

Despite his personal faith in homeopathy, Rockefeller's philanthropic efforts laid the foundation for modern medicine, which actively suppressed homeopathy and other non-conventional approaches.

• Funded conventional medicine: Through the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research (now Rockefeller University) and the Rockefeller Foundation, he heavily funded research and education for conventional, pharmaceutical-based medicine.
• The Flexner Report: Rockefeller-affiliated foundations provided funding to enforce the recommendations of the Flexner Report in 1910. This report promoted allopathic medicine and led to the closure of many homeopathic medical schools.
• Betrayal of homeopathy: Many homeopathic schools were unable to compete without the large grants from Rockefeller's foundations, which his staff, notably Frederick Gates, diverted away from homeopathy and toward conventional medicine.
• Personal conflict: Biographers have noted the deep irony of Rockefeller funding the dismantling of the very system of medicine he relied on for his own family's care, with his advisers even overriding his personal wishes to support homeopathic institutions. 

STOPPED TYPING AND GOT READY FOR EXERCISE CLASS.
How's 'bout dat!?!  Attended the class then left sweaty.  I almost went 

walking afterwards then talked myself out of it.  Figured that I will 

walk every other day and exercise on different days.

I think this class is helpful and I will benefit from it.  

Tomorrow, 

I'll get a mile walk in.

Hubby stayed HOME and worked on the porch.  Napping now with a rain storm going on.  

MAYBE after he wakes up he'll help me shuffle some.  I'd like to move the TV and the buffet out

of the pink room into the living room.  I'll be shuffling as I go to switch out the two bedrooms.

BRAIN AEROBICS are necessary as I think through the best way to make this shuffle a successful 

reality. 

I HAVE PLANS TO SHUFFLE THE FURNITURE and it's going to take an effort in 

this tiny house.

~d