2 Pounds- Now I Can Listen To Music From the 70’s

I had my weight watcher’s meeting this morning and I lost two more pounds. Thank goodness!!! I am now in the 70’s. And I mean that in more ways than one. By the 70’s I mean I have gone down from the 280’s to the 270’s after starting out at a whopping 344 pounds. I think the kids were starting to think about what crane company they were going to use to haul me out of the house when I hit 400.

Being in the 70’s also means I can now listen to 70’s music. When I hit the 90’s I would only listen to music from the 90’s. When I hit the 80’s I would only listen to music from the 80’s. And now I am in the 70’s and can listen to my favorite music. I love music from the 70’s so I hope I don’t dwell in the 70’s for too long just for the music. Thank goodness I love 60’s music too. I am a wannabe flower child. No disco for me.

I’d actually like to dress like an old hippie. I found some cool websites with vintage 60’s clothing. I can see it now.

My daughter is really going to think I’ve gone off the deep end if I start wearing clothes like the above. But then we all know our roles our reversed here. She’s taken on the roll of Mom and I am the rebellious teenager who gets more rebellious as she loses weight. My daughter will have a Mom with tattoos, dressed like a hippie, and more piercings.

My top 20 groups and singers from the late 60’s (I wanted to do top ten but I just couldn’t. I liked too many and this really doesn’t even cover everyone from that era) : This is what I have to look forward to when I lose ten more pounds. These are in no particular order. I just couldn’t pick one over the other. I have all of these on vinyl.

1. Cream

2. Creedence Clearwater Revival

3. Grateful Dead

4. The Band

5. The Allman Brothers

6. Big Brother & the Holding Company

7. Jefferson Airplane

8. Canned Heat

9. Joe Cocker

10. Jimi Hendricks

11. The Doors

12. Country Joe & The Fish

13. Steve Miller Band

14. Procol Harum

15. Leon Russell

16. Santana

17. Iron Butterfly

18. Fleetwood Mac

19. Jethro Tull

20.Led Zeppelin

All of the above groups had at least one album out in the sixties and most of them played at Woodstock 1969

That was the year I got married and Woodstock was going on during our honeymoon. We almost went but we heard on the radio about the traffic and decided to go to Canada instead. I wish now we had gone to Woodstock but I probably wouldn’t have liked all the mud and rain. We had all our camping stuff with us because we had very little money and camped out during our honeymoon.

WEDDING PHOTOS

The Wasband and I

My Dad and I

My sister, Barbara, on the left and my best friend, Nancy, on the right.

We didn’t have a professional photographer so we don’t have many photos. We had a great wedding though and a wonderful honeymoon. I can only find one photo of the honeymoon. The rest are packed away somewhere.

Honeymoon. We went to Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Quebec. The sign says “Just Married” and that was the tiny tent we slept in.

I don’t know how this went from losing two pounds to my wedding. I always seem to go in all directions. Might as well post my engagement photo. The only professional photo I’ve ever had done.

I was 19 years old.

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Canes- Are They Just For Helping You Walk? Using Your Cane to it’s Fullest Potential

I was just over at Lucky’s blog and she was writing about one of her friends who had to have hip surgery and for a while she has had to use a wheel chair, walker and cane. It got me thinking about my own use of these items.

I use my canes for so much more than walking.

1. Weapon— One of my canes, the one made out of sassafras wood has a heavy gold handle. If I hit you on the head with it you would be out like a light. I don’t carry a pocketbook but you can see it in my eyes–come near me and I will pound you.

This is the best weapon cane

2. Reaching tool– When I am at the grocery store and there are no good looking men to reach stuff for me on the top shelf (actually I will let anyone reach stuff for me. It makes them feel good. They can go home and tell their friends, “By the way I helped a poor cripple woman today at the grocery store.”)  Ha! If they only knew me. Anyway, when there is no one around I use my cane. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always work. I can usually knock down what I want and catch it but sometimes I take other stuff down with it, which of course I can’t put back. Though I haven’t broken anything yet.

3. Poker– It’s a good way to get people’s attention. Just poke them (ever so slightly, so as not to offend, unless it’s my wasband and I have to poke him hard to get his attention). I actually poked him the other day. I was aiming for his stomach because we were discussing how he has gained 15 pounds since he moved in here 9 months ago. I was mystified how that happened. I cook Weight Watchers for goodness sake. How could he gain weight. That’s when he confessed about stopping off at the little store at the end of the street and buying snacks three times a day. Well I missed his stomach and I poked him by mistake and hit his privates. So you really have to be careful with your aim if you are going to poke people with a cane.

4. Door opener– I don’t actually use the cane to open doors but everyone opens doors for someone with a cane unless they want to get poked. And I have poked people in the ass with my cane ‘by mistake” if they are rude and slam a door on me.

5. Handicap parking– I get to use handicapped spots legally and give out tickets to those who use them illegally. This is my favorite thing to do when I grocery shop or go to Walmart (which is very rarely). I always take a slow drive around the parking lot looking for lazy asses who can walk and run but are too lazy and use up handicapped spots so people who really need them have no place to park.

6. To make a point or get a word in edgewise– When I bang my cane on the floor, people know it’s time to listen–TO ME.

7. Kitty scatterer–Sometimes I think my three cats are trying to kill me. When I come out of my room in the morning or the middle of the night (which is worse because it’s dark and they are black and I can’t see them in the dark hallway) they try to trip me up. I swear they do it purposefully so they can watch me fall. That’s where the cane comes in handy. I don’t hit them with it. God forbid, I love my kitties, but I do use the cane to get them to scatter out of my way so I don’t trip on them. I do not want to break my ass again. I’m sure the cat’s thought it was funny when I fell, they were all watching. But one broken ass is enough.

This is probably my safest cane. It is ergonomically correct.

8. Accessory– I hate old lady canes that you buy at the medical supply places. A cane can be beautiful. I love my cane with the sun, moon and stars on it. I love all my canes. I want more canes so I can color co-ordinate. I want a can with a dragon handle.

This is my first cane. You can see where the cats have chewed the handle. The sun, moon and stars don’t show up well in this photo.

9.My cane gives me strength– It gives me the strength to do what I have to do to walk again. Here are the lyrics to one of my favorite songs by Tom Petty–“I Won’t back Down” The video follows the lyrics.

Well I won’t back down, no I won’t back down
You can stand me up at the gates of hell
But I won’t back down

Gonna stand my ground, won’t be turned around
And I’ll keep this world from draggin me down
Gonna stand my ground and I won’t back down

Hey baby, there ain’t no easy way out
Hey I will stand my ground
And I won’t back down.

Well I know what’s right, I got just one life
In a world that keeps on pushin me around
But I’ll stand my ground and I won’t back down

Hey baby there ain’t no easy way out
Hey I will stand my ground
And I won’t back down
No, I won’t back down

10. My canes make me happy because I know that one day they will just be decorations on my wall.

Next week I will discuss other uses for wheelchairs and grocery cripple carts. And we all know this includes drag racing.

Trip to the Big City And the Easter Bunny

I will start off with my trip to Boston on Saturday night. My son-in-law’s friend was giving a small concert in Cambridge.

Cover to his album. You can find Tom Thumb “here”

The kids were going with some of their friends and my wasband and his new female friend. I was invited because they were going to park right in Cambridge and could drop me off at the venue so I wouldn’t have to walk far.

Boston’s about 80 miles from where I live. This is the longest distance I have been from home since my Dad died in a Boston hospital 8 years ago. My daughter’s husband was driving. Fortunately, it turns out that he is a good driver and I was comfortable with him at the wheel.

We had to go through the Ted Williams Tunnel. “The tunnel is 8,448 feet (2,575 m) long, of which approximately 3,960 feet (1,207 m) is underwater. On July 10, 2006, at approximately 11 p.m., a steel tieback that suspends the concrete drop ceiling inside the tunnel structure failed in the I-90 Connector eastbound tunnel leading to the Ted Williams Tunnel, causing four three-ton sections of ceiling to collapse. A section of ceiling fell on top of a car traveling through the tunnel, killing 38-year-old passenger Milena Del Valle and slightly injuring her husband Angel Del Valle, who was driving.” I got the previous quote from Wikipedia. I did not like the tunnel but nothing fell on us.

The Ted Williams tunnel

The concert wasn’t supposed to start until 11:00 PM (I had to take a nap that afternoon so I could stay awake- I didn’t want to fall asleep during the concert because I think I drool when I’m sleeping). We got to Boston early, so we went to a bar next door to the building where the concert was to be held, basically in an empty small room used for poetry readings, gallery, concerts, etc.

The Druid, the Irish bar we went to first. Really cool place, awesome decorations.

The Lily Pad, not the best photo, It came out dark, but if you look good you can see Tom Thumb.

I had two drinks at the bar.(Don’t worry, I counted my weight watcher points). The concert was great. It reminded me of the sixties. Tom Thumb (nom de guerre) writes all his own songs, played acoustic guitar and had a really nice voice. Then we went back to the bar. We met up with Tom Thumb and I had a couple more drinks. Sarah was designated driver so she had one beer before the concert and one beer after.

Sarah and I at “The Druid” (I’m wearing my “going out costume”

We didn’t leave Boston until 2:30AM. We got home at 4:00AM. I actually was able to walk back and forth to where the car was parked myself. I was high spry as a kite. It was a really fun night. I had to stay awake for the whole drive home so that Sarah would stay awake. We talked for the whole 1 1/2 hours while her hubby slept in the back seat.

I should do this in two posts but I’m not, so there. But you are welcome to read it in two visits.

Part 2 Easter Brunch and Easter Baskets!!!!

We went to an Easter brunch at a local restaurant. It just so happens to be the restaurant where my weight watcher meetings are held (the restaurant is closed when we have the meetings, thank goodness. Can you imagine 50 weight watcher people having a meeting in an open restaurant?).

The Beach House

I sat next to Leslie, my wasband’s new friend. She is awesome and we talked the whole time. Poor Barry couldn’t get a word in edgewise. She’s smart, funny and very easy to talk to. She’s the best one yet. I hope she keeps him.

Leslie and I (talk, talk, talk)

I did good with the eating part of it. I had salad (no dressing) some vegetables, one scrambled egg, and 1/2 of a roasted potato. I walked right by the bacon, sausage and desserts.

There were 26 of us. We took up half the room. Most of them were Obie’s family, the English side, not the Japanese side.

We then went to our house for Easter baskets. We gave Barry his and then he and Leslie had to leave so she could see her children.

Barry’s Basket

Later on in the day, Sarah and her hubby and I did our baskets.

Obie’s basket

Sarah’s basket

My basket

I can now set up “Stonehenge” on my bureau. Cool stuff in my basket but no candy.

I did miss my son. He was working on Easter in Buffalo.

So, I had a great weekend with my family and now it’s all back to cooking and shopping and giving out handicapped tickets, errands and laundry and drives to the beach with coffee (decaf). I am headed to the beach now.

Thank You Moonbeam!

Moonbeam McQueen was kind enough to have me as one of her guest posters this week while she was out having fun with her daughter who was visiting. Moonbeam, I hope you had a great week. My face is red over the kind things you said about me or possibly I’m having a hot flash. Either way I appreciate the kind words and I appreciate being one of your blogger pals. I enjoyed the whole week of guest blogging but I look forward to next week when you start entertaining us with your own words.

It is so freakin windy today. It is so windy that the wind blew the top open of our bird feeder so now the squirrel can just get right in it. Lucky him, the little rat bastard, as my wasband would call him.

I have to drive, alone, over the bridge today to my chiropractor. This will be my third time going alone. I just hope the bridge isn’t swaying in the wind. I don’t want to have to suddenly stop on it because I’m having a panic attack. Though the State Police barracks is right by the bridge. I’m sure they would come and save me. Wouldn’t they! Or would they just put me in a safe place to protect the public, like the lunatic house. I don’t know but we’ll find out because I’m going.

This is the new me. The one I’ve been working on improving for the last year. So because I like lists so much I thought I would make a list of the top ten things I have improved about myself in the past year. This also includes things that have happened to me that have helped to improve my life. They are in no particular order.

1. I now take drugs. That probably doesn’t sound like an improvement but it is. I take Zoloft which has made a huge difference in my life. My sister and daughter had finally convinced me to go to my doctor because they felt I was depressed. I didn’t know I was depressed. I went to the doctor with my sister (she insisted on coming with me because she knew I would try to weasel out of it). My doctor gave me the prescription which I didn’t fill for another month. I finally filled it and WOW after just a short period of time I was feeling so much better and that’s when I realized, yes, I was depressed and now I’m not.

2. I joined Weight Watcher’s. I have lost 65 pounds depending on what scale I’m on. Sometimes it’s a little more on my own scale. I like my scale the best. I’ve lost the most weight and lasted the longest at the meeting I go to. I get phone calls from members who are having problems losing.

3. I started seeing a therapist. She is wonderful. She has a great sense of humor so when I tell her about the crazy things that happen in my life she gets it.

4. My daughter and her husband moved in with me. I love having them around. My daughter is my greatest supporter besides my sister. She also gets me.

5. My ex-husband moved in too. I refer to him as my wasband. He brings a lot of laughter to the house. He has a great sense of humor and he gets me too. Not everyone does. We get along great as roommates. My daughter thinks we are just plain weird but I know she loves hearing the laughter upstairs.

6. I can drive over the bridge and get off Cape Cod by myself for the first time in 25 years. Could be the drugs, could be my resolve. I don’t care why. I can do it.

7. I have become disabled over the past few years because of severe arthritis in my knees (I need two new ones) and arthritis in my back. I can only stand for a few minutes. Now that in itself is not an improvement in my life. But I am finally trying to improve the problem by seeing a chiropractor, an orthopedist, and I start chair yoga next month and of course losing weight. I am no longer a couch potato.

8. I try to look at my disability in a positive way. I get to drive around the grocery store in a cripple cart. This can actually be fun. I make the thing go as fast as it can which is about as fast as an old lady can walk with a cane. I’m an expert driver and can do U-turns really quickly in tight aisles which usually freaks out anyone around me. Good looking men get stuff for me from the top shelves. Romi , somehow I just know you could use this method to meet that special one. You could have a miraculous recovery in the grocery aisle screaming “I can walk, I can walk!!” after the good looking guy hands you your curry.

9. I get to give out tickets to people who park illegally in handicapped parking places. That is very fun.

10. I am happy.

So that’s my list. I hope to keep adding to it as time flies by. The biggest thing I’ve learned in the past year is a positive attitude is the only attitude. It’s the only attitude that moves you forward, even when you can hardly move at all.

I’ve Only Made 5 Posts This Month and Here is My Excuse

Well, I don’t really have an excuse. That was just to get your attention. I don’t really like the month of March here on Cape Cod. It’s not winter so there is no more snow, which we didn’t get much of anyway this year. I like snow. I also don’t have to drive in it. I just get to stay home and sit by the fireplace and drink diet cocoa when it snows.

My house in the snow.

March is not Spring yet either. The weather is still somewhat cold and it rains a lot, though there are little signs of spring. My sister is a gardener. She has beautiful gardens in her yard. She has a sunset garden and all the flowers are sunset colors. She has a white garden. Well, anyway, her snowdrops are in bloom.

I also saw ducks in my swamp for the first time this week, a definite sign of spring.

I am still waiting for the pinkletinks (spring peepers), my favorite sign of spring. No sign of them yet. It’s been too cold.

I still haven’t come up with my excuse for not posting much this month. I’m trying to think of one as I write. I’m not depressed. Zoloft takes care of that for me. I’ve been working hard towards my goals, or most of them. The weight loss is going good. Slow, but good. I still haven’t done any of my craft projects but I went over to The Bead Den
to get inspired to start beading.

Driving over the bridge twice by myself took a lot out of me. I did it without any panic attacks and really wasn’t even nervous but by the time I get home I’m really tired. I’m sure the more I do it, the easier it will get.

I got my first panic attack when I was about 12 years old. The doctors didn’t even know what it was or have a name for it. They said I was watching The Twilight Zone too much. I am serious. That’s what they blamed it on. So I’ve been getting panic attacks on and off for 46 years. The last 8 or 9 years I’ve been good. Driving was the last thing I had to conquer and would cause a panic attack. I seem to be doing much better with that. Now everyone gets panic attacks.

 

I hope all of you who know Kaylee are sending her good vibes today. She is having surgery for her cancer.

I still haven’t come up with an excuse for not writing. I can’t say I was busy, though I spend way too much time at the grocery store. Besides WalMart (where I hate to shop), the grocery stores are the only ones with cripple carts.

Though I discovered since I can drive a little further than I used to, there is a Target not too far from here with cripple carts. That’s my next destination. I have to wait until the third of the month until I get my check and will have a little spending money before I go.

Sarah made us all Easter baskets last year and I didn’t think to make her one. I had just gotten out of the health care center after having pneumonia. This year she’s getting a basket. I already told the wasband he’s got to cough up the money for it. Of course, he said yes then asked “How much will you need?” I said about $40.00. He thought I was joking. I explained to him she doesn’t eat candy now that she’s lost all the weight. What am I going to put in it, popcorn? I’m going to buy her prizes. (we call presents-prizes). By the time you buy a basket and that shredded plastic stuff that gets everywhere, you’ve already spent $10 bucks. We have a couple of great gift stores in town that sell really cool stuff. So my daughter will get an Easter basket.

I’ll bet she’d like a basket like this. Only I’d want to keep the fairy soap holder, if that’s what it is except I use liquid soap.

OK, I guess I don’t have an excuse for not writing. Oh Wellll!!!! I’m going Easter basket shopping now with my sister.

The Illegal Cell Phone Charge

First of all, you have to remember that in the house I live in with my daughter and son-in-law, they have taken on the roll of the parents and my wasband and I are the kids. And damn it, if we’re not always getting into trouble. I stay up too late. They think we’re on drugs because we laugh so much. I talk too much. I’m surprised they don’t put me in time out. I’ll bet they’ve discussed it. I can just picture Sarah saying to Obie “Well I think Mom may need to be in time out for a while. She’s way out of control tonight. Can you hear her up there? She’s alone talking a mile a minute.”

 

Both kids (I still do call them kids or children to their chagrin) are very serious, hard working people. Now Barry and I are totally not serious about much and we don’t really work that hard anymore. Barry bird watches most days. There is always some bird somewhere to be photographed. Sometimes he meets people to buy baseball card collections. and on some weekends he has a table at baseball card shows to sell his wares.

I cook and shop. I went to two grocery stores yesterday. One I actually bought food at. The second one I mostly strolled around in the cripple cart reading labels. This is a more up scale expensive store that I usually only buy one or two things at.

Now see, I get myself sidetracked all the time with these stories. This is really about my cell phone.

My daughter has a cell phone and she put me on her plan as a family member so she only has to pay $10 a month extra for me to have the phone and we share her minutes. Last night she comes upstairs and informs me that there is a charge on her bill under my number for $39.98. It is listed under other charges and she obviously wants to know what it is for. Understandable. But what she’s really thinking is “What’s Mom done now”. That’s understandable too, since I seem to always do things that get me into some kind of hot water.

That’s me, the tea bag

Well, I start thinking about it and thinking about it and then I’m quickly tired of thinking about it and I tell her I have no clue.

About a half hour later she comes back up and asks me if I have gotten any strange text messages. I start thinking about it and thinking about it and suddenly it occurs to me that about two weeks ago I got spam text messages wanting me to by ringtones and a joke a day and other spam crap. I kept getting one message every day. Of course I opened them up just to see what they said. Finally one of the messages had a 1-800 # so I called thinking I would end all this spam business. I got a computer voice that finally gave me the option to unsubscribe to something I had never subscribed to. I also went to the “Do not call website” and registered my phone # again just to be sure. So I thought I had everything under control. But Noooooo!!!

Evidently as soon as I opened the first message this company took it upon themselves to assume I wanted their service and charged our account $39.98 for 2 months service and were going to continue charging our account $19.99 a month.   Sarah found all this out from our cell phone service. Fortunately AT&T was willing to give us our money back. But Sarah had to block my phone from ever getting text messages or buying ringtones on it which is fine with me because it takes me ten minutes just to text the words “Call me” which I only text to my son because sometimes he “avoids” my calls.

Sarah’s husband got online and started Googling the name of the company. All sorts of complaints came up going as far back as 2005 including class action suits, etc. There were all sorts of websites with forums just dedicated to complaints about this company I think it was called M-Qube.

Also another weird thing happened last night around 8:30PM. There was this loud noise that came from outside. I can only describe it this way. It was as if a huge crane was holding a 10,000 pound rock and dropped it 1000 yards. The house shook. Of course Sarah came running up the stairs thinking I broke my ass again. I think if I did fall again it wouldn’t sound like a meteor hitting the ground next door. But I was just sitting in my easy chair. I called my sister who lives one street over and she heard it too and her house shook also. Obie even went outside to look around. I put on the police scanner and nothing. It didn’t sound like a car accident and if it was,  we would have heard sirens eventually. It didn’t feel like an earthquake. I never heard anything on the news either. I can’t imagine what it was. But I can tell you for sure, my sister didn’t hear ME falling again from one street over. I know I’m heavy but not that heavy.

Squirrel in My Living Room

I’m beginning to think that if I have some animal totem it has to be the squirrel. I have this book called “Animal Spirit Guides”.

It says if the squirrel is my totem I should prepare for the future by gathering and storing extra food, water, clothing, candles and money for later use. It also says “Although you’re actively and aggressively pursuing your goals right now, you need to balance this pursuit with more socializing and play”. OK, some of this is true . I do hoard. I don’t hoard extra food because we always have enough food for the week and I can’t ever think about what I need for next week. I don’t hoard water because we have it delivered. I have a water cooler that also heats your water for tea and coffee. I certainly won’t hoard clothing. Who knows what size I will be next week? I do have a lot of candles but only because I like the ambiance of the room when they are lit. I don’t hoard money because I have none of my own.

I am actively pursuing my goals and I probably need to socialize more and play more.

My other book “Animal-Speak” asks if I am getting too hung up on collecting stuff and accumulating.

Well, that’s a definite yes. I collect more crap and then can’t throw it away. I told you all about filling five huge dumpsters of stuff when my daughter and her hubby moved in. And you’ve seen my “Sanctuary“. It is somewhat cluttered. I hate throwing stuff away.

I am supposed to call on Squirrel if “I am feeling scattered and fragmented”. Well, that’s pretty much every day.

Well I think “Squirrel just called on me”. The little sucker (and I’d like to make that s an f ) just knocked on my picture window where I am sitting at the computer. He jumped on the window sill and knocked. I swear he was trying to get my attention, probably because no one has put out any bird food today and the little sucker is hungry and wants me to bring him food. He’s a rodent–could he be that smart?

I just took this photo of him. He looks angry doesn’t he?

I think when I go get the mail I’ll throw some food out so he doesn’t attack me. I don’t think he’s really that hungry. I just think he’s a greedy little rodent.

Anyway, none of this covers the story about the day one of those suckers climbed down my chimney and got into my living room. This happened about 3 or 4 years ago when just my son and I lived here.

It was morning and I woke up to the sounds of my three cats screeching and running up and down the hallway. I had never heard them make noises like that. Then I heard things crashing to the floor. I ran into the living room trying to understand what was happening because I was still half asleep. Then I saw the little monster on the back of the couch surrounded by the cats.

I screamed for my son who was sound asleep and he came running up the stairs with a blank look on his face and then he saw the squirrel. We both sort of blanked out as to what we should do, then all of a sudden the chase started again. The cats were so happy to have that squirrel in their grasp. They started creeping towards him and he took off. He was literally bouncing off the walls. At one point he bounced off my son’s shoulder. Then my son and I started laughing so much we could hardly see straight.

We knew we had to do something. My son got one of his big fishing nets and started trying to net the squirrel which after a few minutes he actually succeeded. He slid a piece of cardboard under the net and managed to get the squirrel outside.

That along with the attempted electrocution of a squirrel and the squirrel knocking on the window this morning, well it all has to mean something. Doesn’t it?

My Altar- Buy One or Make One

I’ve decided I want an altar in my room. I doubt that I will actually pray at it. I might pray that it doesn’t fall apart because I’ve decided to make it myself. I checked online for alters and they ranged in price from $30.00 to $48,500.00. The expensive one wouldn’t have fit in my room anyway. It was a real one from a church. It was beautiful though. It was on E-Bay.

The cheap one was made out of cardboard. That’s when I decided I could make it myself, that and the squirrel. I happened to notice the squirrel sitting on one of the stumps that are still in the front yard from when the big tree was cut down at the beginning of December (3 months ago, still sitting there, do they expect me to move them? Duh!!).

I was staring at the stumps and it occurred to me that if I sliced one of the smaller stumps into 3 or 4 inch slices and then cut them crosswise at different places, I could place them on top of each other in a step like fashion. Also I get to save a little bit of my tree that I miss.

I could then polyurethane them so they wouldn’t rot and I would have my altar. I could put my Buddhas on it, some Saint candles, crystals, and various other objects that have been given to me that have meaning. I am of no particular religion. I just take a little bit of each, Buddhism, Catholicism (I was brought up as a Catholic), Wiccan (only because I want to cast spells except I really don’t believe that anyone can cast spells).

I just looked up religions on Wikipedia. I truly didn’t know there were so many.

I like his hat. He is a Shamen.

Back to my altar. So I told Barry I needed him and a chain saw and he said “At the same time?”. Then I told him that I wanted him to help me build an altar and he just walked out of the room laughing. Nothing I do surprises my daughter or my son. They just say things like “Good idea, Ma”.

Well, if anyone has any ideas for my altar, let me know. I am open to suggestions.

I don’t want it to be too big because my room is filled with enough stuff already, wicked cool stuff, but a lot of it.

I Finally Did It-I drove Myself and My Daughter Over the Bridge!

To get off Cape Cod, you have to go over either one of two bridges unless you go by boat. There is a canal that separates us from the mainland. The problem for me has never been actually driving over the bridge. The problem has been leaving the Cape with me at the wheel of the car. I have left the Cape a few times in the last few years but only with a trusted driver. I only have three people I will drive over the bridge with: my daughter, my son and my wasband. They are willing to all drive the way I like to be driven: not too fast, no tailgating, and not minding if I close my eyes in heavy traffic on highways.

This Google Earth image shows the Cape Cod Canal and the two bridges. I drove over the Sagamore Bridge at the top of the photo which is route 6.

My new Chiropractor is in Plymouth, about a fifteen minute ride once you go over the bridge which is about 15 minutes from my house. The reason we chose him is he also has a practice on the Vineyard where my daughter works and she has been seeing him and he has helped her neck and headaches a lot. I’m not going to take the boat to the Vineyard to see him which means we have to go to Plymouth.

I have seen him about 6 times and I think he is really helping my lower back pain a lot.

I hate having to rely on everyone for rides so I have decided I am going to conquer this fear of driving off Cape. Yesterday’s drive was a complete success. I want to do it a few more times with someone and then I am going to attempt to do it alone.

When that happens it will be the first time I drive off Cape by myself in about 25 years. It has been a huge obstacle for me. It is an obstacle I want am going to conquer.

I was looking at this contraption. Maybe I should buy it and just skip the chiropractor then I wouldn’t have to drive over the bridge.

I don’t know though. It looks like something you’d see in a torture chamber. But I think I should definitely watch this movie so I can see what my chiropractor does at night.

Looks like a nail biter if you ask me.

Slow Cooker Teriyaki Pork Roast

Because I cook so much and can’t think of anything to write today, I thought I would post one of my recipes. I should video myself cooking it and put it on You Tube except I don’t have a video camera. So you will have to imagine me in my wheelchair making this recipe.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup unsweetened apple juice

2 TBL sugar (this is probably why they call for unsweetened apple juice.)

2 TBL dark soy sauce (or whatever soy sauce you have in the cupboard) I like dark because it is more flavorful. I use the Sushi Chef brand.

1 TBL rice wine vinegar (or whatever vinegar is laying around, though I wouldn’t use balsamic. I think it would change the flavor of the whole roast too much.

1 tsp ground (powdered) ginger

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/8 tsp pepper (I use freshly cracked pepper –yes, I am a pepper snob.)

Mix the above all together in a bowl.

1 boneless pork loin roast (about 3 lbs.) cut in half

I cut all that fat off becuase of weight watchers.

Spray crock pot with olive oil spray or Pam or something

Throw the pork in the crock pot, throw the stuff in the bowl on top and coat all sides of the pork. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours.

About 1/2 hour before pork is done mix 7 1/2 tsp. of cornstarch with 3 TBL. of cold water until creamy smooth. Pour in pot and stir. This will thicken gravy. Cook another half hour and your done. We serve it on Jasmine rice. Yummy!!!

Next time I will post my slow cooker recipe for Rosemary cashew chicken. It is so good.