Diane’s Musings

February 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Diane Wetterlin) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 17:05:00 +0000

Room was looking particularly good so I had to take a picture!

Cleo's not on her ottoman in front of the fire (she was earlier and is right now) but Quincy is on his ottoman in front of the sofa and next to the laptop!

Good thing you can't see all the Cleo clumps of hair on the rug . . .

It's really the first day cold enough to enjoy the fire - gotta a love a fire you just have to "turn on" rather than "build".

(Cleo's favorite position when the fire is on and yes, that is a vase of wine corks!!)

Happy Valentine's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Diane Wetterlin) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 13:50:00 +0000

to my wonderful sons . . . .

(and no, I didn't make cupcakes!)

interesting - I just read that today is the Anti-Valentine's Day Day - at least a dating company has declared it - but that's just crazy - how can you dislike a holiday that is symbolized by chocolate?? :)

Lists and updates

noreply@blogger.com (Diane Wetterlin) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:16:00 +0000

I was remembering that I made a list last year of things that needed to be done - (from April 2011)

taxes done
dining room emptied of the stuff that doesn't belong there
dining room table back in the dining room!
bedroom rearranged
living room emptied of what doesn't belong there!!

and decided it was time for an update!!

taxes done - well last year's were done - almost time to do them again!!
dining room still has a few things that don't belong there but it's minuscule compared to what it was!
dining room table has been in there and we had Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner there!!
bedroom rearranged - not so much :(
living room emptied of what doesn't belong - yes and rearranged!! :)

now for a new list - this one is going to cost more :(

replace the fence on the side of house, including a new gate
replace the railing at the front porch
curtains (or something) for the living room and dining room windows
painting the living room, dining room and foyer

That's enough for now!! Will have to check back next year and see what's been accomplished!!

La Cage aux Folles

noreply@blogger.com (Diane Wetterlin) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 01:59:00 +0000

All by myself

noreply@blogger.com (Diane Wetterlin) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 17:50:00 +0000

Feels a bit strange but not bad. Wish I could talk with people better but then again maybe I don't!

Good trip up - about 3 hours. Time went quickly listening to my book by Elizabeth George! Hope the trip home is as uneventful.

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To go or not to go . . .

noreply@blogger.com (Diane Wetterlin) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:18:00 +0000

I have tickets to another play tomorrow - and I'm still trying to decide if I'm going to drive up to DC or not. I want to see the play but the drive alone is daunting. It didn't use to be. . . I would leave work on a Friday evening and drive up there without a thought and come back on Sunday. But, although I drove up and back alone, I had a destination - a place.

Anyway - that's not the case now so I need to decide if driving up and back the same day alone is worth it - I haven't done the trip alone in a long time - I'm thinking it will be worth it :) - at least I don't have to leave until about 8:30 or so!

Who Google Thinks I am . . . .

noreply@blogger.com (Diane Wetterlin) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:18:00 +0000

Google thinks I'm a 45-54 year old male - I don't know why exactly but apparently part of it is because I did searches on laptops and device drivers (although I don't remember doing those searches anytime recently!!). It did get right "localities >North America>USA>South (USA)>Virginia>Virginia Beach-Hampton Roads but that should have been a no-brainer because Google knows my IP address! :-)

Anyway, check who Google thinks you are!!

Hair cut

noreply@blogger.com (Diane Wetterlin) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 00:47:00 +0000

Does it say something about me or the person who colors and cuts my hair that I come home and re-wet and re-dry it?? I love the color and the cut's ok (it's a new one, slightly shorter but overall I like it) but the blow out wasn't good today! I looked very strange with puffy bangs and hair that was sweeping back (that part was ok but the puffy bangs HAD to go!). I couldn't even stand it on the drive home and simply pushed my bangs back but when I got home it was into the shower for a complete wet down!!

The re-dry was much better and more of what I was looking for . . . she's been doing my hair for almost 30 years (YIKES) and I suppose if this is the only complaint I have I'm very lucky!

Exercise

noreply@blogger.com (Diane Wetterlin) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 02:05:00 +0000

I know I should exercise and I know I should eat better - I do. And a few weeks ago I began riding the stationary bike - a mile every day but I got a "bug" and didn't do it for a couple of days and that's all it took to stop . . . SIGH.

I started again this evening - two miles in about 12 minutes. I'm going to have to push myself to do at least 2 miles every day - maybe twice a day on days I'm off - and hopefully I can make this a habit. Fingers crossed this time.

As for the food - I'm trying and guess I have to try even harder! DOUBLE SIGH!!

(this isn't the exact bike but it's close - Bry and I both use it so luckily the seat is easily adjusted! I don't do the fancy hills and scenarios that are available - I'm working on flat land at the least resistance - for a long while probably! at least it faces the TV so I can watch my true crime channels while I pedal! :) )

Silly cats

noreply@blogger.com (Diane Wetterlin) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:55:00 +0000

This is Quincy - he's been with me for a little over 5 years now - doesn't seem that long but it apparently has been! He was about 18 mo. old when I found him living under the house - so now he's a hearty, healthy 7 year old!

If he'd only stop trying to escape to the outside we'd all be happier but as long as we have a door between the family room and the front door we're ok!

I actually found a picture of Cleo in a very similar position!! She's closer to 11 now but that doesn't seem possible either. She's lost some weight with her age (I wish it worked that way for me) and is doing well - although she'd prefer to be an only cat most days! She's certainly not the same cat who walked into Oceanfront about 6 years ago!

(she's much smaller now and doesn't lie on her back much anymore - she's usually on the back of the sofa - squishing the cushion)

Time flies . . .

noreply@blogger.com (Diane Wetterlin) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 23:26:00 +0000

I don't know what happened . . . but suddenly I'm the oldest person in the room! It's a very strange feeling because, most of the time, I don't feel like I'm that much older - aside from the occasional ache and pain and I certainly can't squat down like I used to - but I don't actually feel any different. Seems like just yesterday I was one of the youngest people in the room!

It's happened gradually (well at least I think it has) but now my boss is younger than I am; her boss is younger than I am and today I was at a meeting where, of the seven people on the team and the "special guest", I was the oldest. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to feel about that - glad I'm still around for sure; grateful that, for some, the age difference isn't huge (about 3 years); concerned that I don't feel any smarter or experienced - definitely.

Anyway, it's a fact and won't be changed - I doubt if anyone will hire older people just to make me feel better! It's a thought but I don't think it will fly!

If Only . . .

noreply@blogger.com (Diane Wetterlin) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:16:00 +0000

“We must rapidly begin the shift from a "thing-oriented" society to a "person-oriented" society. When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

I wish that more people valued people over things - I wish that more children and young people knew the value of those things and greater importance of the people who provide the things. There's always hope and it's my hope that we can actually do what Dr. King recommends and move to a "person-oriented" society.

I'm trying to do my part. I remember my mother telling me once that my father came home and told her that they were going to have to move. They had a nice little house (according to Mom) and she had spent some time and effort in making curtains and fixing things up. She really didn't want to leave!! She said that my father told her that the house was just a thing - that things could be replaced but that people couldn't. I've tried to live that kind of life - I love my house and the things in it (or they probably wouldn't be here) but I've always said that only the breathing beings (and I'm including any pets that reside here in that!) are important to me - those are what I would fight to save. I keep that story in the forefront of my mind whenever I think about people and things.

Customer Service

noreply@blogger.com (Diane Wetterlin) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 00:46:00 +0000

I work in customer service . . plain and simple and yet, it is anything but plain or simple. Customer service is hard - really hard. Most of the customers I see are nice, pleasant people who actually apologize for asking for help (it's why I'm there - ask away!!). And it's so much fun to find an answer or help someone with a problem or issue they're having.

But there are others. It's hard to help people who are impatient, irritated, on the telephone (my pet peeve!) or oblivious. I'm sorry that your items are late and you now owe us money - I really am but it's not my fault! It's not my fault that a hurricane was coming so you evacuated three days early (and days after your materials were due!) and, no, I'm not willing to waive those fines. I didn't check out all those items and then pack them when you moved so that now they're months late and you've gotten a call from the collection agency. But I'm willing to help figure out the best solution for everyone. And I'm not the one who was on Facebook for 50 minutes and now only has 10 minutes to type up the letter that was so urgent you HAD to have a computer NOW - and no, the next reservation is starting in 10 minutes so I can't extend your time. But I will see if there's another computer that you can use either now or shortly to finish your work.

Some suggestions:

keep that receipt - it gives your due dates and if you lose it - check online or call us
have your card with you when you come in or call on the phone - it'll speed things along
have email that you're willing to share - we'll let you know things are coming due - great for saving on fines!
don't berate the staff when the situation is out of their control - they're really trying to help you

My workplace is very customer oriented and we work hard at it and most of the time I think we get it right. But it's hard work every day . . . and every day I hope that at least one person walks away pleased with the service they've received.

Dreams

noreply@blogger.com (Diane Wetterlin) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 01:11:00 +0000

I changed the design of my blog (several times in the recent past) because Blogger has had so many new options! This one I chose because of my dreams of traveling. I've been really lucky and visited a few foreign countries and I'd love to go again. There are several places in the US I'd like to visit too . . . so many places, so little money!

(my version of the new design - from a trip to Vegas in 2009)

Alternate Realities

noreply@blogger.com (Diane Wetterlin) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 21:19:00 +0000

Lately I've been thinking about roads not taken, of paths changed, often through no choice of mine. I don't know that I would change anything in my life only because one change can affect so many others, but it would be interesting to see that alternate reality - the "what might have been".

If I could go back 48 (or a bit more) years ago and convince doctors that colonoscopies were the way to go AND if I could convince my father to have one, he might not have died when I was 14. My life would have been different but what would I have missed? Would I have been able to go to college (and specifically the college I attended) because the cost was covered by part of his life insurance. If I hadn't gone to that college, at that time, I wouldn't have met the man I married and I wouldn't have had the two children I have. I might have had others but not these two. I probably wouldn't have moved to Hampton Roads and probably wouldn't have worked in a library - a whole lot of misses! Would the changes have compensated for those? I'll never know!

But I do know that I did go to college and the one I wanted. I did meet a wonderful man who died much too young and I had two terrific (to me anyway!) children who mean the world to me. I did move (courtesy of that husband and the US Navy) to Hampton Roads where I've been on and off for almost 38 years and, for the last 25 years I've been working in a library and enjoying [almost!] every minute of it.

So for all the thinking and pondering, and all the wishes I have to see lost family members one more time, I have to say that my life has been pretty good. I've known (and know) some wonderful people, I enjoy my family, my home and my life. I'm looking forward to the next steps - while keeping the memories of the past close to my heart.

Making a difference . . .

noreply@blogger.com (Diane Wetterlin) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 02:53:00 +0000

From a blog I read occasionally - "One option is to struggle to be heard whenever you're in the room . . . another is to be the sort of person who is missed when you are not. The first involves making noise. The second involves making a difference."

How I would like to think that I'm someone who's making a difference, but a closer look at my life shows I'm more likely the person making noise - or if not that person, then one who's not missed when she leaves the room because I've made no contribution.

It's difficult to be in the last third of your life - the promise of youth is behind me as is the productivity of early adulthood. I still believe that I have things to do . . . and I know I've done things of which I'm very proud . . . but I also know that time is finite.

Ah . . . but too much of this only breeds melancholy and that's just counter-productive so while the quiet times do lead to contemplation, they don't lead to depression or melancholy.

Just for me

noreply@blogger.com (Diane Wetterlin) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 15:09:00 +0000

Not long ago my Facebook horoscope (yea, I know! but at least I don't publish them!) said: What was the last thing you bought/did just for yourself - not for the house, not for the children, just for you? I had to really think about it, because I've been buying (Christmas!!) and spending on things for the house (windows, dresser, etc.) but I couldn't remember what was for me.

I do now - after a lovely time in DC at the Kennedy Center I know what was just for me - the season tickets to the theater! Yes, I bought two - I've been doing that for YEARS - but that gives me the opportunity to spend time with friends by asking one of them to come with me! While it may seem extravagant, the cost isn't that much spread over a year and I don't spend much money just on me - so I'm going to keep doing it as long as I can.

Happy New Year - Welcome 2012!

noreply@blogger.com (Diane Wetterlin) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 01:36:00 +0000

Just a small brag - my dining room is just about complete - there's only a small amount left to sift through (and a large amount of trash that might take a couple of weeks to get rid of!). Here's the purchase I made for the room - to hold my mother's china. It looks like it should have been there all along!

New Year's Eve eve

noreply@blogger.com (Diane Wetterlin) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 23:38:00 +0000

New Year's Eve eve - and 2011 is winding down. I, for one, am happy about that - it's been an unusual and stressful year and I'm happy to see it leave.

It's definitely going out with a bang! I've been cleaning and moving and re-arranging to beat the band! Bryan has been a huge help (couldn't have done it without him) - and we've managed to move his bedroom to the front room, leaving the one in the back for an office/study area for him. There's still some things to be swept up/discarded in there but the bedroom is up and running! Got a new dresser for the front room - looks good and holds the TV and various pieces of equipment. Boy was it heavy getting it upstairs!

Today I went and picked up a sideboard that I've been eyeing for some time. Talk about heavy!! But we got it in the house and in the dining room - after a lot of sorting of assorted papers and "stuff" that mysteriously (!) appeared there! Now my mother's china is all put away and no longer is any of it in the living room. The portrait of the boys is hanging above it - looks good! Still papers and other things to sort through (piled on the dining table right now) and there are three bags/boxes of papers to throw in the recycle bin (luckily it was emptied today!).

Looking forward to having the cleaning and sorting done - and have a list of projects for 2012 - moving forward isn't always easy and often takes me longer than I'd like - but I'm moving and it feels good!

noreply@blogger.com (Diane Wetterlin) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 02:24:00 +0000

It's Christmas Eve eve and I'm a bit contemplative tonight. It's been quite a while since it's been just the three of us at Christmas - I'm looking forward to having both sons here for gifts and dinner. There's going to be so much food - glad I can send a lot of it home with S!

I had good news yesterday. The MRI went well - that medicine worked wonders! - and the results were that I'm fine. Since it's been a difficult year, I'll take all the good news I can get!

I'm doing well emotionally (for the most part!) and now, physically. My sons are healthy and doing well and I'm still enjoying my job - it doesn't get much better than that!

The second from the left looks a little like Cleo and the second from the right a bit like Quincy! But neither one would be caught dead in a hat of any kind!

Merry Christmas to all!

noreply@blogger.com (Diane Wetterlin) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 02:22:00 +0000

Tomorrow I'm having a medical test - one that many people have had - some more than once - but one that frightens me more than most because I'm claustrophobic. It's an MRI! I had my first CT scan not long ago and that was ok but this is something else. I know it will be fine and I'm sure the reason for the MRI isn't serious and the doctor is just being thorough but . . .

So, although I don't normally wish my life away, I wouldn't mind if it was noon tomorrow already - because the test would be over and I'd be back home. (I have been given some medication to help with the claustrophobia so I can't drive or go back to work.)

noreply@blogger.com (Diane Wetterlin) — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 02:21:00 +0000

Today was the holiday dinner at work . . . lots of good food and got to see some staff who've moved on to other places over the past year. It was fun . . . although I have to say that I'm having a more difficult time getting into the spirit this year. I decorated, I've purchased (but not much actually), and I'm trying but it's hard.

But Christmas is coming whether I'm ready or not so it's about time I got ready! I will have a good day spending time with my sons and I hope to talk with my brother . . . and all of that is good.

Tomorrow is another busy day . . . groceries for sure and laundry definitely . . . . and I HAVE to do some additional shopping . . . SIGH!

noreply@blogger.com (Diane Wetterlin) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 01:49:00 +0000

"The spaces we live in become filled with memories" - philosophy from a TV show! (NCIS) - that rings true to me. I have wonderful memories of many people, places and some things too.

Christmas is a time of joy and sorrow - looking forward and reflection on what might have been - it's also a time of "coulda, shoulda, woulda" - and how unproductive THAT is! So I've decided that it's important for me to focus on the wonderful memories, the great people and positive things in my life now and let the rest go. To focus on the past only diminishes the promise of the future.

SO. . . here's to a joyful Christmas celebration and an exciting 2012!

noreply@blogger.com (Diane Wetterlin) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 03:42:00 +0000

My Christmas tree is up, the candles are in the windows and wreaths are on the door and the garage.

The Santa Clauses are out! I haven't done this much decorating in a while and it feels good! Still have lots of cleaning and purging to do, but in the meantime I'm going to enjoy the lights, the tree and the Santas!

noreply@blogger.com (Diane Wetterlin) — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 00:20:00 +0000

Tomorrow I'm going to Arlington to place the wreaths on the graves . . . it's always a stressful yet peaceful time - contradictory I know! The drive up is usually not too bad although I'll be doing the driving for the first time in a while but a friend is going with me so it will pass quickly.

I've made sure to have all the grave numbers in my phone so I won't lose anyone - I never thought I would but recently (10 years or so) there has been a lot of "fill in" around Harry's that has caused me to hunt more than usual.

I don't usually have trouble finding my Dad (and now my Mom) but I usually have to drive up and down at least once to find my step-father (SIGH).

Anyway, the weather is supposed to be good and I'll have good company! I always feel good afterwards.