JUST WANTED TO GOOF OFF

I WOKE UP REMEMBERING WHAT I WAS DREAMING ABOUT. Usually my dreams fade into the subconscious mind and disappear where I don't recall any of it. This time in my dream, I remembered that after seeing the actress that plays ANNIE in the broadway play, I told my husband that I wanted to go to the play before the actress for Annie would be changed as this one was about 21 years old.  haha.

He agreed and we went to the play in a huge auditorium.  Reese Witherspoon was planning Annie.  Reese is actually about 48 years old in reality.  So what a funny dream.  I saw Robert Wagner and his daughter by marriage via Natalie Wood walked through the day glancing at us. Sometimes dreams make no sense, but while they are happening they make perfect sense.  One thing led to another and we had decided to get out of New York as I said, I didn't like cities. Hubby in the dream found a huge house to rent that was fully furnished for $450.oo.

We took it, moved and our two daughters started their new schools.  In the dream I was extremely concerned about them starting a new school.  END OF DREAM. Woke up.

In reality I have two sons and one daughter.  The dream was odd.  Oh well.  Not sure of the deep rooted meaning of it.  Doesn't matter.

BACK TO TOPEKA.  After getting around, we went to TOPEKA to purchase mouse traps and moth balls for the storage units and some other things.  When we last checked one of our storage units, the furniture blanket covering the sofa had serious mouse chew on it.  Makes me wonder what the mouse was after.  We had decon out.  Not sure if the mouse ate any or not.   I will go place the mouse traps and moth balls out in the unit later today.

Made it to God's Storehouse where I bought a pair of capri jeans and a porcelain doll for my collection.  We ate lunch and I had my regular salad.  Treated ourselves with a StarBucks unsweetened Iced Green Tea.  Supposedly green tea is suppose to help one lose weight.  It's not working for me.  Hum.   

Day went something like this
Bath
Post Office
Long drive to TOPEKA
LUNCH
Home Depot
StarBucks
God's Storehouse
Dillions Grocery Store
Menards
Long drive HOME
Daughter's house
HOME

I'm still coughing.  Heavens.  It has got to stop.  Almost three weeks of this crud.

My plans for the day are to continue doing laundry, write out some bills, water the porch plants, go out to the storage unit, prepare a toy box in a yellow lidded storage box, sanitize a box full of tapes that wee in the storage unit, clean up the new porcelain doll I got, bake some carrots and miniature tomatoes and go for a mile walk while it's still cool outside.  

I did notice the leaves on the trees are turning.  It is too soon in the year.  September is more like it.  Early Autumn on the way.

With going to TOPEKA, I just wanted to goof off for the day.  Some goofing off took place. NOW, I need to go outside and enjoy the cooler temps we are having before another round of HOT hits as we drift toward AUTUMN.

Have a pleasant day,

~d

WEE BIT OF A COLD

DIDN'T SEE THIS ONE COMING as my cough increased with a sore throat.  The sore throat went away, but the cough has hung on.  Took a in-home co vid test which turned out negative.  Still the cough, stuffed up nose, chest pain and more has me wishing there were no such thing as the common cold.   Wee bit or not, it's no fun.  Tickle in my throat.  Whizzing and more.  Clearing my throat and making funny noise for entertainment.  Lord, have mercy.  I now sound like a baritone. 

Will have to ride this one out and the sooner I get over it, the BETTER.  7 days or so?  I started coughing over a week ago and should have started taking more Vitamin C then.  I know better.  This may take a month to get over.  That's a bummer.

What to do when having a head cold or upper respiratory infection?  May need to go to the doctor for advice and care.  Drink more fluids, take extra vitamin C, daytime and night time cough suppressant, cough drops.  Chicken noodle soup!!!  What else?  Vicks Vapor Rub.

Mayo Clinic says this:  

Cold remedies that work

If you catch a cold, you can expect to be sick for one to two weeks. That doesn't mean you have to be miserable. These remedies might help you feel better:

• Stay hydrated. Water, juice, clear broth or warm lemon water with honey helps loosen congestion and prevents dehydration. Avoid alcohol, coffee and caffeinated sodas, which can make dehydration worse.
• Rest. Your body needs rest to heal.

• Soothe a sore throat. A saltwater gargle — 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt dissolved in an 8-ounce glass of warm water — can temporarily relieve a sore or scratchy throat. Children younger than 6 years are unlikely to be able to gargle properly.

  You can also try ice chips, sore throat sprays, lozenges or hard candy. Use caution when giving lozenges or hard candy to children because they can choke on them. Don't give lozenges or hard candy to children younger than 6 years.

• Combat stuffiness. Over-the-counter saline nasal drops and sprays can help relieve stuffiness and congestion.

  In infants, experts recommend putting several saline drops into one nostril, then gently suctioning that nostril with a bulb syringe. To do this, squeeze the bulb, gently place the syringe tip in the nostril about 1/4 to 1/2 inch (about 6 to 12 millimeters), and slowly release the bulb. Saline nasal sprays may be used in older children.

• Relieve pain. For children 6 months or younger, give only acetaminophen. For children older than 6 months, give either acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Ask your child's doctor for the correct dose for your child's age and weight.

  Adults can take acetaminophen (Tylenol, others), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) or aspirin.

  Use caution when giving aspirin to children or teenagers. Though aspirin is approved for use in children older than age 3, children and teenagers recovering from chickenpox or flu-like symptoms should never take aspirin. This is because aspirin has been linked to Reye's syndrome, a rare but potentially life-threatening condition, in such children.

• Sip warm liquids. A cold remedy used in many cultures, taking in warm liquids, such as chicken soup, tea or warm apple juice, might be soothing and might ease congestion by increasing mucus flow.
• Try honey. Honey may help coughs in adults and children who are older than age 1. Try it in hot tea.
• Add moisture to the air. A cool-mist vaporizer or humidifier can add moisture to your home, which might help loosen congestion. Change the water daily, and clean the unit according to the manufacturer's instructions.

• Try over-the-counter (OTC) cold and cough medications.For adults and children age 5 and older, OTC decongestants, antihistamines and pain relievers might offer some symptom relief. However, they won't prevent a cold or shorten its duration, and most have some side effects.

  Experts agree that these shouldn't be given to younger children. Overuse and misuse of these medications can cause serious damage. Talk with your child's doctor before giving any medications.

  Take medications only as directed. Some cold remedies contain multiple ingredients, such as a decongestant plus a pain reliever, so read the labels of cold medications you take to make sure you're not taking too much of any medication.

Cold remedies that don't work

The list of ineffective cold remedies is long. Some of the more common ones that don't work include:

• Antibiotics. These attack bacteria, but they're no help against cold viruses. Avoid asking your doctor for antibiotics for a cold or using old antibiotics you have on hand. You won't get well any faster, and inappropriate use of antibiotics contributes to the serious and growing problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
• Over-the-counter cold and cough medications in young children. OTC cold and cough medications may cause serious and even life-threatening side effects in children. Talk with your child's doctor before giving any medications.

Cold remedies with conflicting evidence

In spite of ongoing studies, the scientific jury is still out on some popular cold remedies, such as vitamin C and echinacea. Here's an update on some common alternative remedies:

• Vitamin C. It appears that taking vitamin C won't usually help the average person prevent colds.

  However, some studies have found that taking vitamin C before cold symptoms start may shorten the length of time you have symptoms. Vitamin C may benefit people at high risk of colds due to frequent exposure — for example, children who attend group child care during the winter.

• Echinacea. Study results on whether echinacea prevents or shortens colds are mixed. Some studies show no benefit. Others show some reduction in the severity and duration of cold symptoms when taken in the early stages of a cold. Different types of echinacea used in different studies may have contributed to the mixed results.

  Echinacea seems to be most effective if you take it when you notice cold symptoms and continue it for seven to 10 days. It appears to be safe for healthy adults, but it can interact with many drugs. Check with your doctor before taking echinacea or any other supplement.

• Zinc. Several studies have suggested that zinc supplements may reduce the length of a cold. But research has turned up mixed results about zinc and colds.

  Some studies show that zinc lozenges or syrup reduce the length of a cold by about one day, especially when taken within 24 to 48 hours of the first signs and symptoms of a cold.

  Zinc also has potentially harmful side effects. Talk to your doctor before considering the use of zinc to prevent or reduce the length of colds.

Take care of yourself

Although usually minor, colds can make you feel miserable. It's tempting to try the latest remedy, but the best thing you can do is take care of yourself. Rest, drink fluids and keep the air around you moist. Remember to wash your hands frequently.

 https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/common-cold/in-depth/cold-remedies/art-20046403

Can't let this get me down.  I'll try drinking lemon water, take extra C, some honey in tea, rest, eat chicken noodle soup.

Maybe it was the cold medicine I took before bed, but I remembered my dream this morning.  I was driving my present day tiny car with my Mom and Sister with me.  We went to the old High School where my Sister and I both attended and parked the car in the shade.  Got out and went inside the old building.  For some reason my Mom and Sister decided to walk back to my Mom's house.  I stayed and visited with someone, but when it was time to leave, I couldn't remember where I parked my car.  I was stumped.  My Dad showed up and began talking to me about what I needed to do to find my car.  I found the lone car in the shade and got inside to go home.  duh.  Not sure what this meant.  I was my present age, driving my present car visiting the old High School I attended on a nice Spring day.  Perhaps I am remembering the Spring time in my HOME TOWN as an old woman.  Both my parents were in gone shape and age wasn't a concern.  I found my car where I didn't usually park as a teenager.  Anxiety?  Not sure, but it was a neat dream none the less.  

Meanwhile at the COTTAGE:  I managed to shuffle furniture and boxes about at the COTTAGE.  Had to sit and take breaks a lot as I was tired from this wee bit of a cold doesn't help matters.  We took three drawers from the Victorian Desk over in the car to sit on the floor where the desk piece will finally go once it makes it over to the COTTAGE.  Making plans for some of the larger pieces of furniture to relocate to the COTTAGE.  Managed to get a dinette table and two chairs centered into the middle of the room.  Placed an old rough round table in the corner of the Dining room to place a lamp on it.  Boxed some dolls.  Went through some books.  Shuffled some dishes.  Rearranged two Kitchen cabinets.  Dodged boxes and dodged some more boxes.  Did some laundry.  Washed some curtains.  Daydreamed about flowerbeds. Hung some different curtain panels in the Dining room and the Pink Bedroom which look far better than what was hanging there.  Hubby helped move some furniture out of the COTTAGE into the shed for his art studio and nailed some bead board on the Bathroom wall.  

The COTTAGE is small and it's not easy to maneuver about as it's cramped with still so many boxes taking up floor space.  Making headway, but it is so very slow.  One box at a time.  I have started an AUCTION pile since we may have one.

I felt like we had a very productive day even with this wee bit of a COLD.  

I have some spare decorative curtain rods upstairs in the jUnK room that I will take over to the COTTAGE to hang.  They're nicer than what is over there.  Perhaps they will get hung this week-end as I plan to work and prepare the flowerbed behind the Garage with Day Lilies and Lily of the Valley plants.  The long Iris flowerbeds needs the old grass pulled up to clean the beds up.  

I'll continue going through old books and thinning them out, boxing up the dolls and relocating to a different room.  I think the curio cabinets they are in will be auctioned off.  We are seriously thinking about having a small auction as we have pieces of furniture that we don't really have room for. 

Ahh-choo, cough, cough, sniffle, sniffle, blow my nose and repeat.  Remember to drink plenty of liquids, take cold medicines, suck on cough drops and rest.  This wee bit of a cold is the pits. sigh.  Each day, it has to get better.  

Please,

~d        

I HAVE A DREAM...ACTUALLY, I HAVE A MESS.

LOTS OF PEOPLE HAVE DREAMS of what they hope to have manifest in their lives.  Some have visions.  Sometimes dreams are prophetic.  They also can help when dealing with anxieties.  I have a dream, maybe two or three?  SOMETIMES more.  GRINS.  Wishful thinking can be in the lines of so-called desires.  

I desire to have one lil 'ole room become a TV room so our television can be moved out of the Parlour.  

I have to say that one of my dreams/HOPES is to be extremely organized and have a completely decluttered and seriously clean estate.  It has become a mammoth undertaking.  

It seems like I'm wanting the moon at the present time as I am struggling to get just ONE room...just one room completely cleared out so as to create a TV room that has of course a television, a piece of furniture to hold the television on, a television controller, a lamp, a computer printer with printer table, a file cabinet, a desk, a desk chair, a waste can, a radio, a telephone, two recliners, a end table between the two chairs and a area rug on a nice, new wood floor.  

Seems easy enough to arrange until I have to deal with the reality that there are so many items needed dealt with.  Also there are boxes packed full of stuff still in this room that have to be dealt with.  It seems so easy in my thought life until I stand at the door of the room looking in at the mess.  

Enter at your own risk comes to mind.  You may fall down and never get back up.

One of those HELP ME I'VE FALLEN AND I CAN'T GET UP necklaces is not available.  There's no button that I can push to make this suddenly be like it is suppose to be. 

 

I DREAM OF JEANNIE isn't here to cross her arms as she boinks her head nor is BEWITCHED wiggling her nose to magically change the situation.

More realistically, I need a crew...except a crew cannot deal delicately with all the emotional stuff attached to so much.  

When I utter...it is done.  That will be heavenly.

I have to become THE CREW all rolled up into one person.  I have to be the one that calls the shots.  Hey you, that goes there and this goes here and on and on and on until it's completely finished.  

There's that dream.  I can see it in my mind's eye that this is a possibility to have a very nice television room.  I cannot tell you how many times I have created and arranged rooms over the last 47 years of marriage and previous years as a young College student also a young person still at HOME.  Rooms, rooms, rooms and more rooms.  

Shouldn't it be easier than this with what I am going through?  Yes.  It's just that so much was left unattended due to what was going on in LIFE.  A person can run, but eventually it all has to be dealt with and my time has come.

The designer in me cannot help but look at a room and the wheels start turning how I'd arrange it.  It's a cheap form of entertainment which is at times frustrating.  

For so many reasons, creating this one particular room seems like I'm a blindfolded hiker walking backwards while climbing up a mountain.  It's a labor that seems to have no end to it.  I keep plugging away at it.  It is taking way too long to get to the top so I can plant my flag of victory.

Steady as I go.  I may not be steady enough.  Never before have I had so many boxes that need gone through where I have to personally handle hundreds of pieces of paper, small items holding sentimental attachments to my heart, pictures, cards, letters, and papers that need filed or shredded.  Perhaps my age is getting in the way where I reminisce way too much.  Perhaps can be changed into a yes, that's it. 

The room right now became a catch-all for storing things that needed further attention on a rainy day.  This is my rainy day experience that seems more like standing in the path of a hurricane holding hands with a tsunami.  I need to get out of the rain.  Okay...this is a gross exaggeration.  Still it's taking so much effort.  Perhaps I need to not be so emotionally attached and just do it.  Like cleaning the toilet.  Just do it and be done.

As I was leaving the room late last night, I noticed a laundry basket over against the wall.  When I took a few things off the top there staring me in the eye were more receipts.  I said, "What?  You have got to be kidding me."  I sighed, turned off the light and walked away.  I know I will go through this basket later, but good grief,   more receipts.  Sigh.  

I can either work faster taking frequent breaks or accept that this chore is bigger than me and I need to give up.  Then there's just roll up your sleeves working at a steady pace not worrying about this long drawn out exercise that I cannot wait to be done with.  The day will come when I will curtsy and bow out.  The play is over.    

This seems silly to not be able to master this particular room.  Lord, Please help me.  I'm drowning in the mess.  I have a dream.  It's not to make a million dollars, travel the world or become famous.  It's a dream that I will get through this, have a neat room not full of junk and seeing order restored to my HOME.  Clean and tidy rooms throughout the house.  I don't want to be down for the count.

You took chaos and created ORDER.  It is godly to have order.

TAKE THIS MESS AND TURN IT INTO A FINISHED PROJECT.  The process is overwhelming.   

I am so thankful to have a place to call my HOME.  

Let it be orderly once again.  I pray.

Amen,

~d

Cottage PEP

THINK TODAY I need to eat some Kellogg PEP!  I could sure use some extra PEP.  grins.  

Got up early to drive Hubby to work. After I dropped Husband off at work, I drove over to RETIREMENT COTTAGE to vacuum the front room carpet.  It needs replaced so badly it's difficult to look at it with all the stains it has.

It's cleaner, but badly stained.  Did I say BADLY STAINED?  Badly, baaaaadly, badllllllllly STAINED.  Tried stain remover and it is beyond help.  I sat in the room and daydreamed about what I can do to this place.  Needs work.  The COTTAGE is so tiny that I don't think we will ever fit into it if the time should come.

Hate to say it but our cars are on the fritz.  Week-end car clinic.  It has turned off so hot.  Will be sweating.  SUMMER.  Will do my best to stay cool.    

Drove across the river, shopped the THRIFT STORE bought a doll, went HOME, fixed some toast and orange juice.  Time for some cottage cheese.  I tweaked the inside of the fridge.  Looking better.  A little here.  A little there.  In about an hour I will go pick Hubby up from work and go get a small rental truck, drive to TOPEKA, stop by another THRIFT STORE to pick up a love seat we bought a few days ago.  She's going into the COTTAGE so I have somewhere to sit when resting in between painting jobs.


Hopefully in July the PaINTiNg will begin.  This is my baby!  My job for now.

First the Living room ceiling will be painted then the ceiling fan cleaned up.  Will proceed to taking hooks out of the window trim, clean up the windows, paint the trim throughout the room and the doors.  After the Living room, Dining room and two Bedrooms are worked over then I will move onto the Kitchen Pantry to freshen it up.  The Bathroom walk-in closet will be next.  

YOU GO GIRL!

The Utility room and the Bathroom will require more work.  The Kitchen will morph.  The carpet has to be pulled up in the four main rooms.  Not sure if I'll carpet or hardwood floor it.  Time will tell.   

Not going to say how long it will take me to FRESHEN this COTTAGE up, but will re-evaluate this time next year.

Three cheers for a dream,

d

Dream

Sweet Hubby let me sleep in Saturday morning.  I was refreshed by a dream that I could recall.  Sometimes I cannot remember my dreams, but Saturday I could.  I laid in bed thinking about it and I started to think about being a child of the most high God.

My dream was about me doing my best to tell another woman about Christ.  It seemed that each statement I spoke out loud to her was getting interrupted by other distractions.  Someone would say something or a noise would distract from what I was saying.  I persevered and would continue to speak to this woman.

At one point she mentioned that there was water on the floor coming toward me and I should climb up on the table she was on.  I did.

After I struggled to tell her about the LORD, I asked her if she'd like to accept Christ and she said yes.  I did my best to recite the SINNER'S PRAYER.  She accepted Christ.

After I got around in real Life, I thought perhaps the dream represented that I get side tracked due to  interruptions that distract me from what I'm suppose to be doing.  It's been way to easy for me to get distracted.

Dear LORD,
I am here.
~Deanna~