Binge

I spent the day watching stories from Star Wars, a Disney+ series, 'The Mandalorian' and all or parts of three movies, two of which I had not seen before.  I switched between the internet for the series to DVD for a reprise of 'The Force Awakens, which was the only story I had seen before.  I then watched 'The Last Jedi' on Disney+ and switched to a DVD I owned but had never watched to see 'Rogue One'.  I liked the 'Mandalorian' best, followed by 'Rogue One', 'The Force Awakens' and last of all 'The Last Jedi'.  I found the last of these too busy with too many parallel action sequences.  It has been fun to watch the movies and complete the set.  The one major movie in the Star Wars canon I have not yet watched is currently in theaters and I will likely see it when it is on Disney+ or on DVD.  I saw another movie 'Solo' during my trip to Alaska. 

Boots

Nineteen years ago I was traveling to Salt Lake to take care of my parents.  At the time I purchased four pairs of leather boots to keep my legs warm as I traveled and they served me well.  Two pairs were brown, two black.  Two pairs were short, two long.  I wore three pairs until the soles were very worn and I replaced them with some shredded tire from an entry mat.  The short brown boots still had an intact sole, but the zipper on one of the boots never worked right.  It has been several years since I wore any of those pairs of boots and in the meantime I acquired other boots.  I created a pull out boot rack with dowels, a piece of plywood and craft wheels that slid out on bottom mounted drawer sliders.  There was enough room for eight pairs of boots, but I had acquired six new pairs.  My boot rack lost function and was crowded and messy.  Today I threw out my old boots and some other shoes that were defunct.  Meanwhile I had created a storage space for 'yard boots' on my porch.  Now my boots are all neatly put away.  Today I shared my gas benefit with Lucinda.  It amounted to 85 cents discount with 300 points and a credit card discount of 55 cents.  She got just short of ten gallons worth of gas and purchased mid-grade for less than 2 dollars a gallon.  Afterwards I mentored Diana with her pastel drawing.  I ordered supported boards from Dick Blick for a bargain price which means my encaustic project will not begin immediately.  I also signed up for a free trial of Disney Plus.  It has not been a very busy day, but I hope it will be a more restful night.

Busy Morning, Lazy Afternoon

Although I hadn't set an alarm I woke up shortly after 6 AM.  I had several tasks to accomplish that needed to be done today.  First in urgency was picking up my paintings from the Provo library.  Next I planned to sign a petition against the recent tax bill which would take me to Orem.  Since I would be downtown to get my paintings I decided to begin with a stop at Smith's to look for fat and meat.  I also had a vague idea of stopping by the Rock and Bead shop in Orem to get some double wire.  I finished my morning routine, took a shower and started my journey after 8:30 AM.  I had successful shopping at Smiths, finding not only beef and fat, but also replenishing my supply of kitchen garbage bags on a fairly good sale. I picked up the pictures, signed the petition and purchased not only the silver wire I was looking for, but also an irridized quartz pendant that resembles the earrings Nancy gave me in Alaska. After a brief stop at Day's Market for some more meat and some advice solicited by a woman of my age who was looking for a tender roast, I picked up my helpers at Lucinda's home and they rapidly performed their appointed tasks while I cooked a really lovely rib steak using reverse searing.  I really appreciate my digital thermometer that allows me to cook a steak to medium rare with a nice sear following the initial warm up in my toaster oven.  I prepared the meat I purchased for freezing, separated out the fat and packed it in snack sized packs for easy use and put them in my new freezer.  I also baked a pound of bacon, using a baking cooling rack that provides really good results. 

Saving by Spending and Fun Sledding

I took a defunct sled with me today when I went up to Salt Lake to visit Rudy and Hannah.  I hoped we could find a place with sufficient snow to sled on.  Hannah knew of a place where there is a really splendid sledding hill on the grounds of an elementary school.  Rudy clung to his favorite Christmas present, a new world globe mounted so it spins.  I wondered how he could sled on a plastic shell that Hannah retrieved from their garage.  I hoped to convince him to go with Hannah but in the event he went spinning off by himself down the icy slope clutching his globe.  He didn't fall off the sled until it reach the valley at the base of the hill and then he headed for the area I planned to drive to to pick him up.  We found a smaller, less peopled slope that edged the parking lot and he went down three times, once riding with Hannah.  Then he took off for a distant playground.  Hannah wanted to run after him but I told her to get into the car and we would drive toward his destination.  When he realized we were both in the car he came running to join us.  Rudy seems to have transitioned to eating a cheeseburger instead of chicken McNuggets at McDonalds. 
I spent the morning making a wallpaper copy for the wall in back of my new freezer.  It was relatively successful after several false starts.  In Provo, after my trip south, I shopped for meat and other things to fill the freezer but left them in the cold car until I had created a trolley for the freezer.  I had a useful piece of sturdy plywood and 4 suitable wheels on hand and quickly constructed the trolley and replaced the packing foam and plastic that came with the freezer.  Then I put two additional party sized lasagnas, several packs of t-bone steaks, 5 packs of Breyer's Ice Cream, and some strip steaks in the freezer.  It is not absolutely full, but definitely provides promise of provender for some time to come.

Renovation and Restoration

After attending the Provo City Center Temple today I did a bit of shopping.  I stopped by Deseret Books in Orem and picked up four all cotton regular 36 bottoms of garments.  I had intended to do this for some time.  The other fabrics and styles aren't as comfortable.  I then stopped at Walmart for some cream and a loaf of discounted Italian bread.  When I got home I made some changes to the plastic panel on the top of my new freezer after cutting a prime roast into three steaks and cooking and eating the steaks from a loin roast I had in my fridge.  I also sewed a button back on my new gray coat that fell off when I took it off at the temple.  After taking a nap while trying to warm up and listening to a book about the periodic table I made some changes to the village scene that replaces my Star Wars collection during the Christmas season.  I cut the base to fit on the jewelry storage chest in my hallway then lined the edges with some grosgrain pale cream colored ribbon to stop the fraying of the foam that forms the panel.  I arranged the little houses, the 'Back to the Future' air car service center, the various figures of people and animals and put some school glue on all the loose figures to secure them.  Tomorrow I hope to make some progress on my encaustic painting of Layla.  I am grateful for the change of attitude and purpose that leaves me with only a few small tasks to restore order as I end the day. 

Merry, Merry Christmas

Lucinda and Jared and their 11 children came to my house a little after ten AM and opened gifts while I finished baking a lasagna.  They all seemed happy with their gifts.  Jacqueline gave me a framed copy of the pencil sketches she has made of family members.  They stayed until a little after 2 PM but left to visit friends just before the first of the second set of visitors arrived.  Tricia's family except for Russell, David's entire family including Taylor, Shazia and Layla and finally Nancy and Miranda arrived to share a midday meal.  I roasted a leg of Lamb that Jing gave me and baked an apricot and almond cake.  The others brought an assortment of food including ham, egg rolls, pies and salad.  Nancy provided entertainment afterwards with a dance and exercise program that uses motion capture.  There was an excess of goodies.  Rudy occupied himself by playing marble Chase and constructing an elaborate system that looked like alien communication.  29 people total were in my house this Christmas day of2019

One Thing After Another

I completed the job of shortening the counter top and installing the freezer so that it can be easily accessed.  Along the way there were a number of challenges but I have met most of them with no particular trouble.  The most troubling remains with us, the failure of the fix on the water line to the dishwasher.  I imagine that the solution lies in replacing the valve.  We just need to know what size to get.  Today is Christmas Eve, my oldest son's birthday.  I prepared a jar of beef bits for him.  I hope he is able to use them.

Lots of Unanticipated Accomplishments

I woke up this morning with initial plans to go to Joann Fabrics and purchase some silver metal buttons for my new gray coat and a round tipped set of jewelry pliers.  I then somehow became fixed on the idea of getting a newer chest freezer.  Internet exploration produced the information that a good sized chest freezer was on sale at Lowes.  I purchased it online and proceeded to finish my morning routine of prayer, exercise while listening to scripture, and making my bed.  Then I published both the e-mail version and the paper version of the newsletter for UVAG.  I took a couple of coats to Lucinda's house and after she turned them down I asked Adam to come with me on a run to Lowes, Joann Fabrics, the transfer station, Home Depot, and then to Lowes to return a plumbing part that didn't meet out needs.  Adam helped me put an old apartment sized refrigerator and my dishwasher in the back of the car after unboxing the new freezer.  We took the box along with other boxes I have accumulated to the dump.  I realized I could put the new freezer in my kitchen in place of the dishwasher with a bit of carpentry work.  I framed the print I made for Marge and took it along with me as well as taking my new coat, some thread and the new buttons.  They really improve the look of the coat.  While visiting with Marge I decided to stop at Smith's for more groceries for the Christmas feast along with getting gas.  I was able to save 75 cents a gallon on what was nearly a full tank.  Tomorrow I plan to make an apricot, almond cake for the Christmas Feast.  Jing contributed a boneless leg of lamb.  I will also cut the counter and do some carpentry to provide enough space for the freezer which will have its top exposed under my new plan.  It is fun to go off in a new direction and have things work out quite well. 

Slept In

Somehow my phone was turned off and I didn't really wake until 11:00 AM, missing church.  It was a shortened schedule because of Christmas.  I have had a rather relaxing day.  I did a video visit with Eliza while her children opened the Christmas gifts I sent them.  I got a text from Sam and Reese that they had received the box of gifts I sent, including Ruari's birthday gift.  I assume that Tara has received the box with Tegarian's and Beth's gifts.  I beaded a necklace of iolite and silver beads that will go nicely with the iolite dangle earrings that I like to wear.  I messed around a bit on Facebook and watched some you tube videos.  I am sorry I missed Church this morning but I am grateful for my life and family, my home and all the comfort that surrounds me.

Small Things

Today I woke up at Nancy's house.  I had no extra clothing because I hadn't anticipated staying over night, but Annie had been using Nancy's Volvo and after an oil change she smelled something like burning oil and left the car in an Orem mall and took the bus to Salt Lake where Nancy picked her up and took her to the airport.  So Nancy needed a ride to Orem and it seemed logical that I would bring her down after visiting with her, Mary and children and Tisha and children.  I thought it seemed a better idea to wait until daylight in case there were problems with the car.  Miranda had stayed up very late to finish a homework assignment and Nancy had stayed up to keep her on task.  Neither were eager to make an early start.  We arrived in Orem around noon and quickly located the Volvo near the Michael's store.  I went in to see if I could locate a frame for Marge's copy of the portrait of her and found a 'buy one get two free' deal and purchased three frames that will accept the size of paper I use for canvas style prints.  When I returned to the car I found that Nancy felt there was no great reason to be worried.  She had checked out the car and saw some small evidence that the oil change had involved a minor spill, likely the cause of Annie's concern.  I returned to my house via Lucinda's house and gave five of her children a ride to my home to do their Saturday chores.  Jacqueline and Diana lingered and Jacqueline expressed a wish that she had been able to shop at Michael's because she wanted to purchase gifts for a couple of friends.  I offered her the contents of my recently organized jewelry cabinet and she created two pairs of earrings for her friends.  Afterwards we made a quick trip to the paper store where she and Diana purchased little jewelry boxes and I found a pack of paper I hope will be useful.  I had planned to fast until Sunday but at around 6 I decided to break a 32 hour fast.  I was so pleased by the positive reaction to the gifts I gave the children in Salt Lake.

Christmas Practice

Having wrapped and beribboned all my Christmas gifts for grandchildren I drove to Salt Lake with a box full of presents.  I stopped at the Artesian Well Park and arrived just as another woman finished filling her jugs.  I quickly filled the six jugs I brought but I saw a sign that the park will soon be closing for renovation.  Maybe I should try Spring City.  I was pleased that the gifts I had chosen were successful.

Finishing Up

I have nothing left in the mail except a silver Celtic horse pendant necklace.  All the Christmas presents have arrived.  Tomorrow I will take a group of gifts up to Salt Lake in case nobody can come down for Christmas, which is possible given the weather forecast.  We are supposed to have a snow storm over the days of Christmas Eve and Christmas.  I finished organizing my jewelry making drawers.  The longest task involved sorting out lots of little beads.  I could have discarded them.  Perhaps I should have discarded them, and I did discard the last part of them.  On the other hand I had room for what I sorted and the drawer is more coherent.  I enjoyed my trip to the temple this morning.  I sat next to the witness sister even though I was later than usual since I stopped at Day's Market to purchase quite a bit of loin roast.

Beads, Wires and random stuff

I downloaded the Marie Kondo book and listened to part of it last night, mostly while I was semi-conscious.  One of the pockets of chaos in my house was several drawers of my jewelry case that contain supplies and tools.  I purchased some head pins yesterday but today I found that there were probably enough scattered through the beads and other things at the bottom of the drawers.  Often when I organize a drawer or area I find I have more space, but this time there is difficulty fitting everything back in.  My granddaughters enjoy working with some of the supplies and I am grateful they enjoy spending time with me.

Christmas is a coming

I went to the Provo City Center Temple today for the first time in two weeks and saw the newest video adaptation.  I found the temple very busy but since I wasn't counting on parking close to the door, I was satisfied with the parking I found.  All temples are lovely and significant, but I like the experience of the PCCT better for several reasons.  I had not planned to attend today, thinking I would likely be going to one of the temples in the Salt Lake valley because I had assumed I would be taking Russell up to Salt Lake to meet his lawyer and attend a hearing, however last night his mother picked him up to spend the night closer to his appointments.  The hearing this morning was indefinite because they didn't take into account the age at which he acted stupidly and that he hasn't done so for 5 years.  I purchased some more roast which I cut into steaks and purchased some jewelry findings at Joann's and a blank journal with drawing quality paper that I plan to give to Hannah with a set of journal markers.  I also decided to purchase a silver horse pendant on Overstock.com.  It was a personal indulgence, which I seem to be good at indulging in.  I delivered pictures to Catherine and Julie Beutler and Annie came over to bring my gift and pick up the Volvo key.  I am grateful for my home ministers.  I gave them each a snack pack full of steak nuts after establishing that they enjoyed them.

Teenagers

At the moment there are nine teenagers among my grandchildren, ranging from 18 year old Russell to 13 year old Adam.  In many ways Adam is more mature than Russell.  Last night Russell slept on my living room floor on a set of cushions that have been used by a number of other visiting relatives.  I woke him this morning and he ate cereal and milk for breakfast (very unusual around here) while I opened the chicken coop.  We left the house around 8 AM and went to the credit union.  Russell had reminded me that I had promised to purchase a suit for his mission but since he has left the Church and needed to look good for his court appearance he was making his claim on the suit.  I didn't bother to contradict him.  I took out a hundred dollars from the ATM and gave it to him as we set off on a shopping expedition to fill out the meager wardrobe he brought with him from Wyoming.  First we went to Walmart where he got boxers and a razor.  He also decided to get some fluffy camo print lounge pants and some dark glasses.  Next we went to D. I. where he selected a red and black tie and I helped him select a very nice white cotton long sleeved shirt.  Last of all we went to the shopping strip on University Parkway in Orem where he found a very useful laptop lap pad at Office Depot.  He spent a little over the $100 for the various items.  When we returned home I baked a large serving of frozen, boxed lasagna for him after he showered and changed out of his clothing which I then washed.  His mother came to pick him up after I had left to sit with Marge Lewis for the evening.  I feel it was a productive day and our relationship was pleasant.  I'm grateful I had this opportunity to touch base with him again.

Prodigal

I am acting as hostess for my prodigal grandson.  He has a hearing on Tuesday, December 17, two days from now.  The charges are serious in terms of his future, but more serious still is the alienation from his faith and his family.  All of us love him and wish the best for him, but actions have consequences.  I am grateful for this opportunity to have him here, take him shopping for clothing that will improve his chances of receiving a fair hearing.  His hair is long and full and wavy and he disdains getting a haircut but is willing to keep it tied back and subdued.  We will go shopping for a few necessities tomorrow. 

Stocking up on SAD food

I will have a grandson in my home for a few days beginning on Sunday evening.  I eat mainly steak.  My son Richard, who lives with me, is something of a scavenger.  I purchase popcorn and I had accumulated a supply of canned goods before I started mainly eating meat.  I needed to bring my Smith's Fuel Rewards points above 100 to continue getting a significant discount.  I called my daughter and asked her what kind of food her son preferred.  Italian and cereal were two answers.  I shopped at Smith's today and purchased some lasagna and meat pies as well as a gallon of whole milk and a package of mini shredded wheat.  I tried to get deals on the items I purchased and I was able to bring my fuel points up above 100.

Home Again Riggety Jig

I have a sense of obligation to my grandson Rudy to go out to the park and McDonald's every Friday.  With the exception of the week or so his family went to Oregon this summer I have kept up my weekly visits.  There were warnings that the weather would be foul this evening.  Not only that, but my gas tank on my car was getting low and I needed to purchase some additional items from Smith's to reach the goal of getting 55 cents off per gallon of gas.  I decided that after I finished framing some prints for Marge's other helpers and wrapping some presents I would leave a couple of hours earlier than usual and shop at the Smith's Marketplace near Tricia's home.  I vaguely considered some items I might need or want, among them a magenta or pale blue top or sweater and some windshield fluid.  I also felt a need to replenish my supply of packing and packaging tape.  My drive to Salt Lake went relatively smoothly although I left the highway when it started to slow and there was a warning of an accident before the 215 exit.  I quickly made my way to an entrance to the freeway near Union Park,  watching my gas gauge as it crept lower than I had ever let it go.  At Smith's I found a lovely magenta sweater, some toys that I could give for birthdays in the spring, tape, needle nosed pliers, and a few sundries.  I realized later that I bought no food.  However I purchased enough to get the discount on gas I had been wanting.  Not only that, the gas price at the Smith's station was as low as I had seen, at least ten cents less than what I had hoped to purchase in Provo.  With the 10 cent discount I got for having at least 100 gas points, the 55 cents off from using my credit card discount, and ten cents less per gallon I saved effectively 75 cents per gallon on a full tank of gas.  Tricia came along with Rudy and me when we briefly went to the park than on to McDonalds.  I bought a six piece pack of chicken nuggets for her in addition to the nuggets, fries and Sprite I got for Rudy.  The drive home was in a light drizzle and slow but the traffic kept flowing.  I took an earlier exit off 800 North in Orem because I wanted to check to see if the $2.99 per pound for steaks was still available at Day's Market.  I quickly established that the price was no longer in effect but I have plenty of meat on hand and today, after a debacle yesterday, I ate a steak and extra fried fat at around 9 AM and have had nothing but my electrolyte mix and water since then.  I paid for my indulgence yesterday with a puffy tummy and some vague aches.  I felt no real temptation to repeat the experience. 

Good Day

Yesterday was an uphill climb but today was a font of good fortune.  I was able to purchase some nice meat to make 'meat nuts' this morning.  Then I helped Jacqueline make earrings and enhance a freshwater pearl necklace that I gave her.  I finished the prints I provided for Marge Lewis to give her family members and took wrapping supplies with me when I went to her house this evening.  With her help holding down edges I made short work of wrapping the packages.  I mended the hook in my temple robe while I was at Marge's house.  I am grateful for this day and all the days the Lord has granted me.  I am richly blessed with all that is good.

Less than Expected by Uphill

Today, December 10, 2019, I arrived at the Provo temple and found a fairly good parking place in the south parking lot.  I was running a little late to get into the session I wanted because my car windows were thickly frosted over and I thought I had turned on the defroster but had not done so.  At the recommend desk an older woman was getting instructions about closing dates from both of the brethren who were ignoring other patrons.  Because I was feeling rushed, I finally interrupted the brother who was waving my recommend around without scanning it while talking to the woman and suggested he hand it to the other man who had begun to pay attention to the people who were waiting.  I felt bad about the confrontation, recognizing that it was not the correct attitude to take with me into the temple and trying to justify myself in an inner dialogue.  The small list of trivial problems had begun when I tried to put on my earrings in the morning and had to fiddle around with one of them when the mother of pearl pendant came loose.  The last small difficulty came when my hook came loose on my temple robe and I had to request a pin which was promptly provided, but it was a rather small one.  I decided not to try to do another endowment session and settled on going to a sealing session after the first endowment.  I soon realized that a number of sisters were waiting for a sealing session which made my presence redundant.  I started home but stopped at Lucinda's home to visit.  I love her children and enjoy their return of affection.  After leaving her house I came home and 'harvested' my dehydrated beef bits which turned out rather well.  I haven't really eaten any of the jerky I made earlier this year.  I plan to stop at Day's Market tomorrow and purchase several more packages of loin steaks if they are still on sale.

Gift Preparation on Track

This morning, December 9, 2019, I mailed out packages to Florida, Alabama and Virginia that contain gifts for my descendants.  I stopped at Day's Market after taking Alden, Calvin and Jacqueline to seminary and found a sale on loin steaks although the main aim of the stop was to replenish my sealing tape supply in order to finish wrapping gifts for the local family.  I prepared the steaks to be dehydrated by chopping them up into roughly 1/2" pieces and salting them generously with Real Salt.  I took some over to Lucinda and mended Patricia's doll.  After the rest of the family left I returned and started Jacqueline on putting together a pearl necklace for her aunt.  Later in the day I wrapped and labeled many of the presents for family.  There are still some that I expect from Amazon, but I am in the final stages of having everything ready.  I love accomplishing tasks and taking on unexpected challenges like making what I am choosing to call 'beef nuts'. 

Christmas Gifts

I have four families that live away from convenient dropping off of gifts.  Since I no longer subscribe to Amazon Prime I have to package up the gifts and send them.  I made a list of what I am giving to various people and with the original sorting there were only two for whom I had not yet purchased a gift, or planned to regift in the case of earrings.  Today I spent a fair amount of time working with the prints that Marge has decided to purchase for her various children.  Fortunately I discovered that the print which fell in some sawdust was not damaged to any extend.  Several other prints had glossy spots after I sprayed them with UV protective spray.  The gloss has faded.  I packaged up the print for Marge's daughter in Arizona, made a gift card for her to sign using some paper and some clipart from the web plus an envelope that fit.  I mailed it on my way to Salt Lake at the BYU mailing facility.  It feels satisfying to come so near the goal of taking care of all my Christmas gifting.
Today I left home early to avoid bad traffic and had plenty of time to stop at the artesian well park near Liberty Park in Salt Lake and fill four gallon containers with water.  A man with three 5-gallon tanks and an assortment of gallon containers was willing to let me use one of the three spigots.  Fortunately the day was clear and mild and I had plenty of time.  As he and I neared the end of our water filling a couple of oriental people who seemed to be from the neighborhood came with a couple of containers each.

Slower Day

I've had a slower day today.  After taking the kids to seminary and going to the Provo temple until around 10:30 I went shopping at Macey's and the Dollar Tree.  Then I put in a wash and took a long nap.  Later I sorted out the gifts for my family for Christmas and a few birthdays.  I spent some time looking at youtube videos about diet and some time participating in posts on Facebook.  Tomorrow I plan to finish up the prints for Marge and her family and hope to get the print mailed to her daughter.  I would like to include a gift card with Marge's name in the package.  Afternoon will be a trip to Salt Lake to be with Rudy and Hannah.

Hobby Shops

Today I set myself to finish my portrait of Marge Lewis and prepare prints.  I framed one of the prints and took it to show her this evening.  It is meant to be mailed to her daughter in Arizona.  I left early from sitting with her because her son was coming over to watch a game with her.  Although it meant I would not make $39 dollars for the hours between 6 and 9 PM, it meant I had time to go shopping at Michaels and use a coupon for 60 percent off I received in an e-mail.  I used it to purchase some 6" x 8" canvas pads with the intention of using them to frame some picture of pomegranates for my ministered sisters.  Unfortunately the dollar store did not have the right size frames so I purchased 5"x7" frames and cut down the printed images.  One of the three frames I purchased is mangled.  On the other hand I purchased two frames, one 16"x20" suitable for the portrait of Marge, and the other 11"x14" which will fit one of the prints.  The total bill was $23+ which is about what one of the frames would have cost if it were full price.  Earlier in the day I took Jacqueline, Diana and Lelia to several stores.  We intended to go to a bead and rock shop but along the way we went to a RPG Game store where they had miniatures that would have fit my tiny Christmas scene as far as size is concerned, but they were mostly monsters.  We then stopped at a model train store but they were out of the kind of animals I was looking for.  At the rock shop Diana and Lelia were given tumbled stones.  Jacqueline bought pearls to string as a necklace for her mom and I bought a chalcedony pendant and some findings.  The girls were told to take candy canes from the Christmas tree as we left the shop.  We then drove to the paper store to get gift jewel boxes on reference from the man at the jewelry store.  It was fun going shopping with the girls.

Ticking off the list

Today I decided to register my car and renew my driver's license after I left the temple where I was able to help an acquaintance from the PCCT do twice as many cards as she would otherwise have been able to do.  I drove to the State office building to register for 2020 and found that I needed to get an emissions inspections before I could register.  Then I drove out to what I thought was the driver's license office but they were closed and referred me to Springville.  Fortunately I needed to make a deposit at the credit union that shares the building so my trip was not wasted.  I made an appointment with the dealership to do the inspection and they printed out the papers needed and gave me the sticker for next year.  I then drove to the Orem office of the DMV and obtained a renewal of my driver's license.  I could have renewed online but I needed an eye check and I have lost 50 or more pounds since I had my previous license and wanted that information, both written and pictured, on my new license.  I also located a rock shop I used to patronize which has moved to a different location in Orem.  It is in a larger location and has a larger stock of rocks, beads and jewelry findings.  I purchased a fossil cabochon bead for Rochelle and they added a copper wire connector for 25 cents.  It felt like a day welly spent.

Narrowing in on Final Version

I spent some time today working on my portrait of Marge Lewis, particularly the small portrait of her husband.  I need to make it more accurate but at the same time avoid making it the focal point.  I took it to her home this evening and her son and daughter-in-law stopped by to bring her a poinsettia.  The portrait was in the living room and there was no graceful way to conceal it.  They really seemed to like it.  I am grateful that I have the talent to portray the likeness of people.

Christmas Decorations

Over the years I have accumulated a number of Christmas decorations.  For the past few years I have established a tradition of having my Hancock grandchildren come up and decorate the house.  They put up the tree, arrange the lights, sort out the ornaments, which are mostly transparent globes containing pictures of the various family members, and put them all in place.  There is a bisque porcelain creche set that goes on the console cabinet under my south window that is now a projection screen behind curtains.  There are three figurines I made for my mother years ago and got back after her death that represent the 'Littlest Angel', the 'Little Drummer Boy', and 'The Little Matchgirl'.  There is a hoop of silver bells and ivy for the outside front screen door and two centerpieces that go with different table cloths.  There is also a scene of a Victorian village that includes a service station for flying cars, including the DeLorean from 'Back to the Future'.  I put that up on my jewelry chest under a mirror in place of a Star Wars display that usually sits there/  I keep the Christmas tree lights on until I take down the tree, possible because of LED lights that don't heat up.  I enjoy the feeling of gentle festivity these decorations bestow on my home and the children love to see the room when it is finished.

Promptings

I am grateful for promptings.  Sometimes I encounter difficulties that are relieved directly by blessed intervention, mounting more surely toward the category of miracles.  Other times, like today, November 30, 2019, I avoid difficulties by following promptings.  After making a careful trip up to Salt Lake City to visit Hannah and Rudy I decided to follow a semi-plan I had made to spend the night at Nancy's house.  I use the word semi-plan because I made allowance for the possibility by taking along a hormone pill but I didn't take a change of clothing or night clothes.  Because of the snowy scene the night before, I had intended to take my time returning home, assuming that it would be best to wait until roads had a chance to dry or at least be plowed.  Around nine AM I began to feel it was time to leave without delay.  I brought along four empty plastic water jugs with the idea I could stop by the Artesian Spring Park to fill them up, but brief consideration made decide to skip the trip to the spring.  I got on the road around 9:30 AM.  The weather was clear and the roads had been plowed and most of them were just a bit wet, but not cold enough to threaten black ice.  I made good time with just a bit of threat from snow showers as I approached the Point of the Mountain.  As usual it was not really easy to drive through the maze of highway lines in the Lehi area where road construction has been going on for months, but I reached Provo at around 10:30 just as a semi truck carrying butane jack-knifed in the Lehi area of 1-15.  I was unaware of the accident that closed the freeway in both directions until after midnight.  I am familiar with alternative routes such as Redwood Road but with all the traffic on the road it would still have meant a delay of several hours and my gas tank is not full. 

Snow

I am sleeping at Nancy's house tonight, November 29th 2019.  Yesterday was Thanksgiving and we had a lovely family gathering.  Patricia and her family were not able to come because of the weather and her work schedule.  But early afternoon Mary had come to visit and I gave her some seedy clear glass for a panel by her door along with some leading strips.  Not long after I started to go to Salt Lake myself to keep my normal Friday appointment with Hannah and Rudy.  I started early because it was snowing and there was a lot of traffic on the roads because of Black Friday.  I prepared myself to stay overnight by bring a tablet of my hormone.  Miranda is in California visiting her father over the holiday so I am sleeping in her room.  I am fasting after my indulgence in tiny bites of pie and larger amounts of fruit salad on Thanksgiving and earlier today.  One advantage of staying here is that I'm not tempted by the fruit salad and can fast more easily.

Thankful for Thanksgiving

The weather prevented Tisha's family from getting to Provo but Nancy brought Hannah.  We had all of David's family at the table except for Jing who was working.  There were 10 of us which meant I didn't have to get out the extra table.  I provided all the usual mains and sides including the turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole which was better than ever made with frozen mushrooms instead of cream of mushroom soup, yams, fruit salad made with coconut milk so Jing could enjoy it once she gets home, and canned cranberry sauce instead of the fresh ground orange and cranberry relish I usually make.  Shazia provided rolls and Nancy brought pies.  She and Hannah were a little late but still arrived in time for most of the meal.  I had purchased a couple of LDS DVDs last week and after the meal Lucinda's husband and older children came to join us while we watched the movies.  They were both quite good, although I hardly watched them as I cleaned up after the meal and rested now and then.  I overindulged in fruit salad and didn't eat much turkey which was drier than I expected.  I also had a few slivers of pumpkin pie with whipped cream. At this point my digestion seems to be at peace.  I measured my ketone and glucose levels before the meal began and they were in a good range.  I am sitting here now in quiet.  Everyone but Richard and I have gone.  It was good to get together.

Critic

The current 'Nativity' video presented by the Church is rather unmoving to me.  Mary looks lovingly at the baby but spends more time putting him in swaddling clothes and placing him in a manger than holding him to her chest and heart, let alone any hint of nursing.  The 'Heavenly Host' is subsumed into a bright light in the sky and some unmelodic strings.  The producers seem impressed with their historical accuracy in having anyone speaking speak Aramaic.  I have seen more impressive and moving nativity accounts, but all of the reviews but mine were gushing and uncritical. 

Fast for Lata

I fasted for about 22 hours for two reasons.  Primarily I fasted on behalf of my son-in-law who had a heart transplant and who is in danger of rejection.  I also fasted because I have gained about 10 pounds from my lowest measured weight of about 137 pounds.  I have been violating my guidelines for a carnivore diet.  I believe my face looks better with more weight, but I don't want to continue going in the wrong direction.  I broke my fast with a steak cut from a ribeye roast along with some extra fat and the bones from the roast.  I was not able to complete eating the steak and saved it for tomorrow. 

When a Blockage Becomes and Blessing

I went down to Stevenson's last week and made eight copies of the printout of my portrait of Marge Lewis.  The copies turned out very well and I planned to glue them to canvases and 'masterize' the surface as I have often done before.  I had ordered canvases at Michael's for less than half price and picked them up the same day I got the prints.  I decided to use a spray on glue.  It was fortunately half price with a coupon.  At home I carefully prepared for the job, using my semi-outside workroom to spray the glue on the canvases and doing all I thought was needed to insure they lay flat.  They didn't.  My work seemed to have resulted in failure.  Not only did the adhesive work poorly, but when I sprayed the prints with an archival spray to protect them against fading it had a strange effect on the inks used in the prints.  Some of them were not as bad as the others, but I needed six mounted prints and I only had three that were useable.  So I ordered some more canvases, which were fortunately still on sale.  Meanwhile several of my children critiqued the portrait and said it needed something to complete the composition.  If I had been successful in mounting the prints I would have brushed away their suggestions.  As it was, I took heed and added my own insight and added a portrait of Marge's deceased husband to the empty space the the right of the portrait.  I printed out a representation of the proposed change and ran it by Marge and one of the other caretakers, Erin, this evening.  They really liked the idea and now I will proceed to change the painting.  So the Blockage became a boon.  I believe I will give the three portrait prints to Erin and Julie and Roxana.

Artists

I introduced myself to a young woman at Relief Society today.  Her name is Alexis Jeffries.  She said she is a professional artist and indicated that she is self trained and keeps very busy with portraits.  She is trying to complete a set of grandchildren and pets for a client before Christmas.  I gave her a note referring her to the Art Guild saying that while it might not matter to her to be exhibited, the critiques and companionship might be valuable.  At times like this I find myself somewhat bemused.  I have a number of talents and have enjoyed doing arts, crafts, costume design, scenery design, writing and portraiture, but although I have enjoyed periodic acknowledgement, nothing I have done other than being a parent and grandparent has ever become more than a temporary success.  I realized yesterday that I have never been asked to be a bridesmaid, although I have been the mother of the bride at least six times.  I am grateful for my life and my talents, and in the long run I would far rather be a successful progenitor than have success in any other field.

Game, Funeral and Family

I didn't make a post on Friday, November 22 because I stayed overnight with my daughter Nancy in Salt Lake.  This was due to several different plans that would all take place in the Salt Lake Valley.  As usual I planned to spend the late afternoon with Hannah and Rudy in our regular routine of going to the neighborhood park followed by a visit to McDonalds.  In the midst of the chaos that surrounds their lives I feel that my weekly visits are a stable factor.  I planned to watch the final game for the division 5 title between my grandson, Alden's, team, the Timpview Thunderbirds and the Orem High School Tigers who have had a two year winning streak.  When I asked Nancy if I could stay at her house the night following the game so I could go to the funeral of Shazia's grandmother the next day she asked if I could obtain tickets for herself and her daughter Miranda.  David purchased the tickets on Friday morning and when I got to Nancy's house that evening she drove us to the stadium then parked about a half a mile away.  It was a good game.  Although the other team won, the score, at 21 to 7 was not overwhelming.  The game proceeded without much delay and the action was exciting.  I had dressed warmly enough to hold off the chill of the evening which was clear.  Nancy offered to go and get her car after the game and return to pick us up.  I told her I would be more comfortable if I kept moving instead of waiting around the stadium.  We left when there was about a minute on the game clock and made our way down to 13th East and 5th South then southward to about 750 south.  It was a brisk walk but not uncomfortable.  We shopped at Smith's where I purchased a steak, some pastured butter and some cream and found that once again, as had happened the day before, my groceries were free.  After arriving at the chapel where the funeral for Joan Smith, Shazia's grandmother was held I was soon joined by my daughter Nancy.  Joan lived a righteous and beneficial life and her funeral reflected her contribution as a mother, a musician and as a faithful servant of the Lord.  After leaving the funeral I drove to Mary's home and visited with her and her three children.  Her husband received a heart transplant nearly five years ago and it is showing signs of rejection.  I showed Mary a photo of my painting of Marge Lewis and she suggested adding something to the wall.  As I drove home I reflected on my first thoughts about doing a portrait.  I wanted to somehow include Marge's husband, although he died 21 years ago.  Suddenly I realized that I could find a picture in the 7th Ward memory book that was published a few years ago.  I found that the picture in the book was too obscure to use, but I had encountered a copy of the pdf of the book on CD only a few days before while organizing my studio.  I was successful in finding the picture in a resolution that would work well as a model for the picture that I plan to insert in the painting.  Another sweet 'coincidence'.

Marge Portrait Finished

Today was Wednesday, November 20.  I had a restless night last night, possibly from something I ate and possibly because of my bra and possibly because of my shirt being too warm.  After taking the kids to seminary and shopping at Days where I purchased a surplus ribeye and some films, I went down to Walmart neighborhood market and purchased bread and butter.  When I got home and let out the chickens I returned to rest for a while to make up for my disturbed sleep.  When the Hancock kids came over I got up and directed Leila in painting the outside of the screen door.  Afterward I worked on my portrait of Marge and made some subtle but important changes.  I finally was satisfied and took a picture of the painting in order to make prints.  This evening Marge chose to have the prints made in the form of 11" x 14" 'giclee' prints with a canvas backing.  I was able to order a pack of suitable canvases from Michael's and got them for a sale price along with a discount that meant they cost less than half the original price.  I plan to make prints of my print at Stevenson's tomorrow, making two extra in case of problems, and adhere them to the canvases.  Marge ordered 6 at 15 dollars each.

Small Issues and Big Sorrow

My heart is sore for some of my grandchildren.  Small incidents, left to fester can change lives.  Sometimes I can help directly, sometimes I am limited to praying. 
Today I addressed a few small issues, one of which was getting my Smith's Rewards Card to work to get a discount on my gas.  I plan to try it out on Thursday.  I decided to delay purchasing Thanksgiving supplies, including the turkey, until next Tuesday.  That will give a day or so for the bird to defrost and I won't have to worry about storage in the meantime.  Smith's seems the best place to buy since they have a steep discount on a store brand bird if you purchase at least $25 worth of merchandise.  I am motivated to do so by the 'check' for $25 that is the reward amount I received in the mail that can only be spent at Smith's. 

Glued and Sewed

Today after taking the older kids to seminary I returned home and worked on Patricia's dolly, securing and renewing the wig with both glue and sewing.  I also did some work on Marge's portrait.  When I finished the doll I took to to Lucinda's house so Patricia would have it as soon as possible.  I stayed to visit and engaged in a discussion of adolescent maturity and how nature leads them to 'leave the nest' by cutting off their previous tight connection to their parents.  In the midst of a lively conversation Calvin exclaimed that he had forgotten that he needed to be to work earlier.  I took him to the pizza place where he works then returned home and spend a few hours napping before it was time to go to Marge's house.  For the first time this season I began to consider the task of purchasing Christmas presents for my large collection of grandchildren.  I have a lot of time to kill on Monday and Wednesday evenings as Marge establishes her independence and I started browsing Amazon.  I ended up purchasing a number of gifts suitable for my older grandchildren. 

Sweet Sunday

My weeks have a rhythm.  On Mondays and Wednesdays I sit with my friend Marge for a few hours in the evening.  She is recuperating and gaining strength and independence and she may soon be able to dispense with my service of simply being there.  On Fridays I drive to Salt Lake to be with my grandchildren Hannah and Rudy.  We go to a park, we go to a hamburger place with a playground.  I order the same meal for them every time.  We have established a relationship.  On Tuesdays and Thursdays I spend my early morning at the Provo City Center Temple until between 10:30 and 11 AM.  On alternate weeks I drive three of my grandchildren to seminary on alternate days.  On Sundays when there is Relief Society I stay at church for two hours.  On Sundays when there is Sunday School I leave the church after sacrament meeting.  I don't want to be contentious while studying the savior.  On Wednesdays and Saturdays the older Hancock grandchildren come up and do various tasks around my home and yard.  I pay them a very small salary but it is enough in total to help augment their family budget. 
I am content with my intent, but sometimes my performance does not match my intent.  I am grateful for all the wonderful family and friends I have been given.

Animal, Vegetable, Mineral

After seeing a video about encaustic this morning I realized I needed to move forward in preparing panels.  I prepared gesso from hide glue, marble dust and titanium dioxide several days ago and the woman in the video said you can't keep hide glue for more than a week before using it.  I found what I feel is a really nice panel at Lowe's.  It seems to be made of poplar slices glued together to make the face and back.  In one way it is a very well engineered version of 'strand board'.  I had a 4' x 8' panel cut into 3 32" sections.  The hide glue is made from collagen, the stuff of ligaments, and the panel is made from cellulose, the equivalent for the plant kingdom, and of course the marble dust and titanium dioxide are minerals.  Cellulose has its uses, both in plants to let them grow tall and wide, and as a support in the form of wood and products made from wood, like paper and cardboard and engineered panels.  Collagen is not widely used now that plastics have replaced hide glues in most applications, but apparently it still is the best basis for encaustic gesso.  On the personal side of my life, I have retreated from the foolish behavior that saw me eating bread and butter and candy bars and overindulging in Strawberry Altoids.  My ketones seem to be back on track at .8 although the glucose level in the blood test I took this morning remains at 101.  I received a prescription from my doctor's office which means that given my usual fairly good health I won't have to see them for a year.

Score!

I spent most of the day watching football or going to and from Rice-Eccles Stadium at the U of U to watch football.  I rode up to 53rd south with David and we caught a train that had just started to enter the station but was delayed by a careless man who got hip clipped by the bumper of the train that was drawing into the station just as we were ready to cross the tracks.  We went to the other end of the platform and had plenty of time to get on the train when it started up again and took its place after a delay for the victim to be examined.  I find no mention of the accident on the internet so I assume it was not a serious injury.  The weather was mild and the game between Timpview, where Alden plays football and Lehi, the opposing team in the semi-finals for 4A, was well fought and fairly intense.  The end score of 35 to 7 doesn't reflect the ongoing feeling that things could shift until we were in the final half of the final quarter.

Portrait

My main enterprise today was working on a portrait of Marge Lewis.  I had a fantasy of doing a receding repeat of the portrait on the wall to the side of her face but I realized it was a silly idea when I was fully enough awake to think clearly.  The portrait is something of a success in a mild way.  I took it with me when I went to visit with her this evening, a little early in order to get the opinion of another caretaker.  There is still some work to do on the chair that is so distinctive. 

Staking out Steaks

I ate some liver yesterday but I have mostly been eating steak along with a few other treats.  Today at Walmart I discovered some 'cowboy' ribeye steaks for sale.  I still had a fair portion of yesterday's steak remaining to eat today and as it happened I had enough I couldn't eat that I gave Richard a good portion.  I have one portion of rump roast steak to eat before I eat my newly acquired cowboy ribeyes.  I have been doing some 'cheats' that leave me tempted to break the normal OMAD routine.  I have resisted so far today and it really isn't worth falling into regular bad behavior.  I started working on my portrait of Marge this evening.  I added a front view of one of her dining chairs that she keeps near the staircase in her living room.  The composition of the painting is much improved by the subtle rhythm of the series of arch shapes including the actual arch of the door, the arch of the head and the arch of the back of the chair.  They are only incidentally repetitive.

Ann Brown

I drove by my doctor's office but it was closed for lunch and I proceeded to explore the possibility of driving up Timpanogos highway to American Fork canyon and possibly getting water.  The park entrance was closer than I expected and I didn't have my pass so I proceeded home along the upper road, eventually joining State Street in Pleasant Grove.  I had stopped at Cal Ranch to purchase chicken feed.  I have been somewhat loose with my diet protocol.  Because I was leaving the house earlier to visit Ann I ate some liver and fat as well as rootbeer flavored cream sweetened with stevia and a small part of the very large steak I had tried to cook.  I decided to reserve most of the steak for tomorrow, but I also indulged in some candy.  I have decided to pay my Duschesne property tax bill but leave the Utah County tax until after the 25th when I should have sufficient money without withdrawing from my savings.  My pay from Marge will mount up to 390 in the three Monday paydays between now and then.

Tithing

I was the first on the list for tithing settlement today.  I arrived at the church early but I was soon followed by others.  By the time I finished there were several people in the hallway.

Lazy Saturday

I went to ministering interviews with Catherine Parry this morning and found that it was a wait in line kind of thing.  We spent more than an hour in casual conversation with an assortment of other women.  I like the idea of appointments much better, not only for myself who can easily rearrange my schedule, but particularly for mothers of young children.  I guess a muffin and breakfast drink buffet was a great treat to some, but it only reminded me of the steak I planned to cook when I was finally at my usual 'breakfast' time which is normally at around eleven in the morning.
I had some cream and freeze-dried strawberry dices following the steak and ate a couple of mini bars at around 5 PM.  Other than being prone to head colds I don't experience extreme symptoms when I break the 'Lion Diet' pattern of beef, salt and water in minor ways.  Even so, the things I have learned about the problems of eating plants and grains and seed oils keeps me relatively centered.
Tonight I made some collagen glue, referred to as 'rabbit skin glue' in the art world, and after reserving a few ounces, I added powdered marble (calcium carbonate) and titanium dioxide to the rest and screened it through a small nylon knit laundry bag.  It was a messy process but I enjoy making some of my art materials from basic ingredients. 

Medical Visit

Today, October 8, 2019, I went to the Health Plus office and had a brief physical exam that yielded the information that my blood pressure is normal.  They were impressed with the amount of weight I have lost since my last exam.  I talked about my concern with the possibility that my way of eating will cause false information about the state of my thyroid function.  I took Rudy and Hannah to a park near the new library just off 2300 east and 3300 south where there is a really nice park.  Our usual park was filled with members of a Tak wan do school.  I saw Trisha for the first time in some time.

Rerun

I forgot to take Sister Lewis's names to the temple this morning so after I came home and ate my lunch I took the names to the temple, stopped at DI to get some utensils and deposited my salary at the bank where I received a coupon for a free 1/2 gallon of ice cream.  I stopped at Lucinda's house to visit and drop off the coupon.  It is fun to have her and her family in the neighborhood. 

Oil Change

This morning, October 6, 2019, I took my car in for an oil change and tire rotation.  They also checked out all the systems from tires to filters and all was pronounced very good except for a bit of dust in the filters.  Afterwards I picked up Jacqueline and took her to look at a coat at Old Navy that she had located on the internet.  It was hung high but I used a rolling ladder to retrieve it and it fit her very well.  The internet price was less than half of the $59.99 price tag on the coat.  Jacqueline got the internet deal and was very happy with her purchase.  We had shopped at Ross for a few minutes before to make sure the coat she purchased was a good deal.  The children came to do their tasks with Lelia doing the entrance area for the first time.  She did a very good job cleaning the front door and I told her she could gradually bring the other door and woodwork up to match, but for now she had done plenty.  Ralph served as a good apprentice to Adam and received praise from his brother.  I went to Walmart to pick up a new splatter screen I had ordered and found that it was badly bent.  I was able to remove the wax forms from the muffin tin but won't use it again for the purpose.  I had a very good day overall.  My cast iron skillet arrived and I look forward to preparing one or more t-bone steaks tomorrow.

Scaling Up

Today, November 5, 2019, I decided to try and make a larger batch of encaustic medium.  At first the pot I used on the outside of a large mixing bowl was too small and created instability which resulted in spills.  I exchanged the pot for one with a diameter only slightly larger than the bowl and things began to move along.  It may have been faster to make three small batches, but I think I will use this combination of pot and bowl in the future.  Fortunately I have enough large stainless steel mixing bowls that this one can be dedicated to making encaustic mixtures.  I also published the UVAG Newsletter e-mail edition and printed out the mailed edition ready to be cut and stamped.  I brought in the large stand fan from the work shop to provided ventilation.  I also ordered a fairly hefty mask for when I work with the pigments.  I also ordered more beeswax and Damar resin.  A warning light in the car turned out to be about the oil change.  When I went into the dealership they were very busy.  I made an appointment for tomorrow after I take the kids to seminary.

Bringing It All Together

My hotplate was available today, October 4, 2019 and although I had already shopped at Walmart and given in to the lure of chocolate, almonds and cream, I returned to fetch the hotplate for my encaustic work.  I had picked up a couple of items at DI when I went back to donate several small heated pots that only got a little above 114 degrees and therefore were useless for my purpose.  Instead I found some dishes I could use for a double boiler and a strainer.  I also found some pans that make lovely little disks about the right size for the tins I purchased.  I can stack two or three of them in each tin and have a good supply of medium that is delicate enough to melt relatively quickly.  The glass sheet works very well to insulate and designate the space I'm using.  I also found the glass crusher I somewhat reluctantly bought for crushing glass to be very efficient at crushing Damar resin.  Both types of work need something of this nature unless I want to mess around with towels and plastic bags and hammers.  I completed 24 disks of medium after stirring the mixture over water on the hotplate to keep the temperature within range.  I added some salt to the water to raise the temperature because, as I understand it, the Damar resin and the small amount of carnauba wax I added make the melting temperature a little higher.  I avoided putting in a lot of resin or carnauba wax in order to keep the wax from becoming brittle.  I got a battery for the slick little kitchen scale that looks something like an electronic tablet.  It worked quite nicely to weigh the proper proportions of beeswax and resin.  One purchase I made today may be either very useful or sort of foolish.  I used a 40 percent off coupon at Michaels to purchase a crayon melter, a pen like device that uses electricity to melt crayons so they can be applied like paint or marker.  Even if I am limited to using Crayola crayons, the ability to make a long, definite mark could prove very useful. Although I had a few minor setbacks, I'm fairly certain my choice to go way out of bounds of my chosen way of eating had something to do with setting a new low weight record from before I was a college student.  Fortunately I still am most fond of good meat and I scored quite a bit of it today at Day's Market.

New Bishopric

Today we had a strong hint that Bishop St. Clair was being released when he and his wife were called and sustained as nursery leaders.  "Joey" McMurray was called to be the new bishop with brother Gabbitas and brother Pace as counselors.  The remaining portion of the fast meeting was given over to those who had been released along with their wives.  I have seen Bishop McMurray around the ward but never really got acquainted with him.  After church I ate my 'break fast' which in this case ended 24 hours of dry fast added to 24 hours of water fast.  I ate steak and some cream and cream cheese and strawberry mixture.  When I weighed this morning I weighed 137 pounds but of course that was while fasting.  While portions of me have grown quite skinny I still have pouches of skin and tissue under my upper arms and in other places.  I wore a grey knit tube dress for the first time to church today and I didn't look lumpy. 

Gathering Resources

This morning, October 2, 2019 I took two paintings to the Provo Library.  Afterward Adam came up and helped me bring the desk from DI into the house where he skillfully dismantled it.  I kept several pieces that game promise of future use, but we made a trip to the final day of Provo Fall Cleanup with the pieces left over.  The piece of glass from the top was definitely worth the price of $20.  Unfortunately the other things I purchased, namely the little double pot, may have been less of a bargain.  I need a temperature that will keep wax liquid, near 150 to 200 degrees and the highest heat I have measured with my thermometer is around 100 degrees.  There may be ways to work around this, such as putting the three pots into a cake pan on the hotplate with water surrounding them.  The water would have to be steaming hot.  Perhaps I could use one of the ceramic casseroles to obtain the purpose.  I'm glad I ordered a hot plate.  I may get another as a supplement if I intend to keep a 'wash wax' and a melted medium batch going simultaneously.  I have been reorganizing my studio to accommodate the new supplies.  I have also been fasting.  I fasted beginning at about 11 yesterday and at 12 noon today I finished the water fast and began the dry fast for Fast Sunday. 

DI Finds

Early this morning, November 1, 2019, after cutting a mat and framing my encaustic painting which I call 'Blizzard', I went to the local Deseret Industries and found some items to use with my encaustic setup; two nice small stainless steel sauce pans with lids and a small sauce warmer. The cost was less than ten dollars for everything.  In the afternoon I briefly stopped by the DI at 4500 South and found a very nice double ceramic pot, with the additional advantage that the pots are not only covered but can be removed for cleaning which I plan to use for encaustic medium, both Damar and Carnauba.  I believe I will use the sauce warmer for the soy wax 'brush cleaner' I purchased at Michael's Craft with a  40% discount coupon.  While there I spotted a desk with a nice glass top for $20.  After taking Rudy and Hannah to the playground and McDonalds I returned to the DI and purchased the desk.   Fortunately it fit inside the back of my car with the back seats flattened.  I plan to dismember the desk and use the glass for my work surface for doing encaustic work since it is both heat resistant and easily cleaned of wax residue.  I was pondering what I would do to isolate the work surface from the surrounding studio furniture when I went looking for a cast iron skillet on Amazon.  I found a folding metal screen that is supposed to be used to keep grease from spreading.  I ordered two, one for my stove and one for my encaustic area.  I also got two polycarbonate scrapers which will mean one for the studio and one for the kitchen.  I have been spending quite a lot on finishing out the needs for getting fulltime into encaustic, but the items I picked up from DI combined with other items I have on hand have reduced the expense.

Blizzard

Although we have had warnings of heavy snow for several days and the temperature has reached new lows, it has not been a problem.  However I experimented with using encaustic methods today and my original intent to picture a blizzard, although not quite what I had anticipated, is working out.  Today after going to the temple I shopped at Smith's then Walmart to good effect.  I purchased a lot of Halloween candy but very few children came by the house.  Diana and Jacqueline came by to show me their costumes and I gave each of them a lot of candy to share with their younger siblings who had gone home early because of the cold.  I have ordered additional supplies for my encaustic endeavors.  The hot plate has uneven heating but several techniques I used worked out well.  I grated white beeswax crayon for the snow in my painting and it worked out quite well.  I used a plain white candle to clean off the griddle.  I used a regular bristle brush to work with the paint while heating it with a heat gun.  Although all the sources I have seen advise using a wooden support, I used a piece of mat board for my initial effort.  I also popped it into the oven a couple of times when I found that the particles of white 'snow' were blown off the surface by the heat gun. 

Popcorn with Peanut Butter Gooey

I invited Patricia to come up and help me make the treat to share with her family on her birthday.  She helped butter a cake pan and added chocolate sprinkles to the mix of popcorn and peanut butter fudge that we hoped to make cake shaped.  The bottom layer held form, but when we added another layer both layers tended to collapse.  I found a candle shaped like the number 4 in my candle container and mounted it on a small bamboo skewer so we could place it on the mound of popcorn.  Patricia was delighted with the doll I made for her.  I had fixed a very tasty meal by slicing some lean beef and adding slices of beef fat, then sauteing both just to medium rare, but all the popcorn loaded with fudge was tempting so I ate a bowl of Greek yogurt and cream with strawberry drink flavoring.  Most of the rest of the day was spent in working on storage for my encaustics supplies.  I accomplished this by combining several drawers of glass shards after mending the support for one of them.  This left me with two long spaces to store mediums, paints, wax and other supplies including the griddle and the heat gun.  This evening my ketone level was still stuck at .4 but my blood glucose had leveled down to 87.  Tomorrow after going to the temple I will stop by Walmart for bread, Bousin cheese, a cucumber or two and candy to hand out to children who come by the house for Halloween.    I have one picture ready for the Library exhibit intake on Saturday but I need to complete another.  I don't believe I can finish the portrait of Marge in that much time so I plan to execute my original conception of a blizzard which I planned before I got caught up in making everything excellent as far as completing plans to do encaustic.

Another Birthday, Another Dolly

My namesake Patricia is hard on dolls.  After she reduced the doll I made for her when she was two to a broken wreck I gave her the same sized plastic doll.  Soon it was missing limbs and its vinyl hair was a mass of frazzle.  She currently has no doll.  I decided to try again.  Tomorrow, October 30 is her birthday.  After I went to the temple and did a few other tasks I stopped by Hobby Lobby and used my 40% off coupon to purchase the only cloth body doll on display.  I picked my paintings up from SCERA.  When I reached home I sprayed the muslin doll with a paint solution except for the eyes which I blanked out with tape.  After drying the doll I sewed on pieces of blonde wig.  Then I made a face with permanent marker.  I've found that it is best to use permanent marker because it won't crack off like paint and it can be renewed easily.  After wrestling futilely with my sewing machine to make a simple dress for the doll and sew together a skirt I had altered to fit my slimmer figure I went to Lucinda's house where I used her machine.  I found that she had told Patricia that she would not provide for a family birthday because of some emotional displays, but that if someone else whanted to provide a celebration she wouldn't object.  I invited Patricia to come to my house and make some popcorn with peanut butter gooey on it.  I told her she could add the special ingredient, which in this case will be decorative candies.  She was delighted with the idea and although her older sisters and her mother know I plan to give her a doll, she is thinking in terms of dinosaurs and other things.  I stopped by the new UCCU office and it was quite a disappointment.  The lobby area is stak and looks temporary.  I was breaking a $50, trying to redeem a torn $5 bill, and depositing my monthly support check.  I also filled my tank when I drove past the Smith's Fuel Center and saw that the price was one of the best in town, which combined with my basic discount would beat other offers.  Tomorrow I plan to make a large batch of popcorn ahead of time, work on my portrait of Marge, and work on the encaustic 'Blizzard'.
This evening when I took my ketone and glucose measurements I was not in ketosis and my glucose approached 100.  I believe this is due to a snack of toast and butter I had last night.  It seems bread is worse for me than liver in terms of effect on blood sugar and ketones.
I ordered the pigments that will round out the pigment collection I have had for more than twenty years.  I acquired the pigments from an art store that was going out of business because they were a very good deal.  This means I won't have to mash up pastels as I had considered. 

Encaustic

Today, before the day really began, I sent orders in for the completion of my encaustic studio setup.  Later in the morning I sent in an order for more transparent lidded cans and a grill thermometer.  Then I began working on several projects including cutting a panel out of a skirt that is too large for me, cutting the wood to support the smaller dimensions of the painting of pomegranates that didn't quite fit the frame I had for it, and composing and projecting the image of Marge on the canvas.  Midway through my work on the portrait I realized that the easel was coming apart and paused to fix it.  I looked into the pigment bottles I purchased many years ago and discovered some lovely but dangerous materials that would just as well be bound up in encaustic medium and used for paintings before someone is accidentally poisoned.  These include alizarin crimsom, cadmium red and deep cadmium yellow as well as red oxide and a bright blue cobalt which has about a quarter of the bottle left from whatever project I used it.  Going forward this will mean I won't need to purchase red paint for quite a while.  Tomorrow, after going to the temple I will pick up my prints from the SCERA where they have been on exhibit for the past two months.  I will stop by Jeffs office and get the support check.  I need to stop by the bank to break a fifty and get a replacement for a torn $5.00 bill.

Sweet Sunday

Richard and I left the house about an hour and a half earlier this morning in order to attend the Primary Sacrament Meeting presentation in the ward the Hancock's attend.  I enjoyed it, even though this type of event usually requires some personal interest such as having relatives in the program.  I came home and ate steak, liver and a mix of cream and Greek yogurt with some peach flavored lemonade powder added.  The steak was by far the most enjoyable part of the meal.  I did some planning for my encaustic studio, which began when I picked up a hotplate from DI several months ago.  I think it is a way for me to compensate for the lack of progress on my glass art studio in the back work area because the weather has turned cold.
Today we had our first snowfall that stuck and continued.  It hasn't been a blizzard, but it has deposited snow on the branches of the trees.  I left the chickens in their coop throughout the day. 
I had a long talk with Eliza and suggested she cater to Philips appetite for ham and boiled eggs.  If he finds that type of thing in the fridge when he feels hungry it could really benefit his health

Many Small Things

I purchased a hot plate at DI some time ago with the intention that someday I would make some encaustic paintings using the remains of beeswax crayons my grandchildren have enjoyed. Today, October 26, 2019, I finally decided to go ahead and make something and that was where the fun began.  I began to explore the art of encaustic painting and eventually I ended up purchasing more than a hundred dollars worth of supplies. 
I also checked through painting I began but didn't finish and found a picture of pomegranates that I decided to finish as part of my submission for the library exhibit.  I am working on a portrait of Marge Lewis as well and either it or the encaustic will be my other painting for the exhibit. I went out to see if Michaels had encaustic supplies and ended up purchasing some beeswax pellets in the expectation that I will use them for making a variety of colors, both from crayon remnants and from the encaustic paints I ordered.  The decision of the brand to purchase was decided by the packaging of the paints in little tins that can be used to store them between uses.  I ordered extra tins, both large and small with the expectation I will use them for mediums and gesso which I will mix from a tub of gesso I have had for years by adding marble powder.  I believe there is some marble powder in my supplies, but if not I'll just order some. 
Today I showed Adam how to use a heat gun with the tubes in his electrical kit to make sturdy and waterproof splices between different wires.

Bumpety Bump

Today, October 25, 2019 was Adam's birthday.  I took his brothers and sisters and him for a ride in the trailer after we met at the church which shares a very large parking lot with another building.  To the east are hills, to the north and west backyards, to the south a large greenhouse facility for BYU.  It is a fairly private area.  Taking a load of 9 children in an open trailer would be frowned upon if I used the public streets, particularly since I drove a rather wavy path and went over a speed bump that made the trailer jump several times.  The kids really enjoyed the experience.  I took them once around then we paused to have a casual picnic of cheese, chiccarones, punch, carrots and bananas and cupcakes.  Then I took them twice around the parking lot again, but this time three year old Patricia rode in the car with her mother, James, her baby brother, and Mindy who is only 4 months old.  After the ride I had Jacqueline, Adam and Calvin help me put the trailer back in storage near the fence in my front yard.  Then I drove up to visit Rudy and Hannah and we performed the usual ritual of a visit to a local park followed by a visit to McDonalds.  I drove down to Nancy's house and accompanied her to the vet to get a final vaccination for the dog she got from Mary.  I was tired and the setting sun and heavy traffic promised a tiring drive home.  I rested for a while before setting out and made it home in good time.

Monitor

I think I will make a graph on my sd card keeping track of my ketones and glucose so I don't focus on them here and use this blog for other events in my life.  The monitor was on a special offer that included 100 testing strips for about half price.  I have managed to make mistakes in using the monitor to the effect of wasting four of the strips.  Since they average about a dollar a piece that is a relatively expensive error.  I believe I have come to understand my previous mistakes.  Today, October 24, 2019, I went to the temple then made a trip to Day's Market to see if they had any of the marbled beef steaks like I bought yesterday.  I picked up three which I plan to use in the next few days.  When I arrived home I began preparations for my meal and discovered a steak that was nearing senescence.  I prepared something to drink by adding PureLemon drink mix to a couple of liters of water to which I had previously added a salts mixture.  I wanted to determine if the small amount of carbs would affect my blood ketone and glucose levels since I find the mix refreshing.  I took my measurements a little after 2:30 PM.  Yesterday my 2:30 PM reading was 95 for glucose and .7 for ketones.  Last night I took the test again and got the results of 86 for glucose and 1.1 for ketones.  This means I am in mild ketosis and have a normal glucose reading.  Today I measured 89 for glucose and 1 for ketones.  This is a better reading than at the same time yesterday.   There are several factors that could have had an effect on my levels, but since they are better than 24 hours before Im okay with them and will continue making the drink as I have previously done.  I took a long nap after eating while yesterday I was quite busy after eating my meal. 

Keto-Mojo

I received my ketone and glucose meter today and learned how to use it.  My first results were .7 for ketone and 95 for glucose.  From what I've seen those are relatively healthy numbers.  .7 ketones is barely in ketosis, but is ketosis.  I was foolish in the middle of the night and found some candies that I thought that I had banished.  Not only did they likely raise my glucose, but they interrupted what I intended to be a 23 hour intermittent fast.  I plan to test twice a day, once at around 2:30PM which is at least 2 hours after breaking my daily fast, and around 10 PM which is when I finish up and go to bed.  At this point it seems my blood sugar is normal and my ketones slightly high, which is good enough for me.
Edit.  Because of the cost of the strips, averaging around $1, and the relative consistence of the results, (my ketone level at 10 PM was 1.1 and my glucose level 86) I don't see a need to use my monitor more than once a day. 

Small Achievements

After going to the temple today, October 22, 2019 I decided to end my intended 72 hour fast at 35 hours because of the way events in the near future would fall out.  I cooked a nice thick rib eye and ate all of it except a tiny patch of particularly tough gristle.  I have to acknowledge that eating fruit causes me to have inflammation, mostly in the form of cold like symptoms.  Then I took care of several tasks instead of napping as I usually do.  First I edited my Sam page to remove his name and replace it with his middle name, Chia-lin.  Then I cut a half inch off the tailpipe on the sink to make drainage better and hope to avoid grease build up in the parallel pipe to the second sink's drain.  This involved removing the plumbing after removing the contents under the sink and then replacing everything.  Since I had mended the pipe yesterday it was not a lengthy or unpleasant job.  I then went out and cleaned the debris from taking trash to the dumpster from the trailer, which involved tilting the trailer with the wheeled jack and removing the back gate before using the outside hose to wash away the debris.  I then used white duct tape to mend the areas where the carpet tape had failed to hold the vinyl and reinforced several points of strain before replacing the back gate.  I had briefly taken time to apply nail polish to the latches I installed yesterday to prevent rust.
None of these tasks took much time but when I felt tired enough to nap I felt okay about doing so.

Wrestling with photos

Today, Monday, October 21, 2019 I have spent quite a bit of time trying to set up a personal page for my son Sam on my PatChiu website.  It has been a struggle.  Many of the pictures are not being translated properly.  On the other hand I accomplished two practical tasks and a quick exchange with a representative of my credit card company.  I set out early to Lowes and purchased a tailpipe for my sink without a dishwasher diversion.  The dishwasher created a mess yesterday, as did the failed pipe junction under the sink.  To prevent further difficulties I went to the hardware store immediately to find the pipe I needed.  Then I went to Walmart and discovered my card was not in my wallet.  After a quick check back at Lowes I called the mastercard number on my phone and got the card cancelled.  I completed the plumbing and later in the day I installed the hasps and locks on the gear box of my trailer.  I finished just in time to prepare to spend my evening with Marge.  I am about 24 hours into a 72 hour fast.

Roast Beef

I invited family for Sunday dinner and planned roast beef.  Thanks to my new meat thermometer I took one roast out when it was still a lovely pink inside and cut off enough for two meals.  I purchased potatoes, carrots and onions several days ago and once I had seared the roasts I transferred them to another pan and while waiting for the right temperature to register I peeled the carrots and added them to the original pot used for searing.  Next I quartered a couple of onions and added them to the pot for a bit of browning.  Next came the potatoes.  With the roasts continuing to cook to tenderness and the vegetables steaming I began to sort and name pictures of Sam in preparation for his birthday gift of a memory page.  The meat and potatoes were done about a half hour before people were expected to arrive.  I combined the drippings from the two pans to make gravy and slathered the meat and veggies with the gravy in a serving pan.  When Lucinda and her family arrived they brought fresh baked rolls to add to the dinner.  David, Alden and Talitha joined us shortly after 2 PM and we dished out the roast which I had sliced ahead of time.  I had eaten my portion earlier.  I find myself getting hungry in the evening.  I indulged in both sliced apples and cream with straberry cubes at 8 PM.  I want to get back to a more stringent way of eating and doing One Meal a Day. 

Noodling around

I have several projects projected for today and I went out to DI early to find a suitable container for the electrical tools I purchased for Adam's birthday.  I have been sorting through pictures for my gift to Sam, which will be a webpage of his early life.  I fixed up a base to stabilize the grinder so I could reduce the sharp edges on the butterfly locks upper edges.  When I went outside to mount the locks I found that it was sprinkling so I'm not sure I'll mount the locks today.  I replenished the layer pellets for the chickens when I let them out of the coop this morning.

Grandchildren

It is Friday, October 18, 2019 and I have spent much of the day involved one way or another with grandchildren.  This morning I provided materials for Talitha and her occupational counselor to make a pillow.  The counselor, the oldest of the Green daughters, was planning to make a trip to Joann's Fabric with Talitha but I had already invited them to sew in my studio and I opened up the storage closet to find several kinds of fabric, stuffing and thread as well as pins and scissors.  Talitha chose to use a cerise terry material with little blossoms woven into it.  It was difficult to cut and sew but it seems to have made a very nice small pillow, soft and cushy.
After showering I drove up for my Friday visit with Rudy and Hannah.  They were at the house on Louise for the day because of school holiday and we revisited the park and McDonald that had become a tradition.  Afterwards I drove over to Nancy's house to deliver the small birthday gift I intended for her.  Instead of Nancy, who had apparently already left for her flight east, I encountered my daughter Mary and her children, Tevita, Sela and Heta.  I had a brief visit with Mary before heading south, but stopped at the Harbor Freight on State and 35th south to purchase some eledtrical tools for Adam's birthday in about a week. 
I am truly grateful for my lovely grandchildren.

Dawn Pump and Car Manual

Today was Thursday, October 17, 2019.  I got up a tiny bit late but I completed my morning routine and was at the temple parking lot in plenty of time to apply makeup then check out the location of the scissor jack in the back of my car.  It will be useful for changing the trailer off the hitch.  I still fit well enough in two of my coats, the burgundy asymmetrical wool coat I purchased in New York when my daughters confiscated my black leather coat because it had begun to bag on me, and the brown suede coat.  Both coats seemed sort of small last year.  My bright blue coat, turquoise blazer and a burgundy corduroy dress are very large on me.  I had intended to alter the coat the the blazer and may yet get around to doing so, but I'm going to donate the dress to DI.  I ordered a burgundy corduroy wrap skirt and found a cream colored cable knit cotton sweater that should look well with it at DI today.  It was pretty much what I was looking for when I went shopping.  I received a package from Amazon that contained a pump for the top of my sink.  In the process of filling a gallon bottle with Dawn detergent I discovered that I had purchased ten bottle of ordinary 3x Dawn to add to my supply of 10 bottles of Dawn Platinum.  It was a bit of a bother.  The butterfly locksets are nice but the loops are a bit too narrow for the combination locks I bought to use with them.  I stopped to visit with Lucinda after shopping and had a good conversation.  She is intermittent fasting and eating a lot more meat and protein.  I printed out about half of the manual for my car which I plan to bind and keep in the slot behind the driver's seat.  I was able to download a PDF of the manual from the internet.  Tomorrow, Friday the 18, I plan to install the locks on the gear box on the trailer .  I will probably use bent pieces of brass to secure the locks.

Trash and Helpers

October 16. 2019
Today Adam, Ralph, Lelia and Jared came up to my house and cleaned up the trash around the yard and brought it to my trailer.  Adam was mostly involved in getting the trailer wheeled jack aligned.  The other children loaded up the trailer then Jacqueline and Diana joined us and we took the load to the dumpsters that are temporarily at Rock Canyon Park.  They did a good job of both the loading and unloading.  I protected the lining of the trailer with a piece of outdoor carpeting that I have used in several different projects and it turned out that there was enough left to cover the floor of the trailer with some to spare.  I folded it up after we returned and put it in the gear box at the front of my trailer.  The trip to the dumpsters was extended by a trip to Harbor Freight where I purchased another set of hitch balls that won't interfere with the working of the trailer jack.  The jack is a few inches too tall and I need to locate my tire changing jack so I can use it as an accessory when removing the trailer from the car.  It has been a good day.  I am grateful for the lively, lovely crew who helped me.

Diana

My neighbor Diana is likely mildly autistic.  That would explain the difficulty I have dealing with her.  She acts a great deal like my granddaughter Hannah.  If I assume that Diana is autistic it is a great deal easier to be friendly to her.  She has invited herself to go to the temple with me now and then.  It means I don't do the shopping I would normally do on Tuesdays, but that is probably just as well.  Today after our endowment session we went toward the sealing office and were immediately included in a group of people headed for a sealing room.  After the married couple in the group served at the alter Diana was called up to serve as a wife.  After a short time of serving as the wife during sealings she mentioned that she was uncomfortable since she had only ever been at the alter with her husband.  Since there were only three women in the room it wouldn't have been reasonable for us to leave at that time.  After serving in the sealing room for about 40 to 45 minutes several other people arrived, including a woman.  I said that Diana and I would like to be excused.  In the car as we drove home she explained that her husband had just undergone a serious heart operation during which his heart was stopped.  The doctor was not in the hospital when they arrived as he was called to an emergency with another heart patient.  Diana's children were present to help her through the ordeal, but I can understand why being called to the alter with a person not her husband was something of an ordeal for her. 
After resting and getting warm for a while I gathered materials to continue working on the trailer.  I installed 4 sturdy d-rings to hold the cargo net and other attachments.  I used some vinyl molding and the carpet tape I purchased for another purpose to secure the edges of the vinyl flooring I used to line the bed of the trailer.  It turned out very well.  The vinyl flooring is meant to act as a moisture barrier and keep small debris from falling from the edges of the trailer.  I finished up around the edges except for the front side of the trailer.  I made a quick trip out to Lowes to purchase some pvc fittings to use in making shelving as well as buying 3 more pieces of the molding which I will also use to install another piece of the flooring in the atrium of my workroom.  I ordered a corduroy burgundy skirt on Amazon after realizing that my burgundy corduroy dress is far too short and far too wide.  I may be able to make something with the material but I feel it is quite unflattering at this time.  There are some penalties for losing 50 or more pounds.  Tomorrow I will finally make my first trip to the local dumpsters.

Diversion

October 14, 2019 I started the day with the idea that I would use tape and plastic rim to fix my trailer liner so I could take a load of trash to the dumpsters at Rock Canyon Park.  Meanwhile my non-functional dishwasher was leaking smelly water out onto my kitchen floor and I assumed the solution would be to put a straight pipe under the sink instead of one that would enable the dishwasher to have a waste connection with backflow problems.  I was also determined to take advantage of the sale on Dawn Platinum at Smith's and I wanted to mail the newsletter and a survey I had filled out.  I had invited Adam and Ralph and whoever wanted to join them to come to my house and help with the trash run. 
As it turned out, I fixed the dishwasher problem after Richard found that the socket was a GFI, which incidentally also fixed the outside outlet, cleaned and bleached the dishwasher by putting it through a cycle with bleach and detergent, cleared out and cleaned up several cabinets including the area under the sink during which I found some things I had misplaced.  I cleared out the sluggish drain and found it nearly blocked with a plaster like substance that was mostly micro globs of grease.  I purchased ten bottles of Dawn, a couple of packages of T-bone steaks, some bacon on a fairly good sale, some plastic reusable gloves at Smith's, a very large bag of popcorn at Macey's and a set of shelves, some shoes and a fork and sturdy stainless steel spatula at DI.  I found an easy removable bucket lid that was not being used and used it for the salt bucket  as well as a piece for my meat grinder which should make it easier to use.  I was able to clean things up sufficiently that I had things put away and tidied after I got back from my five hours with Marge Lewis.  I called  the Hancocks and spoke to Adam earlier in the day when I realized my plans were making a major diversion.  Today I ate several small pieces of liver and sampled the steak I cooked but didn't feel like finishing everything.  I put it away for tomorrow.

Changing Function

This will continue to be a blog where I celebrate the things for which I'm grateful, but after the recent demise of my laptop in such a way as to destroy my files, I have decided to add the functions of accountability and planning.  Today was Sunday and I wore my purple wool dress for the first time this season.  The dress was a bit small on me last year, but this year it sort of hangs. 
Yesterday I disordered my usual eating plan, adding a large portion of melted cheese late in the day.  I have realized that by continuing with my plan of eating once a day, even if what I eat is outside the narrow confines of strict Lion Diet or Carnivore, I am defeating the insulin cycle, which is my main purpose for following this way of eating. 
Tomorrow, October 14, 2019, I will prepare my trailer for taking the first load of junk to Rock Canyon Park where the dumpsters are set up for several days.  I will get rid of the small refrigerator and the air cooler behind the lifting shed.  Along with these items I will discard the many small pieces of steel pipe that I used in the construction of my chicken run and trailer as well as any fencing that isn't used to put a raccoon barrier around my chicken coop as Ralph suggested. 

October 11, 2019 Breaking Fast and Visiting old and new places

After four weeks of eating only beef, mostly ribeye steaks, although I have a habit of sucking on Altoid Strawberry flavored 'mints', I ate an egg this morning, followed by a drink of whipping cream, topped off by a plate of melted cheese, followed by my usual meal of steak.  So far, twelve hours later, I feel no signs of discomfort that might have resulted from introducing any of these foods.  That is still a possibility since many people apparently take several days to manifest signs of food intolerance.  I visited Rudy and Hannah in North Salt Lake, which is a region west of Woods Cross and the farm where I spent my mid-years of childhood from six years old to thirteen or so.  The house still stands surrounded by the suburb built where the orchards grew.  The elementary school that was finished the year after we moved is still there, as is the funny little shop at 7 corners.  It is now a 'Red Hanger Cleaner' but long ago it was a funny little grocery store with hanging fly paper.  Rudy wanted me to play on the slides with him and I did so.  It has probably been more than 50 years since I last went down a slide.  I went down all three, two of which were sort of scary.  I also sat in the swing and pumped my legs to send myself flying back and forth.  When we got back to the apartment Ridu let me know rather definitely that it was time for me to go.

Box Day

I was able to put my gear box for the trailer together today.  The top and bottom made of metal lids from an old grill are all painted white with the handles removed.  I had quite a haul at Smith's Foods today after stopping by impulsively to pick up some Dawn to remove the grease from my kitchen after finding that Ajax detergent was a fail.  A new product has come out and it was on a really good sale.  I picked up some t-bone steaks for $5.99 and some Kerry Gold pastured butter for less than most of the prices on Amazon unless you purchase 12 packages.  Even so I purchased 6 packages.  I took a long rest but got busy on the box when I woke up.  I ordered cute little latches, not because it was my idea to make the box cute, but because they will fit the space. I ordered some matching combination locks.  Richard announced that nothing can be recovered from the failed laptop and I tried to get some help from Hewlett Packard because my new one is acting glitchy.  I hope it isn't my Corel software that is causing the problem.