09/30/21 the end of zee month

one of the zillion pix I downloaded off of my iPad, there is a reason why I don't do selfies ... gotta love the Amazon glasses -- 2 pair for $15 .. deal .. need to order more -- they get bent pretty quick -- especially falling asleep while wearing them 

today my hair is shorter - thanks to Lori, the wizard of the sissors ( however it is spelled) .. 

Tomorrow, October 1st, the first day of birthday month is the day I turn my lazy soul around.  

It has to be -- no more weird diet .. less coffee ( she laughs hysterically) less eating out ( argh ) more exercise -- will stave off the dizzies ( none today ) 

the carpets got cleaned this morning -- the large coffee stain in the "green" room is gone .. swapping out furniture in various rooms.  I decided after 20 years in the same office space I'm tired of it .. not sure how to cure that issue -- maybe I need two offices -- one to work in and one to pile up the crap .. see I do need adjustment .. seriously it is 19 years and 11 1/2 months in the same office, with the same desk -- 23 years for the desk -- there's stuff in there from day one that I haven't tossed ( yet )

isn't the rambling of an old woman fun .. 

 

09/29/21 re-occurring themes

 

   Sometimes when I'm bored or procrastinating, both seem to happen a lot -- I look back at old blog posts.  This is my "virtual" diary of sorts .. my life in pictures.  Digressing -- that seems to be a trend over the years too .. when I'm tired or stressed I get off track -- quite quickly.

   The re-occurring theme of overworked always pops up in September -- even with no garden -- it pops up -- the garden/patch pix are pretty cool.  I miss it -- I miss the fresh air and good eats. 

Here's my self improvement list for October:

1.  No new clothes 
2.  Clean desk every night 
3.  Meet the extended due date deadline early
4.  Get organized 
5.  Wash the vehicles ( regularly )
6.  Set boundaries and live with them
7.  Re-organize the office flow 
          carpets getting cleaned tomorrow .. good to to move stuff
8.  Swear less ( this is hard)
9.  Walk more -- keeps the dizzies at bay

Some dizzies returned yesterday ( and this morning) I think they are stress related .. lots of weird client stuff happening and I'm letting it get to me ... I cannot control old and confused or young and dumb -- but I take things to heart .... 

I took this pix on my Saturday night ATV ride ... I'm never sure what their going to look like until I download from the camera to the desktop -- I was surprised.  I download 1,100 pix of my iPad to the desktop this week too ... argh, another hobby gone wild.

edit:  so life is short -- do not hesitate to reach out and communicate -- you'll never know when the end is near ... commissioner kemp lost his battle with cancer today .. a short but valiant fight ... I was typing an email to him when I got the call  ....  he missed last Friday's gig and our Board meeting on Tuesday ... I'll have a beverage and enjoy the lake tonight in your memory ... 

09/28/21 the end of summer feels

 

yikes, it feels like summer outside, but the morning/evening darkness tells me the end of summer is near and I hate giving up my summer living .. this year especially --  I think it's the lack of time off for a second summer and the anticipation of fall and winter and the busy season ...

my life is weird - I know that ... it is what it is and it's probably no weirder than many others - I just don't have time for all the weird shit happening with clients that we try to fix but sometimes the fix might not be worth the effort ... for example -- spending 3 hours to fix a Minnesota issue that is saving said client $116 is getting tough to justify -- and justify politely 

on a happier note - I have pfizer shot # 3 scheduled for October 8th -- the first day public health with have them available -- since my birthday is the October 9th -- it sounds like a good birthday treat -- well, that and Skylar's wedding 

Mom and I went out to the cabin last night -- the boys brought in the fishing boat and the wave runner -- it was a nice warm night to move boats .. the pontoon will probably go this weekend -- October 11th the docks/lifts get brought on shore.  there is a local company that does that service and it is money well spent .. worth every penny :)  the siding project is coming along nicely .. 2.75 sides are done .. I'm hoping to spend most of the weekend out there -- I need to -- it will be good for the soul.

09/26/21 lots of pix

the happy place was a little chilly in the wind, had a nap in the recliner out there and I came home for an ATV ride, since the green machine arrived .... 

Kevin in action 

the atv ride included a tour of the prairie -- we live in a beautiful world -- up in the corner of the crp looking southeast -- the crp, the soybeans, the neighbors crp and the east rim of the valley .. lucky shot

milkweeds spreading goodness or not so good depending upon one's point of view 

 

09/24/21 lots of pix

Thursday was a perfect top 10 weather day -- so I grabbed Mom and we went to the cabin for supper -- it is gorgeous out there in the fall -- especially now -- there is a spot of color amid the green .. and the lake seems bluer.  The lake was calm -- a few pontooner's out but it was so quiet.

It's now Saturday -- cloudy, cool and a breeze -- but I'm enjoying the moment -- looks like rain to the west -- might just be the clouds .. might need to find socks and shoes .. a little chilly in my sandals .. 

 

09/22/21 365 days later

365 days ago we purchased the happy place .. it was a great move .. and we've come a long way from the pic below (I took on night one ) until today ..

the checklist of projects includes, dock repairs, new lifts, canopy's, power washing of the of the boardwalk and stairs, furniture!, siding (in progress), landscaping (in progress), tree trimming and removal, a spot of flower planting, grass growing ( not so well ) and lots of hours of porch/beach sitting .. we have THE best view of the lake -- all the action, while sitting in the shade and those killer sunsets!

Mom and I drove out after supper to check on siding project, Lee/Jean were there and having retaining wall discussions.  We are blessed ....

 

09/20/21 weekend pix

and bam!  fall has arrived, I am so not ready for fall .. I really needed another month of summer -- and if I can't have more summer -- I need at least 2 more hours of daylight per day ... I'm going to work in the dark now and I dislike it

beans beans beans ... probably dropped their leaves with today's rain 

it was dark when I got home 

if you look closely you can see our old rental cabin .. the treehouse 

love the sailboats .. over the course of the season I've seen 3 different ones ...

less - jet skis and wave runners - so this guy has a little room to move

 

09/20/21 Weekend adventures

 not a lot of weekend adventures -- a spot of time at the happy place -- spent an hour picking up branches from the Thursday night storm -- and re-positioning the plastic -- I also attacked the poison ivy with chemicals - time will tell --- since the siding project is underway and the patio furniture is in the living room -- I brought out minimal seating -- 

took a cruise on the ATV Saturday night -- this pic above is why we don't have pretty things on Daisy Lane -- my facebook memories are full of melon patch pic's and every once in a while I get the urge to garden again and then I see these destructive beasts .... 

we still have soybeans ... the depth perception of the beast pic above is wacky -- but they are standing in the field behind the house .. 

back to work -- happiest of Mondays  (says no one ever)

09/17/21 Lake Labor

 

the pix uploaded out of order ... but ...

we had taken out a raised flower bed at the farm a decade ago and the blocks were in a "pile" ... Nick and Lee picked them up and took them to the cabin ... I joined them and we stacked a temporary wall to stabilize the bank in case a "monsoon" arrived .. then they put down plastic and landscape fabric to hold the black dirt in place -- again, planning for a future monsoon.  

we weren't thinking clearly -- or the block would have been out there when the skid loader dude was there .. Nick/Lee .. wheeled them down the steps with a cart .. dumped and I stacked .. 

it's a start -- more landscape blocks got ordered from Menards last night ... 

so the plan was to leave for Texas on Wednesday -- and when that trip got cancelled - I thought I would take a couple of days off -- so far .. I've taken 2 hours off -- the phones are wild, people are freaking nuts . and the emails don't seem to ever stop.  never stop.  over 600 "important" emails this week .. on the flip side we're pretty caught up on the other "stuff" .. the scanning project is done -- moved an entire file cabinet (empty) to the garage and the great "re-arrange the file room" has begun.  

09/16/21 it's a beach !!!

warning -- leave moves like this to the professionals ..

what the hell - I hope his life insurance is good

it is flat ... like really flat .. like sit in your lawn chair and not worry about falling out flat ... and fresh new sand ... no leaves, no weeds ... hope the toads and frogs like it .

 

09/15/21 the first day

 of  VACATION

        dream on wonder woman - it ain't happening .. the Texas trip got cancelled, again, and I'm getting my money back -- so then I thought -- oh just don't go to work -- wrong again.   every old woman in St Peter feels the need to call me and ask weird questions -- or better yet, I must see you today ... sometimes being nice is a curse. 

        the happy place siding project starts today -- so I hope to spend a little time out there ... time will tell.  I really need some time away from the office and some time away from family.  we all need our space and I haven't had my space for a while -- when I do get to the cabin -- I have the new William Kent Krueger loaded on the iPad .. I'm sure it will be good.

         so completed projects on this day ..... I loaded up Mom and we took a fast drive out to check out the siding project and discovered the landscaping project will happen Thursday!  the beach will be flat(er) and have more sand by the end of Thursday.    I also vacuumed out the Envoy, Ruby and Dad's truck ... the new surface pro set up has begun -- kind of smooth so far not sure why .... 

          life is full of projects .. never ending projects ...  I'm dreaming up more of them

M

09/12/21 pix heavy

it was a weird, busy, wonderful weekend of projects, ATV rides and a spot of sitting at the beach ( someone has to babysit the burning pile ), pontoon rides and a spot or two of actual work 

Jake likes the beach

while watching the burn pile Jean had the ah ha moment -- siding for cabin is ordered but .. our boat shed -- will also need an upgrade .. hello, paint brush ..

and the pile was still smoldering

the trees are turning

Jake is a pampered pooch

 

09/11/21 20 year

20 years ago, shortly after the world fell apart ( like 45 minutes ), I bought this old house, 20 years
we channeled our inner chaos into rehabbing and moving 

I am so grateful to so many -- family, friends, employees and clients that have made all of this possible it has been said it takes a village to raise a child -- well it takes an entire planet to keep my ship afloat and I am forever indebted to my planet ...

 

09/10/21 Crazy Plant Lady

yes, I used the seat belt to hold 3 large snake plant/mother in laws tongue/sanseveria's snuggly in the passenger seat of Ruby -- they didn't fit in the trunk, and were too large for the floor -- we all made it home safely -- ditto my Chinese take out :) 

Hy Vee has deals on large house plants -- if you need more

16 more hours of continuing education this week ... just me, my screens, and my crochet hook .. finished 2.75 scarves, cleaned out my desk and everything within reach

day two was a struggle -- evidently the excitement over the plants and/or the take out Chinese was hard on the digestive tract -- twas a good thing it was a virtual gig .. 

And a box of homework went home with me last night -- the projects never end .. or won't end soon, I know this is the new normal, it just sucks sometimes.

 

09/06/21 Labor Day ?

Day 3 at the cabin

I haven't been to the office since early Saturday when I robbed the fridge of groceries. 

beautiful night at the beach 

we finally got our twig pile burned .. it was getting large

 I am mastering the TV ..

quilting YouTube is good at the lake

I pieced blocks for a quick quilt yesterday 

got a livestream from a NASCAR car for Dad

News this morning

Life is Good

9/05/21 lake time

we get killer sunsets at the cabin

the personal watercrafters were busy all day and into the night 

lots of wipeouts and a dead one ( machine not body ) ended up at our dock ..

a bit chilly this morning

I heard hunters taking shots at day break