I'm back inside after piling and sorting the firewood that John has brought home from his many travels.  He gets the pine that nobody else seems to want, but we find it quite enjoyable.  We can always find some oak to burn with the pine and eat up the pitch that might form on the chimney walls, inside.  But checking with a mirror held in the bottom of the chimney shows that there is not much buildup of tar or whatever the heck it is....we started to have a chimney fire earlier when we first began having a fire to warm us, but John quickly put it out, and the chimney was cleaned of any leaves or soot that was built up.  Good thing I brought up that huge tarp to cover the pile, as it rained all last night pretty hard, and everything would have been soaked. 

I'm making a pot roast now; it's almost finished, except for the pasta to be served with it.  I'm making penne, both white and whole wheat, because I've had a lot of potatoes lately, and the pasta will be good, too.  I trimmed most of the fat from the beef roast, and cut it into 3 big hunks.  Put it into a soup pot, added one can of cream of mushroom soup, 1/2 can of water, several large mushrooms cut into slices, a stalk of celery, cut up, a cut-up carrot, and 1/2 cut up onion; and Lawry's seasoned salt, with lemon pepper and paprika.  It is almost done now, and smells delicious.  

I am still learning to cope with my debilitation - the stroke, plus old age.  I have learned that my temper has become such a problem that I need to be constantly aware of it.  I talk to myself from my spiritual center, saying "no, no, now, not that again" whenever I feel the mechanism flare up that makes me angry.  This helps me put the temper in place - I don't want God to see me angry, especially over the silly things that make my temper flare.  I recall my early years, and I know that my temper was not a problem back then, and I was much more able to remain on an even keel.  This has all been helping to keep me cheerful and humble, knowing that the human race is, after all, subject to its own limitations. 

The other thing that threatens to overwhelm me is my own physical limitations on what I'm able to do these days.  Not much compared to my former self...and yet, what was I?  A mere woman, who learned to live within my boundaries.  And I can learn a new way, again, for the present time.  Not gonna get me down.