A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

Photo Blogging Challenge (March 2024): Eleven

OK, folks. April Fools!

So here we are. April 1 came and went, but hey — it’s almost normal anymore! One of these days, I’ll get it right again! I promise.

This month though.

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You would think after doing this challenge for so many years that I would be ready for the March theme. Add one number and here we are.

But ELEVEN? What the ever living hell?

Honestly, this may have been the hardest theme we’ve done to date – at least for me. I had all sorts of ideas but the times I needed to do those ideas, it passed me by. This month had so much going on, so I blinked and different things went flying by. Still, I may be reaching for this month but hey-o … there’s a post!

And I have to be truly honest here – I’m interested to see what others came up with for the month!

Here are my five for the month of March!

1. 11 Minutes

I can’t say I’m always patient when me and Harper are out on a walk and she finds a stick she wants to chew on. I’ll let her go for a bit and then tell her she needs to finish or carry the stick. But this was a wonderful day of weather and she stopped not once, but twice, to chew on different sticks. According to time stamps of the photos, she chewed on these for a total of 11 minutes!

2. 8:11

This photo was taken at 8:11 a.m. on a walk! Plus, the peep’s ears could be an 11 …

3. Studio 11

The place where I get my haircut and beard trim, as well as Cameron getting his haircut is Studio 11. This was the latest one. Chris is the barber each of us use.

4. St. Patrick’s Day

OK, this one is a stretch, but I have to make it work. This is out and about on St. Pat’s Day with Harper. The photo was taken at 1:17 … so, there’s an 11 in there. I mean, I have to make it work somehow, right??

5. Tasty

Originally, my plan was to take all photos on March 11. However, that changed as my uncle died. He was 94 and the final sibling left of my father’s side of the family. The funeral was March 11. The gathering after was at this neat little restaurant. The sandwich i got was called a Speck or something along those lines. The waiter said it’s this thinly sliced, smoked filet mignon. It was with Brie cheese (though I think a great aged cheddar might be amazing with it). Very tasty.

There’s my five and let’s see what you came up with! If you took part in this month’s challenge, make sure to link up below.

And for those of you who participated, make sure you try and get to other people’s blogs and comment (here, too!).

Let’s continue to grow this challenge and have a strong community. Come back and check out the others who link later on, too! NOTE: We have a Facebook group for those who participate in the challenge and are interested. I’ll post any announcements there and hopefully it can be a place where things are discussed and some interaction etc. You can access it here.

** CHALLENGE CHANGE **

From this point forward, I am going to do the next theme at the bottom of each linkup. Also, the posting date will now be the first of each month, thus giving you the entire month to take the photos etc.

That means it’s a one-stop shop! Hopefully this helps out with everybody.

So, below is the linkup for March. Make sure you drop your link there.

OK, so it’s time to keep on moving! And just like that, it’s April! And our theme for the month? Point of View! This could be taken in so many ways. Get low. Get high. Take it from the eyes of somebody else. But have fun with it! I hope you all have fun with this theme! Remember to come back on (hopefully) May 1 to link up and check out the theme for that month!

Photo Blogging Challenge: March 2024 results

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook!

Photo Blogging Challenge (February 2023): Exploration

Shall we explore?

I’m going to be honest — exploring is much more fun with Harper.

And you guessed it — she’s the star of this post!

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I’m interested to see how everybody sees exploring. For me, a lot of it is through geocaching. It’s taken me so many places I likely never would have seen or been without this great game.

But through the eyes of a dog makes it so much better.

Exploring now is often a little slower … but in a good way. And then after a long day of exploring it’s even better when Harper saddles up next to me and falls asleep. That’s the best reward.

But for others, exploring could be big trips and going to so many different places. What is it for you?

Here are my five for the month of February!

1. Exploration pal

I explore a lot more lately. I’ve geocached for many years, so that was a way to explore. But ever since getting Harper, I explore a ton more and we find different places to go and see. It’s a wonderful thing!

2. Exploring and visiting

As many of you have seen, Harper has some friends who live next door. And they often come over and play. But here’s a kicker — a couple of them are escape artists! The youngest – Nebula — this month has gotten out a few times. And a couple of them, I have been out with Harper. Nebula comes right to the back fence, looking to play. That’s some exploring!

3. Geocaching

Since I started geocaching in 2008, it’s been a wonderful way to explore. Over the past couple of years, Harper has been with me on most geocaching adventures. It’s made it that much better. If you are a geocacher, too, discover her!

4. Walks

I’ve always tried to walk as I know it’s one of the best types of exercises out there. But with Harper, it’s even more fun because she is always exploring through her nose, or where she decides to walk!

5. Walking stick

Everybody needs a walking stick if out hiking/walking and exploring, no?

There’s my five and let’s see what you came up with! If you took part in this month’s challenge, make sure to link up below.

And for those of you who participated, make sure you try and get to other people’s blogs and comment (here, too!).

Let’s continue to grow this challenge and have a strong community. Come back and check out the others who link later on, too! NOTE: We have a Facebook group for those who participate in the challenge and are interested. I’ll post any announcements there and hopefully it can be a place where things are discussed and some interaction etc. You can access it here.

** CHALLENGE CHANGE **

From this point forward, I am going to do the next theme at the bottom of each linkup. Also, the posting date will now be the first of each month, thus giving you the entire month to take the photos etc.

That means it’s a one-stop shop! Hopefully this helps out with everybody.

So, below is the linkup for February. Make sure you drop your link there.

OK, so it’s time to keep on moving! And just like that, it’s March! And our theme for the month? Eleven! I hope you all have fun with this theme! Remember to come back on (hopefully) April 1 to link up and check out the theme for that month!

Photo Blogging Challenge: February 2024 results

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook!

Living with Diabetes: February 2024 check in

I haven’t written one of these posts in a while. Probably because I honestly haven’t done too well with things. My numbers are way higher than they should be and I’m doing, well, pretty shitty in holding myself accountable. 

But I have to look at the overall picture. Sometimes that can be really hard to do. 

For those of you who have followed my blog, you’ve probably seen these posts before. Though, to be fair, I’m usually doing *slightly* better. This time, it’s a mixed bag. I say that because I only can really tell part of the story. 

Living with Diabetes logo

See, my A1C for the last several checks has not been good. So much that we’re getting to the point where my primary is talking about either having to change medications or talk about insulin. These are not things I’m interested in, especially the insulin part. 

Somewhere along the line I kind of fell out of being smart with things. Well not everything. But at least checking and holding myself to task. Instead, I stopped checking on a daily basis. I know when it happened. At some point the meter and strips I was using wasn’t being accepted by my insurance and the supplies just … stopped coming. So I didn’t really pay attention and the checking just kind of … stopped. 

That’s not good. 

Meanwhile, other things were fine. I was losing something, whether it was pounds or inches. I felt I was going in the right direction. But each time I had an appointment, though I thought my A1C had to go down, it either didn’t, or it stayed status quo. 

Again, not good. So here we are. 

This is my fault, don’t get me wrong. I haven’t been the best with eating smart and all that. Though I believe that you need to live life no matter what and indulge in things you love, you still have to be smart. Sitting down and pounding down a bag of candy or something junky isn’t smart. A lot of it for me is stress eating. 

Back at it is what has to happen. So I spoke with my primary and a diabetes educator I see. We figured out a game plan of sorts, and I also needed a new meter and strips. 

I asked for a certain meter and test strips. I need things to use, such as graphs and all. If I use the one meter and strips, it connects to an app I like. This will allow me to see trends and understand what is going on. 

Insurance denied it. 

It seems they won’t accept this unless you haven’t done well with the ones they want you to use. So I called and had to issue an appeal. The person I talked to was great and she led me through the whole process. The appeal was granted. But then I had to fight back and forth to make sure it was done correctly. Finally, it was and the prescription was allowed to go through. 

But that brings me full circle to the other part of this. It hasn’t all been bad. In fact, the numbers baffle me a little considering other things have been going decently. Most of the rest of my blood tests are great. My weight kind of hovers around the same … I usually lose a few pounds from each appointment to the next. 

A nice long Sunday walk with sun and blue skies! The perfect medicine!

Here’s the thing, though. I look back to photos and all of how I was 10-12 years ago and it’s bad. I know what I weighed at my worst, and I know what I am now. The gap between the two is well more than 50 pounds. 

The last year and a half, though, something else has happened. Though the weight itself is coming off slower, something else has happened — I’m losing inches. In fact, in the last 12-18 months, I’ve dropped three pant sizes. The one I am in now is one that I haven’t been able to get into in probably 12-15 years — at least. 

Three pant sizes. 

My clothes fit me better, too. Shirts, sweatshirts, jackets — everything. They all fit better. Even my primary said that it’s not always about just the weight (though I do still want to drop a bunch more. I have a weight I’d like to get to). 

Without a doubt, a lot of this is because of Harper. 

Before Harper, I walked. Quite a bit actually. But if there was a morning I didn’t want to get up, I didn’t get up until I had to. If I was tired from work and didn’t want to walk at night, I didn’t. 

I don’t have that choice anymore. Harper and I walk in the morning and we walk at night. It doesn’t matter if it’s raining, snowing, sunny, cloudy or what — we go. And it’s rarely less than a mile, and usually a bit more. 

A perfect example happened a couple of weeks ago on a Sunday. We did 1.75 miles in the morning. With the weather so nice — sunny and in the 40s, we headed out in the mid-to-late afternoon, which was a bit earlier than her normal “evening” walk. So many sniffs followed. We saw some friends and we wandered into places we usually don’t. In the end, it was just s bit over three miles. 

That was a good walk! 

We’ve been doing a lot more of these walks, and I’ve enjoyed it. The daylight keeps increasing and seeing sun is a good thing. It really can pick you up. Soon enough, we’ll hopefully be able to chill out in the yard and enjoy that aspect of life as well.

But back to the beginning — the numbers.

In the end, the insurance company accepted my appeal and granted me the ability to use the meter and strips I want to use. Now it’s time to get back into a routine of checking 3-5 times a day and seeing what is going on with me. This should help me stay more accountable to what I am trying to do. It will mean a few sacrifices, sure. But it should be good for me in the long run.

Here’s to health and happiness!

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook!

Photo Blogging Challenge (January 2023): The Best

Is it just me, or does it seem like each year when the calendar flips … the first month flies by and we are like hey-o… what the hell? We’re already one month down in the new year?

I’m not alone in this? Good.

Alas, there’s not much we can do about it, outside of just going with the flow. January has been quite the month on my end. After a pretty easy winter through the first part, we got a taste of in January. In fact, I shoveled/removed snow on at least 10 days, a few of the days being multiple times.

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However, snow brings a whole different meaning for me in current days.

Because Harper loves the snow.

I’ve always enjoyed the snow and winter — to a point. I’m a strong believer in it being one of two ways — either be bone-chilling cold, or be decent and snow. It’s easy enough that way. But when you mix the two of them, it gets extremely hard to deal with.

Harper, though, loves the winter. She loves playing in the snow, or just laying in it and chewing on a ball. She loves hanging with her friends going out on walks and such. I do think the cold really zaps her and makes her super tired, much like humans.

One thing I also tried to do this month was use a real camera more, which, is honestly the best. I still love the feel and sound of a full camera. The iPhone is great, don’t get me wrong, but goodness using a true camera can be nice when the opportunity is right.

So the best to me this month is kind of looking at everything as a whole. Life is good, as it’s said, so we need to embrace moments and enjoy things as they go. And if we do, it truly will be the best.

So what is the best for all of you? I look forward to seeing what you did with the theme!

Here are my five for the month of January!

1. Me and Harper

Before Harper, I never was much into selfies. A few things have made me realize they aren’t so bad, if you do them right. This is one we got recently … and I enhanced things with the post-processing. I really love how this one came out. And I’m digging these caps I’ve gotten into! Harper is definitely my best friend.

2. Friends

With the snow we got this month, Harper has had some fun play days with the neighbor dogs. And I’ve been lucky enough to be out capturing photos. I really love how this one came out! Besides being my best friend, Harper has some other besties — which is a great thing.

3. Breakfast

You need to take advantage of life’s little pleasures, too. This was a recent Sunday where I took my mother out to brunch. We’re going to try and do this a little more often and explore some of the local places for their breakfasts. Maybe this will become a best tradition.

4. Concert

Cameron had his first true concert this month. I’m happy that my world and the things I am involved in always allow me to go to most of his events. It’s the best feeling when he sees you there.

5. Selfie attempt?

OK, it’s not easy taking a selfie in a “traditional sense” with a true camera. Instead, I used my fisheye lens to try and get this image with Harper! It’s always best to try new things.

BONUS!

This one was too funny not to share. How do you think Harper is feeling? Is this the best look or what? Hahaha

There’s my five and let’s see what you came up with! If you took part in this month’s challenge, make sure to link up below.

And for those of you who participated, make sure you try and get to other people’s blogs and comment (here, too!).

Let’s continue to grow this challenge and have a strong community. Come back and check out the others who link later on, too! NOTE: We have a Facebook group for those who participate in the challenge and are interested. I’ll post any announcements there and hopefully it can be a place where things are discussed and some interaction etc. You can access it here.

** CHALLENGE CHANGE **

From this point forward, I am going to do the next theme at the bottom of each linkup. Also, the posting date will now be the first of each month, thus giving you the entire month to take the photos etc.

That means it’s a one-stop shop! Hopefully this helps out with everybody.

So, below is the linkup for January. Make sure you drop your link there.

OK, so it’s time to keep on moving! And just like that, it’s February! And our theme for the month? Exploration! I hope you all have fun with this theme! Remember to come back on (hopefully) March 1 to link up and check out the theme for that month!

Photo Blogging Challenge: January 2024 results

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook!

20 Days of Chill 2024: I throw my hands up in the air sometimes … (Day 20)

Do you all remember that song that had these lyrics? It’s in the song “Dynamite” by Taio Cruz. 

Sometimes, though, I really do just throw my hands up in the air! 

When I first came up with these topics for this year’s 20 Days of Chill, I honestl;y had no idea what I wanted to do for it. Alas, I can’t say I threw my hands up in the air, but I think it’s fitting to end the 20 Days of Chill with that vision. 

Ending isn’t just for the 2024 challenge, rather for the whole thing. 

I mean, it’s not like I wouldn’t think about bringing it back if I deemed it could work, but the reality is … this one isn’t quite there anymore. 

Blogging has changed. 

My goal with blogging has always been to do things more on a personal level. I don’t really blog the hot topics or themes. I don’t have the click world headlines and such. I just kind of blog. 

Years ago, you would get a lot more interaction. And hey – I’m just as guilty of this as anybody else. I don’t always go and read a lot of blogs. It’s actually one of my goals for 2024 and beyond. I miss reading other blogs as there are some good ones out there. The reality is though, outside of a few folks, not a lot of people will come back to yours. Again, I can be guilty of this (I do always try and get back… even if weeks later!) and that can hurt interaction. 

But challenges aren’t easy. Look at the monthly photo contest. We used to have more people involved. Now it’s just a few of us who keep doing it. The 20 Days of Chill used to be a lot more active and interactive. I conquered most of the challenge solo this year. That’s fine, by the way, as it got me writing again. I’ve tried to run a few other challenges that never got too far off the ground. 

Maybe I’m running them wrong. Maybe I don’t have a reach. Maybe those reading the submissions of others just wouldn’t have the interest. 

And that’s fine, too. 

So this is the end of the 20 Days of Chill Challenge (at least for now). I don’t see me doing it next January, though things can change. I just know that sometimes things run their course and it seems like the 20 Days of Chill has done just that. 

For those who have participated at any given time since we started it – thank you. It’s been a lot of fun!

Linkup for Day 20:

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook