Blog Archives
Simplicity is key
Posted by doggonedmysteries
I have a pecan pie cooling on the back porch. There’s nothing like making a pie for a mere two people and the second person is not DH. DH can’t eat pecan pie but G can and she loves mine. I wouldn’t have made the pie except she asked me to and she bought the corn syrup to make sure I got the hint. I’m hoping she’ll give DH a slice of her pumpkin pie so he’s happy too.
I don’t do much for Thanksgiving other than make us a good dinner. Personally, I’d rather go out somewhere and let someone else do the work. However, since DH prefers staying home that’s what we do. At least I keep it simple so I don’t have a lot of work to do.
I hope you all have a nice Thanksgiving!
Posted in Holidays
Tags: Author, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Food, Holidays, Home, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Pecan pie, Thanksgiving, Writer, Writing
Blucigs, love them, but would love them more if everything wasn’t on backorder
Posted by doggonedmysteries
I have concluded that I do love my blucigs. The only problem I have with them is that they are so backordered on everything that it takes forever for an order to go through. (Be ready to wait if you plan to order from them.)
DH likes his blucigs too. For someone with MS, who tends to drop things a lot, they are much safer than a real cigarette. Having no more burn holes in his clothing and chair makes me very happy.
I also love the fact that the house smells better with him smoking blucigs instead of two packs of cigarettes a day, which is what he was up to with all the stress over his mom.
Speaking of her…His mother is still in the nursing home although they almost sent her back to the funny farm. They’ve discovered that it pays to make certain she gets her meds.
Posted in Misc
Tags: Author, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Home, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Writer, Writing
Staying positive in a negative world
Posted by doggonedmysteries
Staying positive is not an easy thing to do today when all you hear about on the news or read in the newspaper is the bad stuff. Yes, there are bad people out there in the world, nasty people who enjoy causing pain and suffering. There are greedy people who have no hearts.
However, there are good people out there too, generous and giving people. Wouldn’t it be great if we heard more about them? I could stand seeing the headlines shout about more good stuff for a change. Maybe if the crap stuff that people do went from front-page news to a minor paragraph on page ten, or a short blurb on the TV news, fewer thrill seekers would be vying for their fifteen minutes of fame.
Give me less Hollywood idiocy and show me true good acts and kindnesses. I do not care which star is screwing which, nor do I give a darn about the so-called reality shows where backbiting is the norm.
Give me real heroes and fewer lunatics and for crying out loud, if the politician can’t keep it in his pants quickly get him out of office and don’t tell me about it day after day after day for months. Once is enough.
Posted in Misc
Tags: Author, Bones, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Writer, Writing
Check out lines need warning lights
Posted by doggonedmysteries
I’ve stated many times in my blog that I hate shopping. It’s true I do. I hate going to stores and shopping for things. I hate grocery shopping so much that I have six months worth of meats delivered to my house so I can cut back on the time I spend in a grocery store.
Speaking of grocery stores and shopping there. I think there should be a flashing warning light on check out lines where someone has fifty million coupons. I want to get in the store do my shopping and get the hell out thank you very much. I do not want to stand in line for twenty minutes having my frozen foods thaw while the idiot in front of me, who has handed the clerk a pile of coupons that equals the height of the Empire State building, saves fifteen dollars.
Warn me and let me go to another line. If you are the clerk and you know this person always hands you a chit load of coupons, hit the light switch and turn on that flashing light that says ‘warning coupon shopper ahead, you may be delayed.’
If you are that person with the coupon fetish, do not wait until I’ve emptied the entire contents of my cart onto the conveyer, and then whip out that mountain of coupons and hand them to the clerk. Please, I beg you, as I push my cart into the line, tell me you have the equivalent of the entire encyclopedia Britannica in coupons in your purse. I will go to another line. You won’t have me behind you moaning and banging my head on the shopping cart while the clerk scans each coupon.
Posted in Misc
Tags: Author, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Coupon, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Grocery store, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Writer, Writing
Back to the cold weather exercise
Posted by doggonedmysteries
It was cold outside today. It was a good time to get a few things done inside. I cleared out a lot of the clutter that had developed in the back bedroom, due to laziness on my part, when it came to taking things to the attic. It’s not an easy staircase to maneuver while carrying things. Therefore, I tended to drop things in the bedroom while promising myself I’d haul them to the attic later.
Now I can get at my exercise equipment again. With the cold weather coming, it is a good thing. I can spend a half hour a day on my weights and exercise ball no problem now. There’s even a nice CD player in there to play some hard rocking exercise music.
After all, at my age it’s difficult to keep the muffin top and bat wings at bay so proper exercise is important. Once the cold weather sets in G and I can’t take our weekly one-mile walks, which helped.
As I said in another post, I wear flip-flops all the time. When I went in for a stress test, I wore them and the doctor thought I should change into sneakers. I told him I would be fine and much to his surprise I was.
Posted in Misc, Weather related
Tags: Author, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Coffee, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Home, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Physical exercise, Writer, Writing
If life gives you melons, you may be dyslexic.
Posted by doggonedmysteries
With everything slamming down upon us all at once, the holidays, memories of family deaths in Novembers and Decembers past, and DH’s mother so ill it’s not easy to make lemonade.
However, we do try. Yesterday we were lucky to have sun and reasonable temperatures for this time of year. I had some time to play with the dogs and DH even joined in a bit. I cooked DH one of his favorite dinners, oven fried chicken and fragrant rice. We even had fresh papaya for dessert.
They moved his mother from the hospital back to the nursing home in the afternoon. We aren’t certain that it was wise but we’ll see how it goes. DH feels that disagreeing with the doctors doesn’t help her. However, if they screw up they will have to deal with me and not DH. He’s too easygoing.
The nursing home remembers our last run in and I have no doubt that’s why they quickly sent my MIL to the hospital this time. They don’t want me to come in loaded for bear again.
Posted in Misc
Tags: Author, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Healthcare, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Writer, Writing
What’s on your bucket list?
Posted by doggonedmysteries
One of the cable channels is running the 2007 movie The Bucket List this week. If you haven’t seen it yet, do watch it, it’s destined to be a classic. How can it not with Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson in the starring roles? Critics gave the movie a thumbs down but most of us common folk enjoyed it.
Two dying men, one filthy rich and the other a blue-collar worker, walk out of the hospital to fulfill the lists of things they want to do before they die, their bucket lists.
I don’t have many things on my list. I want to travel overseas. Some of the places I want to see are Ireland, Great Britain, Italy, Greece, and the country of my birth, Japan. I never had the chance to see where I was born. The US military transferred my family back to the US when I was a mere six weeks of age.
I want to travel across the US by train with DH so I can show him many of the sights I saw growing up. I’d love to meet my internet friends who are scattered across the country and overseas.
Now it’s your turn. What’s on your bucket list?
Posted in Misc
Tags: Author, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Home, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Writer, Writing
I should have duck feathers
Posted by doggonedmysteries
We had a lot of rain today and Gavin and Patty, for some perverted reason, wanted to go out every five minutes. I soaked all my shoes and waterlogged every jacket I own. Dripping jackets hung from every kitchen chair back and coat hook by nightfall. Our weather forecasters have proclaimed that this winter we will have more rain than snow.
That is when it hit me; I don’t own anything that’s even remotely waterproof. DH has three waterproof jackets. I could borrow one of his jackets without him complaining. Nevertheless, wouldn’t it be better if I had my own? You bet.
I hate to shop. However, it looks as though I’ll have to start hunting for the perfect waterproof jacket. While I’m at it might be a good idea to find some rain boots too.
Posted in Weather related
Tags: Author, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Home, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Writer, Writing
No NaNoWriMo for me
Posted by doggonedmysteries
It’s a rainy day, the perfect time to sit down and write, or so you would think. Nope. If it isn’t one thing it’s another keeping me away from my books. Heaven’s, I’m glad I didn’t enter the NaNoWriMo I’d never make it close to the word count.
I think about entering every year. However, thinking isn’t doing. Maybe one of these years I’ll do it. I don’t think it will happen until things around here begin to go smoothly for a change and what a great change that would be.
The MIL is out of the nursing home and back in the hospital—has been for several days. Her elderly dog died the other day and we aren’t planning to tell her that any time soon since she’s non compos mentis now. All that would do is confuse her more.
DH is over tired and over stressed, meanwhile, I’m doing my best to keep his spirits up, and giving him a chance to rest and relax when he’s home. Even the pups are being good, miracle of miracles.
Posted in Misc, Writer, Writing
Tags: Author, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Healthcare, Home, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, Novel, Novel writing, Nursing home, Word count, Writer, Writing
I could happily live with her electric bill
Posted by doggonedmysteries
I just wrote out a check for my MIL’s electric bill. I wish I had her bill. Mine is sixteen times more than hers is. Sixteen times more! Holy crap. I’ve never seen an electric bill as small as her is. When I opened the bill and read the amount due, my jaw about hit the table.
To have a bill the size of hers I’d have to jettison every electrical appliance, never turn on a light, and forget the computer and TV existed. We did install the energy saving light bulbs in every light of her house but still, sixteen times less than our bill? Those light bulbs didn’t save us that much when we switched ours over.
She mustn’t have turned on any lights at night. Did she turn off her TV at five in the afternoon? I know she stopped cooking anything since we began supplying all her meals. I know she did her laundry once a week. Although with the teensy stackable washer and dryer, the draw on the electricity wasn’t nearly as much as our full sized ones.
Excuse me while I pick up my jaw.
Posted in Misc
Tags: Author, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Energy conservation, Family, Fiction, Home, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Writer, Writing
I love my tabis
Posted by doggonedmysteries
On the ninth, I ordered more tabis from Sock Dreams. I can’t believe that they arrived from Oregon on the twelfth and that they came via the USPS. Heck, it takes three to four days for a letter to go across town here.
I was so impressed by how fast my first order arrived I had no qualms about ordering from them again. My only problem was there were quite a few colors they were out of stock on. Well, it wasn’t exactly a problem, since it kept me from spending more.
I never should’ve looked at all the other socks they offer. They are far too cute and very, very tempting. I held myself in check and only ordered the tabis but I sure did love the alligator and shark bite socks as well as the chat noirs and the widow makers.
I won’t order them…yet…maybe after the holidays…
Posted in Misc
Tags: Author, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Home, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Not a fashionista, Novel writing, Writer, Writing
What recipe?
Posted by doggonedmysteries
A while back, I heard that turmeric was good for people with MS. DH loves a good curry so I learned to make my own curries. His favorite is my lamb curry. I followed a few recipes but, as I usually do with many things I cook, I began to throw the thing together more by ‘feel’ than measurements. Yes, I’m one of those cooks.
I think I learned the throw together method from my father and the way he made the most heavenly turkey soup every year from the left over Thanksgiving turkey. I have that soup down pat now although I make it with chicken because DH isn’t fond of turkey. The worst thing to do is ask me for ‘the recipe’ because I don’t really have one. I modify most recipes to suit our taste.
If you want a copy of one of my recipes, you have to come to my kitchen and watch me cook because I don’t have many of them written down. My white clam sauce recipe is in my head. I learned it from a local Italian restaurant owner/chef after I complimented him on how delicious his was. Before I knew it, he whisked me to his kitchen to teach me how to make it.
Posted in Food
Tags: Author, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Cooking, Craft of writing, Curry, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Food, Home, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Recipe, Writer, Writing
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