Moving.

Not me sillies - the blog! I went to post pictures the other night and much to my amazement I am out of free space. Google wants me to buy space for my pictures and I just can't see paying $5 a month to have pictures - especially with all the free blogs floating around in cyberspace. I'm not sure if I'll be linking or moving, I suppose it depends on how hard it will be to move it. It's pretty big, I've been blogging on this journal since 2004 - can you believe that?? I lost the pictures when I moved it from AOL to Blogger - I hate to lose stuff on it again. But I can't NOT blog - my entire life I've written it down. I had diaries from the time I was 8 or 9 until my 30's -  my first diary had a little tiny key and lock, I loved it like nothing else. I burned the diaries from my childhood and being a teenager, some years don't need to be relived. I have the ones from my adulthood somewhere, the rest is online.  So I need to figure out where I want to go, I have one set up on Livejournal which will most likely be the new home for me.
In other news our trip to NJ went very well, we left super early Thanksgiving, checked in to the hotel by noon and off to Ray's. We had dinner at the Arlington Diner - the food was great and our waiter was funny, but we wanted to give him a drink! I think he started going into the DT's midway through, people that are serving hot food should NOT be having the shakes. And I think he made my Tom Collins the way he wanted it, WOW is all I have to say. But we enjoyed it all the way through. The next day despite Ray's protests we went to see Civil war houses - Ray by the way cancels us constantly. He just doesn't like change so we make plans and he cancels. We uncancel ourselves, he cancels us again. Actually we just sort of ignore him - he stops as soon as we get where we're going. We had a great time taking pictures and walking - then we did Barnes and Nobles in Hackensack NJ which I know Ray loved, who doesn't like a new bookstore you've never shopped? After we tried to do the Cheese cake Factory but it was so crowded so we ended up at an unexpected seafood restaurant. It was beautiful, the food was top notch and the waiter had a steady hand, what more could you ask? Ray and I had the most amazing wine, I wish I'd asked what it was. We had a few glasses because quite frankly David was driving - too bad too sad! The next morning we went out to breakfast with Ray before leaving, making plans for Jackson's visit in January. On the way back we stopped in Bethlehem PA so I could go to the Knitters Edge and Wegmans. The only thing that sucked was when we hit Washington on I-70 the traffic backed up so badly it would have made the Belt Parkway at rush hour proud! It was killing me - we were overtired, dying to get home and we just c-r-a-w-l-e-e-e-d towards home, it must have taken an hour and a half to go about 5 miles - then it broke up and off we went. We picked up Reuben from the kennel the next day, I'm pretty sure he thinks he was incarcerated in a prison over the border but recovered quickly. So that was our trip - on Facebook I have about 50 picture posted so if you're that interested you can friend me. Otherwise you'll have to wait for the Big Move.

Get A Grip

 You would think that being in my fifties, been around the block, learned my lesson, etc I would be used to the ups and downs of life. We all have times where the end is near, all is bleak and barren - one more thing slung across your already overburdened shoulders, why me.  And yes, we are going through a spell - I think sometimes it seems like it happens to me more because I write down everything that happens, pretty much. Adam is having to move back home, the new car I got had to go in for a recall, the used van David bought has broken down not once but TWICE, my dog is still dead and Claw the Evil Cat lives on. Because David has been without a vehicle he's behind on the house, he forgot to make the reservations at the hotel near Ray which is full full full so we have to stay at one we are not familiar with. Work is it's own stressor, my weight is stalled. But after I write it down, it is not so bad. Adam has already been in contact and transferred his transcripts to WVU - it will be nice to have him near for awhile. And since we're so close to Pittsburgh I think he'll eventually like it here. I still have a dog - Reuben Boobin who had his first real walk with friends Charlene and her dogs Sophie and Libby. I didn't feel as bad as I thought I would, I miss Pearl and I kept thinking about how much she had loved our walks with our pals - but Reuben really enjoyed it too and I was glad to see how well he did as there were a lot of other people in the park. My car was fixed and so was David's - shit happens. Work will straighten out - or it won't - my weight is my own fault, no one else's. I have very much strayed off my diet, these pounds are no mystery no matter how much I like to pretend I don't have any idea how that happened. It happened one brownie at a time. I am taking time off from going to meetings for now - too much going and honestly, I'm a little bored. I am going to keep the etools for a while longer, they're only $15 a month and do really help keep things under control. I'm looking forward to our trip to see Ray, it's only for a couple of days, but it will be nice to get away and to see him - I  know he's excited about seeing us too. When Jackson comes home with his fiancee we will be returning to NJ to introduce her to him. I am currently working on my garden, I have half the soil turned and when I'm done with that I'll be raking it and clearing out the roots. My compost pile is a favorite of the deer, I just turn what ever they don't eat. It's getting cold and I don't begrudge my leftovers to anyone. So all in all, that's it. I have about 20 more slow going rows to my shawl, then it will be socks for awhile!

I Love My Phone. And My TV Set. And My Ereader

 David was being very prissy the other morning, I wanted to show him how to switch from Roku to Dish and he very snotty said " I don't have to watch TV all the time like some people". This would have had more impact had he not been surfing Face book. But I am not shy about admitting it - I LOVE having Internet on my phone, my ereader app, Netflix and You Tube. I  was trying to turn the sound on for the voicemail and somehow managed to turn on ALL the sounds so now my phone twinkles, zings and bingles when someone face books me, emails, makes a word, calls, updates or texts - I think it even makes a noise if an angel gets their wings. My TV set is my other obsession - LOVE IT! I am watching ALL the seasons of the Biggest Loser when I work out in the morning, the Fab Five grace my presence at dinner time, Science Fiction Mystery Theater 3000 is still super funny. We watch Frasier every morning skip the stupid episodes, movies whenever we want. You can also stop it if you need to run upstairs for something. I still am using my ereader of course, I've cut down on buying books since I can't read what I have now. Really like buying the bundle books - the whole series in one shot. Don't like looking for them though because if you put the word "bundle" in the search you get the series bundles plus a lot of bondage books. Somehow it's very strange to see my Debbie Macomber Cedar Cove books next to Stepbrother's Little Secret Fetish trilogy. But I manage to weed through. I haven't had too much time to read lately, we've been busy dancing around outside, I do love the fall. I've been turning the soil in my garden by hand - it gives me something to do in the morning while Reuben makes his rounds. Next year I am going to have the BEST stinkin garden anyone has ever seen and I will grow recognizable things too.  If it's nice this weekend we will be walking with Charlene and Libby at the park, that will be a little sad without Pearl - how she loved her walks with her friends! - but it will be nice to see Charlene and for Reuben to be a friend. Live changes, on you go. Reuben continues to grow and be funny - I'm so glad we have him, I don't think we would be handling Pearl's death as well if we didn't have Reuben to distract. My car has to go back to the dealer this Friday for a minor recall, oh well. Such is life.

The Budgeteer

 We're getting better at it - I think. We still feel like we're spending too much - and probably are - but I think we were spending a lot more before we started keeping track. Like I've said before, when you have to write down every dime you lay out, it makes you think before you do it. I did the shopping today - David is working on the Bruceton Mills house today - we do seem to spend much less if we take turns doing the shopping instead of going together.  We've also stopped all the during the week shopping, it all gets done on the weekend and we buy enough to make through the entire week.  I now have Hulu Plus and Netflix for the TV and we invested in a second Roku for the upstairs TV. It was about $60 but well worth it - instead of going up a couple tiers on the DISH we spend a total of $16 a month on all the TV shows and movies you can watch - including all the ones they don't show anymore. If you're not familiar with Roku - its an Internet streaming device you hook up to your TV set - you can stream TV shows and movies for a fraction of the cost of cable - all you need is wireless Internet and you're in. The basic unit is about $60 and the set up is essentially taking an HDMI cable and attaching it to the TV and the Roku - nothing to it! I am totally thrilled.  We have budgeted in $25 a week for things we want - and we're sticking to it. Bloomin Yarns closed this week but with all the deep discounts  I only spent $16. I can not tell you how much I'm going to miss that store, the people that work there and the yarn of course. But it comes at a good time as I really don't need anymore knitting stuff. So I say of course. Need and Want are two different things but sometimes it's hard to tell the difference. We've heard from Jackson - he's a happy camper these days and looking forward to moving to Tennessee, we're happy he's happy. He and Brittney will be here for a visit after Christmas so we're starting to plan for that. So many changes! Adam will be moving back here soon too, Norfolk is just not working out so he's coming home to begin again. With all the colleges and job opportunities here things will be easier for him but it will be hard for him to leave the place he's called home for the past five years. . And for us, we have things brewing too, all sorts of adjustments and changes. Reuben is more "our" dog - I still have my moments, today has been hard for some reason. We probably won't even start to think of getting another dog until the spring but I do miss having two dogs dreadfully, Reuben just seems like one half of my crew. I'm still working on the shawl, but moving towards the end, the pattern is completely buggered up but I don't care - it's just a different pattern now. I REFUSE to frog it and start again, I refuse! I'm reading of course, Feed by Mira Grant - a zombie novel , very immature I know - thank you for noticing!

Go A-Weigh!

Well - that was an unwelcome surprise. I went a half pound over my goal weight at Weight Watchers - and had to pay. Ouch! If I lose it at weigh in next week I go back to being a Free Bee, if not it's back to the bleachers. I wasn't surprised by the way - I know I've been sneaking towards weightness, one Little Debbie at a time. I think the hard part of keeping it off is it's not like you won the Heisman Trophy and put it on your shelf for smug looking at. You don't ever get to be "done". I had lost about 8 pounds below to give myself a barrier between here and not there. The barrier went by the wayside awhile ago, over the wall time now. So, it's back to the beginning I suppose - less Little Debbie's and more salad. It's other things too - stress, worry, changes, potential changes - but getting fat is not going to solve those problems, is it? And really eating crap only makes you feel good, well, while you're eating it. Then it's all Regrets and Bellyaches. In other news there is not much to tell. The power is back on at the other house and David has been busy ripping things up and out, scrubbing the thick gooey nicotine off the walls, pulling up the rugs and painting the walls. He's been cruising Craig's List for appliances  - half of the rugs for the larger areas have been bought on clearance - 16 cents a square foot baby! I'll be glad when it's done. David also traded in his truck for a utility van that gets over double the mileage. The truck had reached the point where it was starting to cost serious money - and with over 200,000 and getting only 12 miles to the gallon it was a money pit. October was a rough month, but now that we're heading into November I'm hoping things will start to look up again.

All Tricks, No Treats

 Did anyone have a good October? Anyone? It was just one of those months wasn't it, not little bad things - BIG bad things, stressful things, weird things. Halloween was the holiday that wasn't - they tried changing the day but who feels like trick or treating 3 days after the fact? We are hoping in a couple of weeks we can breath a small sigh of relief. Our Thanksgiving trip is a wee bit up in the air - Ray is fretting there is nothing there, he only has half a tank of gas - his favorite restaurant, the one we spend holidays in and he shows off us, his family to his friends is no more as it was on the water and then was full of water. Sad. We shall see.  The weather is getting cold cold - I'm turning the soil in my garden as next year will be the Year Of The Super Stinkin Garden as hopefully I'll have a better idea of what I am supposed to be doing. The sunflowers made me laugh, I waited til the heads started to dry out and went to collect the seeds. What seeds? The birds had picked them all clean! What little there was left was not worth saving, I cut the heads and threw them on the ground, they might as well have what's left. I took Reuben to Cooper's Rock this weekend, I gave him his carsick medication so he didn' throw up. There was a lot more snow on the ground than I had anticipated so we only did the woods for a short time. The road was snowy too but parts had melted off so Reuben could walk - he did enjoy it and I didn't cry (too much). He got to wear Pearl's old harness, I washed it so it looks all new - it doesn't even look the same. I am on call this week but the weekend after that Charlene and I will be walking together again - Reuben needs to be socialized badly.  We might do Cooper's Rock one more time, we'll see. This time of the year they close off the park so you have to park all the way up front and the good stuff - Raven's Rock, The Stone City, etc  is a 3 mile walk just to get there. We shall see. Not much else going on as you can see - we are super enjoying our new TV and Netflix. We saw Captain America last night, Thor, Blitz, Iron Man 2 before that. David traded in his truck today, it was getting to the point of costly repairs and the gas was seriously killing us - living in a rural community and getting 12 miles to the gallon was not the way to go. So he got a work van - 30 miles to the gallon which will make a huge difference in our budget. We are still working on that - Bloomin Yarns closes forever this week so I'll probably make one more trip before it closes it's doors forever - I will very much miss going there on Saturdays.

Weirdness, Thy Name Is Reuben

 Although we miss Pearl, dreadfully at times, we still have Reuben and typical of his breed he's turning into one strange dude.  He still refuses to walk to the truck, goes limp at the first sign of danger and has a very odd relationship with Claw The Evil Cat. He sneaky licks her ears and darts away, a life of danger for him. He's so big we forget he's actually only 9 months old so he has this big adult dog body with a puppy's trepidation and full out excitement - the slightest movement in the morning brings spasms of joy and General Leaping About.  He developed a rash a couple of weeks ago, got better, got worse, went, came back. It came back very itchy this week so David took Reuben to the vet's, who said he's probably allergic to something, may stop on its own and gave prednisone to make it better. David gave Reuben one in the morning and then after mulling it over - gave him one before bed. Bad idea. Reuben bunks in with us now so he's not lonely - in the middle towards the bottom.  Here was the problem - Reuben is a big puppy which means he still piddles out his weight daily. Reuben, when not awake sleeps hard, you could probably sneak him up on the roof without him waking up. One of the side effects of prednisone is well, it makes you pee. A lot. Hmm. He must have woken up at some point because when David hysterically rousted us both out of the bed he was no where in sight. Who could blame him, since the bed just about floating down the hall, cold and wet - heck, Reuben was in the guest room leaving us to fend for ourselves. We were laughing later because he obviously had no idea who had wet the bed and kept giving us the hairy eyeball - someone needs a little bladder training in his opinion. He was thrilled that we had decided to get up around 3:45 - heck might as well put the coffee on and let the dog out! Fortunately it didn't get through the mattress so it was a lot of laundry this morning - the blankets are washable, Reuben is washable. He's doing wonderful hunting, for a 9 month old puppy he's a powerhouse now, he'll be amazing next year. He's getting over his carsickness too, growing up. I'm hoping we can do a little hiking tomorrow, every time I plan on it a hurricane springs up, it snows, rains thunders. The temperatures are still down, but not too bad. David is going to the rental house tomorrow, due to the snow and lack of electricity he has not been able to get any work done on it for the past few days but plans on picking up the pace. I continue to slave away on my shawl, I have one more repeat of a chart but it's 24 rows and is just about killing me. I don't think anyone has ever died though, from overdosing on Chart Five. Hmm.