T’was The Monday Before Easter…

I’ve been MIA from blog land for a few days…again.  I continue to find it more difficult to blog lately.  It seems like there’s always something else to do, or I don’t feel like writing.

I don’t know about your neck of the woods, but it was a chilly weekend where we live!  After several days of  wearing shorts, we had to drag our coats out again 😦  We also had to drag out buckets to cover our squash plants out in the garden.  We woke up to a light dusting of frost on Sunday morning!  Other than being cold, the weekend was sunny and nice.  Both afternoons warmed up enough to require only a long-sleeved shirt.

Ed and I got a nice surprise, on Friday afternoon, when our son, Brad, came by for a surprise visit!  He was working nearby, got off early, and decided to pay us a visit before heading home.  (His wife, Jennifer, was working late.) What a great way to kick off the weekend, and I needed the distraction because I wasn’t feeling my best that day!

I seem to be having more and more days when I’m not feeling my best.  My lowering levels of hormones have caused my rheumatoid arthritis to become active again.  I’m experiencing more fatigue and joint pain/stiffness. I’m moving like a little old lady, these days, especially after sitting for a while! The lower hormone levels are causing me to have mood swings, as well.  At the moment, my moods seem to alternate between mad and sad, with very little glad in between.  (Poor Ed!)  This is not a good way to be!  I’m hoping and praying this will soon pass.

Ed continues to stay as ‘busy as a little beaver’ doing things around the house.  It’s nice to have him around to fix things.  I always have a ‘honey do’ list for him!  He doesn’t like to stay inside, but he’ll tackle any outside projects with a smile.  Today’s project is getting our tomato and pepper plants set out in the garden–before the rain that’s expected this afternoon!  I should mention, we’re throwing caution to the wind by going against the advice of the Farmer’s Almanac and planting today.  We’ll see how it goes.

This is shaping up to be a busy week, leading up to Easter.  There’s a lot to be done between now and then, so I’d better get busy.  Have a great Monday!

Let’s Talk Tubs For A While…

Every since 1994, my greatest source of comfort and joy at the end of the day has been “a tub”–as in bathtub.  Why 1994?  Because  1994 is the year I first became ill with Rheumatoid Arthritis.  If you know anything at all about arthritis, you know that heat is the greatest source of comfort and relief.  Nothing provides more comfort and relief than a great big tub of steaming hot water.

Back in 1994, we had one bathtub in our home, and it was only a standard-sized one.  There were also five people sharing that shower/tub combination.  Once I became ill, it didn’t take long to figure out that Ed needed to work a little of his “magic” and create a second bathroom.  As usual, I drew up the plans, and Ed went to work.

We decided to wall-off a small section of our bedroom and put in a private bath at one end of it.  The space wasn’t very big, and my over-sized bathtub, built for two, filled up most of the area, but oh, how I loved my bathroom!  We added a toilet, and a pedestal sink at the end of the tub area.  We didn’t totally close the bathroom off from the bedroom, but used “saloon doors” to create a private area.  This gave  privacy, without giving the feeling of being confined in a small space.  We  special-ordered my massive, whirlpool bathtub, and paid nearly one thousand dollars for just the tub!   It was money well-spent!  I sought comfort many days in that bathtub filled with steaming hot water.  I’d light some candles, rest my weary head on the  pillows attached to either end of the massive tub, and let the hot water just take my pain and cares away…

I have to get off-subject here, for a moment, and tell you a couple of things about that bathtub.  First of all, I was “sweating bullets” when Ed was installing this very expensive bathtub.  I can’t tell you how hard my heart was pounding while Ed was drilling the fixture holes into the side of my bathtub!  One slip of the hand could have been a disaster, but Ed’s good!  The other thing was, after finally getting the tub totally installed, we realized there was a “small dip” in the bottom of the tub, which prevented it from completely draining–a manufacturing defect.  A small puddle was always left in the bottom of the tub.  We contacted the manufacturer, and were told that they would replace it–if we uninstalled it, and brought it back.  We weighed our options, and decided that it just wasn’t worth the effort!  I figured I could just dry out the bottom of the tub with a towel, which I did–for twelve years.

Flash forward about a dozen years, when Ed and I were building our second home.  I had to leave my lovely bathtub, built for two, behind.  I was a bit sad about leaving my bathroom, as it had become my favorite room in the house.  I’d found so much comfort there throughout the years…

Although, we were working with limited space, and a limited budget in our new house, there was no question that I still needed a larger-than-normal bathtub.  In my search, I was able to find a tub that, once again, filled my needs.  It was smaller than my old one, but was very deep, so I could still get lost in its steamy waters…and of course, it had whirlpool jets, too.  Once again, I sweated bullets while Ed drilled those holes, this time in the corner of the tub.  Once again, Ed didn’t disappoint.

Nothing brings me more pleasure at the end of the day than soaking in my bathtub, filled with hot, steamy water, and perhaps a few bubbles.  I light a candle, turn on some music, and I’m in heaven for a while.  No matter how good–or how bad– the day has been, a nice hot bath always makes things even better.  Thank goodness for bathtubs–and for husbands who know how to install them!

The Wednesday Hodgepodge…March 28

Hello there!  Once again, it’s time for the mid-weekly meme known as “The Hodgepodge”.  Thanks to our hostess, Joyce, for another great set of questions!  She always does a great job.  Here are my answers to this week’s questions:

1. What’s the last job you did that required elbow grease?

About 3 weeks ago, when I removed the old wax from the kitchen floor, and put a new coat of wax on it.  I was exhausted when I finished!

2. March Madness, aka the men’s Division I basketball championship, is nearing an end. What sort of ‘madness’ has your house seen this month?

The current “madness” in our house is in the form of six  baby chicks, who have been living in a very large box (actually 3 boxes joined together), in my husband’s pool room–for the past two weeks!  There’s a lot of noise and mess going on in that box, but they’re so darn cute!  See them stretched out taking their siesta…  A couple of them are really snoozing!

3. What’s your favorite shop for browsing?

Call me crazy, but I enjoy browsing in the gift shop section of The Cracker Barrel.  They always have a neat assortment of “stuff”, and I can always find something I like!

4. Is there ever a time when giving up makes sense?

I believe there is.  It depends on the situation, and what is involved, but sometimes you just have to “throw in the towel”.

5. What’s a song you love that contains the name of a city, state or country in its title?

There’s an old melancholy song called “Rainy Night In Georgia” which was popular back in 1969 when Ed and I first started dating.  I loved the song back then, and I still love it today!  Hearing it takes me right back through time.  I spent many lonely nights listening to this song while Ed was away (in the army)…

6. When did you first begin using a computer?

I’m not really sure when I began using a computer on a regular basis, but I believe it was sometime in the late 90’s.  We had a computer in our home, for several years prior to this, but I never really cared about learning how to use it.  Besides, I would have had to fight our children to get a turn!  Eventually, I was forced to begin using a computer, as a part of my job.  By then children had grown up and moved away, and I had the computer at home all to myself.  And so began my adventures on the computer…

7. Did you buy girl scout cookies this year? What’s your favorite?

No, I didn’t buy any girl scout cookies this year.  My favorites are the chocolate mint ones.

Random:

Eighteen years ago, today, I became ill with what would later be diagnosed as “Rheumatoid Arthritis”.  It has changed my life, but over time I’ve learned to deal with it.  This form of arthritis is very different than regular arthritis.  In addition to joint pain and destruction, it can make you feel ill in many other ways, too.  There are stomach issues, headaches, fevers, and a type of fatigue I can’t begin to describe.   If you still have your health, you have a priceless gift.  Don’t ever take your good health for granted!