Category: My Little Blue Kayak Blog

My Wake Up Call

I turned 54 in May of this year and that makes me more than half a century old. When I hit 40, my vision started to change and I traded my driving glasses in for readers. Shortly after that, menopause took place and I no longer had to be prepared for life’s little emergencies. Then again, hot flashes started and I thought I was dying at least twice a month! I have a funny heart beat that my doctor wants me to check out again as it hasn’t been checked in over a decade. I have a tricky knee that needs to be babied and occasionally aches and hurts. Overall, I have learned to embrace the grey of middle age!

Other than this, I am in pretty good health. I have no serious health complaints, and no medical diagnosis to worry about. I take no prescription medication and rarely take anything over the counter. I do take a few supplements to aid in digestion and am considering others to support overall health.

Feeling pretty good about my life… then I got a wake up call! Image by Sabine van Erp from Pixabay
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Travel Update!

I safely arrived at Mother Fran’s yesterday morning at 10:30AM! The ride was uneventful and I exercised extreme caution on my three day drive. My initial plan as I shared in my last post, In The Cautious Category, I had planned to stop at my sisters for a quick COVID style visit. You know the type – where you wear a mask, keep 6 feet apart and stay outdoors as much as possible. A couple of days prior to hopping in the car, I had doubts and ended up cancelling this part of the trip. My final destinations was my Mom’s house and I was determined to not take any chances that could risk bringing the virus to her.

Image by badafest from Pixabay
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In the Cautious Category?

Remember back in February when everyone advised each other to stay at home, wear a mask, wash your hands to avoid spreading the virus? I don’t know about where you live but things here had improved quite a bit and the number of daily cases was quite low.

In New York State, the numbers are rising again and I don’t hear the same concern from people. We are hitting over 5000 new cases per day across the state – up from around 1000 in August.

You don’t need a crystal ball to see what is going to happen in the coming weeks with Thanksgiving and Christmas approaching. I am no fortune teller but I absolutely expect a big spike and a lot of unhappy post holiday isolations and quarantines.

Image by Tumisu from Pixabay
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Life in the Burbs

Why are some people so obsessive about their lawns? I don’t get it. I mean, I like our lawn to look nice; it gets mowed and occasionally weed wacked. But it often looks shaggy with its share of dandelions and weeds. In my humble opinion, lawns are not meant to look manicured! If I wanted manicured, I would live on a golf course.

The guy who lives behind us works on his lawn all of the time. I left the house the other day at 7:00 (still pretty dark out) and he was out there raking the handful of leaves that had fallen overnight. Every time I manage to mow my lawn or simply tidy up the front yard, my next door neighbor comes out and does his. Just once I would like to not have the saddest looking yard on the street.

They sure are pretty! Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay
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How Times Change

Isn’t it funny that when we make a purchase there is often a surge of excitement that courses through us? It is like happiness is created by spending money to get clothes, electronics, toys and stuff. But that happiness is short-lived and we quickly move on to the next thing that catches our attention, hoping to generate happiness again. This is like a wheel that keeps turning. Stuff will not bring long-term happiness. The thrill wears off quickly and the need for something new and shiny takes its place. The last purchase is stuck in a closet, moved to the basement or stored in the garage to make room for the next shiny object.

I jumped off of this wheel a long time ago and that helped my finances considerably. I stopped spending money on stuff that I didn’t love and need. It also helped me emotionally by guiding me to find other outlets for my anxiety and my boredom. Now when I engage in retail therapy it is at the Thrify Shopper or Salvation Army. I prefer a walk in the woods or spending time with my loved ones.

He looks pretty bored… Image by naniwa23 from Pixabay
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My Goals Went Kaput

I have been caught up in the day to day again; not really addressing my goals or even thinking about them. 2020 is quickly wrapping up and I am a bit way behind. I have been working on the dresser that has been sitting in my garage since 2015. It is an old dresser that I that I want to restore to its former beauty. I stripped the drawers a few years ago and then neglected it. I am going to finish that damn thing in 2020!

At the beginning of the year, I mapped out my health, wealth and happiness goals and posted them here on My Little Blue Kayak. For some reason, I forgot to put them on my Google Keep Page so I didn’t look at them every time I turned on the computer. BIG mistake! My goals are in danger of becoming useless!

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
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Keep Your Bubble Close

My alarm went off this morning at 5:45AM which is pretty typical. What happened next was not at all part of my normal routing. First I hit the snooze button and cuddled up closer to my honey. I was not ready to start the day. Then I reminded myself I had to work at 8:00 and I better get moving. I reached for the phone to turn off the alarm and hit a glass of water. I knocked it over and heard the gentle pouring of the contents all over my nightstand. “Shit, shit” I uttered and tried to get myself up. I was moving in slow motion and having trouble opening my eyes. By the time my feet hit the floor the water was running off of the table, over my journals and onto the floor.

Maybe I should use him as an alarm… Image by Sabine van Erp from Pixabay
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Acknowledge Your Fear…

As of January 1, 2021, I will officially be a business owner. How cool is that? I have filed all of the papers, opened the bank account, and obtained my Employer Identification Number. I am learning an accounting program where I can also create invoices and researching APPS to track my mileage. I still have to figure out how to collect and track sales tax and file that information with the government. But Nors Chores is official!

This about sums up what I will do! Image by dandelion_tea from Pixabay
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It Takes a Village!

Back in February and early March, Mother Fran was in the hospital with cardiac issues. I wrote about it in a post titled “It Takes 9”. Currently Mother Fran is at the lake and my sister (Child #7) is living with her. The rest of us have been taking turns staying with them to help out. Mom is 93 and has always taken good care of her health. Between those stays at the hospital and COVID19, it has been a difficult year. Even though her mind remains sharp and she can physically get around, she now needs 24 hour care. I am blessed to have a large family that loves her with a fierce tenderness that can’t really be explained. I can’t fathom how some people do this on their own.

Don’t go it alone! Image by Rolanas Valionis from Pixabay
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I am NOT on a Roll…

You know that feeling when you are on a roll? When everything is flowing along and all is good? When it feels like you can do nothing wrong? For the last few months, I have not been on a roll… I feel rather out of sync lately and not in the groove. I have been in kind of a weird head space where I am not being negative in there but certainly not smelling the roses either! I have to shake this feeling and get back on track.

Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay
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