Back from Vacation

And reporting in late.  I reiterate, three weeks is too long for a vacation, but there was no shorter way to do this trip, and it was magnificent.

The Good Stuff:

- Loved meeting Val and her husband, Jim, in person and seeing their farm.  Brody is huge and such a lover dog.  Moxie and Coonie are so different in personality, it's hard to believe they are sisters, but they were both wonderful kitties.  I even got to see the piglets and chickens that the "kids" are raising.  I loved that the piglets have names like "Ham" and "Bacon."  What a great way to remind yourself that they will be dinner (or breakfast) some day.

- We got a good visit in with my Mom, Dad, and grandmother.  Also celebrated one nephew and brother-in-law's birthday.  My sister and the nephew's twin were at their global competition last weekend (niece and her team placed 17th out of 65 teams -- well done!), so we didn't get to see them.  Saw two more nieces.  Great niece was with her father and others this weekend, so I didn't get to see her.  Had Sunday brunch with Mom, Dad, and two aunts.  Bonus!  Mom and Dad have made good progress getting situated in their new house.

- None of the cats were happy with me when I picked them up.  Natasha was the first to forgive me by climbing onto my shoulder every time I sat down and clinging to me.  Lady abused me with her claws -- a first for her, Tarzan growled (but has since spent a few moments on my lap, so he's warming to me), and Ajax won't have anything to do with me yet.

- Wrote nearly 3,000 words on MAY DAYS while on the train, grabbing time now and then.  Not too bad.


The Not So Good Stuff:

- If you read my Facebook post, you already know we took all the garage door openers to SA while we were on the trip, and I forgot to bring any back with me, so I can't mow the lawn, because both lawn mowers are in the garage, and the third lawn mower that's usually at the store went to SA with me to allow me to do a quick mow before we left on the trip, and hubby didn't load it into my truck before I left, so I figure he decided to use it to be able to mow more quickly down there -- we use a reel-type push mower down there.)

- I'm pretty sure my doctor is going to hassle me about my weight when I go for my semi-annual appointment next week.  Sigh.  Going in for fasting blood work in the morning in preparation for the appointment.

- The town issued a voluntary boil water notice while we were gone, so I'm back to using my stored drinking water until they get their water system problems resolved.  I don't think this is going to go away soon, because this system is old and needs a complete overhaul or replacement to resolve the problems.  That, of course, takes money, and I don't think they've planned for it yet.

The Week Ahead:

It's almost over, but here goes:

- Dig sticker burs and weed eat.
- Get blood drawn for semi-annual doctor appointment next week.
- Get on the recumbent bike and ride