APPLICATIONS; Coalinga-CA

Today's start was very disappointing 😔

We were up at the crack of dawn, this morning & drove all the way into Hanford - only to find that the clinic had been moved … 

Very foggy A.M.; leaving RV Park & can barely make out the truck stop, ahead; Coalinga-CA

Crossing freeway overpass - from Coalinga,  towards Hanford-CA; the fog shrouded the landscape until we reached the city.

They had moved - this had not been mentioned, in yesterday's phone convo.

… and, when we arrived at the new location … was told he'd need a secondary insurance (which he doesn't have & can't get on disability) & would need X-rays (which was not what was told us yesterday; and which was not available on site): Holland said, "This was not told to me yesterday when I called 📱 and secured this appointment 📌. A secondary insurance wasn't an issue yesterday & I was told a cash payment 💰 was acceptable. I told the receptionist yesterday that we are out-of-stater's-passing 👣 through CA; & was told getting a shot 💉 this morning, wouldn't be a problem. I don't have time to wait months for all the add-ons I don't need, to finally get the shot I was told I could get here; this morning." 

We had gone into the city with the funds we'd been told would be needed - today's quote was quite a bit higher (the $50 shot had increased by $40 & the office visit went up from $175 to $225) 😳; with extra baggage tacked on for the doctor's kick-back. And the "person the bleeds" behind the counter had a bitchy attitude.

So.

Holland crunched up the Information Sheet & shoved it in his pocket 😒, retrieved his Driver License, and we left. It was irking me that we had gotten up at the crack of dawn to make a scheduled appointment - only to be fed a gaslighting BS story that halted application when we arrived. Holland handled 😑 the medical snub better than I did: the total turn around with the shot's availability - and the office rottweiler's attitude had provoked my pit bull attitude 😤

But as distance increased between the clinic and us, my temper tempest had cooled 😇 & we stopped by the Pro-Pregnancy Life Center to drop off the little items 🎁 I had made.

Back home, Holland went upstairs to lay down 🛌 & rest 🩹 his aching knee. I am still a little peeved that there doesn't seem to be any medical way available, for him to get relief from this unrelenting pain. He said, "I guess I'm just going to have to trust God for a healing 💥🔥🕊️" And I said, "I believe you are right - trust Him: you've run out of other options. He does not want you to be in searing pain, Holland. Trust Him 💥🕎👑 - if you belong to Him ☝️ ✝️, He will never give you more than He knows you can handle ❤️; He knows our frame and He will never overburden it."

So, that's where that is - going forward 🙏

I drank a refreshing cup of coffee ☕️, asked Elohim ☝️ to forgive my earlier temper flare - and enjoyed a relaxing body toning 💪 in the spare room:

Mobility at Home :: Standing Cat Cow Stretch: 

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4KnU-IRk38&t=10s)

Bodyweight Dynamic Back Stretch~8 to 12 reps x2; Regular stretching can help improve flexibility and reduce stiffness, which can be beneficial for overall well-being.

The Bodyweight Dynamic Back Stretch is generally considered safe for a senior woman, provided she is in good overall health and has no underlying conditions that could affect her ability to perform the stretch safely. It is important to warm up properly (do the Standing Cat Cow Stretch, shown in video above) before performing the stretch and to listen to your body. If you experience any discomfort or pain, stop.

Upper back muscles

Arm Extender Muscles

Darebee Queen Of Mean Dumbbell Exercises: There is a lot you can achieve with just a tiny bit of standing space, a single dumbbell and about half an hour ⏱️ or so, to spare. Queen Of Mean is an upper body workout that helps you develop better upper body control and great muscle tone.

Dumbbell Triceps Extensions~8 reps; Dumbbell Rotations~8 to 12 rep; Dumbbell Overhead Extensions~8 reps; Dumbbell Single Kickbacks~8 to 10 reps

External Abdominal Oblique Muscles & Anterior Deltoid Muscle

Forearm Muscles 

Holland received a text for the Office here, informing him that our package had arrived; so, I walked over to the Office, to collect out UPS package - and ended up jawing for at least 25 minutes with the Rally President of the Winnebago Club, who paid for an overnight space here, on her way to Corning-CA tomorrow.

It's fun to meet interesting strangers.

Helen Jette says she'll be retiring this year - she's 80 years old:

WIT Club – Past, Present & Future: https://www.winnebago.com/lifestyle/winnebagolife/life/wit-club-past-present-future

The UPS box drop made me very happy … the foam will be shot down the drains at bedtime & we hope the applications do as it promises, and rids our little home of the pesky flies. We are aware that it will take a couple applications.

The Day may have started with disappointment - but it ended on up notes 😊

PLOT TWIST; Coalinga-CA

This Holiday Season we are affirming the best in each other.

The diamond polishing process transforms a rough stone into a sparkling gem through precise shaping and smoothing, primarily using a spinning cast-iron wheel (scaife) coated with diamond dust.

December 8th: Our Life Tapestry with this holiday season's plot twist woven into it, has given a lot of pleasure with plenty of slow 🐢, cozy 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨, ordinary home & hearth days 💞 (very welcome interludes that were very noticeably 🙄 absent in winters past); mingled in with a generous sprinkling of more exciting happenings like ground shaking thunder & lightening episodes ⚡️😳 that rode through our area on the coat tails of November's stormy weather 💧; & explorations 🚘 into Hanford's city center, recently coming alive with holiday décor 🎅🎄 to lend seasonal excitement to balance out the humdrum ordinary of every day.

We had gone to bed last night with a well-laid plan to be in Hanford-CA, bright & early this morning … but the weather did not cooperate:

This morning's fog advisory.

We're the dot between Avenal & Huron-CA

Plus, there has been a pack of wild dogs trolling the Park here, every day for the past week - this morning, it seemed they were directly under our front windows, making themselves known around 4 A.M.; I finally got up around 6 A.M., so my tossing and turning would not wake Holland.

Between the shrouding fog & the barking dogs that had interrupted our sleep, it was understood we'd be staying home.

I drank some coffee, stretched my upper body muscles, watched a old plot twist movie, and finished up the little preemie/newborn sleeping gown set I'd been working on the past few days:

Upper body stretching boosts flexibility, range of motion, and posture while reducing tension (counteracts hunching from prolonged sitting, helping you maintain proper alignment.), stiffness, and injury risk, improving daily function and athletic performance by increasing blood flow and promoting relaxation for your neck, shoulders, chest, and back. It's crucial for counteracting desk work, enhancing recovery (increases blood flow to fatigued muscles), and fostering overall well-being: if you don't stretch your upper body regularly, the muscles in this area can “become short and tight, leading to weakness and muscle damage, strains, and joint pain,” Leanne says. “Super tight muscles limit your range of motion and may create a muscle imbalance.

The Competition 1980 Movie with Richard Dreyfuss, Amy Irving, and Lee Remick:  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VC4nO1XahvI)

Creatively, December this year, is being split between the beginnings of MOD Christmas Chevron Afghan & the Preemie/NB items I am committed to; both WIP's are enjoyable and serve a beneficial purpose - as well as all the creative goodness that goes into each personalized item, which generates happiness ripples 💖💞😘

MOD Twisted Rib St. Buttonhole Bands. Putting the finishing touches on this little sleep gown, I laughingly said to Holland that it's long length reminds me of the escape artist baby boy in the Popeye cartoon series of days gone by. He laughingly agreed.

MOD Twisted Rib Trim Preemie-NB Beanie & Tube Socks, made to match the drawstring gown.

Earlier this morning, I also saw some new growth 👏 on my recently purchased fishbone cactus; but, my Thanksgiving Cactus did not set bud 😔 this year (lots of new leaf growth, though) & with Christmas Day a mere 19 days away: still no showing buds 🤷‍♀️

4 new growth spurts on my Fishbone Cactus.

But my Minerva continues to impress. The first rush of seasonal indoor Amaryllis bloom has come and gone - but today as I sit at my dining table changing out morning coffee for afternoon coca cola, I am delighting in the fresh new burst of growth with bloom promise 🌸👌 I was gifted with one of these flowering bulbs about 14 years ago, and they have since become a staple ✔️ in my December holiday enjoyment ✨🎄 I like  the bolt of bright color they bring into the house; & I like flowering bulbs in general (hyacinths, daffodils, tulips, crocuses, amaryllis) because they are low maintenance and uncomplicated … in my past life, buying & planting flowering bulbs was a seasonal ritual 😉 that delivered a huge amount of expansive colorful pleasure viewed through my spacious picture windows when seriously bad weather ☔️❄️ kept me indoors. This year, in my new life with it's unfolding plot twists, this one Minerva bulb is brightening my indoor space with holiday joy.

Minerva showing a bonus surprise.

And around suppertime, Holland's cousin Bruce, called to say he'd be dropping by tomorrow morning for some face time and catch-up jawing; they are the same age, give or take a few months between them. I'm glad they are finally getting together 🤝 - they've been trying for the past 30 months. Bruce will be heading to Colorado next week … and we aren't sure how long we'll be here: the barking dogs and the cold weather have put a wrinkle in our plans here - and the ensuing plot twist may have us on the move too, come January 2026, trusting Elohim's Plan for our Life.

THE SUM OF SMALL EFFORTS; Ocean Park-WA

3 days left before we hook up, and pull outta here.

We'll be glad to leave the chill & fog behind. It's been a real bummer at the beach, this year 😕

Betsy & Independence; very foggy here, today; Ocean Park-WA

Another dense fog warning - it's been like this most of our time here, this year; we'll be glad to leave this behind.

We both spent the day intermediately between tasks and down time with online scrolling's: Holland worked more of Betsy projects, and social media … and between relaxing movies, I was securing stuff so it wouldn't bounce off the walls when Independence is trucking down the highway - I drafted Holland at one point, to help me store the lawn chairs in the upper bunk 😘

By Day's end, we had really accomplished quite a bit, even with out small-efforts-lazy way of going about it.

And, I even found time to get a short workout, in - nothing intense; but every little bit helps; a couple months from now, I will appreciate today's sum of small efforts 😉

Full Body Workout Muscles.

The Step Half Jacks is a low impact, full-body exercise, that engages a range of muscles, primarily in the legs and glutes (quadriceps, calves, glutes) and the core (abdominals and lower back), with the shoulders and arms also participating in the movement. This exercise is good for balance, stability, and cardiovascular health.

The muscles of the lower back include the erector spinae group (iliocostalis, longissimus, and spinalis), multifidus, and quadratus lumborum. These muscles work together to support the expand, rotate, & stabilize the spine - to maintain posture, and to enable activities such as bending, lifting, and walking. 

Glutes, quads, & calves muscles.

Shoulder & Upper Back muscles.

Lower Back muscles.

The Step Back exercise helps improve balance and overall lower body stability - and it's knee-friendly, making it a good option for those with knee issues.

Supper was a steamed meal of veggies and pork steak - it actually turned out pretty good. While we ate, we talked about things we hope the weather will allow us to enjoy on our way to Coalinga-CA … as well as some things we hope to enjoy once we get there.

We're both looking forward to new adventures 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨 

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - 'Home' song: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHEOF_rcND8)