Snow-Covered Tree

Picture of the Day for January 31, 2016. Winter is coming to a close and I'm still not tired of seeing the snow at night. I thought the snow-covered tree by the side of my house was so pretty tonight.

Figurine Envy

Picture of the Day for January 30, 2016. Normally I don't get too jealous of purchases other people make, but it's intolerable to me that my sister Robynne found these cute wooden figurines at an antique store and I didn't. Bad, bad, bad sister.

Still Sick

Picture of the Day for 1/29/2016. Well, I had one good day after the five-day prescription for steroids ran out last Sunday. I've been home from work the past 2-1/2 days as sick as can be. The infection in my feet/legs flared up again and I'm suffering from flu-like symptoms.  Today I visited the clinic in my neighborhood where I was prescribed more steroids and another medication that is far too embarrassing to discuss based on what the doctor thinks is plaguing me. I'm not convinced he's right, but if the medication gets me up and functioning for my work trip to California next week, I don't care. I was so sick today that it didn't even occur to me to take my usual picture of the day, so I'm using one I found on my neighborhood clinic's website.

Pre-Valentine

Picture of the Day for January 28, 2016. Got my first Valentine- a hot pad that my sister Robynne crocheted. It was a practice one for a project she's working on, but I was delighted to get it. It matches my pink kitchen!

Door to the Temple Spire

Picture of the Day for January 27, 2016. My work cubicle/office floor is eye level to the roofline of the Salt Lake City temple. I see some interesting things from that vantage point- like maintenance workers walking along the roof of the temple which is such an unexpected sight. It's such a sacred place for Mormons that you don't realize it's a building like any other that requires upkeep. I never can seem to snap a photo in time while workers are on the roof. Today I was only able to capture the open door (circled in red) to one of the temple spires. 

Hazelnut Kisses

Picture of the Day for January 26, 2016. This is my latest dollar store obsession- Hazelnut Kisses. People will be standing next to me in line as I purchase several packages at a time and they ask me if these are good. 

Good. 

Seriously? Good?

What a completely inadequate word. 

When I tell them this candy is life changing, they invariably go pick up a package for themselves. Hershy's should be paying me commissions!

Friendly (Not so Friendly?) Competition

Picture of the Day for January 25, 2016. My sister Robynne will know exactly what this picture means. She and I have a  competition going on. I can't say it's entirely friendly. Sisterly affection means nothing here. She is soooooo NOT going to win. Just saying.

Landing in Snow

Picture of the Day for January 24, 2016. Arrived back home in the early hours of the day in Salt Lake City. First time I've ever landed in a snowstorm. It was jarring to go from pleasant Florida weather to a lot of snow!

Florida Chapter of the Mystery Writers of America-Monthly Meeting

Picture of the Day for January 23, 2016. For as much time as I spend in Florida, I have never managed to attend the monthly lunch meeting of the Florida Chapter of the Mystery Writers of America- until today. I've always wanted to attend because I have several friends in the organization from having attended their annual Sleuthfest conference for the past several years. 

Today's guest speaker was Charles Tood. He and his mother (Caroline) write novels set in post-World War 1 England and they are meticulously researched. The focus of Todd's speech today was the importance of researching the time and place where you write and he gave a lot of examples from their travels to England. I bought the first book in their Ian Rutledge series, A Test of Wills, and had Tood sign it afterward.  He could not have been more charming.

Pasta Makes Everyting Better

Picture of the Day for January 22, 2016. In a fit of self-pity over my legs/feet, I ordered pasta with cream sauce for dinner. Not sure it did my legs any good, but it was definitely good for my soul.

Gross Legs

Picture of the Day for January 21, 2016.  Here's a picture of the red spots covering my legs. Gross. At least my feet aren't swollen up to twice their normal size. It's amazing how quickly steroids work.

Throwing Medication at the Problem

Picture of the Day for January 20, 2016. So what started out as the soles of my feet hurting has turned into kind of a scary medical situation. My feet are flaming red and have swollen up to twice their normal size and red spots are sprouting up on my legs. Seriously? Even a doctor-phobe like me conceded it was time to visit an urgent care center. today. They said I've definitely had an allergic reaction to something (which we can't seem to figure out what it was) and prescribed five days of steroids and along with Pepcid. Before I was prescribed these specific medications, I was throwing anything I could think of to help reduce the inflammation- Ibuprofen, Benadryl, etc.  I just can't wait to feel better because my feet not only hurt, but I feel really, really sick. 

Dr. Pepper Promotes Longevity?

Picture of the Day for January 19, 2016. I saw this story on Facebook about a woman who attributes her longevity to drinking three Dr. Peppers a day. My first thought was my sister Paula better not see this because she's desperately trying to break her granddaughter Hayley of her addition to Dr. Pepper. 

Roomful of Eagles

Picture of the Day for January 18, 2016. I've blogged about the Busch Wikdlife Sanctuary before. It's one of my favorite places to visit when I have a few minutes to kill because the sanctuary is free and easily accessible. I loved looking through a keyhole in a fence and seeing a whole room filled with American Bald Eagles. Kind of makes you wonder if this where they like to hang out and escape from the pressure of being a national treasure and protected species. 

Lion Country Safari

Picture of the Day for January 17, 2016. Finally made it out to Lion Country Safari, a drive-through safari park, out in Loxahatchee (Palm Beach County), Florida. I've wanted to make an excursion there for years. 

Oh sure, I saw lions (as one would expect at a place called Lion Country Safari...

And ostriches...

And these creatures...

And water buffalo...

And zebras...

And rhinos...

And giraffes...

And monkeys...

But what I really got excited about seeing were the flamingos! Guess I'm not very exotic or sophisticated. I still love flamingos!

Feet Still Hurt

Picture of the Day for January 16, 2016. Feet still hurt today. Soaked them in water and Epsom Salt. I'm now officially 105-years-old.

Dr. Scholl's

Picture of the Day for January 15, 2016. I feel like a 90-year-old woman. Bought my first Dr. Scholl's shoe inserts because my feet are hurting.

Weight Watchers Scale

Picture of the Day for January 14, 2016. My home scale is always a few pounds off from the Weight Watchers' scales in the Bountiful, Utah location where I go every Tuesday night to weigh in. I always weigh more at Bountiful than at home which is disheartening. I decided to buy an actual Weight Watchers-brand scale and see if it matches up to the facility's scales more closely. What do you know- it does!

Outsmarting the Garbage Collectors

Picture of the Day for January 13, 2016.  Yesterday was trash collection day in my neighborhood. I had placed my Christmas tree next to the garbage can with the expectation the tree would be disposed of since that's what happened last year. Nope. The trash removal workers thoroughly ignored my tree and left it lying in the gutter. 

"Huh," I thought, "that doesn't work for me."

So, here's my solution. I placed the tree in the garbage can. It's all ready for the next trash collection day.

Banished Birds

Picture of the Day for January 12, 2016. This is where I banish my birds when I'm working from home and I'm on a conference call. The birds decide conference calls are the perfect time to chime in on the conversation and it's hard to hear over them. I think the birds know they are in trouble when they get banished since they remain silent the entire time they aren't in their usual spot.

Christmas Lights on Railing

Picture of the Day for January 11, 2016. I put up Christmas lights on my stairs this year. Since this is the first time in my entire life I've decorated the outside of my house ever, I kind of went overboard keeping the lights on- 24/7 and well past the holiday. One strand gave up the will to delight me with its Christmas cheer. Oh well- it had a good run.

Denied to Many

Picture of the Day for January 10, 2016. This picture has been making the rounds on Facebook for awhile now. I like the message of course, but on a more shallow note, I like the fact it shows an older woman with longer hair. That will be me. I will have long hair forever I think.

Superwoman Baby

Picture of the Day for January 9, 2016. I got to meet this little superwoman (notice the t-shirt) after my voice lesson today. Little Clara's mother, Emily, has her lesson right after mine and this is the first time Emily and her husband brought the baby. Clara was all smiles and as well she should be as a superwoman in training. 

Hayley's Big Night

Picture of the Day for January 8, 2016. I attended my great-niece Hayley's officer installation ceremony for Job's Daughters. Here she is with her very cute escort, Adam, a friend of her's from high school.

Fog

Picture of the Day for January 7, 2016. Just like clockwork- you can count on it being foggy this time of year. This picture looks like I'm driving along a level road, but I'm actually driving down a steep road where I can see the entire Salt Lake valley before me. I've circled the fog that is covering the valley. After I took this picture, the fog got even worse- to the point we had to cancel family lunch since it was too dangerous to drive.

8-Hour Diet

Picture of the Day for January 6, 2016. I picked this book up on a whim at the dollar store and it turned out to be a great purchase! The premise of this diet is that fasting for 16 hours and then eating within an 8-hour timeframe boosts fat burning. Doesn't hurt to give it a try.

Pow Wow Calendar

Picture of the Day for January 5, 2016. My sister Robynne bought this pow wow calendar for someone else, but I ended up inheriting it (long story). It's now hanging up in my cubicle at work. I'm happy to have it!

First Book Report of 2016

Picture of the Day for January 4, 2016. I had asked my niece Renee to give me some books for Christmas- ones that she had read and enjoyed. She gave me The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman. Dang Renee. I'm losing sleep over this book. I pick it up to read for a few minutes before going to bed and the next thing I know it's waaaaaaaay past my bedtime since I can't put it down.

Pyramid

Picture of the Day for January 3, 2016. So, here's day #3 where I've met up with friends and received a lovely gift and failed to take a picture of actual human beings. I had lunch with my friends Mary and Kelly so we could exchange Christmas presents. Kelly gave me this pyramid. You are supposed to write your wish and place it inside the pyramid. 

Hmm...what shall I wish for?

Lunch with Bonnie

Picture of the Day for January 2, 2016. I met up with my friend/voice teacher/neighbor Bonnie and our friend/neighbor Verlene who just sold her house and will be leaving the neighborhood. We had a lovely visit over lunch and I learned interesting things about Verlene that I never knew. Of course I forgot to take a picture of Bonnie and Verlene so instead I'm showing off the songbook Bonnie gave me today as a belated birthday present. A perfect gift from a voice teacher!

WASP Calendar

Picture of the Day for January 1, 2016. Had my annual New Year's Day visit with my 90-year-old neighbor Erma which is always delightful. For the 2nd year in a row, she let me look through all the calendars she received from various organizations and I selected the WASP Fly Girls calendar for a 2nd year in a row. WASP = Women Airforce Service Pilots. The WASPs were comprised of female civilian pilots who flew non-combat missions during World War 2 which freed up male pilots for combat. I love the pictures (now and then) of the women. Also, I use this calendar to record my weight during the year so if you ever got your hands on this calendar (and trust me, you won't), you'd know what I weigh!