Rainy Sunday - Is Winter Peeking In?

This weekend has been awesome. It began raining Friday night and hasn't really let up much since then. Yesterday, as part of my routine housecleaning chores, I washed the sheets from the bed, but this time, when I made the bed up again, I added a newly purchased, soft as whipped cream fleece blanket, to the bed. It was one of those spur of the moment, don't really need it, purchases from Costco a few weeks back. I slept better last night than I have in months. The slider to the patio was open, and I lay in bed all snuggled warmly under my clean sheets and soft blankie, with my down comforter on top, cat purring next to me, Molly on the floor below, snoring softly. The sound of the rain hitting the patio, the wind chimes tinkling from the light winds made it all just PERFECT.

I also did some cooking, something I usually do most weekends. I don't eat out much, and I almost always take my lunch from home to work. I save lots of money this way. Money which goes to my traveling budget!!! Anyway, Sam had posted a picture of some garlic confit that her cousin had made for her, and my mouth had started watering the moment I saw it. I dug around in my veggie bin and found but one head of garlic, but that was all I needed to try some confit of my own. There's not much more to say about that. It was easy, and the house smelled divine, with garlic simmering in olive oil, bay leaves and peppercorns. I also made a big batch of quinoa with vegetables, and a big pitcher of fruit smoothie - rasberries, orange juice, fresh plums.

Well, now I'm ready for a snack and a nap.

Shredded

I am at Day 11 of Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred exercise program. You all know Jillian, right? The maniacal but soft-hearted trainer on Biggest Loser? Anyway, she has this DVD called 30 Day Shred and it's all about doing 20 minutes of intensive cardio/strength exercises every day to grow stronger, leaner and more fit.

The DVD has 3 levels - and you start with Level 1 and work your way up (hopefully) to Level 3 at about day 20. Today was day 11 - and my first day on Level 2.

One would think that kickin up some exercise for a mere 20 minutes a day would be a piece of cake. WRONG-O!!!! This workout video will kick your butt in more ways than one!! I have never dripped so much sweat in my life - and I thought I was in decent shape!! Again, WRONG-O.

Anyway, I've noticed an improvement in my stamina since day 1. I'm a bit stronger. Day 1 I could barely do 5 pushups. Day 11 I'm doing 20 with little sweat. Go me. I've lost a whopping 2 pounds in 10 days!!! It's not so much the pounds I'm looking to lose - it's the being in better shape that I'm after, goal-wise. I think I'll get there.

No Hoarding Allowed

Every time I watch an episode of Hoarders, I have this massive compulsion (yeah, don't go there...) to go find something in my house and throw it away.

Tonight is no different. 10 minutes into the show and I'm in the kitchen during a commercial break, tossing out 1/2 my plastic ware that's stuffed on the bottom rack of my dishwasher (no, I don't use my dishwasher for washing dishes - due to the lack of enough cabinet space in my kitchen, I store plastic and glass ware in there instead). I mean, I've lived here for 10 months now and I rarely use any of the plastic stuff. I almost exclusively use the glassware instead - I don't like putting plastic in the microwave to heat up my leftovers for lunch at work - so why not just get rid of that crapola?

Go me.

October already?

Excuse me, but what the heck happened to September???? It flew by so fast, I can't hardly remember it. Wow.

Well, some minor news. Molly started her first day at her new day care place today. About midway through the day, I got a picture message on my cell from the owner of the day care. There Molly was, my cutie patootie sitting in the sun on the grass by the fence, her trademark big smile on her face. How sweet!!

At the end of the day, when I went to pick Molly up, she was in great spirits, tail wagging, full of Molly kisses, just happy and content. Can't ask for better than that!!! Right now, she's "retired" for the evening - she's had her dinner, and has plotzed herself down on her pillow bed next to my bed - and she's snoring away.

Freak then Seek

When I went to pick up Molly from day care yesterday, they told me that Wag is closing down as of October 1st! It seems the Roseville location (where Molly goes) is not making it financially, so it was a business decision to close down.

That put me into a big emotional spin, because Molly NEEDS daily dog care at a day care place. She cannot stay home alone. This is no luxury for her, it's a necessity. So, of course, I freaked. Cried. Ranted. Raged. (all in the car, by the way, not in public....). Then, true to my nature, I calmed down and decided I needed to act, not react.

So, today, with the help of a couple of the great people at Wag, I found another doggy day care for Molly. It costs a little bit more, but it's close, the place has been there for 8 years and isn't going anywhere, and the owner and her facility come very highly recommended. I visited there after work today, and liked it. I think Molly will be happy there.

The place is a lot different than Wag. First of all, at Waggin Tails, the dogs hang out on a 2-acre spread, outdoors. They have covered areas providing shade and shelter from the rain. There's lots of grass and straw, so Molly will be able to run around (or walk, more likely) without worrying about slipping, as Wag is an indoor facility. I am a little concerned about the winter, when it can get cold out, but we'll play it by ear. There's another dog that is 16 years old and deaf who hangs out - in fact, he's been coming for 7 years, so I think Molly will be just fine.

Well, another crisis averted. Now I can go off to New Mexico for my mini-vacay without worry.

Miss that chit chat

I called Sam today. She's had a rough couple of weeks - and she finally made a decision about something that I fully support, not that she needed that, but I'm hoping she appreciates my being there for her.

Anyway, even though we chat by gmail and email each other pretty often - nearly every day - I really miss talking "live" with her every day. Not even to talk about something important, just the normal daily chatter - "hey, what's up, nothing, how're you". Just hearing her voice makes me feel like everything is a-okay.

When she lived in New York, going to college, she used to call me at night, late for her, when she was coming home from either work, or the library, or from some friend's dorm or apartment. We'd chat while she waited for a bus or in a taxi if it was really late, until she got back to her dorm. I miss those chats!

I know it sounds dumb, but I watch tv shows and see kids coming over/dropping by their parent's homes and I secretly wish to myself that I could have that. That we could share shabbat every week, or Sunday brunch, or just a glass of wine and a whine session!

I'll keep hoping. Hope springs eternal.

I'm in love with my car

It's been one month - since I fell in love------- with my new car!!!!

I have spent the better part of this year thinking about, then researching, the purchase of a new car. PURRRRRRRchase. PURRRRRRfect.

I found her at the Toyota dealer. My Bluebell. A 2010 V6 4WD Pacific Blue Metallic Limited Toyota RAV4.

She is everything I dreamed of and more. Sleek. Shiny. That beautiful intoxicating new car smell. The thlunk sound you hear when the doors shut you inside of her, making the outside noise of the world go away. The keyless ignition - just touching her button makes her engine come to life.

Sigh.