KNEESLES

My knee arthritis is feeling so much better.  I can walk without wincing.  I can do more than one errand at a time.  Stairs are still a bit of a challenge but I think I just need to build up some muscles.

The miracle cure?  I stopped eating gluten.  Yep, my medical doctor listened patiently and explained how to combine Alleve AND Tylenol to help with the pain.  Then he quietly mentioned gluten.

I have several (LOTS) of friends who have given up gluten (two have celiac disease) and they all feel their lives are much better now.  Dr. V said just try it for two weeks, if it helps ... great.  If not, no worries.  Consider me a HUGE skeptic.  But he is such a down to earth medical man who is now including alternative therapies that are worth a try.

Within a week, my knees were no longer painful.  Noticeable, but not hurting.  I remained off gluten (as much as possible).  Last weekend, Kate and family spent the long weekend here at the condo (they had an ant infestation!).  I thought I'd test this gluten thing and I enjoyed toast, pizza, pasta, cereal and crackers.

My knees hurt again.

I Googled foods that fight inflammation and now using more of those.  Maybe this Forks Over Knives philosophy is real!

THE WEDDING

The unpacking here is almost finished.  But the work is picking up!  Boxes and boxes of photos!  I want to scan them for posterity then toss out the paper ones.  And maybe give some to Braeden.

One box had our wedding cards.  Talk about a trip back in time!  We were so broke.  He was unemployed ... his start up didn't fly very long.  I was working as a temporary secretary.  It was a second wedding for each of us and we didn't require any pomp or circumstance.

We drove over to the Oregon coast after I got off work.  His son and my sister stood up for us.  It was a simple ceremony at sunset on the deck of a condo we rented.  Jeans and sweaters.  Dinner at Mo's Clam Chowder.  We returned home the next day because we couldn't afford two night's lodging.

We did, however, have a brunch reception at our practically empty house!  A friend made Eggs Benedict for about 20 of us.  His gift to us.  Such a happy noisy few hours with friends.

The most romantic wedding ever.

Many thought it wouldn't last.  (Even me at some points in time!)  Despite our 18 year age difference and having our daughter late in life, it sure was fun!  

A.W.A.D.D.

I have a severe case of Awkward Widow ADD.  

My daughter was diagnosed with ADHD her Senior year in high school.  She took medication for a year or two but decided she felt better being ADHD than taking the prescription.  In college, she could take it just when she needed to focus better/longer.  I don't think she ever takes it now.

In my opinion, most everyone has ADD to some degree.  I have the "easily distracted" version that leads to procrastination.  But I don't think it is affecting others in a negative way.  So I live with it.  And I mean that literally!

The condo project has shown my ADD in every single room.  NOT ONE is finished.  But each room has had improvements, little by little.  Bringing in my Handykid has sped up my process ... but after this week, I have to get a few more things accomplished before I have chores for him.

The boxes are slowly disappearing.  I don't remember having so many photos that need to be scanned and organized.  I don't remember having so many knick knacks from our travels together.  I don't remember having so much artwork that  apparently was up on our walls.  I don't remember keeping so many books when we downsized.  I don't remember so much STUFF.

I've learned via Weight Watchers that I need to be kind to myself and give myself credit for positive things, as well as accountability for the negative things.  So here's a sneak peek at two projects ...

This is the guest bathroom.  Handykid put together the storage unit, although this week I'm going to have him fasten it to the wall for a little more stability. This addition cleared out a lot of space from my hall closet.

This is the four inch wide shelf with a lip so I can change art whenever I want without hammer, nails and spackle.  (The art displayed are just random hangables that were easiest to grab from the unpacking room).  This is going to be a favorite of mine because I envision a "theme" system.  All five rose pictures (his favorite ... not necessarily mind) at a time.  Then maybe a family row with all the same frames.  Perhaps a wall of travel memories, one country at a time.  Hopefully I'll stop procrastinating and have some of Mr. Ralph's photos printed large at Costco so they can be out and about.

OK.  Now what was I supposed to be doing?

AWKWARD DISGUSTING BLOG SPAM COMMENTS

That's twice some unknown unwelcome person commented on my blog ... trying to sell something.  Sheesh!

Do you get these intruders on your site?  Mine doesn't even get many views and has just three followers.  What happens on well known sites?  You'd have to hire a full time employee just to scan the remarks.  It's disgusting.  Did he think one of my few readers would really visit his site to buy some mobile spy software?

The internet has an infinite amount of information, education, and retail sites that simply delight me.  I do all of my financial stuff online.  Will I grow to regret this?  The hackers and n'er do wells spend too much time doing evil.  If they would devote their time and knowledge for acceptable sites and services, they would be as well off as Bill Gates.

Just leave this Awkward Widow alone!  I don't need a car loan either.

SNUGGLES

Mr. B woke up with a slight fever and a barking cough.  Not as much energy as usual, which was fine by me!  I started to be concerned when he wasn't hungry for breakfast.  Even waffles.  He did manage to drink a hot chocolate though.

I was going to babysit Deacon this evening as well as Braeden, but Mr. B just kept getting sicker and sicker.  So the parents decided to skip their date and come visit their big boy.  They took him on a a little walk, put some vaporub on him, some lavender lotion and put him in his PJs for me.  

This evening his temp was 101 but it just made him more snuggly.  I kinda like that as it doesn't happen nearly so much any more.

He's so tall now, that laying on my lap his feet drag the ground.  I love every minute of it.

HANDYKID

One of the things that is certainly missing as an Awkward Widow, is someone to take on my Honey Do list.  Mr. Ralph was pretty amazing at doing almost anything!  Even if he didn't really agree with me about having it done (tiny white lites around the perimeter of the covering of our patio ... right out my kitchen window)(I loved it).

He had so much fun at the little house in Maui.  The bright white plastic fence surrounding our entire back yard was SOOOO bright in the morning, I had to wear sunglasses to drink my coffee.  So he put up bamboo "fence art" and the next year put a hanging fern in front of each one.

All of the plants and flowers are in their own pot.  Each one has it's own drip water system.  The sprinklers turn themselves on every day.  Which makes it pretty easy to pack up and leave for six months (although I have some terrific friends two streets over who keep and eye on things)

We had a young man who helped with bigger projects or heavier projects.  He was a friend of the realtor.  He hung replacement light fixtures, built a garage full of cabinets, put dimmer switches everywhere, etc.  And then he left the island.

And moved to Portland!  Now he is a young single father, working as the Maintenance Supervisor at an apartment complex and still needs a little extra cash now and then.  He has his 15 month old daughter on his two days off, so I play with her while he does things that I can't do!

Two weeks in a row and my list is almost finished!!  Curtain rods, art shelves, Ikea stuff (takes me that long just to open the package!),decorative teak storage shelves over the toilet, a whole new spice rack system.  He is very reasonably priced (probably because he can bring Maddie).  The condo is really coming together now!

I have new young friend ... who is girlie!

LOOKING FOR PARKING SPACE

Ralph wanted to be cremated and sprinkled in his favorite places.  I have yet to scatter him anywhere.  He's sitting in the office here in Oregon.  I have a small urn with a bit of him on my headboard in Maui.  And Kate has the same small urn at her apartment.

Now she is wanting a specific place where she can take her boys to have a special moment remembering Poppa. I'm looking into space at a mausoleum.  It's not as expensive as I was thinking it would be (although I have no idea what I base THAT on) ... and the sales guy thought I might want a bit of me in there next to him. I probably will.  

Of course he started with his top-of-the-line glass fronted chamber with a wonderful bronze urn ... unless I wanted to have a whole separate building constructed just for his blood line.  I think he will be happy in a building facing Mt. Hood with just an engraved marble stone.  (We had our wedding rings made ... wide gold bands with Mt. Hood, two pine trees, two birds and I had a small diamond for the sunrise.)

The closer to eye level, the higher the price.  Facing outside costs more than this internal view.  Who knows about these things until you have to make a decision for your loved one??

Tonight I had (a healthy) dinner with Stan and Laurie, friends from before we were married.  She started working on her genealogy and learned that it is easier to trace ancestors when they are buried!  Even in a building at the cemetery rather than underground.  So there's another reason to give him a permanent spot.

I know his heart would rather be in Maui so I may have a memorial in each of his favorite places to live.  Although maybe I should just put some ashes in an Oban single malt scotch bottle and put him off his favorite beach in Maui.

Like Dr. Seuss said "Oh, the places he'll go!"