And off he goes

 

Look familiar? If you guess that The Brother Alan is off to Alaska again, you are correct.Leaves this morning and will return home on Saturday.This trip is shorter. Let's hope there's not another earthquake. Alan will arrive in Anchorage this evening. There are many "to do" things in Anchorage, but this short trip does not have any time off. One thing I do anytime he flies is track the flight going and returning. Lift off is at 2:45 pm from Phoenix.

Yesterday was my follow-up with the doctor to get MRI results. I have so much inflammation and fluid as well as a bone spur. The plan is to continue wearing the boot all day and try to stay off my foot... key word is try. I am not one to sit all day. Murphy continues to be great...he ignores the boot but still gets under foot at times. Today I began taking an anti-inflammatory prescription medication and I will begin physical therapy soon and return in 4 weeks. The next option is surgery. So this next phase starts. What I know is, that this is painful and limits me. Hopefully I can avoid surgery.

Today will be swishing and fluffing in the laundry area and no much else. Lisa will be off work today and tomorrow.... Glad you stopped by. Thank you for your kind words and caring thoughts. Thank you for your friendship.

Earthquake!

 Another hot day and it would seem these triple digits are here to stay. It was 101 yesterday and today? maybe 105. In the Indeed, it was meantime, Alan is still in Alaska until Sunday and his temps are in the 50s during the day. It was raining yesterday there. Sunday night while looking out the hotel window and talking to Lisa, the curtains moved and the window too and so did he feel movement. He hung up and call down to the desk...they said not to worry it was only an earthquake. Alan dressed and left the 14th floor and went downstairs. It really was an earthquake that was about 130 miles north and it was a 6.1 magnitude. Earlier there were a few smaller ones that did not register in Anchorage. Alan said he would put hazard pay on his expense report!

This is the new egg cooker...small like a toy! It works just fine. Well, I do have to try the poached eggs again. The hard cooked ones are great.

It has accessories...a scramble egg bowl, an egg poacher dived dish and of course it  also has it"s own special measuring cup. It will musically start and when finished plays another tune. It is all automatically timed and as you can see in the first picture, it all stores under the cover. I just love gadgets and things to make anything easier.

Lisa and I did some crafting yesterday..

these are several Heating pad Llamas waiting for me.

Once Lisa cuts them out and all their pieces, I embroider the faces. She will then sew them into Llamas. I love doing the hand sewing. I must say, Lisa is gaining more confidence with her cutting out and sewing. 

A few months ago Alan decided to spread some flower seeds. Just as he began a bit of wind arrived and the seeds went ... well who knows. Nothing seemed to be growing until this Blanket Flower appeared.  I found another tomato  growing but it is as small as a pin head. The plant itself is growing so tall. The basil and oregano are doing great. I still need to replace the Rosemary and parsley as well as chives. That will be when Alan returns. 

Did I mention that there is a special door at my bedroom doorway?

Hope this means they will be moving in and help around here. In the meantime, glad to visit with you today. Thank you for your kind words and for your friendship. 

Must say thank you for all the good thoughts and prayers for my niece Tonya. She is doing so well.

And bears oh my

 

Alan with the bears... thank goodness they are behind the glass. I told him not to go near the bears! How impressive are they? So far all is going well. He likes Anchorage and his room has a view of the main street and the mountains. Alan said there are so many fur shops! It was nice to chat with him for a few minutes last night. He was getting ready to "go out on the town"...right, he was going across the street for dinner then back to the hotel to get some rest. Remember, sunrise is at 3:30am and sunset at 11:30pm...long days. There are no rental cars available so it is good that the Hilton is a few blocks away for the mall.

Last night was Lisa and I grilling hotdogs.. at 10pm. Murphy thought there was something in the area so he remained on patrol. At 4am this morning he resumed the search for ... well, whatever he thinks was walking around. 

Swishing and line hanging today. I have an indoor retractable line in the garage which makes it easy. Once again I have a slight headache. I really think the weather is causing it. Today should be around 100 and it is already very warm. Murphy is napping on my bed...a nap sounds good. Chore sto take care for me. Glad you had time to stop by. Thank you for your kind words and for your friendship.

I was going to share a photo or two, but all of a sudden blogger is not letting me....maybe tomorrow.

Safely back on ground

 Alan had a long day yesterday. Getting up at 2am for a shuttle pickup at 3am for a 6am flight. He had a stop in Seattle from here then onto Anchorage landing around 5:30pm their time. They are one hour earlier in Alaska. Alan's first day covering the mall is today. Sunrise there was at 3:30am and sunset last night was at 11:30pm.

The moon was big and somewhat bright...some clouds covered it. Still, I tried for a picture. Murphy accompanied me out to the garden but was not impressed with the tripod. My creative or lack of creativity is driving me crazy. Both hands are hurting from the arthritis and my heel is still painful. Last night it was a bit swollen. I find this all distracting. Time for a doctor visit...or two. Today is definitely a swishing and fluffing day. For dinner last night I made a very tasty Fusilli pasta salad. Tonight Lisa and I will be grilling hotdogs and cauliflower at 10pm. Yes, at 10pm when she gets home from work. Can you see us out in the garden grilling? Time for me to get a move on with chores.

I think I am going to send a report to the Faerie Union...still no show on their part for help. Glad to chat with you. Thank you for your kind words and for your friendship. 

His bags were packed

 He is on his way..... The Brother Alan is in the air on his way to Anchorage Alaska for 12 days...... going to be temp director at The Anchorage Mall while that director is on vacation. I know, crazy. Every so often Alan is sent to another mall to cover. The average temp there is around 57 and about 17 hours or so of daylight. Big difference from Arizona temps! So, it will be just us girls and of course Murphy. I tried to be up when he left for the airport at 3am for the 6am take-off. Well I did wake at 1:30am but did not make it to chat with him and send him off with hug. The flight will stop in Seattle then on to Alaska.At this very moment, he is flying at 19,000 feet heading to 34,000 and 433mph. I usually track his flights. Hopefully there will be pictures coming and I will share.  After 17 years...yes, 17 years... my rice/egg steamer died. Alan and I found a replacement and it should arrive soon. Amazon has not been as quick with deliveries as before. We are big rice eaters here. the other night I actually made it in a sauce pan for the very first time. Much prefer to use the steamer. This also means we will need a new egg cooker...yes I need these appliances as I am very spoiled and now Alan has inherited what Dennis started....spoiling me. Well my friends, I need a second cup of coffee and a bit of breakfast. Thank you for your kind words and for you friendship.

Update...34,000 feet at 497 mph...