Here I am, whizzing right along as the year passes, not even giving me time for a decent review.    October is nearly half gone, and the Halloween displays in the supermarket will give way to Christmas items in only a few weeks.   I imagine the department stores have already started on that.

My calendar is a checklist of chores to do and those done, doctor appointments, which bills to pay when, and other things.  Lately the repair people's numbers are jotted there too.    And the health insurance and also mail order pharmacy notes.     Not a very social calendar is it?

I saw a quote on Facebook this morning.   "Take a good look at this day.  It might be your last one."     How's that for a reality check?   

Lately we have had cloudy skies, or partly so anyway and on some days, the clear blue is so vivid it almost hurts my eyes, while the cloud formations are a wonder to behold.     A daily panorama to delight us. 

All I have on my agenda today is a haircut.    Oh, I have the niggley chores around here, but that's everyday stuff.    My hair is a mess.   It looks as if I am trying to copy Leslie Stahl.   What is up with that woman's hair?  She must have broken her last mirror.

Well, I took a break and had the haircut.   Sure does feel good.    I am at a point in my life when comfort and ease of upkeep mean everything to me.   My hair, clothes, and what little make up I use must be easy.    All my pants have elastic waists and my tops are easy care and easy fit.   You can call me Easy Ava.

On the menu tonight will be smothered pork chops, navy beans and rice.    I will probably steam some brussels sprouts to go with it.   Whatcha think??

Nothing else of note except that I will take it easy the rest of the day till it's time to cook.   We had to get a new fridge and the work of getting everything out and into iceboxes, hauling ice to keep stuff cool, cleaning behind the fridge (Eek, what a mess!) and then putting things back, emptying cool boxes, etc., has made me sore in places I didn't know I had places.    Mostly my shoulders and arms.    Oh Lordy.    No fun getting old.   

Ya'll keep on keepin' on and have a happy Halloween, then Thanksgiving and before you know it, Christmas.    

Addendum

I came home from the beauty shop and found two cats, each in a chair here in my computer room, fast asleep and looking purposefully at me, daring me to move them.     Honestly, they are lazier than I am.   And that's pretty lazy. 

Not me, my computer.   I picked up an insidious piece of crapola on FB and it messed up my PC big time.    It was only here a few hours, but that was enough to corrupt 138 files and keep giving me annoying pop ups from a hoax program that offered me the deal of cleaning off my computer for $79.    I called Microsoft and got a foreign tech who wanted my credit card number to help me.    After repeated badgering on my part and his reluctance to shut up, I was transferred to yet another man with a thick accent who didn't want to tell me anything until I finally said no, nothing till I was given a price.     Over $200!    I left him stuttering, trying to sell me a little cheaper plan as I hung up on him.   Talk about high pressure!

As luck would have it, very good luck, on my PO run I stopped by a childhood friend's second hand shop and her daughter in law was in the store and told me her hubby was a computer repair guy and that her could clean my computer for $45.      I called him and he was at my house in a couple of hours.   He took my tower and kept it overnight.  He advised me to replace my power source so the entire charge would be $70.     

I am clean, and running fine.     What a good feeling.   Only thing is I am afraid I sent on this bug to several friends.    It came to me with the name of my nephew who lives in Hawaii.    It said it was a video and I thought it would be surfing video.   Instead it was porno complete with a dirty little worm in it.    Yuck.    Live and learn.   I may never open another video again.

It's cloudy and a little cooler today.     I fixed Sunday lunch, pork pot roast with delicious gravy, rice, navy beans and steamed carrots.    I am so glad I got to go to Mass yesterday, leaving me free today to cook at noon.    Gordon enjoyed it and that's the most important part.

Oh yes, one other thing.     My camera died and I haven't gotten another yet.     I would love to send a pic of what happened to my bougainvilla.     It came from Gordon's mother many years ago and now is in my side garden.   It's salmon colored and blooming profusely.   And in the middle of all that salmon, there is a bright   fuschia flower.   How is this happening?  Anyone ever have this experience?

The season is upon us.      We've had rain for the last week or so.  Some days it's heavy and others it's barely there, but still it falls.      Personally, I love it maybe because it's been so danged hot and dry for so long.    Chinch bugs have decimated the lawn.    Why oh why don't they eat weeds and nut grass!   No, they only eat the good St. Augustine sod that we have in this area.     I find no consolation in the fact that other yards look as bad or worse than ours.     Gordon really hates it because he remembers a time when he stayed on top of things and put out the poison for the odious little critters and kept them at bay when yards all around us succumbed to them.

But in time, I suppose the grass will come back and it will be pretty again till the next hot dry spell.     Maybe I can keep better watch on it next year.

And it's the season that weatherguessers love.     They gloat and prance about pointing to the giant maps and watch every little wave or ripple even way off thousands of miles, trying to tell us they know what is going to happen and where the next hurricane will hit when there is no hurricane yet.    

I wouldn't make a good weatherman.     If nothing was imminent, I would say so, telling people to relax and wait for something real.    Then I would fold up my map and go home for a nap.    But they have to report something I suppose.   Why not where the weather is balmy and beautiful and no one is burning up with heat or dying in the cold, or drowning or being earthquaked?   I know that's not a word, but I like it.

I love how our local talking heads complain of the heat in the summer and then gripe about the cold in the winter.    They hardly pay attention to the seasons inbetween when normal people  enjoy the nice temps.    I think most  anchors and co hosts are secretly in love and find those little exchanges a form of TV flirting.   "Oooo Bob, I am so hot!  Can't you find us a bit of cool weather?" she says as she flutters her false eyelashes. 

As far as weather is concerned, I am neutral.   I am lucky enough to have an air conditioned home so I can stay in if I don't like what is happening outside.     At my age, comfort is everything.   After all, what else do we have?     The only thing I care about is that we don't have to evacuate from a hurricane.     If we do, I need to make arrangements at the funeral home because it will kill both of us to do that again.    Pack up everything, including cats, try not to think of our things that might be destroyed, hit the road with thousands of others, all running like rats from a sinking ship.     Drive, drive, drive, even though your muscles are aching and your feet are crying out loud.  Worry about your ailing spouse who groans with every small bump in the road.   Finally find whatever accommodations there are God knows where and unload everything.    Try to make meals and be semi comfortable in a room that is the worst you have ever stayed in and pray for the all clear so you can go home.   

Pack up everything again and get back on the road, counting the hours till you get there.      Sadly see all the debris and destroyed homes, power lines, and general destruction all the way home.     Finally getting to your home town, and still seeing really bad damage everywhere.     Turning the corner onto your street just knowing your home is destroyed.    No, it's still there.    No power and the yard is a mess, but the roof is there.  

I find this stressful to the max and then I think of those who are left with nothing and I am praying thanks for us, feeling guilt about them, so I pray for us all.  

No, we can't go.   That's it.   I read in our paper that if we don't go we are subject to a fine.    Sorry, I am still not going.   

I just now went out to pick up our morning paper.    Gosh the light rain felt good.    If my feet would allow, I think I might take a walk in the rain.   Mama and I used to like that.    

I think August is supposed to be the hottest month around here, but it will have to go some to beat June and July.    Thank goodness we have had some much needed rain to partially cool us down for a little while.    Now maybe the high temps will stay in the low 90s instead of higher.

Life goes on here at the South home.   Gordon's pain is about the same, some days worse than others.   We have decided to stop seeing the pain management doctor as all he did was talk to us a bit and prescribe the same meds.   And charge us a high dollar for doing it, of course.   We are going to try using our primary care doctor, who we trust and admire.    There are no long waits past appointment times with him and his nurse is so compassionate.

I am about the same too.   Just when I think my blood pressure is under control it spikes or drops and makes me feel rotten.    Must speak to Dr. P. about that too.  I still have not gone back to my swim aerobics for one reason or another.   It seems something always comes up.

I do the minimum around here as far as deep cleaning the house.    I am glad that Gordon goes without his glasses most of the time so he doesn't see the dust.

Life has been so good to us thus far.    Kids that we love and who love us, and family and friends who are there for us if we need them have made it  so.   And having each other is the highest blessing of all.    I always wanted us to grow old with each other and we are well on our way to doing that.   In fact it is hard for me to remember when we were not together.     These past 54 years have been the best part of our lives.

So come on, August, give us your best shot.  (No hurricanes, please.)   Weather is really the least of our problems.    

Today I fixed the old traditional Sunday dinner that we used to have when the kids were home.   Rump roast, stuffed with onion, garlic and bell pepper and cooking the caste iron dutch oven.     The gravy was so good.    I cooked a pot of rice and one of pinto beans too.    We had really good corn on the cob, the gold and white one, very fresh and on special at HEB four for a dollar.     Gordon ate some leftover coleslaw from yesterday.   

We had it at noon and again for our supper meal.    No dessert, but I did eat a few vanilla wafers for supper.

It's so hot, we seldom venture out unless necessary.    The lawns all over are brown and crunchy.   The local ag man says they will bounce back as soon as it rains.     But when will that be?     It's been an awful long time.

Local idiot neighbors ignored the city ordinance against fireworks, of course.     I just knew someones dry lawn would be ingnited and we'd have a raging grass fire, but I guess it didn't happen.    I'll never understand this blatant breaking of the law.    I guess I am old fashioned.

Our health situation is the same.    Gordon gets little relief from his pain and I am trying very hard to control my blood pressure and blood sugar.    Now that the cardio docs tell me my ticker is okay, I have relaxed a little, but I don't think I will go back there.     See earlier posts about long, long waiting and super crowded waiting room.    Those doctors are making money hand over fist and no one can tell me they are in the health care field because they are humanitarians.

Our primary care doc will be the one to take care of me from now on.   

Nothing else of note to report, so I will sign off with a wish for a happy independence holiday or what's left of it anyway for all my readers.     I managed to eat a hot dog to celebrate.   Whole wheat bun, fat free weiner and home made chili.    Yum.

addendum   Nothing is so sickening as the news story about the winner of the hot dog eating contest in NY.    68 hot dogs.    Yuk.   Tell me he didn't go right out and barf.     Eating contests are the most nasty displays of idiocy I have ever heard of.