Beth's Blog

2014-08-01T18:17:00.000-07:00

2014-06-26T12:47:00.001-07:00

Took my first Tai Chi class yesterday.
{I'm looking for balance and harmony.} :-)
It was definitely interesting.
It's Tai Chi "for early risers."
Which meant I had to be there at 7:45 AM.
Which is early for me nowadays.
But I made it and had a good workout.
I am going to try to practice some of the
moves during the week.
If I can remember what they were!!

2014-06-19T17:23:00.005-07:00

Went to see the ophthalmologist today and got a new one to add to the file:
"It happens as you get older."

Posterior Vitreous Detachment.

Basically it means that the gel-like fluid in my eye is shrinking, which makes it pull away from the back of the eye.

(This is the way Wikipedia puts it: Over time the vitreous changes, shrinking and developing pockets of liquefaction, similar to the way a gelatin dessert shrinks, or detaches, from the edge of a pan over time. At some stage the vitreous membrane may peel away from the retina. Age and refractive error play a role in determining the onset of PVD in a healthy person.)

Yep, AGE plays a role.
That's what my doctor said.

It does occur in the majority of people as they age. But I also have "refractive error"--- which means that since I am very very very very nearsighted, I am more at risk of having it occur at a 'younger' age (less than 65 years old).

Oh, and the doctor who said it "happens as you get older" looked to be about
twenty-two years old.

No kidding.

Guess I just need to remember:

Really, I'm glad it wasn't anything serious.
I just can't believe that the last few times I've had to see the doctor, the
"diagnosis" has been,
"It happens as you get older."

Especially when the diagnosis is coming from someone who I would like to see an ID from to verify that they are old enough to have gone to medical school!

(And yes, I realize that the last statement
makes me sound old!!)

Now, it's time for my nap. :)

June

2014-06-16T12:16:00.003-07:00

2014-06-01T12:25:00.000-07:00

Merriment . . .

2013-12-05T21:20:00.001-08:00

Ms. Elf decided to keep an eye on Dave from the 'fridge, so she wrapped up in a towel and waited for him to get something out of the 'fridge in the morning:

6:00 AM

But (according to Dave) she couldn't resist one of these when she saw them in the 'fridge:

8:00 AM

That Dave is a FUNNY guy!!

Merriment, day four . . . and Game On!!!

2013-12-04T16:56:00.000-08:00

Ms. Elf got mischievous and played with the toilet paper last night.

Here's how she greeted Dave this morning:

And here's how I found her later:

Dave said, "She got toilet paper stuck to the bottom of her feet."

Yep, game on!!

This is going to be a F-U-N December!!!

Merriment, day 3 . . . and an unexpected twist

2013-12-03T12:09:00.000-08:00

Where was Ms. Elf first thing this morning, waiting for Dave to start his day?

In his coffee cup, waiting behind the cupboard door until he opened it up to have his first cup of coffee this morning!

But then when I got up a bit later . . .
here's how I found Ms. Elf:

Hmmm . . . good move, Dave!
Looks like this may be way more fun
than I had even imagined!!!!

Merriment

2013-12-02T20:06:00.002-08:00

Introducing . . . the Elf at our house.

Ms. Elf showed up this morning, and left a note for Dave on the chalkboard.

Dave asked me about it . . . "What's this?"
In my best poker-face {which really, I have no poker face}, I said, "What?"

The Elf's magic must have worked,
because Dave looked puzzled.

Then he asked me, "Did Amy do this before she left yesterday?" [My friend Amy had stopped by yesterday afternoon].

Again, I tried to put on a straight face and
told him I had no idea.

At that point I think he wasn't sure what the
heck was going on!

Now I'm SURE I can't wait for tomorrow!

Oh how fun!!!

.

Let the merriment begin!

2013-12-01T11:42:00.003-08:00

December 1, 2013:
Let the merriment begin!

2013-11-28T02:20:00.001-08:00

2013-11-25T18:43:00.002-08:00

Is it bad that I want to get one of these "Elf on the Shelf" guys just for me? With no kids in the house, it doesn't quite seem right . . . and yet, I keep thinking of all sorts of things for him to do that would amuse me tremendously . . .

Hello October

2013-10-06T12:07:00.000-07:00

My favorite time of the year is here.
Fall.

Lots of pumpkins and orange and yellow.
The start of decorating "season" ---
Halloween, then Thanksgiving, then Christmas.
The weather getting a bit cooler.
(Although in So. Calif. we still will
have days in the 80's).
Hello October.

New Journey

2013-09-16T12:44:00.000-07:00

It has "officially" been three months since I retired from teaching. At first it just seemed like "summer vacation" so I didn't feel any different. My school has been back in session for 3-1/2 weeks, so now I'm experiencing what it's really like being retired. The best part so far is that I get to sleep in . . . for as long as I want. And lately, I've wanted to sleep in a long time.

Now I'm trying to figure out what I want to do with the rest of my life. I am looking into a few things, taking a few classes, and enjoying having the option to explore. I know I am very lucky to have this luxury. So let the "new" journey begin . . .

No more . . .

2013-08-21T11:47:00.000-07:00

No more . . .

pencils

No more . . .

books

No more . . .

teacher's dirty looks

I'm . . .

2013-05-27T12:32:00.002-07:00

2013-05-12T15:17:00.003-07:00

DoodleArt by the fabulous Stephanie Ackerman at Homegrown Hospitality

Happy Mother's Day to MY mom!

And hope all my friends who are moms are enjoying their day!

2013-03-01T17:10:00.001-08:00

Still working on LESS.

LESS stuff.

LESS calories.
LESS stress.

Doing "okay" with it.

Thinking about making changes.

Big changes.

Exciting.

Scary.

Good.

LESS . . .

Good News

2013-02-09T11:54:00.001-08:00

While she is old (80 in human years) and is currently fighting a bladder infection & is on thyroid medicine, the Vet just called to let us know that she does NOT have diabetes like he thought she might. Yeah!! No two-shots-of-insulin-per-day for our dear little Patches!!

Last Day of School . . . let the countdown begin

2013-02-07T16:46:00.000-08:00

Vacation Countdown

Less

2013-01-18T18:26:00.001-08:00

Doing okay with my "less" word.

Cleaned out my closet and got rid of some clothes.

Redid and organized my collection of ribbons and gift bags.

Got rid of some materials that I have not used at school in years and could recreate or find on-line if necessary.

Working on having less, appreciating all that I have more! :-)

my one little word for 2013

2013-01-05T12:57:00.004-08:00

I decided on my one little word for this year.

It is:

Less is More

Less stuff

Less eating

Less of me

Less spending

Less stress

one. little. word.

2013-01-04T11:50:00.001-08:00

Here it is January 4th, and I still don't have my one little word. Like I said in my previous post, most of the time the word just comes to me ("finds" me) but not this year. However, I have made a list of words that I've either thought of or ones that I saw on Ali Edwards blog. Here's the list of words I'm considering:

act

accomplish

complete

declutter

finish

focus

health

less

live

organize

reduce

reengergize

reflect

rekindle

renew

plan

The ones that are bold are the ones most in the running right now. I think I know the "right" one but I need to think about it a bit more. I asked my husband to help me pick one, and his favorite involves any kind of "decluttering" that I might do (I like my "stuff" and have a hard time parting with it!!) but I want to make sure my one little word encompasses everything I want to accomplish this year. I'll be figuring out the right word soon .... this afternoon or tomorrow morning at the latest. I'll post my word when I figure out what it is!

Happy New Year

2013-01-01T19:02:00.001-08:00

one little word 2013

2012-12-27T11:26:00.003-08:00

It's time to pick out my one little word for 2013. The concept of picking one word to focus on for the upcoming year is from Ali Edwards. You can read about it here. For 2012 my word was conscientious. (You can see my post from last year about why I picked the word here.) Other words I have chosen over the years include: 2011 - do, 2010 - change, 2009 - mindful, and 2008 - creative.

I haven't decided on my word for 2013 yet. I have a few words kicking around in my head, but one hasn't "found" me yet. (A lot of people who choose to do this each year write about how the word "finds" them.) I know I will be able to get "just the right word" by January 1st, so that I can have, in Ali Edward's words, "a word that I can focus on, mediate on, and reflect upon as I go about my daily life". So I'll be back by Jan. 1st to let you in on my word.

What about you? Will you pick a word to concentrate on in 2013? Join the journey! :-)