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Happy Tuesday

Happy Tuesday…

Sort of

After 3 years of working from home, I was ordered to return to the office.  It takes me about 35 minutes to drive there if traffic is agreeable.  Today I left an hour before log in time… just in case.

Wouldn’t you know it, there was an incident on the Buckman bridge.  A bad incident.  I have nothing to complain about in comparison.

58 minutes after I left the house, I arrived at the office.

My badge didn’t work (long sigh).

I climbed the stairs and immediately tried to turn down the wrong hall.  Luckily Gary was there to correct me.  My area is empty as the members of my team have greater seniority than I and get to stay home until later this week. My desk was set up with new monitors and a new phone system.  I had to have a quick lesson on how to log in.

Then I unlocked my drawers.  The first thing I noticed was a can of mixed nuts.  They were stuck to the bottom of the drawer.

Thinking back to March 2020, it was assumed by all that we would be returning within a few weeks… you know… long enough to flatten the curve.  A few weeks may have been fine to stash items I left in my office drawers, but a few years was just a bit too long.  Like the 12 oz. can of soda.  I’m not sure why I saved it.  It was a freebie and not my type.  Maybe someone would need it someday [yes, I am one of those people who save things because someone might need it someday].

That can of soda was still unopened but had somehow found a way to leak out over time.  Everything was stuck to the bottom of that drawer.  And Everything was sticky.  I threw most of it away, then spent time trying to clean up the sticky mess.  When I checked my progress, I found everything was still sticky.  I let it all dry and wiped it again several times.  But every time I touch something at my desk, I feel like Clark Griswold trying to enjoy his evening after he put up his sappy Griswold Family Christmas tree

By 10AM I was back in business with work…  and thinking about finding a new job LOL (I’ve applied for 2 in the last week)

😊

The company has decided it would be nice to have lunch catered as we each return.  Since today was my day to return, I enjoyed a great big chicken Caesar salad from Panera. With the salad was a bottle of water, an oatmeal cookie, and an apple.  LB will appreciate the cookie.

It was a long day, and I suppose I’ll do it again tomorrow.SO here we are – back to the old normal –  Except I’ve been STICKY all day!

~

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

Thirsty Thursday

  Since I’ve been working from home, there hasn’t been much to blog about.

Having made it through last Thursday, I now have something to blog about.

The day began when the clock sounded at 7 AM: I put on clothes and crawled back in bed to wait for my 8 AM log in time.  I was too tired to do anything to my hair or put on my makeup.  What did it matter anyway, I’m working from home.

LB and I had been invited to go out for dinner and a show the night before. 

 Apparently we had stayed up too late.

~

Every weekday at 10 AM I take the first of 2 of my required breaks.  As I headed to break just after 10 AM, my phone rang.  It was Mama, so I answered, but she did not reply.  I said “Mama?” and then she responded, “Kim I need a diet coke, do you have a diet coke?”

Boy she must be THIRSTY

And that is how it started.

Being that I do not support Coke, I said, “I have a diet Pepsi and a Zevia diet cola”.  As we continued to speak I could tell something was very wrong.  I told her I would be right there, grabbed the 2 cans from the refrigerator, told LB I was going to Mama’s and headed next door.

I called my sister Gina while I was walking to Mama’s house and told her that something was wrong and I was walking next door to find out.  She stayed on the phone with me and I put her on speaker. When I opened the door to go in I set off the alarm, of course.  I tried to get to the closet to talk to the Safe Touch lady, who had been trying to get someone to respond, but she had disconnected and called Gina.

At this point I’m already a nervous wreck

Walking into Mama’s room I saw that she was in bed, on Daddy’s side, wrapped in a blanket, and shivering.  She was shivering and shaking so forcefully that at first I thought she was having a seizure or a stroke.  But she wanted that diet Pepsi and she wanted it ‘NOW’.  So I helped her have a drink and tried to figure out what was happening to her.

Mama thought she might have an infection and fever which cause the shivering/shaking, but there was also extreme pain.  Since she felt it would be best to call the rescue, Gina dialed while I gathered some of her things.  The 911 operator called and told me rescue was on the way.

I don’t do well in a crisis.  And it didn’t help that I had on NO makeup and my hair was balled up on top of my head.  I remember at one point my aunt Sharon coming in to see what was wrong, but the details are fuzzy.  The rescue fellas arrived quickly and took Mama to the ambulance.

I grabbed Mama’s things, ran to my house to grab my things, and LB and I followed the ambulance to the Baptist ER.  My friend and co-worker Kathy took care of everything for me at work and let the company know what was going on until I was able to follow up.  I’m grateful for her.

When the hospital staff finally let me in to be with Mama, I understood that this was even more serious than I had previously thought.  The shivering/shaking had stopped, but she was clearly in pain, enough to make her cry.  So I cried too.

Then Gina called.  “Are you okay” she said.  “Yes”, I replied.  “No you aren’t, I’ll be right there.”  What would I do without her?

A couple of things are embedded in my memory forever…

First I thought we were going to lose her

and second, she was so thirsty.  She wanted something to drink, but they would not let her have anything.  If we were going to lose her it would be tragic if she was thirsty too.  I did what I could for her, but I won’t go into detail for fear of coming across as a complete idiot.

It was A LONG DAY!

After the CT scan it was determined that she had diverticulitis.  About 40 minutes later we were informed that she had sepsis and they would need to keep her to administer “aggressive” antibiotics.  Apparently that’s a thing.

I’m not sure exactly what time it was when they took her to her room, but she would spend the next three days there.  And we would be there too.

She was still in bad shape on Friday, but sometime on Saturday afternoon she seemed to perk up.  And she told me to go home lol.

And on Sunday, the doctor released Mama to go home.

We were relieved!

She was so happy!

And still a bit thirsty!

~

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

Friday Favorites

And I have some Happy Friday Favorites to share!

This week we celebrated my sweet kitty’s 13th birthday!

Happy Birthday to my

Favorite # ONE

Elvis

I’ve tried to get Elvis to pose for a birthday pic every year.

Some years we didn’t get lucky, but for the most part, Elvis has posed nicely for his annual photo shoot.  He is such a good kitty.

We came across something at ALDI that we thought Elvis might enjoy so for about $8 we picked up

Favorite # TWO

Cat Playhouse

 

He loves it… especially with the addition of catnip.

Another fun item I recently found at ALDI is my

Favorite # THREE

KETO Bagels

I’m not sharing this information so you will go to Aldi and purchase these bagels.  They usually only have 2 packages on the shelf so leave them there for me.

I love them!

Only 2 net carbs and 90 calories in the whole bagel. Plus lots of fiber.  I’m sure that Dr. Berg would find something “bad” in the ingredients list, but I’m not going to ask for his opinion.  Ignorance is BLISS.

On Tuesday I enjoyed one of those bagels toasted with a little bit of cheese.  The cheese was all bubbly and melt-y and looking delicious.  I couldn’t wait to sit down at my stupid desk and enjoy it.  Instead I dropped it in my lap.  And I got melted cheddar all over my long cardigan.

So sad.

In an effort to make myself feel better, I went shopping for a new one.

Favorite # FOUR

Long Ribbed Duster from Venus.

Yep… I feel better already.

~

I received this item for my birthday [thanks Gina!], but just used it for the first time this week…

Favorite # FIVE

I used it and THEN I read the reviews.  Hopefully my feet won’t become victim to exfoliation obliteration.  It is supposed to take up to two weeks for results. I’ll keep you posted.

~

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

Friday Favorites

EVERY Friday is a Happy Friday!  And as luck would have it, I have a few favorites to share today.

I’m going to start with last Saturday when LB and I joined my family to celebrate my sisters birthday.

We met at the town center, at a restaurant called Fresh Mex & Co.  While I can’t say that this is the best Mexican restaurant I’ve ever been to, I can say that it is the best one I’ve ever been to with the whole family.  And whenever my whole family is gathered in one location, chaos ensues…

Favorite # ONE

Togetherness

We gathered at 2:30 and luckily there were not many others trying to enjoy their meal at that time!

~

Last week in my Friday Favorites post, I mentioned that LB bought a record player.  He did this because I have been wanting to recreate the “playlist” that my daddy always listened to when I was little.  We haven’t found any of his old records at any of the record stores we’ve visited, but LB happened to find one of the records online…

Favorite # TWO

Golden Greats by The Ventures

We listened to the record when it arrived and it was great!  I think Wipe-Out is my favorite.

There are a few others that I’ll be searching for:

~

Favorite # THREE

The Best Banana Bread

I made it on Thursday, a 2nd time, by special request.

I haven’t tried it myself because… carbs, you know, but LB loves it!

~

It is no secret that I like to shop.  Recently I found a cute top on Amazon that I thought I might need.  I was right.

Favorite # FOUR

It can be worn on or off the shoulders and looks better with my white sailor shorts from LOFT than it does with those ratty denim shorts in the photo.

~

I always listen to X22 Report on Rumble and recently Dave shared an episode featuring an interview with General Flynn and Clay Clark.  This week that episode is my

Favorite # FIVE

It is a bit over an hour in length, but I hope you will listen to [at least some of ] it, paying close attention to information about the executive order that is supposed to go into effect on December 13th.

Then call your representative.

~

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

Friday Favorites

It has been awhile since I even logged into my blog website.  It seems like there is always something to do but nothing interesting enough to write about.  That said, I think in the past 7 weeks since I posted a “Friday Favorites” I ought to be able to come up with some favorites to write about.  Let’s see…

Favorite # ONE

The Rat Pack

They aren’t the original Rat Pack, but call their show A Toast to The Rat Pack.  LB and I saw them perform at the Alhambra Friday a week ago.  The show was EXCELLENT.  We have been talking about it ever since and highly recommend!

The man who played the part of Dean Martin was especially entertaining

~

What would a list of Friday Favorites be without a new purchase???

Favorite # TWO

New Shoes!

Women’s Viv Chain Slide Sandals – A New Day™

YouTube fashionistas are singing the praises of upcoming fall fashion.  I’m still all about summer fashion.  These sandals are my summertime favorites.  They are SO CUTE and great bunion hiders!

~

LB made a new purchase as wellThis week we listened to some New Old Records and enjoyed the nostalgia of playing them on the record player.  This one is our favorite so far

Favorite # THREE

Glen Campbell’s Greatest Hits

one of the greatest singers ever!

~

Before the stupid COVID lockdown, LB and I used to Go Go Go.  Now that the world is beginning to normalize, we are venturing out a bit more.  So on Wednesday we headed to St. Augustine for an old favorite:

Favorite # FOUR

Music By The Sea

at the St. John’s County Pier. And we got rained on… just like old times!

Wednesday was also my sister’s birthday.  Happy Birthday to my

Favorite # FIVE

Gina

sometimes I refer to her a Rosita

My Seester: Rosita Chiquita Juanita Chihuahua

 

I think

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

Friday Favorites

As always, I’m ready for the weekend!

This week started out pretty good.  LB and I finally attended a concert that he bought tickets for in 2020.

Favorite # ONE

Covid is gone and BACK STREETS BACK.

Other than the Backstreet Boys concert, LB and I have been working on our yard getting ready for summer, which  finally arrived on Tuesday!

Favorite # TWO

(I am posting this late.  We are well into summer and getting close to fall.  Today is August 26th and I wrote this 2 months ago.  My little secret garden has changed in two months, but I won’t have another picture until it stops raining long enough for me to go outside again!)

Speaking of working in the yard, I mentioned my secret garden this this post.

It was looking pretty sad that day, but I’ve been adding to it

Favorite # THREECUTE!

Although I’m not finished working, it has shaped up a lot in the past few weeks!

Also in the post about my secret garden I mentioned the french drain system we put in the back yard.  [Yes LB and I did it ourselves].  That has all been taken care of and the yard is starting to look normal again.

We had a sidewalk installed for easy access to the pool enclosure.  This week LB is installing lights and I get to shovel lava rock

The lava rock is not my favorite, LB’s landscape lighting is…

Favorite # FOUR

LB’s Landscape Lighting

It lights up the landscape AND the woods!

Favorite # FIVE

Keto Brownies

I found it on Pinterest and added it to my kETO board.

These brownies are pretty tasty for the type of ingredients it contains AND it was MUCH easier than Dr. Berg’s chocolate-scrambled-eggs-and-butter brownies.

~

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

Summer Vacation 2022

My vacation began on Friday May 28th as soon as I logged out of my company pc.  If I am off work, I feel like I am in vacation mode.  However, this one would be special because I wouldn’t be returning to work for 10 days.

LB and I had an appointment on Saturday afternoon, and a graduation event to attend on Sunday afternoon.  On Monday, May 30th, the kids came over to enjoy hamburgers and pool time.  It was a beautiful, sunny day!Summer has begun!

Then on Tuesday afternoon, LB and I kissed Elvis goodbye and headed to St. Petersburg

Treasure Island

by the time we arrived it was raining and we were starving.

It is typical for us to look for a Mexican restaurant when we are out of town.  We found Grand Hacienda Mexican Cuisine not far from our hotel.  After fasting all day, it was a much needed treat!

On

Wednesday, June 1st

I was awakened to the sound of Ronnie Milsap singing “Happy Happy Birthday Baby” on LB’s iPhone.  LB had put together a ‘Kimberly’s Birthday Playlist’ to serenade me while he presented birthday gifts.

The favorite had to be

The Green Purse

I’m spoiled.

We spent the entire day at the beach.

There were occasional grey clouds, but overall the weather was perfect.  The water was a beautiful jade green which is why I like the ocean on the west coast of Florida.  It is much prettier than the brown ocean on the east coast.  We stayed under the umbrella for the most part, and used sunscreen, but still managed to get a slight sunburn.

After a day at the beach, LB wanted to go out for a nice dinner.  We went to the Middle Grounds Grill.

I can’t recommend this place enough.  If you are in St. Petersburg, go to the Middle Grounds Grill!

Dinner was unbelievable!

We packed up to head home on Thursday, but stopped in Live Oak to check out some property for sale.  As it turned out, the land was great, but the surroundings not so much.  Lesson: never buy ANYTHING sight unseen!

On Thursday night, LB had made plans for us to attend the Happy Together Tour at the Florida Theater.

We had a great time!And there’s still 3 more days of vacation to go!

~

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

 

 

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