Reflections of My Life

I had a beautiful day yesterday. It was good to spend the day with someone who I used to be close to. Hadn't seen each other in four years. I felt bad that she had to sit so long in the hair salon while I got my hair colored but she said she didn't mind. At least the salon is pretty lively. The women who work there are funny and talkative and the music is awesome. One customer that came in for a nail appointment and a cut had me laughing the whole time. She said she was 87 and couldn't see but she did not miss a thing. So funny! Then we had lunch and shopped at Walmart. It was good day.

When I came home I told Rabbit I was not cleaning his cage. I was exhausted. I put my feet up (not in the bed or on the wedge) and watched YouTube for a bit. After recharging my batteries I did his cage. He was a happy camper.

Yesterday morning, my water delivery arrived! So I was a happy camper! I am going to keep track to see how much I use per day on the average. I was so thankful that when we were at Walmart I did not have to go down that water aisle. They put those gallon bottles up on the highest shelf with a bar in front of them (so they don't slide off). Really hard for Sonny to get one down so you can imagine me trying to. I have to stand on the bottom shelf on my tiptoes and then when I reach up both of my shoulders become painful.....and stay that way the rest of the day.

Today, I plan to put my feet up a lot. Though they are in pretty good shape this morning which surprises me.
 

It snowed here today. It is pretty since they did not have to plow it. Maybe tomorrow they will since it is Monday. I guess it was all the years growing up in FL that made me appreciate the snowfall. Never seemed like Christmas without the snow. When we were younger (before 1962 because that was the year we moved to FL) my brother, Mickey, and I had so much fun in the snow. My father would plow our driveway. In the area where the snow was piled up, we would dig it out and make an igloo. I remember taking my dolls and tea set out there and would play in there for hours. It was not cold.

We would ice skate on the creek and go sledding or skiing (homemade skis that my father made for us) on the many hills around our house. At my cousins' house we would have snowball fights. One year, my cousin made a lot of snowballs and put them in their deep freezer. In July we had another snowball fight!
 
I have been weaning myself back into sleeping in my bed at night. I can lay in it during the day to put my feet up on the wedge and cushions so they are higher than my heart. Which is not real easy because I cannot lay flat. I have to be propped up a bit. Maybe someday I can get an adjustable bed but for now this is what I have. I slept in it last night from 1:30 AM to 5:30 AM. So that was good. Did not use the wedge though. I don't think I could actually sleep using it.

As you know, I strayed from keto by making chicken noodle soup last week. Today I am making chicken noodle-LESS soup. The noodles are the only thing that is bad in it so just skipping them. I think it will still be very good since it is one of the best things I make. I use whole, peeled tomatoes in it for the flavor and they are an acceptable vegetable on keto. Just don't eat a huge amount of them. I just love soups in the cold weather. When I lived with my husband I had to make soup plus something else because he would still be hungry. Usually after 3+ bowls! Never any leftovers. Now I have plenty for a few days.

Rabbit is FINALLY chewing on one of his little chew toys that I bought recently. This one is a group of things put together that hang from a cage or his play table. He paid no absolutely no attention to it. I then hung it from the bottom dresser drawer. Again, no interest. Just now I took it off the drawer and laid it on his rug out flat.........now he is working on it. Guess he didn't like it hanging.
 

katlupe said:
It snowed here today. It is pretty since they did not have to plow it. Maybe tomorrow they will since it is Monday. I guess it was all the years growing up in FL that made me appreciate the snowfall. Never seemed like Christmas without the snow. When we were younger (before 1962 because that was the year we moved to FL) my brother, Mickey, and I had so much fun in the snow. My father would plow our driveway. In the area where the snow was piled up, we would dig it out and make an igloo. I remember taking my dolls and tea set out there and would play in there for hours. It was not cold.

We would ice skate on the creek and go sledding or skiing (homemade skis that my father made for us) on the many hills around our house. At my cousins' house we would have snowball fights. One year, my cousin made a lot of snowballs and put them in their deep freezer. In July we had another snowball fight!
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Reminds me of the winters growing up in Cleveland. Lots of snow fights and sledding down hills! I remember doing the snow angels while waiting for the bus to take us to school.
 
palides2021 said:
Reminds me of the winters growing up in Cleveland. Lots of snow fights and sledding down hills! I remember doing the snow angels while waiting for the bus to take us to school.
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Winter in Cleveland, how well I recall the snow angels and cleaning the snow off the car and sidewalk. But it was a joy to come into the warmth of Grandma's kitchen and a bowl of pierogi with onions and sour cream.
 
It seems to me that Christmas time is not such a merry time. Just like I discovered living alone was right for me. I find that all the work, time and money put into this holiday is not right for me either. When I was a child I wanted a Christmas like I saw on television or read about in books. With sugar plums, candy canes, reindeer and elves dancing in my head. My parents both worked and our Christmas was simple. Mickey, my brother and I always got six or seven gifts. I always got a new doll. We both got a book each, some clothes and some other types of toys. My brother always tore the biggest present open even if it wasn't for him. Inevitably, it would be for me. Usually a doll or one year, a doll house.

So when I had my son, Jeff, I was a single unwed mom and I wanted Christmas to be special for him. I decorated a lot and I would put his Christmas presents on layaway at the local Grand Way store. Then I made my parents spend Christmas Eve overnight at our small apartment (giving them my bedroom). Over the years, after I was married and had my own house, I went all out. My parents and my brother and his family would come to my house and I would serve a beautiful Christmas dinner. Just like the television shows and books I read! Two Christmas trees. One in my family room where we put the presents. The silver and blue smaller one in the living room bay window.

After my son grew up and my husband left me, I lost interest in Christmas. Without the money to be able to buy all those presents or have a nice house it was not the same. So over the years I had to try to make my own routines. My 3rd and last husband's family was very religious, but they made Christmas about presents more than anything else. I felt so much pressure to buy things. Things that nobody really wants. Things that cost money that we did not have. If I told them not to buy us anything, they did not listen. They would still buy us gifts and we could not afford to buy any. Felt embarrassed.

One year on Christmas morning, we had a bad snowstorm. I told my husband to go to his parents' Christmas gathering and I would stay home and look out for the horses (needed more water and hay during a snow storm) and keep the wood stoves going. His mother was livid that I did not come! It was one of my best Christmases.
 
After watching Keto Chow's live stream on Monday, I have been disappointed to learn that the flavor of Keto Chow I love the most, Black Licorice, will not be coming back. The last time I bought it, I bought ten packages. I have only two left. So I went on a search yesterday to find licorice flavoring or extract to see if I can make it myself. I can. I just need the right flavor (Excuse me............I just saw a bunny rabbit go flying around the edge of my apartment! I guess he feels good this morning.).

I learned a lot about it. From my past herbal experience with medicinal plants, I already knew that the actual licorice root or leaves is one with side affects. So unless you are using it for a health condition, it is best to not ingest too much. The extract or flavoring usually used in making licorice candy is anise or/and fennel. Fennel I am familiar with using it in making Italian sausage. So I am concentrating on using anise oil extract. It's real name is pimpinella anisum and can be grown in a garden or planter.

So I am thinking I can buy a large bag of the vanilla Keto Chow and start making the flavors I want. Funny place that I find new flavors to try is looking at alcoholic drinks or liquor. I make KC amaretto by using a mixture of flavoring/extract and DiVinci's amaretto sugar free syrup. Do the same with Kuhlua though I have a recipe for making my own (the recipe uses sugar and white rum but I can make substitutions to keep it keto). Basically the only sweet I have now is the KC replacement meal as ice cream, a coffee drink or a shake. And Zevia soda. I don't have either one every day. I hadn't drank soda very often at all until I discovered Zevia. I never liked diet drinks. I will see how I do.
 
katlupe said:
It seems to me that Christmas time is not such a merry time. Just like I discovered living alone was right for me. I find that all the work, time and money put into this holiday is not right for me either. When I was a child I wanted a Christmas like I saw on television or read about in books. With sugar plums, candy canes, reindeer and elves dancing in my head. My parents both worked and our Christmas was simple. Mickey, my brother and I always got six or seven gifts. I always got a new doll. We both got a book each, some clothes and some other types of toys. My brother always tore the biggest present open even if it wasn't for him. Inevitably, it would be for me. Usually a doll or one year, a doll house.

So when I had my son, Jeff, I was a single unwed mom and I wanted Christmas to be special for him. I decorated a lot and I would put his Christmas presents on layaway at the local Grand Way store. Then I made my parents spend Christmas Eve overnight at our small apartment (giving them my bedroom). Over the years, after I was married and had my own house, I went all out. My parents and my brother and his family would come to my house and I would serve a beautiful Christmas dinner. Just like the television shows and books I read! Two Christmas trees. One in my family room where we put the presents. The silver and blue smaller one in the living room bay window.

After my son grew up and my husband left me, I lost interest in Christmas. Without the money to be able to buy all those presents or have a nice house it was not the same. So over the years I had to try to make my own routines. My 3rd and last husband's family was very religious, but they made Christmas about presents more than anything else. I felt so much pressure to buy things. Things that nobody really wants. Things that cost money that we did not have. If I told them not to buy us anything, they did not listen. They would still buy us gifts and we could not afford to buy any. Felt embarrassed.

One year on Christmas morning, we had a bad snowstorm. I told my husband to go to his parents' Christmas gathering and I would stay home and look out for the horses (needed more water and hay during a snow storm) and keep the wood stoves going. His mother was livid that I did not come! It was one of my best Christmases.
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It does seem sad that the our childhood expectations often don't match reality leaving a particular sadness around the holidays for a lifetime. We just have a quiet day at home, like any other now, and enjoy each other and spoil the pets.
 
Happy Heart said:
It does seem sad that the our childhood expectations often don't match reality leaving a particular sadness around the holidays for a lifetime. We just have a quiet day at home, like any other now, and enjoy each other and spoil the pets.
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Yes, that is the kind of day I have. I will cook a nice dinner but I do that pretty much every day. But I truly like to just be home and not have to go anywhere. Maybe I will play some Christmas music though.
 
Today I am going grocery shopping. I don't really need to but best to get it done before the week-end rush. So we are supposed to get a bad snowstorm today and tomorrow. I am sure the store will be busy because of that too. Possible power outages is the only thing that I worry about here. Had two last winter and both times it was due to trees hitting the lines in a heavy snowstorm. The bad thing here is that my whole apartment is electric so there is no alternative heat or cooking sources. No yard to cook outside in a snowstorm either. I was spoiled living on my off the grid homestead for 20 years. Never had to worry about power outages. I keep reminding myself to figure out what I need to prepare for those times.

I need to send my manager an email because she put a letter on my door about utility allowance and rent. I must be really stupid because the way the letter is worded (the same every year) I can never figure out what it means. Nobody else knows either, so I guess we are all stupid. Sometimes it makes your rent go down from about January to June, then when the new lease is signed it goes up. It is bad if it goes up both times though. I think it should go down because electric here has gone way up. My son's went up $30. in November and then $30. more in December. Sonny's electric went way up too.
 
Southern California is now in a drought emergency, so glad I don't live there! This morning it is overcast which is expected to clear and then sunny until next week but cold temps. Good weather to let the cats snuggle but why do they have to hog the blankets?
Yesterday I started to crochet a scarf so my hands are really sore this morning. Getting old is not for the week.
How is Sonny doing?
I am still wondering about Tea Biscuit, hope she didn't fall down her snowy steps. I had two relatives in Ohio fall during the winter and it was a real turning point in their health for both of them.
After using the magnesium oil twice I had to stop it, but I'll spare you the details.
 
Happy Heart said:
Southern California is now in a drought emergency, so glad I don't live there! This morning it is overcast which is expected to clear and then sunny until next week but cold temps. Good weather to let the cats snuggle but why do they have to hog the blankets?
Yesterday I started to crochet a scarf so my hands are really sore this morning. Getting old is not for the week.
How is Sonny doing?
I am still wondering about Tea Biscuit, hope she didn't fall down her snowy steps. I had two relatives in Ohio fall during the winter and it was a real turning point in their health for both of them.
After using the magnesium oil twice I had to stop it, but I'll spare you the details.
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Did you break out from it or something? The oil is not to be taken orally. I should have mentioned that before. I rub it on specific areas of my body, where I have pain.

Thank you for asking about Sonny. He is getting better but slowly. I will see him today as he is taking me shopping.

I was wondering about Tea Biscuit too. People seem to be here one day, gone the next. Sometimes they get in huff about something on another board and leave. I don't know anything about it because there are certain ones I don't even scroll.
 
I sprayed the magnesium on my feet before going to bed, no it didn't result in a rash or skin reaction - just think about what happens when you get too much. I was afraid to leave the house for day!

Tea Biscuit didn't seem like the kind to get into a snit about something and then just walk away which is why I am worried about her. I got a kick out of love books, which we share.
 
Happy Heart said:
I sprayed the magnesium on my feet before going to bed, no it didn't result in a rash or skin reaction - just think about what happens when you get too much. I was afraid to leave the house for day!

Tea Biscuit didn't seem like the kind to get into a snit about something and then just walk away which is why I am worried about her. I got a kick out of love books, which we share.
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If that happens with the magnesium, it usually means that you already are getting enough.

Maybe you can send her a PM on her profile.
 
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