Random Week in Retirement | This Week’s Update

Well we had a fun little time in Columbia, my old hometown where I grew up, but it did make my heart heavy as there was not only good times there but some heartbreaking times as well. So a little heavy at times. We had company over as Aunt Martha and Uncle Ken were up from Florida (Yulee/Amelia Island area) near Jacksonville. We enjoyed getting to see them. I had lunch with a friend at a Thai place not too far away, and we just chat about life and what is going on. You can watch it here.

This Week’s Update

Well, George is almost thru painting the den and I’ll be able to transfer the footage into a file then and get that edited for a future video. It looks really good as the first coat is on and the transformation is taking place. It’s so bright in there now. Very exciting. I can’t wait for you to see it.

I’ve been continuing to do shredding in the basement since the basement cleanout video. Oh that was only one section of the basement, there will be more to come, but a little at the time, because…..too many projects, lol. (Why does AI not want to give me the top of my glasses?, lol).

I’ve begun putting all my “keeper” things across my life, into the Cedar Chest – diary, barbie doll, Mrs Beasly’s bib (lol, remember the Mrs. Beasly dolls), journals, school albums, etc. So that makes me feel good to gather these things in one place.

I’ve also been working in my office and getting it back to shape. Closet cleaned out, video filmed etc. I still have frames, photos to deal with from the Hallway Photo project. That video coming out next week and I’m editing it now. Must get ahead with edits because trip is coming soon. Probably will vlog less until after trip so I won’t be a month behind. So vlogs will have a missing couple of weeks in the storyline of our lives but it’s ok I need a bit of a break anyway.

Dermatologist appointment was Monday and I will be honest, I was a little worried but all the “places” turned out fine. Thank the Lord. George and I went to Cracker Barrel that night and used our gift card. We had a very hefty gift card that someone gave George for fixing a couple of instruments that needed some TLC and that was very nice even though George wanted to do it for free. So we have enjoyed Cracker Barrel many times over with this one card. That was so kind. And we still have another card that I think someone gave us for Christmas. So we have eaten out on the cards while trying to stretch out the budget a bit.

We got the two meat bundles from Houston’s. We are overjoyed! The freezer is looking a little better. We ate it down so we could start over. Now we will refresh here and there with deals but we got the beef bundle and the chicken/pork bundle. It was a really good deal. I will show a video clip of it in a future video. So below we got the Houston Standard and the Porky’s Special. Below you can see what was in each.

In addition to the freezer we needed to stock up on everything. I had a big household order to do with Target that I’d been holding back on, but TP was running short, lol Can’t run out of toilet paper. And we did a pretty major grocery run this week. Again, almost out of everything. Always morale building to be stocked up again.

Thursday I went and helped pack the Magi boxes with several others from church. I want to say there were about 8 or 9 of us. We got a lot done. We packed from 10 to 12 but I scooted out a few minutes early as I told Mom I’d pick her up for lunch around Noon. So we went to Demo’s and used our Demo Bucks. At church I had bought two coupons for us for $10 (each) but they got us $15 meals (each) at Demos. We did this last year too. So then afterwards Mom bought me some gas for the car as I run her around a lot and that was nice that she did that.

After lunch we went to Dollar General and I bought Mom what she needed and also bought a box to store pic frames in for the basement – the unused ones. Then I took her home and headed to Buff City Soap to get my refill. If you take the container they give you a $1 off, plus I already had some Buff City Soap dollars on my account and that took off a little bit as well. So I’m stocked up with that for another month or so.

Yesterday I had a physical and that was interesting. As I said, I reported to them that I had been tired a lot, especially in the last few weeks. Usually I’m good if I’m taking all my vitamins and I’ve only missed a day here and there, but my greens and fruits had dipped a bit and even though exercising more I’m more tired and depleted. So they asked me a series of questions which led them to label me with “Mild Depression” and that blew me away. Because the physical was quick and we went straight into whatever was on the physician assistant’s list, I failed to ask her what I had answered that made the test say I was depressed. (More on this in a second). So we dove into mammograms, EKG’s, gynecological tests every 5 years, bone density screening, and finally the sleep test because of me not getting quality sleep in the night due to possible sleep apnea. I explained my sleep numbers were usually in 70’s and I prefer them to be 80’s and 90. We talked about eating schedules and before sleep routines – most of which I’m doing right but no black out curtains and we basically fail at not eating too close to bedtime.

So I have a sleep test coming, have to call the gyno and see when my last screening was, and already had my mammogram scheduled and called yesterday and was able to get a different time and get the bone density test along with it in one trip – appointments back to back.

Blood work done and they had to stick me 5 times with two different people. I’m not human. lol They have to dig for it. My veins are hard to find and they roll they said.

Once home I was able to get the test they used to ask me questions about depression. I took it again through AI and sure enough my score showed Mild Depression, but the questions all pointed back to tiredness and sleep related questions, appetite etc. So all of it seems to me, to be pointed back to not getting enough “quality sleep”. So the sleep study is ordered. George and I are going to try to eat a little earlier, avoid screen time the hour before bed, and at some point I’ll order black out curtains but it’s hard to get things dark really until George goes to bed. I have to keep the door open so Maddie can get up in the night although she rarely does but still…prefer the door to be open. So maybe he opens it before going to bed but will that wake me up anyway? lol. Who knows. Oh yeah, I’ll do a video on the sleep study thing. That might be interesting for some to see that process. And to have access to the depression questions.

Then last night I cooked a marinated steak. George helped me cook it. I’m afraid we cooked it too long. I was hoping for medium but we got well done, aw shucks but it would have been pretty good otherwise. I wondered if we shouldn’t have done 3.5 min on a side and not 5, but I was mainly watching him as I needed to learn how to cook steak inside. We seared it in a hot skillet and finished it off in the oven with rosemary butter. I had baked potatoes which did not get done after an hour and 10 minutes but they were big. So we had to microwave them. The salad was good with a green leafy lettuce, olive oil, lemon juice, blue cheese crumbles and bacon. It was delish. Next time the steaks will be better and I know how to cook them inside now. Even though he cooked them longer than I would have, I was grateful for him taking over that part I’m not sure what we’d have ended up with otherwise. It might have turned out just fine though – who knows. I had done the marinade the day before and they soaked for 24 hours. It was a coffee based Japanese sort of marinade. The flavor was a success and George said he wanted to have it again sometime.

And that brings us to today. I’m not doing much housework today. I’m trying to relax more on the Saturdays, do computer work, and things I personally am trying to do. I do EVERYTHING M-F trying to work everything in, including housework, laundry, errands, appointments, YouTube, a morning with Mom to get her out (most weeks), and every day includes devotional, prayer, World Bible School, etc.

I have someone now that has asked to be baptized so I’ve scheduled a follow up. We will see where it goes. Sometimes these things don’t pan out but I’ve had two of them to work out. It’s a time to rejoice when another person has accepted Christ and has chosen to save their soul.

Anyway, I’m going to sign off now and get going with the week. I kinda long to vlog a bit more, but it may be a goal for a later date as I still have so many years worth of projects built up. It’s amazing to watch them get checked off for the year. I think I was made for retirement. And amazingly, we find ourselves still working hard – maybe even harder, lol. We live in a world in which chaos abounds – things decay, fall apart, become in disarray – all because of the curse mainly from the fall of man, handed down by Adam and Eve. The dust fills up the furniture, the fur from the dogs fill up the floors and sofas, the pollen lands on the glass tables in the sun room, the plants get out of hand, the yard grows too fast, the trash builds up, the laundry piles, the dishes get dirty – the work never ends, but we try to enjoy it daily and do the work – tired or not – and have moments of rest here and there. We are enjoying each other’s company in the passing, the sharing of glee of bringing home our groceries, sharing meals, a bottle of rose, and helping each other out here and there with a task or so. I do his laundry, do the housework, he hangs my pictures in a photo project, does the painting and yard work. We share the love in our dogs and just having a grand old time each day.

So over and out and if you need the link again, you can watch it HERE.

More later.