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Arizona was Cold, Communes are Comfortable and Writing

 We're back from the communes!  The trip to Arizona wasn't too bad. The dogs were really good and then we got to Arizona and stayed up past midnight just talking with everyone. Emory had a beer with Ann and I just listened to conversation. No shopping, though AZ is my favorite place for garage sales. I'm really supposed to be downsizing, according to a few communes, who have super organizers. You know you can't live in a commune without a few because someone has to get things settled for everyone.  Anyways, at 2pm on Saturday, our besties were having their party so we went. We learned so much about them with the games that they played for their party. It was so funny but lead to me wanting answers, but Emory said that we probably shouldn't ask... I ate way too many red velvet cupcakes, but to be fair, they were gluten-free and vegan so the best combo in my world! They were so stellar! I would have eaten more, but even I know that sometimes you have to share...  I lo
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No-Go Vegan Candies, Commune Parties and Writing

 I bought vegan candies. I got so excited that they were gelatin free that I got three bags, then I looked at the back and it said "wheat." What! Nuts! So I called my best friend to see if she'd eat them. She said yeppers! Because Sue is so anti sugar. She says it'll give you dementia and I think candy just sits around at the Phoenix commune now that most people with children have moved on and out of the community.  I'm going to go visit another commune, that my BFF is staying at. She's having a huge party so that should be fun. Emory and I are staying the night. She's got a crystal room so I'm hoping she'll show me all her witchy stuff. I love the potions and lotions and she's a crystal healer so that is even more fun stuff. Maybe I can get her to read my tarot. I have tons of cards, but I love having other people read for me. Does that make me lazy?  Steven is going to watch our dogs for us. He said Typo can sleep with him, because Mozart wil

Crazy Stormy Weather, Ventura for Sunday and Writing

 Holy cow the weather was bad on Thursday. I thought we'd lose power. It was hailing, and the rain was coming down in buckets. I think it scared Mozart because he usually doesn't just sit by my feet while I'm working so I picked the little booger up and stuck him on my chair with me. Of course, he growls as we both try to get situated with space.  To be fair, the weather scared me and I knew I was safe, but Emory was out of the house so I was really worried about him driving in it. I called the commune out here to make sure they weren't in it. Sue said she was at home, but she had to leave within the hour. Darlene was out golfing though she never said it was raining. I guess she was up in Solvang and it was just terribly cold and windy.  Mr. M was at the other commune working on painting doors. I guess those doors are pretty heavy and he had to call in for backup moving them.  Emory and I went up to Ventura for Sunday and had a blast. I bought a few puzzles though I kne

Drowning Plants, Horror Movies and Writing

The commune out here in Los Angeles is going on a two week cruise trip coming up in June. I was just warned. I usually don't mind babysitting the animals, but now we have a greenhouse to take care of and Emory and I are terrible with plants! I'm a little stressed, because the greenhouse is everything to Sue and Sue means a lot to me so I don't want to mess it up. We'll have to be diligent. And June is pretty hot, so that means extra watering... maybe? Watch, I'll drown these plants. 😓 Emory is working a lot of overtime so we've been a little slow with puzzling. Steven suggested I watch Thanksgiving. It was brutal! But I liked it. With masked slasher films, I always get to the point where I have to know who the killer is so I google it. Yikes! I also watched Dark Harvest, which I thought the plot was great. The story had me intrigued and again, I really just wanted to know what was happening. Emory called it. I think they left it open for a second movie. I hope

Great Eye Appointment, Dress for Party and Writing

 Holy cow! Just holy cow!  I went to the eye specialist and he said there is nothing wrong with my eyes! YEE-HAW!! Sue went with me and she was so awesome! I forgot my sunglasses and she had another pair. She kept me calm. I really thought the doctor would have problems getting drops in my eyes. My eyes are so sensitive and I blink just to blink so it's worse when something is right in front of my eyes. She remembered to ask the doctor about eye drops, which I completely forgot because I was so nervous about the exam. He did do something I wasn't too fond of, which I have no idea what the device was but he was checking the pressure of each eye and it was a little uncomfortable, but it didn't hurt, I just didn't like something that close to my eyes. And he said nothing was wrong! He seemed a little surprised I came in with a "possible problem" given my age. I was one of the younger people in the office. So I'm grateful we got this done because I stayed up a

Earthquakes, Medical Coding and Writing

We had an earthquake on Friday that really got my adrenaline pumping. I called Arizona first, not that they felt it, but I just wanted to hear someone's voice, than I called Sue who lives out here. She asked if I was okay. It wasn't as big as it could have been, but it made things shake and my heart was really pumping. She's straight to the point, asked if I was okay, told her yes and the conversation was over. But it was still nice hearing someone's voice and she was much closer to the zone it started in. Emory said that he heard the office settle and that was that. I asked Miss Mary and she said that she was in the parking garage when it happened and all the car alarms were going off. She laughed and said, "At least I wasn't in the elevator." I got tons of emails from my co-workers all checking in. That was fun.   I'm thinking about going back to school. I really want to be a medical coder, but I have a really good job. It's just that this job ha

Coffee Text, Book Clubs and Writing

  I got a text from my ex boss about coffee. It's funny that she's drinking coffee and thinking of me, but we did bond pretty well. We both like the same things, but I think she's a bit of an introvert and I'm a bit of an introvert, so two introverts get along just fine over text messages.  I finally cut and dyed my hair. I feel like it frames my face better and the long hair... it wasn't as long as it could be but boy was it always tangled and I just couldn't keep the knots out so yeah, it's nice having it short. The hairdresser said it was like a small animal was built out of all my hair. 😹 We have noisy neighbors above us. It's like they have a call center that starts at 10pm sharp until the wee hours of morning. Too many voices and they talk so loud and it's right above our bedroom. I feel really frustrated. Last night, it was like they were playing hopscotch. Our first meeting at book club for the new year went really well. We had themed food t

Optic Nerves, Bye Bye Car, and Writing

 I went for the first round of eye tests. They did a scan of my retinas and my optic nerves. I have to wait until the doctor looks at the scan and then I have to go back for more tests. They will dilate my eyes this time. Good luck! I'm a pretty fast blinker and I do NOT like eye drops.  I lost my car in the parking lot and had to ask security to help me find it. I felt rather silly because I called Emory to tell him my car was gone and asked him what to do. He said go to security. Security took my car keys and did exactly what I did to look for my car, by making it beep. We found it and then I got a lecture on what "color" my car was and what the make and model was. Apparently we don't agree on color. I told Emory that I seriously couldn't tell the difference on color and Emory explained to me what the security guard was going on about. (Potatoes and Tomatoes, I swear!) I think there is an ever slight difference in color and the guard wanted to make a point. I di

Nervous Eye Tests, Kitty Pillowcases and Writing

 Super nervous to get my eyes examined. I'm not sure what it will entail, but whenever doctors have to do tests, it's never fun. I've had too many experiences with "tests" to feel any kind of ease. The woman who booked my appointment said that "they wouldn't be dilating" my eyes. I guess I could always ask Sue to drive down with me, but I think she's got enough things on her plate. She's so busy. I had a quiet weekend. We were going to go on a date night with other couples, but we decided that now wasn't the time. It would have been at a club, and truthfully, I'm a little scared to drive on the freeways out here. I was only going to drink soda for the night, and let Emory have the beer, but we thought about it and it's been a long time since we've been to a club. Maybe we'll do it next time.  We did end up cleaning. I guess Sue is in the cleaning mood ( she blames tax season) and she constantly has advice on what we should

Farmer Markets, Hawaii Vows and Writing

Ann is coming back out and I guess the Porter Commune is heading to Texas. We get to watch Miss Sassy-Pants. I'm sure she'll love to see us and the dogs. I'm excited to see the pictures. That's not for a couple more months though. So we have a little time to switch house-hold duties until then. My best girlfriend is going to renew her vows in Hawaii. I don't think we'll have the funds to go, but it's fun to plan anyway. I want to help her find a dress for her vows. I hope she films EVERYTHING! She's going to put flowers and crystals in her hair and I bet that's going to be lovely. She's going to get a camper this summer and start traveling. I think she's going to start a video-log and show her travels. I really want to see that. Emory and I went to the meetup at the Porter Farmers Market. We met across the street and waited for people then walked across. We ran into a few familiar faces and they remembered us too. I think the meetup is going

MLK Day, Sick and Commune Won't leave you Lonely

 I thought I'd get on here and wish everyone a fantastic Martin Luther King Jr. Day! But I got sick, so this post is going to be a little late. I felt horrible and the only person I told was Ann, (I think) because being this sick makes you delusional. Anyways, The Porter Commune called and said, "You have a fever, we got the cures" which included advice like rub rubbing alcohol over your skin, and put a wash cloth between your armpits and groin for fevers. Don't drink tea... put honey in your drinks... gargle with salt water.  It was funny, but they talked so fast and I barely understood any of it because I had the brain fog seriously bad yesterday. I still have it today and working is so hard. I hope I'm doing okay. It's nice to have people who care. Sue offered to bring us soup. I will have to tell her I don't have much of an appetite. That old saying: Starve a Fever, feed a cold.  Anyways, this weekend was a bust! I wanted to see if I could find pillows

Eye Problems, Palm Springs Maybe and Writing

 It's one of those nights that I really couldn't sleep. I have too much on my mind. I just got bad news from the eye doctor that one of my eyes isn't doing so great. I felt invincible and now I feel like my body is really starting to fail me with everything that keeps going wrong. Sue offered to watch the dogs for us so we can go to Palm Springs or the Joshua Tree Forest. I'm excited about that. It's pretty cold though and going up the mountain in Palm Springs might be a bit colder. They have great Date Shakes there. It costs a lot of money though for specialty items. There is one place I want to go, that I don't know the name of, but it's full of rocks that someone has painted. I want to see it, though I think it's called "The Church..." of something. I don't know how religious it is though. I hear it's in the middle of nowhere. Sue's birthday is coming up so I'd like to take her out for a beer. Ann said that Sue would like pil

Happy New Year! Wallflowers and Writing

 Happy New Year! We survived the celebrations! It's time to clean the house. I'm ready to let some things go, especially if we do have to move again. Time to get organized! Finally be that Virgo I was born to be! I have the artistic "chaotic" organization thing going, but there are things I haven't touched for a long time that I need to decide if it's time to give up.   Speaking of gifts, I got a Wallflower gift for Yule. It's a Bath and Body plug-in that smells so delicious. I wanted to go get a few more scents to put in it, so we did that this weekend. I bought way more than I needed but the price was right since everything is on sale.  We have a busy couple of months! I want to go to some parks and do the touristy thing.We want to head to Nevada for a couple of days. We have friends heading to Hawaii who have invited us for the journey. So much to do. Major Goal is to write more. I need to get this story finished. 

Joshua Tree National Park, California Touristy Thing and Writing

 So the Porter Commune packed up there bags and headed towards the Mojave Desert. They wanted to see the Joshua Tree National Park . <-- click for photos. Emory and I got a picture right in front of those trees. They are pretty when they bloom but they look prickly and not very pretty for most of the year. I found a Joshua Tree Distillery. How fun! Maybe we'll go. I'm looking for things to do out here in California and do the touristy thing for a while because who knows when we'll pack up our bags and leave again.  We are going to spend Sunday with a Meetup group at a Wine Bar down in Los Angeles. I hate driving down there because you have to use the freeway and the freeways out here freak me out. (Literally gives me nightmares that the freeway splits and I end up in downtown Los Angeles). Anyways, there are only four people going so far and it's on Sunday from 3pm-5pm. Emory and I both agreed we're only going to drink a small glass of wine and spend the time tal

Commune Christmas, Puzzle Shaped Boxes and No Win Ugly Sweater

 Spending the holiday with at the communes! We went to one commune for coffee. I had a gift for Farmer Bill this year to thank him for everything he's done for us. I thought it would be a busy trip, but it really wasn't. We had a lot of people to see, but it was all crammed into a few days and then we ended up having to drive back to California because Emory has a new job right now.  I didn't win the ugly sweater contest at work. I think the homemade sweaters do a lot better than the store bought ones, but I'm not that creative. My creativity lies in writing. OMG! My best friends made me and Emory a wood puzzle piece that can hang anywhere, with our initials on one side and the "Puzzle Couple" initials on the other side! They are so creative. One year, they made us drink mug/wine glass with our initials on it.  I think the funniest, but very practical gift we got this year was a headlamp because Emory and I walk at night and a few times the cars turning have a

Holiday Parties, Art Festivals and Lost Christian Dior Flowers

 Holy Cow! Emory took on temp work right now and the company he works for threw a huge party for the workers. He got his fill of vegan burgers, chips and humus. He brought home a super cute blanket which I love! and he brought home gift cards which we need because our coffee machine broke and we need to be careful with how we spend our money, so just shopping is out of the question, but with gift cards, we're lucky this time.  We went to a little festival this weekend with the commune. It was real small and Emory and I got vegan donuts and Sue bought something for the house that's going to be a surprise so we had to sneak it back to her car. She also bought a Christmas Spider for Steven since he's not fond of spiders. He has the same reaction towards spiders that Jeffrey has towards scorpions. One glance and he's gone! So we told Sue we'd take it out for Steven to open.  Emory and I found flowers and a tiara on the sidewalk but it's not a place that has a lot of

Christmas Boat Parade, Puzzle Swaps and Writing

 We went to Redondo Beach for the weekend and watched the Christmas boat parade. It was small but adorable and from the spot at the condo, we had a great view without having to leave the comfort of our space. We had dinner and drinks and watched the boats. Emory took a few pictures to send to Darlene because she was out boating in Ventura and wanted to see what the Redondo boat parade was like.   It got hot last weekend. It's supposed to be hot again and then it's going to be raining. I hope it doesn't rain on us when we do the meetup. We decided to meet new people again. Just for a little bit of conversation since we exhaust the same topics with each other. I'm sure there is only so much we can say in a day, though I do talk right through the best of television and puzzling.  I would love to do a meetup with puzzlers but the only thing I found was a puzzle swap. I told the communes to get their puzzles ready for swapping and I'll take all the puzzles up to the swap

Christmas Woes, Christmas in Az (maybe) and Writing

 Christmas Woes! Since Steven isn't much younger than me, if I find really cool things I like, I send pictures to him as well to see if he likes them. Well, for Christmas, people keep asking me what Steven would like so I gave them the list of things I had liked for him. I never thought two communes of people would get him the exact same thing! I was speaking with Ann who talks with only one commune and she said, "Hey, so-and-so already got it for him." and I speak with the other commune and I'm like "Crap! So-and-so also got it for him." So I'm officially going to stop giving lists.  On the bright side! I know what Emory is getting for Christmas and I'm thrilled. I think he'll love his surprises. He loves anything people give him, but the thrill of the gift giving is always the best! We're still waiting to see if we can go out for Christmas to Arizona. We have Mozart trimmed and ready but our usual hair salon won't take Typo because of h

Commune Groceries, $200 Perfume and Writing Update

 The commune had a lot of food left over from Thanksgiving. They collected a lot of things prepping for a huge dinner and didn't need as much as they thought so Sue is bringing me over some unopened cans of green beans and corn. She also has a few unopened boxes of mashed potatoes (which I hope are vegan because they are so much easier to prepare than homemade mash potatoes).  My coworker told me she wanted a $200 bottle of Chanel perfume from her boo (I don't think they are actually dating yet). I like the fruity scents personally and the most expensive bottle of perfume I own is about $55.00. I got it on the border a while ago but the perfume still smells super nice. Anyways, she said hell-no to my personal taste and I told her for $200 that perfume better smell like food. She was a little confused so I told her the old saying: "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach." She didn't find that funny, but when I told Emory about this conversation, he lau

Street Racers, Fires on the Freeway and Commune Travelers

 I woke in the middle of the night to what sounded like street racers. It is such a weird feeling to be woken up and in a haze because it sounds like something is wrong and at first I thought I heard an accident with wheels screeching. The only other thing it could be was a bunch of teenagers or young adults popping donuts. Emory says that has woken him up a few times in the past.  The winds have picked up. Sue was calling me on her commute and she said "I'll have to hang up and call 911, there's a fire." Fires spread so fast with the wind, so I called her back later to make sure everything was okay and she said she couldn't get through to the emergency services and she believed it was because everyone was calling.  There was a major fire on the Interstate 10 Freeway going into downtown and it's one of the busiest roads. Click here for article . I am so glad I don't use that freeway. But they do believe it was arson. We have a lot of homeless people that b