Thursday Thoughts

Haven't posted for a long time. Recently, the backup laptop that I've been using got infected with a virus. That's just the latest excuse.

We have a big item to check off our to-do list: we got grab bars installed in both our bathrooms. I had started research back in February but dropped the ball. Now it's done, and I'm happy with the results. 

We're under another heat dome. Dubious bonus: smoke from wildfires is overtaking the area. 

Bruce, our neighbor across the hall, had a stroke and will be transferred to permanent nursing care. He has a two-year-old dog JJ. Neighbors have been pitching in to help care for him. One neighbor who's been watching him went to the beach for the weekend. Another is watching JJ now, but she needs help walking him. That's me (and Jace.) We've only been on one walk so far, and I was just needed for moral support. That's good. 

JJ has been through a lot this year. Earlier, his technical owner died suddenly from a heart attack. Bruce was JJ's primary caregiver even then. I'm not sure what's going to happen with him. It makes me appreciate that the wills Jeff and I are making have a provision for Jace's care if something happens to us first. 

I've been thinking a lot about Bruce. I remember how he helped me walk/climb over the snow and ice after the January storm. He also helped shovel out my car. He would be happy to know that his neighbors are caring for JJ. 

Closing Out March

Last week we visited Jeff's sister in North Carolina. We drove down on Monday, and were glad we got to spend more time with her than expected. We also visited with Jeff's other sister, our brother-in-law, and niece. We even met our three-year-old great niece. 

The visit was intense and tiring. The return trip was horrible, taking about two hours longer than normal. We picked up Jace from our friends' Thursday evening. It had been our first trip without him. It was nice knowing that Jace was happy to to stay with our friends. 

Traveling without a dog made things much easier. For one thing, we stayed in a hotel that wasn't pet friendly. It was just okay, but was in a great location. Every place we needed to visit was within a mile. 

Once home, I vegged for most of the weekend after I stocked up on food and wine. Laundry was also involved. I discovered that TCM's Star of the Month was George Brent. More on that later. 

March Miscellanea

 I always look forward to March--it feels good to get out of February. It's been a hard winter. Snow from the January storm took a month to (mostly) dissipate. There are still small patches and large snowplowed piles. But, at the end of February, I began to catch a whiff of spring and hear birdsong. In the final weekend, temperatures rose to the high 50s. Jace and I returned to the trails and the boardwalk.

That didn't last, of course. The following Monday, it snowed for several hours and left a coating on the ground. Luckily, that snow dissipated quickly. I'm waiting for the 70s predicted for a few days next week.  

Jeff and I have tried a few more restaurants. One was a breakfast and lunch place with good steak sandwiches. We also went out for a good seafood dinner with friends. We have many other places to discover. 

We watched some of the Olympics in February. I'm most interested in figure skating. I saw the men's and the ice dancing competitions, but somehow missed the women's and the pairs. Oh well. Now, some of our other shows have returned, such as Matlock and Ghosts. 

We also rediscovered Nancy Drew--a series that we had started to watch on the CW back in 2019. We had seen most of the first season, but the show went on hiatus or the timeslot changed, and we never got back to it. We found it on HBO Max recently and watched the first two of four seasons. TV Nancy is not much like the Nancy Drew I've read. In the premiere, she's having sex with Ned (now called Nick) and he's black. Nancy's mysteries also involve the supernatural: ghosts, witches, wraiths, and the like. 

Most of our days revolve around medical appointments. Jeff has physical and speech therapy each week. We've also scheduled other medical appointments. Plus it's tax season. I spent most of last week stressing about getting the tax documents together. I got them to the accountant on the 28th.

Then there's still unpacking and organizing. I got a lead for someone who can install wooden bookshelves in our dining room. I haven't figured out exactly what I want, but it's a start. 

On To 2026!

The holidays are officially over. Jeff and I had the quiet Christmas I didn't know I needed. Quiet times continued through the week between, what Jezebel once called slug week. We celebrated New Year's Eve with our friends Annette and George with Annette's old fashions, sushi, cake, and champagne.

As far as I'm concerned, 2026 really starts tomorrow. 

In the morning I'm headed to the our new primary care doctor. Jeff's already seen him, and we both liked him. I've got other medical referrals that I have to prioritize this month. Jeff will probably start outpatient physical therapy this week. 

I want to get back to furniture shopping. Then I can unpack and put away more things. I need to organize the closets and change a few things in the kitchen. 

Hold on: one step at a time. First, I need to pack up the Christmas decorations. I started by washing the holiday napkins and towels and gathering Jace's Christmas toys. 

I'm going to give myself daily to-do lists--three things should do it. A list will keep me less easily distracted. At least I hope so. 

One thing I want to put on the list--hmm, maybe there should be four items--is exercise. A few weeks ago I did a few stretches and I was really stiff. I realized that I haven't been to a gym since August. It's been so cold lately that I'm not walking as long as usual with Jace. 

I started daily exercise: yoga, stretches, balancing exercises. I work with my body ball and small weights (we only have two and five pounds.) I already feel that it's making a difference. I want to get back to a gym routine, but want to avoid the January rush. That reminds me: we saw several gym commercials on TV on New Year's Eve, but no diet commercials. It must be because everyone's on Ozempic.

Homebody as Winter Arrives

It's been a quiet weekend. I try to avoid errands on the weekends, especially in the Christmas season. I'm also trying not to spend too much money, and the weather has been cold, so I'm happy to stay home.

I cleaned, did a lot of laundry, cooked, made a shopping list for our Christmas meals, unpacked and organized, and read. 

I had been so obsessed with this move, the expense, and issues with our Norwalk condo--how could I have been so naive to think it would sell quickly--that I almost forgot that this is our first holiday season in our beautiful new home. Cause for celebration.

It will be just the three of us this Christmas, and that's good. We can get started on new traditions. 

Jace and I had a wonderful walk yesterday afternoon. It was sunny, about 50 degrees and the wind that seems to have been plaguing us for weeks was absent. I insisted we walk on the trails and boardwalk, even though Jace made it a shorter walk than I would have liked. It was the best walk in weeks. 

I like to call today the darkest day of the year rather than the shortest one. Everyday will be lighter from now on. Another thing worth celebrating.

Update: Moving, Stress, Another Walk-Thru, and An Anniversary

Jeff and I have been married 37 years today. With all of the moving to-dos, expenses, and stress, we're not up to a big celebration. We were going to go out to dinner, but I was leaning to getting takeout. Then Jeff suggested lunch. It was a late one. We had a new mattress and box spring delivered and were the last of the jobs. 

In the middle of the mattress delivery, I quickly vacuumed the floor--years of dog hair and dust. Hmm, dog hair and dust. Could be a cologne on Wednesday. 

Anyway, it was drizzly when we finally headed out around 2:45, and we wanted to take Jace.  As we were waiting for the mattress, I researched dog friendly Norwalk restaurants that had covered outdoor dining areas. I selected Tavern on 7. It's basically a sports bar, but had some interesting specials. Unfortunately, they were out of the special I really wanted, shrimp bisque. A good lunch, but loud being right on Route 7. Our take-out dinner entree (I didn't want to cook today) and dessert were mediocre. 

People are telling me I'm going to miss Norwalk when we go. Right now, I'm pretty jaded with/by Norwalk Of course, it's more the people I'll miss. I've spent over half of my life here in Norwalk, in this condo. I hope I will find some fond memories.

We're driving down to Maryland tomorrow. Friday will be our second walk-thru of our condo. I'm packing some basic supplies in my car--what I can fit. It will be our first time seeing it empty.

We changed our moving date from September 25th to October 2. That gives us another week;  I hope it will be enough. 

Happy Anniversary Jace!

Yesterday was our third anniversary with Jace. I'll never forget the date; it's also my mother's birthday. 

We celebrated with a filet mignon dinner (yay, filet was on sale.)

We can't wait to show Jace our new place. He'll love it. 

Three Birthday Lunches and a Sun-shower

In the last eight days, I've been on three birthday lunches. The first was with Jeff, his sister and her husband. We went to Rive Bistro, a restaurant I've been meaning to visit for a long time. 

Next, it was Jeff and me. We went to the Goose. Today my brother and his girlfriend took us to Sedona Tap House.. 

I could get used to this. But alas, a birthday is just once a year.  

Although I enjoyed our meal at the Goose, I was very disappointed on my birthday. It was also Jace's birthday. Okay, we don't know his real birthday. I learned from asking about Lola's birthday that when stray dogs are taken to a vet, the day of the visit becomes the birthday. We picked a date for Lola's birthday. We liked that Jace and I had the same bday. 

It was cold and damp on our birthday with temperatures topping out around 52. I had hoped for a warm day when we could eat outside. Well, we didn't get out with Jace then, so we owe him a restaurant meal. 

We finally saw some sun today. In fact, when I took Jace out this afternoon, we walked in a sun-shower. I sang parts of this song. I love sun-showers, but it's odd to find them after a nor'easter. But the weather is screwed now. At least there are no sharnados ...yet. 

Mother's Day Musings

I may not be a mother of humans, but I'm a dog mom. I'll take that as a reason to celebrate. 

Today I celebrated by not cooking. Generally, I enjoy cooking, especially compared to other household chores like laundry or cleaning. But, again generally, you have to cook everyday, and it gets time consuming. Especially because I chop veggies and lettuce most days. The planning also gets to me. Sometimes I wake up and my first thought is "What are we going to have for dinner?" Ugh.

It's been a beautiful weekend--the first without rain in awhile. Jace and I are taking longer walks. Today we walked an hour and a quarter, going to Oyster Shell Park. I went there often with Lola, because for many years, she was afraid to walk in the neighborhood. But Jace enjoys our neighborhood walks. 

After coffee and a protein drink, I went to the gym for about 40 minutes. It was the first time this year, I went four times in a week. On the way home, I picked up bagels I had previously gotten smoked salmon and cream cheese. Later we got take out sushi for dinner. 

Couldn't watch the Mets because the game was on Roku. It always annoys me when games appear on some unusual channel or service. We already have SNY for the Mets games. At least the Mets won. It's been a great season so far.

A Cold Vernal Equinox and Random Thoughts

Yesterday--the first day of spring was foggy, damp, raw, and cold. It felt like winter was giving us the finger. But I'm thankful that Jace and I got a nice afternoon outside on Wednesday.  

Jeff and I went out to lunch twice this week--which is very unusual. It was Sedona Tap House for St. Patrick's Day and Tengda Asian Bistro today with our friends Elaine and Marti. Jace wasn't happy with us for leaving him. He is spoiled.

Feeling overwhelmed--again--with all the things I have to do. Recently I've taken to worrying when I wake up to pee sometime in the early morning hours. Lately, I've been worrying about things related to moving. 

Our decluttering efforts have been going well. As Jeff reminds me, we're not downsizing--we'll be moving into a larger place. We still have too much stuff. We've been working on clearing out our storage bin. We still have three large storage boxes to go through. Two are of Halloween costumes. That surprised me: I thought we only had one. Oh well, easy enough to get rid of that stuff. 

Jeff's been on a low sodium diet for four years. We had to give up some of our go-to meals. I especially missed rotisserie chicken. Our regular store's chicken has 20 percent sodium. I recently discovered that Stew Leonard's chickens have only 4 percent sodium. Made my day. I bought two Stew's chickens yesterday. We had chicken for dinner and I'll be making broth tomorrow.

It's going to be a homebody this weekend. Cleaning, making broth, going through emails and paperwork. And I'll be starting out behind the eight ball because I left a few dishes in the sink. I better get a good night's sleep.

Just One More Day

I started counting a month ago. We made it to the first of March, the beginning of Daylight Saving Time, Pi Day (we had a triple berry pie) and Saint Patrick's Day (we went out for lunch and had Guinnesses.)

Spring begins tomorrow at 5:01 AM. 

We got a preview this afternoon. I had to drive up to Danbury to pick up our income taxes. I took Jace with me, and we visited Danbury Dog Park. I didn't see any dogs in the large dog area, so I got an okay from people in the small dog area for us to join them. (A sign limited the area to dogs under 20 pounds.)

It was sunny and warm; we were there for over an hour. Jace did a little running so that was good. And he got to smell new smells and meet new dogs. 

One woman there said snow is predicted for Friday. Apparently, there's a chance of snow somewhere in Connecticut, but not near here. I don't think I could bear it. 

Off to a Good Start

It was a good feeling to walk with Jace today around 4:30 and realize it was nice out. It was 40 degrees which we hadn't seen in a while. More importantly, there was no wind. 

It sets the tone for this positive post. I'm happy with how 2025 has started.

Beginning January 2, I've been writing every day (from 223 to 587 words) for about a half hour to an hour-of-a-half. 

I've exercised every day beginning on the 2nd and gone to the gym six times. 

I've written eight blogposts. 

I've been changing up some routines and habits. The most important thing is writing in the morning. I've also changed Jace's walking schedule around. I'm switching up my gym workouts. I'm not spending as much time in the early morning on The New York Times games. That has been the most difficult routine for me to change. 

I haven't done much thinking about goalsetting. Instead, I'm actually doing things that will help me get to my goals.

I'm adding this following because I thought it was funny. It's a paraphrase from a collection of tweets--probably from the Huffington Post. 

                    I don't want a new year. I would prefer a gently used year. 

Sundry Sunday Thoughts

I'm glad it's Sunday. More specifically, I'm glad tomorrow's Monday. I figure I won't have to remind myself what day it is several times a day. It's only been a week-and-a-half since Christmas; it feels like a month. New Year's Day feels like weeks ago.

We removed Jace's cone on New Year's Day. The vet's instructions gave a range of 10 to 14 days for him to wear it. New Year's Day was the tenth. Another reason to celebrate. He's recovering well.

I took down the Christmas tree and finished packing up the decorations. I decided that was enough for today. Plus I made waffles earlier. I got Jeff a mini-waffle maker as an impulse gift. I used a Bisquick mix, and they were pretty good, if a bit of a pain to make.

I've been wanting to take Jace to Cove Island or Sherwood Island, but that hasn't worked out so well. We haven't had good weather since the day of our NRVT walk. Of course, there were those ten days in the cone.

Now, we're in a cold spell. It's not worth driving to Stamford or Westport when I'll only be able to stand the cold for about 20 minutes. Oh well, it won't be cold forever.

It will just seem that way.

Christmas 2024

The attack on Jace certainly screwed up our Christmas spirit. But he is resilient and strong, and doing well.

Jim came over for Christmas Eve dinner. On Christmas Day, Jeff and I ate some delicious leftovers (beef tenderloin) and watched Christmas movies (It's A Wonderful Live, Christmas in Connecticut, The Man Who Came to Dinner, even National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.) The last one won't remain in the Christmas rotation. 

It's been a cold few days, warming up to a few rainy days starting tomorrow. I've been happy to be a homebody.

Poor Jace

Monday afternoon after a quick lunch, I took Jace for a walk. I had planned to run some errands, afterwards, including picking up our Christmas Eve dinner from Balducci's  (beef tenderloin, fingerling potatoes, green beans, and salad.)

Unfortunately, on that walk, a dog attacked Jace. Actually there were two loose dogs and two men. It took both men to get the attacking dog to release its hold on Jace's ear. It was horrible; I was helpless. 

Jace just wanted to get home as quickly as possible. I cleaned off his ear and called the vet. We spent the afternoon in the Pet ER. After we heard Jace would be okay, I ran a few errands (at the doctor's suggestion) while Jace had the recommended blood work. 

Today I went back to the house where the attack occurred, and met the couple who live there. I was relieved that the attacking dog did not live there, because we walk by that house often. At the time of the attack, the dog was in a car, but the owner had left the door open. The owner claimed the dog had never attacked anyone before.

Apparently the couple and the dog owner had been expecting me to come by earlier. I left Jace's vet bill and am hoping for the best. 

Every time I look at Jace and see the scratches and bite marks and the cone, I feel horrible. I hadn't protected him when he needed me. . 

Unseasonably Warm

We've had several unseasonably cold days since Thanksgiving. Yesterday was unseasonably warm--a welcome change. Temperatures flirted with 60 degrees. 

I took Jace to the Wilton branch of the Norwalk River Valley Trail (NRVT)--the east side of Route 7. We walked from the parking lot on Autumn Ridge Road to the current end of the trail on Skunk Lane.

We live about two blocks from part of the NRVT here in Norwalk. We walk part of the trail several times each week. But I wanted to give Jace a special walk for a change.  It's been a long time, and it's always good for him to see a new place (or a place he hasn't been for a while) and enjoy new scents. 

We both enjoyed our walk. 

A Wet Wednesday

I'm glad for the rain today because we're still in a drought. I have to admit, however, that it complicates my dog walking schedule. This morning Jace and I got in a 45 minute walk during a break in the rain. I attempted to do that at midday, relying on the weather forecast on my phone. I wore my raincoat and still got soaked. Poor Jace. I didn't put his raincoat on, and felt like the worst mom ever. Even if Jace doesn't seem to like his raincoat, he is much more agreeable to a coat than Spike ever was.

I originally planned to go to the gym today, but decided to go tomorrow and Friday instead. I thought today would be a good opportunity to get some things done around the house. Well, that didn't happen. I mostly vegged. I guess we all need that kind of day sometime.

Two weeks until Christmas. 

I ordered a dinner from Balducci's (beef tenderloin, salad, fingerling potatoes, and green beans) for Christmas Eve. Jim is coming over. On Christmas Day, it's just Jeff and me (and Jace of course.) Maybe we'll have leftovers. I decided a few years ago that it was too much to prep two fancy dinners in a row (even though I'm just reheating, not cooking, on Christmas Eve.) Part of me misses the big family Christmases. Another part of me relishes the quieter holidays. Another example of my Gemini nature. 

Wet Thanksgiving and Bleak Black Friday

I'm thankful for yesterday's rain (any rain recently) though it can complicate my walks with Jace. 

I'm thankful that I could have Thanksgiving here and not have to travel anywhere.

I'm thankful for the Whole Foods Turkey Breast Dinners. They're good, and reheating is much easier than cooking.

I'm thankful for our Thanksgiving with my brother Jim and our friend Cynthia.

I'm thankful for my health.

I'm thankful for Jeff and Jace.

***

Today was a lazy day. I woke up early. After I walked Jace, I journaled over coffee and played The New York Times games, and read. I had left all the dishes from yesterday, and cleaned them in stages over the day. (I still have some of the crystal to wash.)

Jeff and I grazed, then ate a late lunch of turkey leftovers on toasted cranberry English muffins. More turkey with salad later. 

A quiet day I didn't realize I needed.

Thursday Thoughts and Miscellanea

It hasn't been the best week. Sometime in the early morning on Tuesday, Jace had massive diarrhea. I spent much of the day cleaning up. I got Jace to the vet on Tuesday afternoon. I've been feeding him chicken and rice cooked in chicken broth. The vet prescribed pills too. 

It's been cold in the mornings. I've been wearing a hat the last few days, and put Jace's Mets jacket on him. One thing about Jace is that he wears coats and jackets without fighting, unlike Spike.

Many people in the neighborhood have not taken down Halloween decorations. Thanksgiving isn't a big outdoor decorating holiday. I've seen a few turkeys. One house posts Peanuts inspired signs every year. A few people have put up Christmas decorations already: one with a countdown board of days until Santa arrives. 

I packed up a few things today to go to Goodwill. This is just the beginning in of decluttering. I'm glad that I got started, but we have a long way to go.

I went out to eat twice last week. On Thursday, I went to lunch with friends, Marti and Elaine at Tengda in Greenwich. The food's delicious and it has parking. The last time we went to a restaurant on Greenwich Avenue, it was hard to park, and the meters only allowed quarters.

On Saturday, Jeff and I went to a new for us brewpub Sly Bandit in Wilton for a late lunch. Enjoyed some good beer with fried pickles and pulled pork flatbread. 

Francisco Lindor won the Silver Slugger Award--his fourth. He deserves all the accolades for the season he's had. I still believe he's the MVP.

It's Been A Long Week...

with a day still to go. It feels more like three weeks.  

On Wednesday morning, Jeff fell twice around 12:30 and again around 5:30 when getting up from bed to go to the bathroom. After the second fall, we headed to the emergency room. Bottom line: he broke his left pinky, but CT scans and MRI were clear. They kept him overnight, and he was home by Thursday evening

On Wednesday, I appreciated living across the street from the hospital. I went back and forth all day--something I couldn't easily do if we lived farther away. I could walk and feed Jace and get some food for myself, knowing the hospital would call me if necessary, and I could quickly return.

Now, I'm just trying to get back to normal.