Sunday updates ...

  First this photo and update.  This is Brooke and her father, William VanDevelder, hiking in Colorado.  They are distant relatives for the postcards I blogged about [here] and [here].  It's so amazing to reconnect people to their past, letting those who were once lost live again.

  I've not been feeling well for the past two days.  Friday I had a fresh spinach salad, bacon bits, dried cranberries, and pumpkin seeds with Paul Newman's White Balsamic Vinegarette, and then later finished off the rest of the pumpkin seeds while watching a movie with Charlie  A little research has pointed the finger to the pumpkin seeds because after them I spent most of the night awake and chanting "I am not going to throw up.  I am not going to throw up."  Which worked, however, left them only one other point of exit.  Today I'm running a low fever, sipping ginger and turmeric tea, and moving slowly.  The symptoms have been decreasing since Saturday morning, but it will be a very, very long time before I eat them again, if ever.

  Here is the futon sofa I was able to get last fall.  All brown and boring.  If you look closely you can see where certain cats who need to be grateful I don't believe in declawing have been using it as a scratching post along the back of it.  Of course, they never do it when I can squirt them.

  And here it is with the remaining quilt as a cover.  I was originally planning on securing it with staples, however, decided that it would be good to occasionally toss it into the wash.  Standard sofa covers were not practical because the futon doesn't have arms, and they are thin and equally boring.  This ties the rugs and recovered dining room chairs together, and adds some color to the room.  The storage tub end and coffee tables are temporary until I can find (or make) suitable replacements in the near future.  Charlie's fuzzy blanket will be washed and stored soon, and pillow covers replaced with yellow ones.  I haven't yet figured out what to put on the wall behind it yet.

Saturday ...

 It has been a frustrating week for me work-wise.  One of my crucial software programs is not working so I've spent several 10-hour days just hanging out ~ getting paid for it ~ but feeling extremely unproductive which gives my brain far too much time to think of negatives.

  I did get the dining room chairs finished, and tomorrow will work on the sofa.

  I wasn't really thrilled with how the white flour turned out in my cookbook bookends.  I may dump it all and get some dried beans or pasta.  I also am looking into some removable wallpaper to line the back wall of the pantry to add some color and pop in there.  The jars themselves date from the mid-1950s.  A friend is sending me some of her extra cookbooks and I'm excited to see what she sends.

  Picked up an ornament for my March decor.  I've ordered a large arc floor lamp to go in the corner over the dining room table and will move the party lights to another wall.  Still debating on getting an ornament tree ... or even a real tree branch that I can put in a floor pot and hang the party lights on.  

  In other less pleasant events this past week, my ex has violated the restraining order again ~ less than a month after getting a conviction for violating it last summer.  This time he had a friend of his reach out to me in an attempt to find out where I live.  It has added to my stress levels.  Police reports were filed in two states, and I'm looking into information on whether or not I will need to file an RO here that will not give him information on where I am.  I did let the local PD know that I have a weapon and am not afraid to use it.

  Mr. Charlie has a vet appointment on Tuesday which will most likely be followed by a dental cleaning and extraction at a later date, and possibly surgery about his now-growing bump on his side.  Likely a lipoma, but it has doubled in size in the past year.

  My truck is also getting a much-needed tune-up on Wednesday.  After the long drive down here, I want to be sure it stays reliable, and a belt has been squealing lately.  She's an oldie but is paid off.  So much for buying furniture and a washer and dryer with my tax refunds this year.

  You will also start to see at the top of the page links to past travels.  I'm working with UniWorld to get information from my Danube trip in 2008 since my scrapbooks were unfortunately left behind.  I found some old travel journals and am rebuilding what I can from them, and throwing in links to some sights I've been able to find.  

  I realized that this blog may be my only legacy if something ever happens to me, and may at some point schedule a "eulogy" to be posted when I'm no longer around to push the date out.   I don't regret deleting my other two blogs from the previous 10 years.  They included so much of my ex there wasn't much point in keeping them up when I removed all of the related posts.  Even posts that weren't specifically "about" him, I was able to recall the emotion behind the words and those were about him.  I wanted a fresh start.  In spite of him raising his ugly head into the "conversation" here, I think that a healthy part of my own healing is going to come from being able to address the yellow pig in the room and the resulting PTSD from the marriage.  But not today.

Wednesday ...

  Yesterday I got one of the chairs recovered, but this morning I had to go back to the hardware store to find longer screws ... and then back again this afternoon to get a battery screwdriver and a bit to fit the screws. (3rd times the charm!).  It has become a project that I will finish on Sunday after the battery has charged.

  While I was out I stopped by the Greenbrier Christmas Depot and picked up ornaments for February, March, and April.  Pictures soon when I get the rest of my March decor out.  It feels like I came home yesterday and today with more on my dodotodo list than I left with.

  Monday night I will work on covering the sofa.  Probably another trip (or three) to the hardware store next Tuesday.

  Today, however, I was distracted by a heat-wave (woohoo!  63F!) and spent a while cleaning old birdseed off the back patio so that Charlie and I could just enjoy the fresh air.  Windows were opened, and even Gracie got a chance to roll around.    

  While I was running errands today, I stopped into a few shops on Main Street I hadn't been into before.  One of them was a "this & that" store with antiques and whatnots.  I've been looking for bookends to use for my cookbooks and found two large blue Mason canning jars dating from the mid-1950s.  

  Since my dietary choices have recently been reduced to try to keep from becoming a full-blown diabetic, I'm going to fill them with some white rice and white flour that I had already purchased, opened to put in another container, and now can't eat.  Photo soon ~ they have been washed and are drying.

  It was a shop with so much to see, that I'm sure I will go back to find more decor for the house and kitchen.  There were several paintings that I would like to have a 2nd look at, and many books and cookbooks to look through.  I did get a very large one of vegetarian recipes while I was there.

   The other shop I went into was M Shop WV with postcards and other goodies that I wish I had found last fall.  Another shop I'm sure I will visit again.  They had sweatshirts and hoodies which have become my work attire lately.

  Speaking of goodies ... This coming fall I want to bake and send German Christmas cookies from my grandmother's recipes and am going to make flavored sugars to use in the recipes.  I'm drying the rind of a blood orange right now to use, and will soon be drying lemon rind, and ordering vanilla beans.  I picked up some small glass jars to use.  

  I slowed down enough today to enjoy a fresh spinach & baby greens salad with pepitas, parmesan cheese chips, bacon, dried cranberries & sesame sticks with sun-dried tomatoes vinegarette.   

  I can't say I'm going completely vegan/vegetarian at this time, but lately, I've been dealing with side effects from changes in meds and insomnia.  Not a fun time for me.

crafty Sunday ...

Sunday was a crafty day.

 [above] A turquoise and (very tarnished) silver choker I used to wear when I was 14-15 years old.

I no longer have a choker attractive neckline.

So ...

I restrung it with some new silver(ish) spacers to make it a little longer.

I also did a trial run of one of my watercolor projects.

But really didn't like how my trees turned out, so won't share that photo, and will take lessons learned for the next one I do.

summer bucket list ...

   The weather forecast is showing a slow warming trend, and I'm planning bee and pollinator-friendly gardens for the front of the house, and shade-loving gardens for the side to hide the refuse in the lot next door.

  I'm also creating a bucket list of outdoor things for me, and sometimes Charlie, to do [links included]:

• White Sulphur Springs National Fish Hatchery
• Lost World Caverns
• Organ Cave
• Walking tour of Ronceverte
• Historic cemeteries in Greenbrier County, including the Lewisburg Cemetery
• Greenbrier State Forest
• New River Gorge National River
• Fingers crossed that there will be a 2021 Ivy Terrace Concert Series outside of the Carnegie Hall in Lewisburg
• Multiple farmers' markets
• West Virginia Renaissance Festival
• State Fair of West Virginia
• West Virginia Dandelion Festival

  And so much more!

about town ...

  So in 2016, there was a flood that nearly destroyed White Sulphur Springs.   This picture of The Greenbrier golf course shows the flooding (top) and what it looked like before the flood (bottom) to give you an idea of just how severe the flooding was.  

  I thought about sharing a photo of the burning house that floated down Main Street, or the dog guarding the empty foundation of a house that was washed away.  There were 23 people, including a 4-year old boy, that died in the floods.  But that isn't what this post is about, and I don't want to be disrespectful to those that were lost or their family and friends. 

  This is a post about rebuilding, restoring, and recovering.  Appropriately enough, 2016 was also a year of heart-breaking loss for me.  My soul-dog Trooper died.  We moved to Ashland, Wisconsin which marked the beginning of the end of my marriage [which was not nearly as much of a heart-break for me as losing Trooper was ... I really wanted to die when T died.  I couldn't imagine life without him.]

  It also feels appropriate that this is where I came to rebuild my own life, restore my self and soul, and recover from a decade of psychological and emotional abuse I could never even have imagined would be worse than what a decade with my previous abuser had been.

   Main Street was devastated by the floods.  Businesses were lost, and I've been told that for a long time it was like a ghost town.  But thanks to investors and others, they have been revitalizing and restoring [Click there > Main Street WSS.

  Two businesses are currently being built and reimagined.  [Click there for Facebook page > Big Draft Brewing is one that is currently under construction.   A combination beer brewery and restaurant.  Half a block away will be the [Click there for Facebook page > The Schoolhouse Hotel which is giving new life to an old schoolhouse by turning it into a boutique hotel, restaurant, roof-top bar, and event center.

  Fancy a coffee and cupcake?  Stop into [Click there for Facebook page > Tootsie's Place.   I haven't tried a cupcake yet (waiting for my birthday in May) but the coffee is GOOD!  

  Two doors away are Charlie's new BFF's place.  [Click there for Facebook page > Paws Spa Boutique where he got a much-needed haircut today.  He is so handsome when he gets a haircut (and exhausted for the rest of the day!).  He hasn't had a professional cut since before we left Wisconsin last November.  I don't count my attempts to trim him as being even an amateur cut.  More like a three-year-old me cutting my bangs.

  Speaking of May ... One place that I will be making an appointment at in my month-long celebration will be [Click there > The Salt Cave and Spa.  I'm especially interested in experiencing a Salt/Halotherapy session.

  If you are a fan of the DIY Network on TV, you may have seen [Click there > Barnwood Builders.  Their hometown is in WSS, and they have a shop [Click there > Barnwood Living that I can't wait to shop at.

  There is also The Greenbrier, which I have shared in a [Click there > previous post last year.

  Next week I will share spots of interest for the outdoor adventurest, including all places suitable for Charlie and I to explore when the weather warms.

Creative Daze ...

  But first, some tree love.  Spotted this amazing tree at a tattoo shop in Lewisburg where I plan on getting my next ink.   The picture doesn't do justice to the size and beauty.  I would easily guestimate that it was more than 100 years old.  I wish at times I could place a hand on the trunk of a massive old tree and just feel some of the things it has seen in its long life.

  This brings me to another quick topic before speaking of my creative plans ... West Virginia is nothing if not proud.  I've heard that the university has some hardcore fans of their [Click there> 'eers (aka Mountaineers).  But they are also patriotic (recent election politics aside).  Every bridge and road in White Sulphur Springs has been named [Click there > in honor of a past or present military member.  It's incredibly humbling.

  A shopping center near me was built on the grounds of a [Click there > historic Civil War battle and is named Battleground Crossing.  On one of these warmer days, I will stop to get a photo of the historical markers there.

Image source: Zulily

  So on to creative plans ... my living/dining room tends to be a fairly dark feeling room even when I turn on the ceiling fan light (which is not often).  Dark brown curtains, dark wood flooring, dark wood dining table, and futon.  I've been trying to figure out how to lighten it up some, and also cover the futon and dining room chair seats.  Certain cats who don't know how lucky they are that I am not a believer in the torture of declawing seem to think they are there just for their use.  Manufactured sofa protectors will not fit the futon because there are no arms on it.  

  My solution:  to buy an inexpensive quilt set with matching shams which were on sale 75% off on Zulily.  The shams and part of the quilt I will need to cut so it will fit snug on the futon will be used to cover the dining room chairs.  I liked the idea of the quilt because it is easy to customize for a perfect fit, and brings in some of the blues into the room that I had been looking for.

Image Source: Zulily

  To make the floor pop, and tie into the yellow roses in the quilt, I took advantage of an amazing 85% off sale at Zulily to get two 5x7 area rugs.  The pattern is very similar to the one in the quilt, and choosing yellow vs blue doesn't overwhelm the room in blue.  It lightens the feeling in the room, helps to keep some of the cold air from the crawlspace from seeping up into the room, and gives me the option of adding color to the walls.  Altogether, I spent less than $140 for everything, including shipping.

  Speaking of color on the walls ... it will hopefully be in the form of these watercolor paintings.  I ordered two tutorial kits from [Click there > Let's Make Art and after I do the smaller 8x10 image as "practice" I want to buy larger canvases and do bigger ones to hang over the sofa.

  With the mountain image, I'm going to fancy script the quote "The mountains are calling and I must go ~ John Muir" and for the dandelion "some see weeds, some see wishes"

  There were several other kits that I liked on the site, and may buy at a later date to supplement the wall decor in other parts of the house.

   Tomorrow night's destress project will be restringing another turquoise choker that was mine when I was in junior high school.  It still fits like a choker, but no longer my style.  I did take a before picture to share when I'm done.

Tuesday ...

  I've realized why I've been waking up feeling like I'm 1,580 years old instead of 58.  I've been out of my Meloxicam (aka Mobic) for more than a month now, and all my arthritic parts are waking up.  Plus, shoveling snow a few times, and bending over working on Sunday's hot water tank project ... and adding some carpet squares to the bathroom floor to help keep the cold from creeping up through the tile.  I suppose I'm too stubborn to realize that I'm on the cusp of 59 and not 29.

  I used to think I would not change the choices I've made if given the chance to go back in time and have a do-over.  But now ... I think there would be more than a few things I'd do differently.

  But on to more creative topics.

  I redid some of my framed photos this morning, adding the beach sand where appropriate, and changing the background on my Germany river cruises box.  The black velvet seemed to make it all disappear, so I used a street map of Koln instead which makes everything pop.

  A 'scratch-off' world map that I ordered from Amazon arrived today, and I have to admit I'm so disappointed with it, I won't even provide a link for it here.  The background is far too dark and makes many of the countries' flags look as if they only have two colors, such as Germany.  The purple is nothing like the product images on Amazon, and so Alaska seems to just become ... water?

  I wish I still had the world map that I'd gotten in Florida ages ago, complete with map pins and flags.  I will probably order something like it in the near future.

Comedy Sunday ...

   If they were to ever [and I mean "ever" in a very broad sense, like "If I ever win the lottery."] it would have to be a comedy.

  Sundays are my weekday weekend trial runs.  I have the day off, work Monday, then am off on Tuesday and Wednesday.  It is the day I do housework, chores, run local errands, and get the trash out so that Tuesday and Wednesday I can really *relax* or take care of medical appointments, etc.

  Today, I got a long-needed hot water tank wrap, tried to pick up prescriptions (the pharmacy was closed), did grocery shopping, and made a pot of chili to eat while watching the Super Bowl (darn good it was).

  I also almost super-glued my fingers to a nightlight, went back to the hardware store several times for items to complete the water heater project (which in all honestly, looks like a 3-year old did it ~ my dad would deny that I sprung from his loins), and vacuumed the entire downstairs and all odd pieces of insulation from the water heater project ... and then realized there was no bag in the vacuum cleaner.

  I'm so glad tomorrow is Monday.

De-stressing...

  I've started doing easy-to-finish-in-a-night projects to de-stress when I feel overwhelmed.  Yesterday was one of those days.

  I had a choker necklace similar to this one that belonged to my Dad.  I don't know how old he was when he purchased it but I was never able to wear it because it was too small and tight.  A literal choker.  I don't remember ever seeing it on my Dad either.  

  I've held on to it for years with the intention of having it restrung and finally got the materials to do it myself.

  Last night while binge-watching zombie movies [don't ask me why they just relax me] I spent a few hours adding silver beads and spacers on a new wire to make it long enough to wear.

Not my monkey...

 ... the circus has been left behind.

  Today was the Plea and Sentencing hearing for *him* for violating the restraining order last summer and making threats against me.  I'd like to say that I felt completely vindicated, but it is enough.  It's time to move on ... 

 ... to writing the next novel and driving the karma bus in a literary sense.  It's time for me to heal.

  The issues with my toes turning black were from small blood clots formed by plaque breaking loose in a larger vein or artery.  I'd run out of my cholesterol meds and apparently, that doesn't just help lower your bad cholesterol, it helps to keep pieces of plaque from breaking off and floating around to cause problems.  Lesson learned.

  The "ha ha made ya look" butterfly sensations in my chest are apparently from stress over a long period of time which developed into atrial fibrillation.  More to learn on that in the coming weeks.

  I also made a decision to walk away from the storage unit in Wisconsin and all the memories and treasures still in it.  I'm just not up to the long drive in the foreseeable future, and can't continue to shell out the money for it.  $840 a year would be better spent earning interest in a "next trip to Germany" savings fund.  There will be little things I regret leaving behind.  Already are.  But they are just things.

  Now on to better things ... and crafts ... and writing.