Winter?

I have no excuses or reasons for not writing in November.  I actually do have a draft saved from mid-November and might put the finishing touches on it to get it published - but odds are it won't happen.  

(Post is now up - couldn't leave November blank).  LOL.  

Here we are past mid-December.  Christmas is just one short week away - and the house looks festive thanks to J. who does a great job.  The change we made last year of storing all the Christmas decorations in a corner of the garage (on the floor) vs. on the overhead shelving made it easy to get things inside.  J. does a great job.  I'm always thinking 'it will be so fun' but it's not.  It just isn't. So I'm blessed to have a guy who will make it happen.  

B. decided he wanted to come for Christmas - he will arrive this Friday for one week.  We are looking forward to having him here.  We will attend the Grand Ballroom Christmas buffet dinner which we all look forward to.  There will be baking, eating out, and just being together.  I always think 'when your adult children just enjoy being home with you doing whatever, you've done something right'.  It will be fun.

So far, there is no snow on the ground.  Some frost every morning and we definitely are running the heat a lot - but so far, there hasn't been precipitation when it's been super cold so the ground is clear.  It rained a lot today and forecast is more rain tomorrow - so we'll see.  But a White Christmas?  Not seeing it this year.  

In other news, it's official.  Our Atlantis host left - she made a major career/life change and is going to be a translator of Spanish.  We are so sad to see her go - she has done so many wonderful things for us in the nine months she's been our host.  The great news is our new host is her husband - who is equally wonderful.  We are in good hands.  

Hello again - it's now the end of December.  J. is taking B. to the airport as he wings his way back to New Jersey.  We had a wonderful week which flew by in the blink of an eye.  Last night, we dined at the Atlantis Steakhouse which is always epic.  The play (unfortunately) wasn't epic but oh well.  Bad days happen.  We ended the evening with a little shopping in the gift shop - B. got a pair of pants and a shirt and J. got another cold weather golf shirt.  All of that made quite a dent in our comps but that's a perfectly OK thing.  

The cleaning lady is working away in the great room.  This is her third visit and as usual, she was late.  I texted her 25 minutes past the time she said she'd arrive and her reply was 'oh, I'm leaving now'.  It's a constant puzzlement.  She's a one woman show so it takes her a while but that's OK. She does a really great job with a lot of attention to detail which I appreciate.  She does things no other cleaner has paid attention to - so late starts seem worth it.  We don't usually go anywhere on Fridays so it works out pretty well to just hang out in the study while she tidies up.  

We are planning to spend NYE at Atlantis.  I'm excited for the New Year.  

Still no snow.  Can't believe it.  After last winter, people seem relieved but we sort of miss it.  There is a storm front coming through this weekend so we'll see. 

Right Place, Right Time

Have to share the craziest slot win ever today.  

Sunday is our free play day and we usually head to Atlantis around 10AM.  We love going to brunch and they only do brunch on the weekends.  

Today, our neighbors hosted a brunch at their house - it was loads of fun and we met some neighbors we hadn't met before.  We had to adjust our plans but it was OK and we had such a great time - wouldn't have missed it!  J. helped me make scones last night and while they didn't look as great as they usually do, they tasted great and they were a hit.  They are always a hit - and we took some to our neighbor T. and he was super happy.  He loves them! 

So...we ended up heading to Atlantis after brunch - left Carson City between 1:30 and 2:00.  I was bummed there were no Dragonlinks available but not surprised.  There are only six machines and they fill up quickly - it's irritating (often) but oh well.  I am honestly trying hard to NOT play Dragonlinks at Atlantis anymore - they are ridiculously tight (more about that in another post) - but I still like to start there most days.  

So...I headed to my favorite free play machine - but didn't hit a thing.  Decided to stop my free play and move - told J. I was going to go check in the high limit room.  

I don't play in the high limit room much - but there are a couple machines I enjoy - minimum bets are $5ish and that's not bad.  Sadly, those machines were occupied, too, so bummer. 

I ended up sitting down at a Lightening Cash - Lightening Link were the first of the link machines and I used to love them before my obsession moved to the newer Dragonlinks.  Lightening Cash is the 'high limit' version of Lightening Link.  The machine was actually 'out of service' but as I stood there looking around, the slot attendant unlocked it - so I sat down quickly.  I did the lowest denomination - ten cent - with a minimum bet of $5.  I played my free play and won $130 - and then sat there for a bit.  Decided that if I played down what I won, I'd be down $200 for the day - and as days go (especially lately) that would be a pretty good day.

A couple spins in, this happened.  

 My first ever high limit hand pay.  Final tally was this:

 It was the perfect confirmation of being at the right place at the right time.  I was shocked - and overjoyed.  Made for a fun rest of the month for sure!

Happy Halloween

Oh my goodness!!  Haven't blogged in a month and a half!  Is that a record?  I could look back and do the math but if I do that, odds are I won't get back to the post.  That's life lately - start one thing, move on to something else and dart around doing a ton of stuff.  

I've started keeping a daily to do list but it's still a crap shoot.  The joy of retirement. 

Lots of things to document and update.  

I had my 'throat scope' (every three years) on October 4th - it went fine.  The doctor did a few biopsies including the tissue that is near where I used to have a tonsil.  I haven't seen the results yet but he said he wasn't concerned.  Sent to lab and we'll see.  I had an office visit scheduled to go over results which would happen after my colonoscopy.  They changed their procedures and since the doctor was going to (possibly) dilate my esophagus, they wouldn't do both procedures on the same day - so I had the throat scope and then had to dread another prep process for the colonoscopy.

I was scheduled to have a colonoscopy on October 11th.  I woke up on the 9th and started the process.  Felt fine all day - full of energy and piddled around the house productively.  I decided to make myself some ramen and used low sodium chicken broth as the base.  I didn't add the seasoning packets - I felt like it was essentially noodle soup and that seemed fine.  The next day would be my day of 'no solid food' so I wanted to eat something satisfying.  Noodles are my go to. Ate some mid-day and then around dinner time.  

At 10PM as I was heading to bed my stomach felt pretty 'off'.  I started throwing up shortly after getting ready for bed.  I thought 'well, I've emptied my stomach and feel better so I'll sleep and be fine'.  At 3AM, I woke up vomiting again and had pain in my lower right 'flank' as well as pain radiating up my back.  I woke up J. and said we should call 911.  I was scared.  The pain was bad and I'd used the restroom....but it didn't abate.  Thankfully, I did another bathroom visit and the pain radiating up my back stopped.  I felt OK enough to say we'll drive to the ER - it's literally across the street from our house - we see it from our back patio.  

They did all the things they do - including an EKG and eventually a CT scan.  Thankfully, though there were some blood things as 'red flags' - higher white blood count was one - the CT scan ruled out anything major.  They gave me IV fluids and medication for the pain and nausea and we were home by 7AM.  The ER doctor said 'you can still get the colonoscopy tomorrow' and I said 'there is no way I'm going to spend today doing the prep and go another night without sleep.  I just don't think I can do it'.  He said 'that's OK.  Just get it done as soon as you can'.  He referenced how doctor's in this area are so backed up - but I hadn't had any issue making the appointment so I was confident they would be able to get me rescheduled fairly soon.

J. called the doctor's office and told them I was sick and the procedure was moved to this Friday, 11/3.  And I'm dreading it but it is what it is.  

J. is winding down the 2023 golf season - he and his friends took a Geezers Gone Wild trip to a couple California courses.  He will start playing 'winter golf' next week - a schedule that will very much depend on precipitation, temperature and availability of places to play.  

We had one trick or treat visit this evening - that's it.  With the new housing development next to our neighborhood, I wondered if we'd have more kids this year - but no.  The new houses are on smaller lots but still family friendly - and there are a lot of them.  

H. is doing well - he had a job interview at a grocery store and has a 2nd interview on Friday.  Also has an interview at Walmart on Thursday.  Praying so much that he secures a job - not only because earning what he needs to support himself is important but because he will feel so much better with a job to go to.  Getting out of the house and being productive will be so good for him.

B. is also doing well.  He's started his instrument training classes for flying and is excited to be working on getting his instrument rating.  

With now two pilots in the family, I find myself very interested in all sorts of You Tube videos about flying.  J. and I queue up a couple most nights after we finish our TV watching.

Temps dropped into the low 20's this week (in the mornings) and boy, do we feel it.  We've got the heat on and are grateful for it.  This morning, J. had a doctor's appointment and then took his car for maintenance so I was hanging out in the kitchen with the cats.  We got a visit from a group of blue birds splish splashing in the (thankfully) thawed out bird bath water.  The cats are so enthralled - both of them 'talking'.  Nala chittering and Muf doing some quick meows.  It's always so fun to watch the birds.  So beautiful - bright blue tail feathers.

On September 30th, we attended a graduation party of our neighbor's daughter (graduated with her Bachelor's in Nursing and is now working in the ICU of the hospital I mentioned) and her boyfriend (graduated top of his class from the Reno Fire Department Academy and now working as a Fireman).  Two amazing young people and all the people who encouraged them.  It was a blast.  We had a fun time and spent time with neighbors which was a lot of fun.  Met some neighbors I've never met before.  It was a beautiful party and a bit of rain did nothing to lessen the celebration.  The hosts (parents of the boyfriend hosted at their house and parents of both of them hosted the food) were such nice people and wow, the house was incredibly beautiful - in Gardnerville. 

I'm in a psychological struggle on and off about adult friendships in retirement.  We have confirmation of events where we were excluded - and even as I rationalize all the 'why's and what's' that might create that situation, what is incredibly hard is feeling like it's being rubbed in our face.  As neighbors post pics on their Facebook and all the 'ah-ha' moments of 'wow, I was right.  I don't know what everyone does or why, but for me, if I had hosted an event where other friends weren't included for some reason, the last thing in the world I would do is post pictures all over the place so that the people excluded know they WERE excluded for sure.  

We had great neighbors in Tracy - but we never socialized with them so these situations never happened.  Our current neighbors?  Well, we're completely devoted to one set, thought we were friends of the other set but now realize apparently not.  I feel devastated in a way that is hard to describe.  

I wasn't expecting my retirement to feel very much like high school - I'm not in the popular crowd; never will be in the popular crowd and it appears some people just like to rub it in your face - also like high school.  

I'm getting around it by not following (on Facebook) one neighbor in particular - I won't see what she's posting so I won't care.  But it still stings.  

Guess that's it for now.  I've drafted some of the 'retirement is a lot like high school' stuff before but never 'published' it.  I know I am blessed with a handful of dear friends who read this blog - friends I've had FOR DECADES - so if any of you have any words of wisdom, please leave a comment.  Any thoughts will be appreciated. 

Bring it on, November.  Knowing 2023 is going to be over in the blink of an eye is stunning - time goes so incredibly quickly these days. 

Primary Care

On B.'s advice, I decided to get my toe looked at.  The nail became completely detached this past Monday.  I trimmed off as much as I could but there is still a small portion of the lower nail that although detached from the nail bed is still attached at the cuticle.  

My primary care doctor here in Carson left the practice and moved to California.  I called the office yesterday and inquired about a new primary care and while there were doctors available in Carson, the scheduling person said 'and they can see you in February'.  Um...that won't work.  I said 'well, I guess I'll go to urgent care for the toe' but she said 'I can get you in for an appointment in Minden tomorrow'.  I said that would work and asked (with my fingers crossed) 'and can that physician's assistant be my PC?'.  Yes!  

Went to see her today and LOVED her - easy drive, nice offices.  In addition to setting up a referral to a podiatrist (she agreed the remainder of the nail should probably be removed but also agreed neither of us should try to do that) she talked through some other things happening on the health front.  She prescribed an antibiotic as well (for the injured toe) and also gave me a different antibiotic ointment to use on the toe.  She isn't a fan or Neosporin.  I didn't ask why.   I really liked her.  Super glad to have a PC in place I feel comfortable with. 

I have a Gastro doc appointment scheduled for Monday - a pre-visit to schedule my every three year colonoscopy.  And hoping to add a throat scope as well on the advice of my gastro doc and my new primary care doc.  I'm having some issues swallowing - weird, infrequent but still problematic - and that alone warrants a scope. She said if Gastro doc won't do it for any reason, she'll schedule it with another doctor.  

J. and B. are at the Reno air races today.  An Atlantis event coordinator offered J. & B. access to the jet race pylon area - somewhere they don't allow many people to visit.  I can't wait to hear all about it.  It's a hot day.  I've been to Minden, back home for lunch then to the post office to mail H.'s money order for his rent.  I realized this morning that the bank did a cashier's check - a money order is the only payment accepted typically - but H. checked with the house leader who said it would be OK.

J. is in a black jack tournament tomorrow at Atlantis so that's where we'll be.  B.'s friend R. is coming from Stockton and also his friend S. with his wife and two year old son.  They will attend the air races on Sunday.  We'll pick B. up at Atlantis on Monday morning and then we all return there Tuesday to spend the night for J.'s birthday.  

It's fun having B. here - he hangs out with J. watching whatever they find to watch and the cats are in heaven having so many options of who to cuddle with!  

That's it for now.  Summer is over in the blink of an eye and Fall is just around the corner - but today is warm, sunny, and beautiful.  Life is good!

 

Quiet Sunday

J. is playing golf today and tomorrow for the Atlantis Cup Tournament.  We decided to get a room for the night (tonight) - a fun excuse to have a night away from home.  We considered cancelling but I phoned the hotel to ask what type of room it is.  And the reservation clerk said 'you have a suite'.  YAY!  Suites make it so much more 'special'. 

I'm still at the house but plan to head to Reno soon.  The cats are curled up on the bench in the mud room - they started hanging out there most mornings and we're not sure why.  In the winter it makes sense because it has a floor vent and gets super warm in there when the heat is on.  But summer?  With the AC sometimes blasting?  Guess curling up with your best friend is a way to be warm(er).  They are cute together - but we witnessed them fighting yesterday and they are definitely having skirmishes now and then.  

I just refilled the bird watering trays and am super thrilled to say the birds are back!  Bluebirds and finches are hanging around a lot and taking baths and drying themselves on the fence.  We LOVE watching them!  It took a long time for them to return but they finally did!!  

We've had a week of watching for fighter jets and fuel tankers while President and Mrs. Biden were staying in Tahoe.  It's been noisy (often) but also weirdly fun.  Yesterday we listened to Air Traffic Control at Reno and saw Air Force One winging it's way north east out of Reno.  

We're a week into the future from when I wrote above this sentence. Time moves so quickly.  Our stay at Atlantis was a really fun time and I had epic luck.  So grateful.  

I got up at 6:15AM today because the pest control service was arriving at 7AM.  No problem getting up but it's a smidge past 11:30AM and it feels like the longest day ever.  I just loaded and started the dishwasher for the 2nd time this morning.  The cats 'stormed to castle' as I left my room and they are snuggled and toasty warm on my bed.  I don't think they will move much for another few hours.  

I had a fun catch up Facebook message chat with my cousin S. yesterday morning and another catch up live phone call with my friend C. in Tracy.  So fun to get caught up with both.

J. is playing golf today.  It was strange having him home yesterday - no golf on Labor Day.  We did pick up a big grocery order so I've piddled around doing some reorganizing in the pantry.  

Last Tuesday, I went to the outside refrigerator to get a cold Ice drink.  I had on opened toe sandals - something I wear very rarely - I wasn't going anywhere so it felt more casual to just slide on sandals.  As I opened the refrigerator, my left big toe collided with the bottom corner of the door and my toe suffered a traumatic injury.  I let out a huge OWWWWW scream - then regretted it thinking the neighbors would hear.  They didn't.  The toe was profusely bleeding and I couldn't really tell what had happened.  I thought maybe it was deeply cut under the nail because it bled a lot for an hour and continued to bleed for hours that day.  A week out, I'm pretty sure the brutal injury was a significant part of the nail detaching from the nail bed....so I wait to see if the nail will fall off.  In the mean time, I tend it carefully and keep it bandaged at night and in the day if I'm going to be walking a bit that day.  

B. had called just as I came back inside the house - he was on Facetime and I didn't realize it....so I held the phone up to my ear.  I said 'hey, I need to call you back 'cuz I've hurt my toe and if I don't take care of it, this place is going to look like a crime scene'.  

It hurts.  Yikes.  I couldn't recreate what happened if I tried.  

OK.  Time to get to continue working on house stuff.  We decided to stop using the cleaning service - they cancelled so many times we ended up doing it ourselves anyway.   Saves money and I've got nothing but time. 

Let's Be Real

I could totally take some of the posts in my draft folder and fine tune them, manually make the date(s) for the posts in July and miraculously create July posts....but I won't.  

I'm a bit mystified at why I'm not inclined to write these days - but I'm not.  Days fly by at a record pace and the business of life feels like 'enough'.  Documenting all the stuff that is retirement life seems unnecessary?  

I don't know.  I'm just finding it hard to want to write.  

It might have started when I re-read some historical posts and realized how much fiction is among all my musings.  H.'s issues are everywhere and it's hard to wade through it all and realize the pure fiction of pretty much all of it.  

It's created hesitancy about writing anything (else) about how things are going 'cuz truly?  We have no idea how things are really going.  We know what he shares and hope things are as he says but we have no way to verify much of anything.  

Things are hard sometimes.  We're muddling through.

We attended a Reno Symphony Orchestra concert on July 3rd at the Ball Field downtown - shared a sky box with friends and had a wonderful evening.  The concert was epic, food was good and the fireworks were spectacular.  My brilliant husband parked the car in an area where no one else parked which had us out of the multi-story garage in record time - avoided the 20+ minute wait others were having going the opposite route.  (I can't explain how/why but there was another set of ramps we found totally by accident).  We were out of there in a flash. 

J. is enjoying the season of loads of golf play.  Between his three golf 'clubs' and the annual Atlantis Cup tournament (which he's played in every year since we moved here), he is gone usually at least three days a week.  I miss him - the house is quiet and he's good company - but I am happy he's doing lots of his favorite thing with a bunch of really nice friends.  I enjoy being the drink girl on the third tee when they play at Silver Oak - which they do most Thursdays.  

B. is arriving on September 13th for not quite two weeks and we are excited to have him visit.  We offered to pay for his ticket to come here for the (last) Reno Air Races and he was excited - and was able to arrange two weeks of leave.  He's moving to a new apartment at the end of August so he will be pretty busy and ready for a nice vacation break.  We aren't nailing down too many plans - other than the Air show - he will likely try to visit friends in the Bay Area for a few days. 

J. and I (mostly J. but I'm helping a smidge) are working on continued tidying of the stones on the labyrinth.  The yard is blooming finally - Spring was basically non-existent and freak cold spells kept the earth chilly - it's taken a long time this year for things to finally bloom.  We lost a lot of plants again this year - likely just the long-term brutal cold and so much snow - but we replaced some already and will likely replace more next Spring - if there is a Spring.  

Lake Washoe is all the way 'full' to the freeway - and while we are starting to see some of the previously covered in water 'marsh' area(s), there's still an incredible amount of run off.  Small bits of snow still clinging to the higher peaks around us - a reminder of just how much snow there was.  

July had us at Atlantis mostly on Saturdays and Sundays - but in August, they are not hosting 'Local Bonus Freeplay' on Saturdays weekly - just one Saturday this month - so we've added playing at Tamarack in South Reno to our rotation.  We are really enjoying it there - tons of Dragonlink machines for me and good Keno machines for J. .  They have enticed us further with food offers and extra free play so instead of Saturdays @ Atlantis in August, we're doing Sundays there and Fridays at Tamarack.  It's been a lot of fun.  Last week, we ran into our (now retired) casino host M. at Tamarack - having lunch with her partner.  She was shocked to see us there - but I'd told her when she retired 'we're loyal to you - not so much Atlantis' and guess her 'catching us' playing there confirmed it.  

I love Atlantis but getting a Dragonlink Machine there is very hard most weekends.  

OK.  I think I'll stop now, get this posted and move on to working through the massive pile of paperwork sitting on my desk goading me into being productive. 

Thanks for reading. 

Bees and Wedding

The long awaited, long planned for trip to our niece K.'s wedding in Paso Robles, CA is over - what a weekend!  

I've had so much anxiety about the trip - for no particular reason other than I have anxiety about a lot of things these days.  A lot of it was helped when our neighbor N. (T. & G.'s son) agreed to take care of the cats for us.  He came over a couple days before we were leaving and I gave him the info about the cat's routine.  Promised him I would write everything out.  The cats hid the entire time he was here but I told him 'as soon as they know you are the person giving them their moist food every day, they will warm up'.  I hoped I was right.  

I did write out all the directions and left them on the counter for him.  He was fine with (also) helping out with getting the mail; opening and closing the shutters to give the cats access to their favorite window spots but not leaving the shutters open all night; turning on outside lights at night and turning them off in the morning.  Having all those things covered and leaving the cats in their home was a huge relief for me.  

The night before we left, I still couldn't decide on what to wear to the wedding - and the benefit of car travel is we had plenty of room for 'stuff' - so I ended up putting all three possible outfits in a garment bag. Counted out how many 'casual' outfits I'd need for hanging out with J. and B..  We left the house at 9AM and stopped for gas at Costco - and I realized I'd forgotten a pair of shoes to go with a couple of my casual outfits.  J. said 'well, we'll just go back home and get them' but I decided to save the 30 minutes that would take and 'wing it'.  

I drove the first leg over the windy road drive from Minden on Hwy 88 over the hills into Jackson, CA. .  It was an easy drive - very pretty and we were surprised by how much snow was still on the ground.  One lake we passed - Caples Lake - was still covered with ice.  We arrived in Tracy around 9:30 and J. had friend with his BFF R. and I had lunch with my BFF C. .  It was fun to see them both.  

J. drove from Tracy to Paso Robles.  We headed south on I-5 and wow, what a drive.  There were immediately so many trucks on the highway.  One merge had seven semi's merging onto a freeway already full of semis and cars.  It felt scary and my anxiety really took a hard hit for a bit.  J. did a great job and we just kept a steady, safe pace and trekked on.  I watched YouTube videos on my phone which was an excellent distraction.  One of the things I noticed that shocked me were how many abandoned buildings and businesses were graffiti covered - so many businesses closed.  

We made a stop for restrooms and fuel in the middle of nowhere - and while I was worried about the state of the bathrooms, we lucked out - Eagle Feather Trading Post was spotless!  Welcoming staff and clean restrooms.  Gas was $1 more a gallon than in Carson City but we expected that.  

We arrived in Paso Robles and got checked in.  J. and I went to the lounge and had small plates for dinner.  He went to pick up B. at the San Luis Obispo airport around 8 but I was in bed shortly after.  N. sent a picture of him with both cats on his lap and said 'I was worried they would be afraid of me but they are just so sweet'!  Yay!  Huge relief they were in good hands. 

Friday morning, we had a nice breakfast together and caught up with B. .  We hung out around the gardens of the hotel and fed the koi in all the ponds.  The front desk had free 'fish kibble' and it was fun.  We headed out for a walk and found a winery with a storefront offering tastings near our hotel.  We had a fun time wine tasting and left with 4 bottles of wine!  Bushong Vintage Company rocks! We had a nice steak house dinner with B. that night.  

Saturday was breakfast and then just hanging out.  As I was sitting at the small table in the corner of the room using my computer, I heard buzzing sounds.  Kept trying to figure out where the sound was coming from.  And then a bee appeared - seemingly from nowhere.  The window in that corner was closed as was the shutter covering the window.  The bee(s) came in and headed for the overhead light and/or the desk lamp on the table.  We called maintenance who came and got the bees using tissue.  We figured 'well, that was interesting but problem fixed'.  No, it wasn't.  More bees.  Whenever the lights in that corner were on, there would be bees.  The second maintenance guy arrived with a can of bug spray - but I said 'no, please.  I can't breathe in those fumes or my asthma will go nuts'.  He picked up the dead bees from the floor (they would exhaust themselves around the lights and die).  He mentioned they had a swarm of bees a few days prior that were relocated to a new hive by a beekeeper.  The bees we were seeing were the stragglers who didn't go with the hive and were now dying.  Sad.  But it's the circle of life.  

We also had other issues - some kind of oily substance on the entry way tile.  J. walked barefoot from bed to the bathroom on Friday evening and when he got in the shower Saturday morning, he called me to come look - his feet were covered with black and the ONLY place he'd been barefoot was on the entry tile and/or our room.  We noticed an oily drip from the door closing 'box' - and we think they had spilled some of the oil used to lubricate the doors.  It was gross.  

We let the front desk know.

We saw the bridal party in their suite on Friday evening (from afar) and were really excited as Saturday progressed and the wedding got closer.  

I decided to wear slacks and a glitzy top - it was cold and I couldn't imagine the dress option working.  The wedding was beautiful.  Very small - less than 80 people - but it felt right.  We caught up with family on the bride's mom's side we hadn't seen in years.  We were the only family from the bride's Dad side - and there were some hard moments when J.'s late brother B. was barely acknowledged.  The step-Dad was introduced as 'the father of the bride' - and I won't speak for J. or B. but that was really hard for me.  

At the end of the night, they were married and so incredibly happy and there's nothing better than that.  

Sunday felt 'hard'.  I was exhausted - not a ton of energy that day on my end.  J. and B. took a drive to see Hearst Castle and also checked out a beach.  I cocooned in the bee zone.  B. went to the bar in the late evening to join the bride and groom for drinks - and told us the next morning we'd been invited for drinks, too - which would have been good to know the night before but I was asleep pretty early so oh well. 

The bride and groom were able to get B. to San Luis Obispo airport on their way home to Thousand Oaks which was wonderful because it saved us more than an hour of time to get him further south and then drive back.  

We had a ton of huge weather from Tracy to Carson City via Hwy 88.  I was the driver for that leg of the trip and there were some white knuckle moments.  Huge pounding rain where wipers on high didn't appear to be doing much.  We made it and I was proud of myself for putting the anxiety on a shelf and just keep going. 

We were glad to be home and the cats were happy to see us.

Channel Your Inner Optimist

Here we are approaching the end of May - my draft folder has several posts and I will try to refine them and post them soon....so at some point, look back a bit if you're reading this post to see if I post the rest.  

We have intense heat this weekend - Spring was barely a whisper and now it's broiling hot.  So many weather alerts flashing - high heat greatly increases the snow melt and flash floods are happening.  We're fine here but some areas near us are flooding.  J.'s golf group had to scramble to reschedule their upcoming Tuesday play because the course they were playing has two or three holes completely underwater.  Thankfully, golf courses provide a lot of open area for pooling water.  Better on a golf course then someone's street or house. 

We've had to turn on the AC because it's too hot for open windows to give any kind of break in the heat.  

The 20th of every month is the day the local casino I play at gives me a bit more 'extra' free play.  I haven't played at this casino much lately but I do go once in a while and I definitely didn't want to miss out on today's extra boost.  

I left the house around 9:15 and told myself the entire way to the casino 'I will stick to my budget'.  I'm working (very) hard on not leaving broke - something that's easy to do and something that lately has made me feel horrible on some days.  The machine I would have preferred to play (with the highest Major on the bank of Dragonlinks) was 'out of service' - secret code for someone saved it.  Drat!  I went to the next highest Major - Autumn Moon - and started playing.  I hit a bonus round right away and was glad for that!  Then I played up and down all the denoms - including $1 and $2 denoms which I mostly stay away from lately.  If/when I play those high denoms (where there are only five pay lines vs. 50 or 25 pay lines on the lower denoms), I would always head back down to lower denoms and bet big - to see what happens.  

Nothing happened.  Drat!  I nervously unclipped another $100 from my stash - and told myself 'This is it for today'.  [We are playing at Atlantis tomorrow and I had a good day yesterday so didn't want to put too much back today].  

I got an Orb bonus round and was ecstatic!  Told myself 'no matter what, take the winnings and leave'.  I would be down - but a smidge better after the bonus round - 

14 orbs dropped - and then the 15th dropped.  Holy Cow!  

I let out a small 'oh wow' and everyone at the machine bank said congratulations.  Except the lady who'd saved the machine I would have played if she hadn't saved it.  She stood up, cashed out her ticket and said 'I could have sat at that machine when I got here - it was available'.  And she stormed off.  I've played with her before - she's an Eeyore on her best day - always upset about her play.  Not winning.  Not winning enough.  

Her storming off cost her a bit 'cuz I would have shared the luck - and I did share the luck with another player who then played the machine Eeyore had left and promptly hit the Major!  Woot woot! 

I drove to the casino thinking 'I could have great luck.  And even if I don't have great luck, I will have fun and enjoy the play'. Win, lose or draw, I always feel grateful.  Always.

Today was an awesome luck day and I am so glad!

Why I Blog

Wednesday morning, doing my usual 'bunch of stuff about mostly nothing' on my computer, I saw a face I recognized on a news 'tile' - a blogger I've followed for years.  I clicked and saw 'dead at 47' and froze.  Gasped out loud.  And immediately thought 'please let it be she was ill for some time or it was a tragic accident'.  But no.  She killed herself.  Leaving behind two daughters 19 & 13 and her partner Pete who loved her fiercely. 

Heather Armstrong is the reason I started blogging.  I'd found her blog when she first started writing and followed along as she shared about motherhood, marriage, work challenges, etc. .  Her writing is so much more intricate than mine - a masterful story teller, she could create post after post that was spellbinding. She shared her mental health issues honestly and frequently - something I always admired her for.  Her issues were very severe - and she tried a lot of things to mitigate the crushing depression. 

I even emailed her a few times and she always wrote back - which always surprised me as much as it thrilled me.  

She earned a living via her blog.  One of the first to monetize her blog.  She created an entire career as a "Mommy Blog" influencer and was able to grow her business to include appearances at various blog forums around the world.  She also wrote three books.  

Heather's openly sharing her mental health struggles got me to be more honest about mine - first with myself and then a little sharing on my blog.  My blog has never and will never be 'famous' for anything - I never had any desire to put myself out there in that way.  It's basically an online diary that helps me remember things I want to remember and gives me a way to put thoughts on paper.  For myself.  For my kids.  

I am thinking of her family and how incredibly difficult her death is for them.  And I've been thinking about her - how she did everything she could do to stay here until she reached a point when she couldn't.  

She will be greatly missed.

 

Creeping Anxiety

Little by little, the anxiousness I feel regarding anything remotely resembling travel is creeping in.  Our trip to Paso Robles for our niece's wedding is less than a month away and as we coordinate all the things surrounding that trip, I feel more and more unsettled.  

This will be the first road trip I've taken since we moved here.  Other than our weekly treks to Reno (half hour north) and our occasional trips to Minden (half hour south), I haven't been on any driving trip anywhere.  J.'s made some treks to California and other places for golf and concerts.  I've been home.  I like home.

I will absolutely power through the anxiety to make the trip - we are honored to be invited (it's a small wedding with not a lot of family) and we've been excited to attend since we knew she was getting married.

When we spent time with our neighbors a couple weeks ago, G. volunteered their son N. (who is living with them after he was laid off from his job) to take care of the cats while we are gone.  It will (in theory) save money - boarding two cats is expensive - and they will be happier in their own home.  I worry because lately, even when we're home, sitting in the office with the door closed, the cats (mostly Nala) wander the house crying seeking people.  I think about them being alone and lonely for five days - and I worry leaving them at home isn't the best for them.  But then again, home is where they are the most settled and N. is a great guy who loves cats and will probably spoil them rotten.  

I finally went through the process to renew my Trusted Traveler (including International travel) - I submitted my application and a few days later, received an email about setting up an interview.  I did that process too and then last night, I received an email that my status had changed.  I logged in this morning and am officially renewed.  Interview not needed!  

J. did the same process a month ago - and he's still waiting.  No 'conditional approval' yet and when he inquires, they write back that 'due to overwhelming volume, your request may take up to 11 months'.  They are dealing with that by reassuring everyone they will extend the expiration date of your current membership.  So if we were traveling, J. would still be OK.  I don't know how I lucked out to get mine approved so quickly - 

I'm about to make myself a third hamburger (this week) for dinner.  Turns out when I'm craving a good hamburger, my best option is to make one for myself.  It's delicious, flavorful and juicy - something I have not been able to find in town, even at In & Out.  

The cats are starting each day sitting in the dining area window watching nature outside.  We've got water in the bird trays and they sit and watch for hours sometimes.  Even with very few birds visiting (so far).  Things will pick up as soon as the weather stabilizes.  We've had some back tracking to colder weather - I should have known since I washed all the winter bed linens in preparation to pack them up for the season and now they are all (still) back on the beds.  

Our hair stylist and pedicure specialist retired and I'm trying a new place.  I'm not sold so far.  The lady doing my hair asks 'what would you like me to do?' - other than 'trim the ends', I have no input 'cuz I'm not a hairstylist.  The pedicure seems good - but it takes a lot longer than our previous person -  and the massaging of feet and calves is almost always a little too much.  

I think I will try Atlantis Salon - way more expensive (though in theory we could use comps) but it might be better all around.  Will check into it and decide.  

 

You Can't Say No

Been feeling like things are piling up a bit lately - mostly because there are a host of things happening that I (frankly) wish I didn't have to deal with.  But - being a Mom and a wife are jobs that never end and so....just keep on keeping on. 

My friend C. and I had a catch up call and when she said 'how are you?' I answered truthfully 'I am tired'.  Down to my bones tired. C. and I are holding each other accountable with working on moving more.  No formal exercise plan - but just committing daily to things that create movement. 

My workout today was helping J. trek to the rock yard and come home with about 1/4 cubic yard (8 five gallon buckets) of stone.  Between the mini-shoveling into smaller containers and then spreading the rock around the yards, it was a great workout.  We piled some of it in various spots out back and planned to work out there over the weekend.  Thankfully, our new gardener came and he did a lot of filling up the spaces in the back that needed extra stone.  We are very fortunate that one of our neighbors (around the corner) works at the rock yard so she arranged everything for us.  It was a very smooth, easy process and we will likely be going back there next Friday to do another load.  We have three types of stone in the yards and they all could use some filling - and while we're at it, we might do a trip for 'extra' we can pile behind the shed for future use.  $1 a bucket - and way easier than having a truck dump a huge load of stone in our driveway.  

Tomorrow and Sunday are Atlantis days and I am really looking forward to playing.  Monday through Friday feels like a long time in between play days....especially with J. playing golf 3 days a week.  I'm always feeling a sense of back and forth about him being gone - in my heart and core, I'm happy he can enjoy time with his friends doing something he loves three times a week.  But the reality of it - three days alone - is hard at times.  Some days, being alone feels incredibly hard.  And I feel bad for feeling that way knowing I have friends and family who have experienced loss who are facing the reality of being alone.  I try to re-align with being glad he can have fun even when some weeks feel so 'meh' without him home.  

And then he is home and sometimes makes me crazy.  

We will enjoy plenty of together time at Atlantis having fun and enjoying brunch.  And we'll work in the yards in the evenings when it gets cooler.  It's 84 outside right now and being out in the sun working hard felt so great.  Sun and sweat after months and months of bundling up felt amazing!

The new gardener spent more time here on his first official visit than our previous company did in multiple visits.  I offered him an amount per month that was way high - in my head it was comparable to what we had been paying but it was actually quite a bit more than that - so he said he will come twice a month.  When we get caught up it may end up once a month is enough and if so, we'll adjust - or we'll give him a list of other things he could help with.  Sweeping patios, sweeping garage, helping clean the shed - there are plenty of things we are happy to have help with.  He's really good - and between the three of us, the place should be looking better soon.  It looks fine now - but we are looking forward to having it tidier.  

Wishing everyone a great weekend - I look forward to weekends as much (maybe more) as I did when I worked.  Two days of fun with hubby in the house!  Win-Win!

 

Circular Reference

In trying to help H. rebuild/restart a life that doesn't include addiction and homelessness, I'm realizing just how challenging doing that is for the people in that situation.  Honestly, if H. didn't have family support, he would be back on the streets and most likely return to addiction.  It's unfathomable to me how people without support claw their way back - it would be very difficult.

He needs to get a Texas ID card - but to do that he needs a social security card.  He can't get a replacement social security card without having a valid state ID.  Do you see the conundrum here?  

I ordered official birth certificates for him - had to head to Wells Fargo earlier this week to get the requests notarized.  Then J. had to scan all the documents into a pdf to attach to an email.  I have to say the response from the Alameda County Clerk/Recorder were very fast - and this morning, the certified copies arrived via Fed Ex overnight.  Just under $100 for two documents.  Grateful for a relatively easy process that didn't take too long.  The website said that mailing the documents US mail will cause delays so faxing or attaching was the way to go.  We don't have a landline - something I forget when I ask J. to fax something.  Anyway - I have the docs in hand - and will talk to H. about where he will keep them and how will he ensure they don't get lost.  Every ID he had got lost.  Passport, license, social security card (which was also a replacement card).  He has nothing - not a single thing that confirms who he is.  He needs ID to get work.  Highest priority.  

We had a freak snow storm on Monday night/early Tuesday morning and awoke to enough snow on the ground that J.'s golf was cancelled.  We are ready for winter to move on.  Really.  Please.

Monday's cat grooming appointment was a success.  They have new haircuts, clean ears and eyes and trimmed claws.  They didn't cry much on the way home - think they realized 'yay, they came back for us and now we're heading home'.  Just like us, home is where they most want to be.  They are a little chilly with less fur so they are both hiding out in unusual places.  Nala is using Chloe's 'dome bed' (she has been for a while) and this morning, Muf was hiding under some blankets in the guest bedroom closet.  New for her but she can snuggle in the blankets and get pretty toasty.  

Today is my first 'commitment free' day in a while and other than being the drink lady for J.'s foursome (Thursday is his Silver Oak golf day and we always offer his foursome beverage service and ice for coolers) it's a low key day.  

I'm looking forward to Atlantis this weekend.  I stupidly played a bit at a casino in Carson that I always regret playing at - told J. 'it is totally OK next time I say I want to play there to remind me how much it ALWAYS sucks'.  He said 'we are creating quite a list of places that suck' and he's not wrong about that.  I know Atlantis.  I know the machines.  I have basic concepts of what might work far more at Atlantis than any other place and I need to remind myself of that vigorously 'cuz seriously, losing is NO FUN.  LOL.  It really isn't.

Cats & Taxes

This past week felt super busy as retired weeks go.  And J. was 'man down' for a couple days - he got home from golf on Tuesday feeling pretty crummy and ended up being sick to his stomach and/or in the bathroom for two full days.  Poor guy.  I can't remember the last time he actually tossed his cookies but Tuesday and Wednesday he did plenty of that.  

We had an appointment for Nala's annual vet visit on Tuesday afternoon so I navigated that alone.  Not too bad, really.  She wasn't thrilled with being in the hard side carrier and she sure didn't like the 10 minute drive to the vet.  But once we were in the exam room and she was out of her carrier, she did what she always does:  explores every nook and cranny of the room including attempting to get into all the cupboards and drawers available.  The vet tech and the vet fell madly in love with her - as they do every year - because she's beautiful and sweet and so funny.  She had a few minutes of shaking like a leaf but she calmed down when I gave her a good chin scratch and told her she was fine.  And I fall in love with her all over again every time she realizes 'Wait, my Mom is here.  I am OK.  Nothing bad will happen if I'm with my people and Mom is here so OK!  I am going to explore a bit'.  Cats have a reputation for being aloof and incredibly self-centered - and that's true sometimes.  But our two cats have truly showed their intense ability to love their humans and it's a beautiful thing.  And we feel the same back with them.  

Her health was good and we have her rabies vaccination up to date for another year.  

We did another vet trip on Friday for Muf and the same thing happened - glad for J.'s help - everything's easier with the two of us together.  Muf was her usual incredibly beautiful and charming self and the techs and veterinarian fell in love with her, too.  She's got a clean bill of health as well and her vaccination.  She didn't cry much on the trip home 'cuz I think she knew she was on the last drive - at least for the day. 

Tomorrow, we wind up an intense week of 'cat stuff' when we drive to North Reno and drop them off for a grooming.  We'd hoped to get them groomed every four months but the winter we had made a December trek hard to make happen.  We're going to plan for every six months.  They'll both get baths, nail trims and a good trim.  Muf really needs it.  While they get the spa treatment, we'll head to Atlantis for weekly free play.  We usually go on Sundays but it's easy to adjust.  Monday is usually a golf day for J. but he agreed to skip golf tomorrow so he can help with the cats.  I could (I'm sure) totally do it myself but I really appreciate the team effort.  The drive with two crying cats is stressful....and I don't like going to Atlantis alone either.  So the two of us will join forces to get this long-looming, huge 'thing' off my list of things that need to happen.

It was a beautiful day today and we spent time outside working in the yard.  Hand watered every single plant - there are some cold nights still in the forecast so we're not ready to turn the drip system on yet.  

We hired a new gardener yesterday who will come every other week on Fridays.  While he was here to give us an estimate, he took time to pick up any debris he saw.  He definitely had an eye for details and that was a welcome change from our previous service.  We're going to order some stones to fill in some bare spots in the front and back yards and he gave us info on how much to order.  We hope he will be a big help - feel pretty confident - but he's definitely doing this work as a 'side job' - so we'll see.  Honestly, it feels like any help will be more than we've been getting from our previous company and we welcome the help.

Lots of golfers on the course this past week as well - nice to see. Things are greening up nicely which is also lovely to see. 

I helped B. with his taxes again - they were filed today so glad that's off the list, too.  What he owes to the Feds he'll get back from California.  He changed his 'legal residence' state to Tennessee so there was a bit of 'stuff' to figure out related to that change.  Turbo Tax makes it pretty fool-proof which is nice.  I did have something go wrong and posted a question on the TT forum page and got a very helpful reply very quickly.  Was able to fix everything no problem once I read the response.  Very glad to be done.  

I've had a couple days of sleeping in until after 8AM and the difference an extra hour or so of sleep makes to my energy level is amazing.

Dressing Up

You may have heard in the news that a longtime Atlantis player hit a $14M jackpot on Sunday night.  We were there on Sunday and I passed the machine on my way back from the bathroom.  We had thought we would play it on our anniversary weekend but we didn't - I felt the 'urge' to play it as I passed by but J. was waiting for me and I didn't want to keep him waiting.  (He's used to me keeping him waiting.  Poor guy.  LOL.)  He wouldn't have been at all surprised that I'd stopped at a machine - but I didn't.  

She won sometime that night, had been playing 40 minutes and betting $10 a pull.  I bet $10 a pull on that machine too?  But I wouldn't have stayed for 40 minutes.  The game itself is one of the tightest slots in existence - any slot player who plays regularly knows that - and I don't think I would keep going.  Unless it started paying - who knows.  We are happy for the winner and wonder if we know them.  We will be there this weekend so maybe we'll find more info.  

Our neighbor G. sent me a text with a picture of the win info from the news and said 'please tell me it was you and J. '.  I said 'well it could have been - we were there that day - but no.  Not this time'.  Maybe someday.

 J. is playing golf again though they had to cancel this past Tuesday for weather.  We still wake up with surprise dustings of snow but so far it's more Spring like than not.  It's lovely to have the sun and blue skies.  

On Friday, our landscape maintenance company showed up unannounced.  The guys sat in their truck for 15 minutes, finally got out - J. went outside to ask what they were doing - it was the 'Spring cleanup' service they said.  They were there 15 minutes - we timed it and I wrote down their arrival time as well.  I expected the invoice to reflect the (greatly) reduced amount of time they were here - but no.  The invoice was for an hour of work.  I emailed the billing person to tell her how shocked we were to be billed for a full hour when they did 15 minutes of work.  Told her I would send a check for 1/4 hour and please cancel our service going forward.  She wrote back and did what she's always done: turned it around to 'you could have just called me and I would adjust it'.  

Here's the thing - this isn't the first time we've had issues with the billing.  Not the first time the invoice charges are more than the amount of time they actually worked.  I had a boat load of things I would have liked to blast back in a(nother) email but I let it go.  Couldn't quite wrap my head around why it was bugging me so much - but I just sent a check for the 1/4 hour and let it go.  Only today, it hit me with what REALLY bugged me the most about the issue:  she did what she's always done.  Turned it around to make it what the customer could do.  Never (ever!) acknowledging that there has been and still is an often serious disjoint between what the workers are reporting as time worked vs. their ACTUAL time worked. 

I almost emailed her today but figured why?  She also mentioned something she did last year regarding an issue with service and said 'I showed grace but I guess it doesn't go both ways'.  I wanted to write back 'I'm showing grace by not posting reviews detailing some pretty scathing factual issues that illustrate you are taking advantage of your customers.  Perhaps counting on them to not be home and not notice that the work done was minimal while the billing isn't' - but I didn't do that either.  

Sometimes I think the time on my hands that retirement creates is time my psyche is using to over-analyze and fret about stupid crap.  The struggle is real.

H. is officially residing in a sober living house.  There are (now) seven guys in the house.  He says he is attending any meeting any of his housemates are attending trying to meet as many people as he can.  The recovery community take care of each other and he's hoping he can get a lead on some jobs.  A friend who was released on the same day as H. is working for his Dad's construction company and there's a chance H. can get some 'day work' assignments with that company.  We started to look into getting the things he needs to get a Texas Real ID - but he said his probation officer is helping with all that - she realizes he can't get a job without an ID and social security card - all of which he had but lost (either the physical document or the right to drive) - so she is tracking down the documents H. needs to get an ID.  And a SS card.  

We are learning all the things affected by the lack of an ID card.  We sent him a $200 Uber gift card for future rides to his probation officer's office.  He set up the app on his phone but when he entered the gift card number into the app, it asked him to take a picture of his ID and send to them.  He called customer service and they said that step wouldn't be needed if he entered a credit or debit card on the account.  Which he (also) doesn't have.  He entered our account info so now it's fine.  He knew I would feel reluctant but I recognized we needed to do what's needed - otherwise, we'd wasted $200.  We arranged for the Uber he took to and from his probation officer's office the day after he was released - $110 round trip.  Thankfully, she is going to see him once via Facetime and once in person each month to cut down on the expense.  

He sounds good - but he isn't calling often which is OK.  (I'm not sure why he called 3x a week from the program but now isn't calling much - but it works).  I keep reminding myself he is an (almost) 30 year old man and he needs to manage his life.  I'm working hard on letting him do that. 

The other bit of big news (for me) is that I decided I want to wear a dress to our niece's wedding in June.  I ordered a dress and tried it on today (home alone - J. was playing golf) and think it's OK?  But I haven't worn dresses in decades so I'm not sure.  My friend C. (my go-to ride or die 'be honest' friend) has agreed to look at a selfie I will take tomorrow to see what she thinks about the outfit.  And I said 'and if you think it's a keeper, I need help with color of shoes, bare legs or panty hose', etc. .  And then I'll shop for those things as well as a slip.  (Regretting all the slips I gave to Goodwill when we moved).  Oh well.

It's going to be a beautiful wedding and I want to look nice and 'fancy' (for me) for the occasion.  B. is coming too which is awesome!

That's it for now.  I never intentionally take weeks to do a post but the days just fly by.  April feels super busy - two vet appointments for the cats annual checkup (no 'two at a time' appointments available so we had to set up two separate appointments) and then their every six month grooming in North Reno.  It's good that it's warming up a bit 'cuz I've been worried about having them both groomed because they will be cold.  Nala has started using Chloe's 'dome bed' for warmth - glad we kept it.

Leak Update

The builder's guy arrived on Monday an hour ahead of schedule - which was totally OK.  The good news is there was no water in the crawl space and no water in the wall.  When the baseboard was pulled off, there was no moisture.  The bad news is that means it's coming from the shower - just a little at a time and it soaks into the baseboard which is causing the mottling.  This shower had a 'guard strip' on the bottom of the door when we moved in - but it kept coming off.  After multiple repairs - because every time it was replaced it came off again shortly after - the shower company said it was OK to leave it off.  So it's possible a small amount of water is on the floor during use.  

I will (from now on) be very careful and put a small dry cloth on the floor near the edge of the shower where the baseboard is mottling.  The builder's guy took the piece of baseboard and will cut a new one and seal the entire piece by doing paint everywhere - even on the edges - which should help prevent the baseboard from absorbing water. Fingers crossed.

Tomorrow we head to Atlantis for another weekend - this one our anniversary celebration.  33 years on Saturday - Atlantis Steakhouse reservations for 5PM.  It will be fun.  Fingers crossed for good luck.  

I am anxious today because H. is supposed to hear from a sober living house he applied to.  He did a phone interview yesterday and felt pretty confident - and he said he would let us know as soon as he hears.  The counselor he's working with is in training all day and told H. she'd check messages on her breaks and lunch - so I'm hoping she just hasn't had a chance to check messages yet.  It's hard feeling anxious about all this stuff - but it is what it is.  I was relieved when he told us the amount per week for him to stay at the house - an amount we can do with no problem (blessed and grateful) - though the logistics will be interesting.  They want a money order so I'll be trekking to the bank or WalMart to get them.

Had a much needed catch-up call with my friend C. last night - felt so good to laugh a lot.  

This morning, we saw a herd of deer coming down from the hill onto the golf course up the tees from us.  Our neighbors had told us last week they say them - and we were so happy they finally ventured somewhere we could see them, too. We also have tons of Robins finding worms just on the golf course side of our fence.  They've been hanging out for a few days and are getting big and fat from eating so many worms.  The moisture we've had this winter is really going to make the Spring bloom crazy.  Can't wait! 

J. and I ventured out to the yard yesterday and did about 30 minutes of clean-up.  Picking up twigs and leaves and moving rocks to their usual location.  Felt wonderful to be outside and have the yard clear of snow for the first time in months.  It was chilly and windy but lovely to be enjoying the yard again.  We have a lot of work to do but it's OK - we'll chunk it up into small bursts and everything will get done.  

Huge wind gusts today - just had one that was close to 30 MPH.  It sounds like a jet engine and then you realize it's ground level and it's wind.  Wild day.  Even had some snow falling briefly but not cold enough to stick long.  Which is good 'cuz we're a little tired of snow.

What a Weekend

J.'s Blackjack Tournament was a Saturday event with a Friday 'swipe' of his players card to get into the (new) wildcard drawings for the semi-finals and finals.  We decided a few weeks ago to go ahead and get a room for Friday and Saturday night so we had a place to be in the event weather was a factor.

Weather was beautiful - but we still had the room.  Our plan when we left the house together on Friday was to go to the room to use the facilities and make it look like we were there nightly.  That's what we were doing. 

I was at Dragonlink all afternoon and. J. mentioned (from the room) that this was not our 'normal' suite.  This was one of the newly remodeled Concierge tower suites - a suite/room that our host M. had tried repeatedly to get us access to.  It never happened - we were never disappointed because the suite we had was always nice - but not top shelf like the tower suites.  When I realized that we were in a Tower suite, I told J. 'oh my gosh, we have to stay.  We can't miss it.'  I gave the always sweet, helpful and wonderful husband a list of things he needed to go get so we could stay.  Clothes, his bi-pap machine, pillows, etc. .  The last thing I texted was two nights of my medications and supplements which were already sorted in the cupboard above our microwave.  

He forgot the meds - which was OK.  I survived.  I took Pepto Bismol chewables for antacid - the only thing the gift shop had - and my tongue is black (side effect) but they helped.  

We had so much fun.  Friday was epic on the win side and we headed to dinner with me having more than doubled my money.  3 handpays Friday.  There were 3 handpays on Saturday too but as always, wins become play.  It was a blast of a weekend.  AND J. placed 4th in the tournament and won $4,000 in chip play!  Woot woot!!  He's well funded for Blackjack for a bit and will do his usual 'magic' of turning freeplay into real money!  There were close to 150 players in the tournament so to be 4th - making it through 3 rounds of play - is pretty amazing.  HE IS AMAZING! 

Our new host is attentive and has such a wonderful, positive vibe.  When she checked our reservation and saw our 'usual' suite, she worked her magic and secured us the epic room.  She's wonderful.

Now....we loved the room.  Really.  Beautiful decor, kitchen with ice machine, stocked beverage refrigerator, 2 bedrooms each with full bath including a steam shower and a bidet/toilet.  Probably three times the square footage of my first apartment.  Huge, absolutely huge. Views for miles and automatic blackout curtains and sheers.  Push "Good Morning" button and the shades open.  Push "Good Night" and they close.  Lights controlled by 'Hello' and 'Goodbye' buttons by the front doors to each room.  Truly, truly fun.  But we don't spend much time in our room, usually.  And no matter how fancy, updated and luxurious the decor is, we never sleep great in hotel beds.  Ever.  First night wasn't too bad but the 2nd night had me so sore, it was painful to rollover.  So...that's why we don't stay overnight that often.

Here's a pic of the living room.  

And another.

 

We had planned an anniversary 'Lalapalooza' for this coming Wednesday - our anniversary is next Saturday, the 25th - but we made the mid-week reservation because it's so much calmer than a weekend.  But we decided last night that we weren't really feeling like we wanted another hotel night in a few nights.  So we cancelled - we're going to use our Lalapalooza anniversary funding to make some trips to various casinos on Th/Fri/Sat/Sun next week.  We'll have a lot of fun and spread our play around a bit.  And of course, Atlantis will be on our list.

On the drive home (in rain, by the way), J. mentioned 'we need to clean out your closet' - the builder's guy is coming around 11AM tomorrow to get started on figuring out what's happening with my bathroom.  I said 'why in the world do we need to do the closet'?  'Because the access to the crawlspace on that side of the house is in your closet back in the corner'.  Oh my goodness!  And we also have to empty and pack up things on my TV stand so they can access the wall from the bedroom side as well as the bathroom side.  

This is going to be fun.  (Not).  

In other news - adding stress and drama to the days - H. is within 9 days of being released.  He has phone interviews scheduled with two sober living houses and we are doing some research on the locations of the two homes.  The thing about Houston is nothing is easy.  I do think I've located some info on public transit that might help him a smidge - but we'll have to see.  Mostly, we all keep reminding ourselves that at least for now, the most important thing is him finding a safe place to be.  A place with other individuals putting their sobriety first.  The two homes are Oxford Houses (oxfordhouse.org) - a long-standing, self-run (by the residents themselves) group of individuals renting available space to ensure they are in a place with other people committed to not using drugs or alcohol ever.  Any 'use' is an immediate 'you are out'. 

After he gets into a house, we'll work on figuring out all the 'what next' steps.  It's hard to do all this thousands of miles away - but we'll figure it out. 

OK - I really need to get unpacked and start working on my closet and the TV stand.  This is going to be a very busy week.  

Leakage

Not sure I've mentioned this here yet - guess I could do a search - but oh well.  Content is content so here goes.  

For many months, there has been a 'mottled' section of my baseboard along my bathroom floor next to the shower.  The builder's customer service guy has come out a couple times - and he recently came out for the continued floor issues and we asked him to look at the baseboard issue again.  He didn't seem concerned.  

I marked where the mottling was when we first had him come check - and was able to prove that the mottling is spreading.  

We finally just sent a picture of the issue to the owner of the construction company who built the house - the always amazing Sam - and he wrote back very quickly 'that looks like water damage - I would like to come by to look at it'.  He was just here and is pulling our house specs to provide very specific details to the customer service guy and will have him 'crawl' the house - going underneath to see if he sees water.  And also pulling off the baseboard in the bathroom and the baseboard opposite behind the TV cabinetry in the room.  It will be a lot of work but we're glad they are doing it because we're pretty sure there's a teeny, tiny leak somewhere in the wall - and 2.75 years of shower use has created enough moisture to wreck a baseboard.  It's very likely wet within the wall and they will be knocking holes in the wall in strategic places to find the leak.  After they 'crawl' the house to search for water on the ground.

I'm worried there's mold (and so is the builder) but we'll cross that bridge when we get there.  

We're heading into a long, fun weekend of Atlantis - J. has a blackjack tournament tomorrow.  He plays at 11AM and normally, he would know if he has a chance of making the semi-final round - but the always changing things up Atlantis folks have added a twist.  If players swipe their players cards today, they will get an automatic entry into two wild card entries for the semi-final and final rounds.  Ingenious, right?  'Cuz now instead of leaving if we know J. won't be in the semi-finals, we'll have to hang out all day until the semi-final wildcard drawing at 3:45 and then the final wildcard drawing an hour later.  THEN if he doesn't get in, we'll head home.  They clearly are upping their game on keeping people in the casino as long as possible! 

Today, we'll do the swipe, play a bit (5x comp day so that's nice) and go to Peppermill to play there a bit as well.  It won't be a long day today but tomorrow definitely will.  We got a room for two nights mainly because we were feeling like 'there will always be snow - forever' - I don't think we'll stay over but I never say never.  We are definitely staying over next Wednesday for our pre-anniversary Lalapalooza.  I'm really looking forward to it!  

The weather is blue skies and sun and the snow melt happened fast.  We have zero snow in the front yard and just a bit in the back.  It's so wonderful to see the ground!  And the sky!!  Woot woot!  

Guess that's it for now - will get this posted.  Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Wild, Wild Weather

We continue to ride a wild, wild weather period.  The freeway between Carson and Reno was closed quite a bit and even when not officially closed, chains and/or snow tires were required most of last week.  We upgraded my tires last Fall but they still aren't technically snow tires.  

We've been snowed in a lot and we both feel it.

Yesterday, the guy who owns the huge bulldozer/digger (used to create the pad for the houses under construction) took the digger all around our loop.  He moved snow onto the only vacant lot in our neighborhood and created quite a pile.  We ended up with a lot of snow piled up at the end of our driveway which took some shoveling (by J. and our neighbor T.) to remove so we could get the car out.  When J. said 'we might have trouble getting out of the driveway at this point', I was skeptical - how bad could it be?  But it was a pretty high berm at the driveway's edge so safer to remove it vs. trying to drive over it.

Today, I ended up changing the cat grooming appointment we had scheduled for this Thursday to mid-April.  They have a 24 hour cancellation notice and when I called to express concerns about 'what if we can't get there on Thursday', we decided the best thing to do was move the appointment out.  

It's too bad we have to wait another six weeks - Muf really, REALLY needs a trim - but we've had so many events and planned trips to Reno that we've needed to cancel or change, better to just make the change and eliminate the worry about it. All will be well.  I will give Muf a good brushing using the cat grooming vac and that will help.  I hope.  

I've got a huge Walmart grocery order waiting in the cart - I get gift cards as a casino perk so I'm hoping we can hold off until I pick up the cards later this month.  

It's now Wednesday and we've had snow all morning.  I trekked to the kitchen for another cup of coffee and declared 'I am grumpy'.  J. said 'I won't say anything' but I'm pretty sure the words 'how can I tell?' might have been on the tip of his tongue.  I'm just tired of snow.  Wait.  Really?  I'm not tired of snow as much as I'm tired of relying on forecasts constantly to make plans only to have the forecasts be wrong and I'm disappointed yet again.  We're not sure if we can get to Reno at all this weekend?  Guess we'll see. 

I had some good slot play days earlier this week and the wins inevitably lead to looking forward (even more) to playing again soon.  Weather thwarting my plans constantly is hard. 

I kicked myself into high gear and tackled finishing our taxes.  I'm ready to e-file today and our refund should be here in a couple weeks.  Glad to have that done and off the list.  

There's a bit of sun now which is welcome!  I can see pavement on the street again so we got snow but nothing super heavy.  Thank goodness!  Maybe we can go for a drive!

Host Change

We braved the potential weather on Sunday and drove to Reno to go to Atlantis.  Sunday will likely be a weekly thing since they changed my free play days - and added 3x comps on Sunday which is nice.  

As we entered the Washoe Valley, I could see blowing snow - just a bit - from the median onto the freeway.  That is what happened in January, 2022 when we ended up getting stuck for hours and routed back to Reno.  I told J. 'that's a bit concerning' but it wasn't snowing and there wasn't snow expected so we figured it would be OK.   

I told J. 'we'll just go, play a wee bit, have brunch, say goodbye to our (retiring) host Mary and head home'.  Easy peasy. 

Only....I won $2200 within the first five minutes of play (yes, really) and things just took off from there.  Ended up playing into the afternoon often with Mary joining me to chat.  It was an epic day of wins!  Really awesome.  Two hand pays and three Majors on Dragonlink.  That's a great day! (Yes, I have pics - lots - but I feel unsure about posting them so I won't). 

We left around 3PM and as soon as we got on the freeway, we saw the electronic signs saying that the freeway was closed in the Washoe Valley.  I immediately thought 'oh no - it's like last year'.  But it wasn't.  Not quite.  Old 395 was open so we exited the freeway and headed south via that route and it wasn't too bad.  There were a couple places that were super icy but we passed them easily.  NDOT did a great job - had snow plows on Old 395 in full force to ensure we could get through.  

We made it home (phew!) shortly before more snow began to fall.  We saw pics on our local Carson news web page with lots of cars spinning out in the Washoe Valley - 16 incidents reported.  Yikes!

Yesterday, the freeway was closed between Carson City & Reno - which hasn't happened before since we moved here.  Blizzard conditions - strong winds, blowing/falling snow and all expected to continue for a long time.  Wild.  No point in sugarcoating it with 'chains required' (which also keeps us home 'cuz we have cables but we avoid using them at all costs - even if it means we stay home and miss things in Reno). 

It's Wednesday morning now and our cleaning ladies and I agreed that them coming today was not a great idea.  We have A LOT of standing snow in the streets and I worry about them unloading and trekking across ice and snow.  The main cleaning lady is young but her helper might be her mother?  And I was pretty worried about a slip and fall.  I texted her - and she said 'I was about to write you, too'.  So we cancelled today and will see them in 3 weeks - that will get us back our our usual every other week schedule.  

I am strangely motivated to clean my own house this week so yay for that.  We can do it!  

I hear the comforting sound of T.'s snow blower starting to clear our corner of the world and have a fresh cup of steaming hot coffee to warm me up.  

It's going to be a great day. 

The Comforting Sound of a Snowplow

Our epic neighbors T. and G. were in Hawaii for two weeks as Carson experienced more snow than we've ever seen since moving here.  It was fine - we don't have a lot of places to go or stuff we 'must' do on any given day anyway so no big deal to feel snowed in.  They posted pictures of beautiful sunsets and great food and libations while we dealt with snow blindness and epic cold.  I was jealous for sure.  In their absence, our (other) amazing neighbor M. shoveled off show from sidewalks and our driveway during the days when the snow was thick. 

We are on a(nother) winter storm watch until Saturday at noon and there's a fair amount of new snow this morning.  Back to not being able to see street pavement, grass on the golf course or the tops of the boulders in our back yard.  Also not many plants visible either.  

I heard an engine running outside and knew right away that it was our neighbor T. out with his snowplow.  He's clearing all the sidewalks and driveways on our side of the street and he does this every single time it snows enough to leave measurable snow on the ground.  J. noticed that he's upgraded - his new snow plow is bigger and faster - he is serious about his 'toys'. 

Epic human, he is.  Truly.  We are so blessed with wonderful neighbors.  

Now one of us will be able to trek to get the mail at some point which we haven't for a few days.  

Yesterday, I had to run to the bank to do a transfer from our savings account to checking so I could pay our property tax installment which is due on 3/1.  I decided to just 'run down the street' to the ATM near Wendy's - but when I approached the ATM, I could see the 'out of service' notice.  Argh.  I got back in the car and texted J. to say I would be driving to the branch closest to our house anyway - so I did.  As I pulled into the parking lot, a 'cell' of sleet was overhead and when I got out of my car, it was what I think being inside a snow globe would be like - I was quickly surrounded by swirling small balls of ice which continued as I walked from my car towards to bank doors.  It was wild - and kind of cool.  Though really, super cold.  

I headed to the ATM inside the branch - which I prefer to go to because you can define what bills you'd like your withdrawal to be in, including 100's, 10's, 5's and 1's.  Makes it easy to be sure we have small bills for tips as soon as we get to Atlantis.  Anyway - guess what?  It was out of service, too!  The guy was removing the bill containers and I said 'Fudge!' as I realized it was out of service.  He said 'sorry - it will be a few minutes'.  I said 'I drove here from the ATM on Carson because it's out of service, too'.  I ended up going to a teller which was OK.  I ended up doing my transfers at the ATM outside - the teller offered to help but you have to tell them which account and it's always complex (we have a lot of accounts) so I said 'no thanks, I'll just use the outside ATM'.  Thankfully the sleet cell had moved on so it wasn't super cold at that point. 

The cleaning crew cancelled for yesterday - no explanation but it could have something to do with either being Ash Wednesday?  Or it was a beautiful day for skiing with lots of fresh snow.  I didn't make any issue 'cuz it really didn't bother me a bit - I felt sort of glad we'd just have the place all to ourselves for that day and the rest of the week.  They will be here next week instead and then we'll wait three weeks for the next cleaning to keep our days the same.  SCORE!  Moved the saved fee (2 times in six weeks vs. the usual 3 times in six weeks) to our fun money account.  

J. and I are passing the day slowly working on taxes.  We've been running the heatilator in the Great Room a bit and Nala is thrilled to be basking in the super heat.  We've gone back to running the Rumba a lot - our Dyson stick vac isn't holding a charge well so it takes forever to do a good floor sweep with the vac.  It's a common thing and likely a new battery will solve the problem.  We will start looking.  

I saw a friend who is mostly off of Facebook online so had a fun, quick catch up with her.  Nice to visit.  She's tired of the cold, too.  She lives in the Sacramento/Elk Grove area so snow is rare but the cold has been ever-present all winter, she says.  She's ready for Spring.  As are we.

Voldemort Skies

The skies around us look like the skies in Harry Potter when Voldemort and the Death Eaters are around.  Huge super dark low looming clouds combined with wind.  There are weather advisories firing off on our phones and our computers predicting some intense weather in the next couple/few days.  The approaching weekend is looking really not great and I feel sad about that because our host at Atlantis (the awesome Mary) is retiring and her last day is this Sunday.  We plan to get there for our usual Saturday and are praying the weather cooperates because I want to give her a big hug and huge thanks for everything she's done for us over the years.  Having a great host enhances the venue experiences so much - we've done Balloon Races, Air Races, lots of Grand Ballroom holiday buffets, winery dinners, sip and paint events.  The list goes on and on - and our host is who arranges everything for us and often is along for whatever the event is.  She has become a true friend and she and I might actually get together for some slot play (not at Atlantis) once in a while.  She said 'but I don't play like you do'....and I said 'I will enjoy playing whatever you want to play for however long you want to play'.  She is a wonderful human and we are blessed to know her. 

We also got to request our new host(ess) and Mary confirmed the request was approved.  We met her briefly at the Christmas Grand Ballroom dinner and we asked Mary about her in early January - Mary approved our choice and knows we will love her.  Mary said 'oh, I LOVE HER'....and that's high praise!  So yay.  

It's a different winter this year when we've had to carefully plan our jaunts to Reno around storms.  I truly don't mind the snow - but will admit that upon realizing snow would be starting today and continue this week into the weekend, I had a moment of 'alright, seriously - enough already'.  Very ready for Spring and picture sunny days spending hours outside.  

Also strange to be battening down the hatches (again) when for the past couple days, I haven't needed a coat outside.  Granted, I'm not walking long distances or outside for too long - just between the car and wherever we're entering - but it sure was nice to not have to bundle up.  It was in the 40's which felt truly warm.  Must be adapting to Nevada cold.  

There is a food truck event - fish and chips which we've had before and it was so good - so J. is doing his treadmill walk and will head to the truck to procure lunch.  He will go for lunch instead of dinner to avoid driving in snow (we hope).  

Tomorrow the cleaning crew will be here in the morning.  I will be doing some pre-cleaning tidying and giving the floors a good sweep.  The cats will be having haircuts in early March and they need them - cat litter is ending up everywhere and I realized they both need 'sanitary trims' around their hind quarters.  They're going to both get baths and trims as we head into Spring. Greatly cuts down on the litter tracking and the shedding. We're not exactly looking forward to the drive to/from with upset cats in carriers in the car but they will thank us when the weather is hot this summer.  We'll schedule another trim for September and will do every six months.  We really should do every four months but navigating weather to North Reno (way further away than our weekly treks to Atlantis) in Winter adds challenges. Hopefully next Winter won't be as bad as this one has been - they are saying it's like a 'every 50 years' winter.

Also alerts that many areas in California will be getting snow this week as well - weird.  Remembering the time it snowed in Hayward and will likely look through old pics to find pictures of the boys all bundled up on the balcony of our condo.  They were little and so excited to see snow.  

I take walks down (many) memory lanes a lot lately.   

Our brokerage account tax info is (finally) available to upload into Turbo Tax so I hope to finalize our taxes in a week or so.  We are getting back a huge refund - most of which is the withholding from my Grand jackpot wins in 2022.   Will be glad to get the taxes 'done' and off the list.  

H. will leave (be released) from his rehab on March 28th.  We are talking through where he will land.  It's a difficult situation but we will get through it.  

Cleaning Crew Update

Two ladies showed up on time (9AM) and ready to work.  I didn't set an alarm but woke up at 6:01AM and got up right away - needed to get showered and dressed and do some pre-cleaning tidying so didn't want to risk going back to sleep.

The ladies brought in loads of supplies and equipment and then went back to the car for another trip.  When they returned, I saw the front door and it looked closed to me.  I should have checked but I didn't.  A wee bit later, I went to my room for something and the front door was slightly open.  I was panicked the cats were out.

Nala wasn't a worry - the minute any stranger is in the house, she heads to the kitchen cupboard by the dishwasher and hangs out in there for hours.  I peeked in the cupboard and knew she was fine.  Muf was nowhere to be seen - we looked under every bed, in every nook and cranny and no sight of her.  I was super worried.  We went outside and called her over and over.  Even our neighbor M. came out and asked if everything was OK so we let him know and he said he would keep an eye out.  Our worry decreased when we didn't see any cat paw prints in the snow - but still, we had no idea where she was.  

I had to leave for my dental appointment and asked J. to please text me when she was found - and thankfully, he sent a pic of her sitting in the laundry room with her head peaking out of the doorway.  Whew!  We are pretty darn sure she was behind the dryer - I had done a steam fresh on some blouses (to get a couple wrinkles out) so she was probably basking in the warmth.  Argh!  Crazy cat.  I was so glad to know she was OK.  

Dental appointment was fine - in a room with Netflix so passed the down time (while the crown was being created - it's amazing what technology they have now) watching Lyle, Lyle Crocodile movie.  It was silly and cute - and I will watch it again to catch the parts I missed during the grinding.  The grinding part is NO FUN but it wasn't too long, thank goodness.

J. and I had a fun long-ish day of play - machines at Atlantis kept me going into the early afternoon and then we decided to head to Peppermill for a bit.  We've been dipping our toe in at Peppermill mostly because they started giving me some decent free play offers - and I discovered I advanced three levels up which is great!  Qualifies us for parking pass and a host, I think.  

I hit my first handpay in 2023 at Peppermill yesterday - and my first EVER handpay there.  It wasn't a huge win but it was a great win and really glad to get a handpay there!  We haven't tried many of the restaurants there but our neighbor G. said they are all great.  We like the place - it feels very much like a Vegas casino - a bit over the top in decor choices but with a nice hustle and bustle feeling.  Though we went there on Saturday this past weekend and that hustle and bustle was loud, crowded and a bit overwhelming.  Interesting observation though:  Atlantis was dead.  Really dead.  On both our visits Saturday and yesterday.  No issue getting a machine - there were plenty because no one was playing.  Contrast that to Peppermill both days - the place was hopping!  I found a Dragonlink machine easily enough but when I moved to find a different bank, they were all taken.  I returned later and sat down at the machine that ended up paying me the handpay.  We had a really fun day which only makes me look forward to Superbowl weekend play all the more!  

Hello again!  It's now Friday (above was drafted on Wednesday mid-afternoon).  We have a piano repairman in the house working on the electric piano we bought at Costco in 2006.  It's been moved twice and had stopped working a long time ago.  When envisioning our home here, I added a 'hobby room' to house the piano along with sewing, adult coloring, etc. .  I had a lot of plans for that room - only the flooring people installed carpet in there instead of vinyl plank so a lot of the art things (pour art - check it out on You Tube) aren't going to happen in there most likely.  

Anyway - J. diligently tracked down a repair guy so we are hoping the piano will work again by later this afternoon. 

Unbelievably there is snow in the forecast for tomorrow which has me a little nervous about getting to Reno - we booked a room for Saturday and Sunday nights just in case we decide to stay over  - and I'm hoping it isn't going to be a problem getting there tomorrow to check in for the event.  Sunday weather looks good so...hopefully the snow (which is expected in the early morning hours and only for a little bit) will be done by mid-morning and melting shortly after.

Wednesday evening, I had about 20 or so minutes in intense pain in the area of my new crown.  Like all 'possible tooth pain' it was radiating everywhere and I couldn't figure out if it was actually the crown or sinuses or my ear or whatever.  Bad headache joined the party as well.  I took ibuprofen and felt better shortly after - and realized the pain was coming from the site of the two numbing injections - one of which was 'pre-numbed' by the dental assistant but the other was a super painful injection to the inner side of the gum. They still hurt a couple days later but improving.  So glad to cross that procedure off the list of things I was dreading.