Meandering Mind

We had our Thanksgiving dinner on Monday due to my daughter's work schedule. It was a lovely day, but I was tired out by the half-way point.  I've limited the number of dishes I make over the past several years, with my children picking up the responsibility for more ... a good plan I think. We had eight people for the day, including the three of us.  After my folks died in 2018 (Mom) and 2019 (Dad), suddenly we went from a group that varied between ten and twenty, with me doing ninety-five percent of the cooking, to the three of us.  The first couple of years we had a simple day of the meal and a movie at home.  I was so worn out and heartsick over the losses and exhaustion of caring for my parents, the trust,  and the drama of now-estranged family members that it was a good transition time.  More recently, I have 'the kids' invite a small number of friends who could use a seat at our table.  It works well for us, and there are generally games played after a leisurely meal.  I exit stage right pretty quickly to put my feet up and be quiet.  It's nice hearing the muffled conversation and laughter.

Thank goodness the leftovers are gone or in the freezer. I went to the grocery store yesterday, figuring it would be sparse as most would be eating leftovers ... nope! It was quite crowded. I picked up just a few staples ... potatoes, fruit, fresh veg.  My reward after putting away groceries was a nice hot bowl of soup; I save my poultry carcasses to make nice stock-base. I put in six ounces of white wine and onions roasted with the chicken with the carcass to make a nice stock. Then I  throw celery, onions, carrots, and whatever other veg I need to use up.  It was a delicious and  simple meal during this season when all the meals and treats are delicious but rich.  (The placemat is from my favorite artists' collective in Flagstaff.)

Our weather is still making the transition from autumn to winter. This week the predicted highs/lows are in the 60s/30s. The last two or three weeks brought quite a bit of rain, wind, and snow (snow to the surrounding mountains, not our high desert valley). We had temperature variations ... some days cold enough for snow, others both highs and lows were in the forties.

I've been having a lazy day; stayed up much too late last night. I operate better with early to bed and early to rise. I'm aware that a certain amount of anxiety mixed with procrastination leads to this late-night followed by slow-moving behavior, so am praying about it and taking my learned practical steps to deal with it.  I'm so much happier when I feel productive in my days.

Happy Saturday. 💋💕

Thursday, November 20, 2025

 Finally, the last few days it's become cold autumn and I'm enjoying it.  Our summer is desert hot, naturally, and lasts into October.  Generally we can count on it being non-sweaty by Halloween.  This year it cooled down but remained in the 70's low 80's a little past.  The rainstorms we're having now have cooled it right on down. Today the lows and highs were both in the 40's. I enjoy all the seasons, having spent the first nineteen years of my life growing up where there were two ... cool and warm/hot.   I can only recall one time during that time-span having frost on the window of my car and was positively in a tizzy at the craziness of that.

I lived in a few places between nineteen and thirty? thirty-one?  I came to enjoy having four distinct seasons.  I find that I'm always glad for the new season, but then ready for it to end before it does.  (Kinda like my marriages.  😐)

I've been in this high desert mountain valley for thirty-nine or forty years now ... I'd have to think harder than I want to just this minute to be positive which.  The area is no longer primarily rural, and I miss that small-town feel, but any small town can become big over time; particularly when the property prices are significantly lower than the larger cities 'down the hill.'

Today was gym day, and after the workout I snapped these shots as I snarfed down protein and carbs at Cafe' Car in the parking lot. The view of the mountain is only the top portion, the rest being obscured by clouds. The mountains have gotten a bit of snow, but none has fallen here in the valley. It's quite something on warm clear sunny mornings to watch the clouds slowly roll up over the top of the mountains and down the side while the sky is the bluest blue and the sun is bright.  I never tire of it. (It makes me think sometimes of Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather. It's been years since I read it, but I remember passages about the sky and clouds in juxtaposition to the landscapes of New Mexico, so different from France where the archbishop grew up. I'd go back and read some of those passages but donated most of my books several years ago as the print was too small to read anymore.)  Today was rainy and cold, so the light was subdued and the sky all clouds.

Concerning the gym, I've been working out with a trainer for about four months give or take, and it's a good thing.  While I enjoyed the senior-focused gym, and it was a good starting place after decades out of any gym, I am gaining more at this larger gym.  I'm building muscle safely for functional fitness.  The trainer teaches me how to be safe while I do it, factoring in my previous injuries and arthritis. He helps push me just that little bit more than maybe I'd push myself.  I still ride my seated elliptical bike at home, and complete PT moves for my shoulders and knees, but I work out a little harder. Going to the gym in person was the impetus needed to get me re-motivated to work out.  I have purchased a several new sets of dumbells for home as I progressed up weights.  The serendipitous thing about my trainer:  I was his seventh grade English teacher and we attend the same church. We discovered this when he was my assigned trainer at the new gym. He recognized me vaguely, then checked his yearbook and brought it in to show me.  He is in his forties now, and it is delightful to have a friendship with a former student ... we talk through the workouts and I tease him some Sundays about how sad it is for a church brother to try and kill me in the gym.  I did tell him that I'm glad I was a teacher he liked, or as my trainer he could really hurt me for life.  

It's time to get off this screen and move or I'll be stiff.

Happy Thursday evening!  💋💕

November and Thankful

 It's been a little minute ... I bought a new computer a while back and changed my search engine choice.  That resulted in not being able to find this place for a variety of reasons.

At first it was frustrating, but the good thing that's come out of it is I've cut down on my screen time and pushed a little harder on my real life time which has beneficial for me.

Not a lot has changed in my life on the surface, but some things have been going on that I'm grateful for. 

I've made some new girlfriends, which is always a good thing.  It's my habit to get out of house to socialize a time or two a week, which is good for my soul.  Coffee, a meal out, a walk. 

I think this one is new ... I switched gyms from the 'starter' senior gym, and am working with a trainer once a week.  I'm building muscle and feel comfortable walking into the gym. My functional fitness is the main goal, but there have been other benefits as well.  More about this another time.

I continue to be active at church, and have stepped up a little.  As needed, I cover for my Bible study teacher when she has to be gone.  It's been a little minute since I've taught an adult Bible study, but it's gone well and is good for me to stretch some muscles I've not used for a bit. Most  Sundays I take care of the first time visitors, and that's generally pretty fun; people can always use welcoming smiles and encouragement.  And, praise God my daughter, who was badly hurt by a church she loved a few years ago is attending and active with me at church these past couple of months.  (I did NOT nag her; that never ends well.  I just prayed and waited.) So grateful.

I went on my annual October road trip, with a bit of a difference this year.  I hit New Mexico for a week, came home and went to Utah for a shorter stay.  I didn't go to Tulsa, OK or Colorado this year ... my budget and the health issues of my friends living in those places helped me make the decision. Hopefully when the crazy flying stuff calms down and my bank account is ready I'll see them in person. 

Weather here in my high desert mountain valley ... rain, rain, and more rain.  Lows in the 40's, highs in the 50's today.

Happy Saturday!💋