Sunday Afternoon 12/3/2017

I am finally out of my splint and don’t have to buddy tape my fingers any more – yeah! It’s taken a few days to adjust, my hand is still a bit sore, and I still have some problem typing with my left hand, but overall it’s feeling pretty good. I very carefully watch where my feet are going these days – I do not want a repeat!

We’ve made it through another cool, windy and sometimes rainy week here on the Garden Island. The weather at the beginning of the week was downright crazy, but Brett and I and some of the other hardcore walkers still managed to get out on the beach path almost every day. There is a middle-aged man who walks every day with his mother, who must be in her late 80s to early 90s, and uses a walker. Plus, the man distance swims in the ocean every day before he goes and picks up his mom for her walk. They’re both very inspirational. We used to just wave to each other as we passed, but now stop and chat from time to time and check up on how the other pair is doing, and we’ve established the same relationship with some other walkers who are usually out the same time we are.

I have been reflecting for the past few days on what to do with the blog next year. I’ve been posting five days a week this year for the most part (with some help from Brett), and I would like to step back from that and maybe go back to posting three days a week as we gear up for big changes next year. But what to give up? What to blog about? I’ve enjoyed having a schedule of sorts, but there are downsides to that as well. Anyway, lots to think about over the next few weeks.

This afternoon I am:

• Reading: I’ve almost finished The Namesake, and am eager to start on The Leavers. It’s another immigrant story, but with a (sad) twist. And of course two other books I had on hold, Pachinko (National Book Award finalist) and This Blessed Earth: A Year in the Life of an American Family Farm, also came off hold right afterwards. Fingers are crossed I can get all three of the new downloads finished before they have to go back.
• Listening to: It’s quite breezy outside (although not as bad as it’s been), but otherwise it’s quiet, both inside and out. There are LOTS of birds out (and one annoying rooster), chattering and chirping away. Brett is reading, and YaYu is sleeping in, but once she gets up she’ll be making noise in the kitchen, and we’ll start the laundry.
• Watching: Brett and I finished all of Longmire, and then accidentally discovered that a new season of Broadchurch was available and binge-watched that. Can I just say how much I love this show? It’s the British detective/police procedural at its very best, and Season 3 was as good or better than the first two. We’re still working our way through Auntie Duohe, but I think it’s coming to an end soon. I watched the HBO mini-series Mildred Pierce for a few nights last week (it was excellent) while I worked on Swagbucks, and last night I watched the movie The Prestige, but haven’t found anything new I want to watch otherwise. Yesterday evening Brett and I watched a very interesting documentary called Obit, about the obituary section of the New York Times.
• Cooking/baking: There’s still plenty of cookie dough in the freezer, but yesterday I baked a POG bundt cake. Word from my tasters is that it’s delicious. Dinner tonight is one of our favorites: Chinese stir-fried tomatoes with eggs, rice for Brett and YaYu, and cucumber for all of us.

  

• Happy I accomplished this past week: It feels like just a whole lot of nothing got accomplished! Actually, it was a very relaxing week and I’m caught up with everything around the house, and actually enjoyed being able to do a few chores again now that my hand has been released from its trappings. Brett and I walked the beach path every day except Friday when it rained; I drank eight glasses of water every day; and studied French for at least 10 minutes every day. I wish there was a French class offered around here because I’m to a point where I need more than just interacting with an Internet site, but alas, I’m on the wrong island for that. Brett got our Christmas tree up yesterday, but the ornaments won’t get hung until next week, after Meiling is home (she’ll probably hang about 5-10, then claim she is bored and I’ll finish up the rest, just like every other year).
• Looking forward to next week: Once again, we’ve got nothing specific on our calendar, but Brett and I are thinking we might head down to the south shore or the west side one day to check things out, and maybe go out to lunch or at least for coffee.  We keep hoping to get to the beach one day, but so far the weather still hasn’t been cooperating.
• Thinking of good things that happened: My new Skechers walking shoes arrived and they are wonderful. The shoes I was wearing were so uncomfortable, but I feel like I’m walking on clouds now. I had a very good month for Swagbucks in November, and got a very big bonus! I can only hope December will be as good for earnings – I’m saving again for another Southwest Airlines gift card. I weighed all of my cold weather clothes that I’m taking on the Big Adventure, and they were less than a quarter of the total weight limit we have assigned ourselves, which was a relief as they’re the heaviest of what I plan to take. My hot weather clothing weighs a whole lot less and all my shoes are very lightweight.
• Grateful for: I am very thankful these days that I didn’t get rid of my size small pants, and brought them along when we moved over here. After losing 30 pounds, having those pants has saved me from having to find and buy new ones (my size M pants were baggy enough for a clown). I can get into almost all of the pants I have now, but will have to lose a bit more to fit into a couple of them. What I can wear now provides plenty of variety though.

  

• Bonus question: Did you make a wish list for the holidays? This year was the first time in a long, long while that I made a wish list. Brett and I usually don’t exchange gifts, and otherwise I’m happy and thrilled with whatever I receive because it’s a gift, right? But, this year the girls asked me to give them some ideas, and Brett and I are going to exchange gifts this year. Meiling set up a family ‘Secret Santa’ exchange again (we’re randomly assigned a name, can’t reveal who the gift is from, and gifts can cost no more than $30). Brett wanted a list from me as well. So, I gave Brett a catalog from J. Jill with a few items circled, but also put a Zappos gift card, an Amazon gift card, a pair of silver hoop earrings, a warm scarf or two, some Lush lip balm, and a couple of Kuhn Rikon paring knives (to carry when we travel) on my list.

That’s all from Chez Aloha for this week! How did your week go? What are you reading? Did you accomplish a lot? What good things happened for you?