Mark Gray and Friend
Monthly Archives: May 2023
It’s Thursday 5-18-2023
Unknown – just had to share this. :0)
Everyday Health
I leave in just under an hour to get a massage. I can’t tell you how much this poor old lady is looking forward to it. Last month I gave my time to my husband, who had hurt his back pulling on something in the shop. Lynn Moody, my massage therapist, 479-629-7601, was able to give him a lot of relief. She is truly a miracle worker. I’m hoping she can perform yet another miracle on ME this morning. :0)
On the way back home, I have a UPS return package. I’m hoping it will fit in the drop box on the square in town. If not, my terrific hair stylist, Michael Remillard, at Tangles on the square, 479-357-9305, has offered to allow me to leave the package at his salon and he’ll make sure the UPS guy gets it when he sees the truck pull up to the drop box.
This afternoon I’m hoping to spread more of the worm castings fertilizer I started using this year on my veggie garden and my tomato plants. I’ve read up more and discovered I don’t have to actually make the ‘tea’ from it. I can simply spread it in the planters before watering or a rain and it will work just fine. We’re due for rain tomorrow, so I’ll try to get it spread this afternoon. I’m doing this once a month, hoping my plants will be healthy and happy.
No other big plans today, other than to continue resting as much as possible in-between chores. My husband and I will see our primary doctor Monday to ‘decide-how-we’re-doing-this-quarter’ and see what changes we need to make going forward.
Have a happy day.
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
Long in the Tooth
DeMilked
We’re home now from –
- getting blood tests for our routine doctor’s appointment Monday
- eating breakfast at The Dari
- filling up a small gas container for the mower
- getting our mail
I think my husband wore himself out taking care of me while I was sick earlier in the week. He felt weak this morning and is taking a nap now. We’re in for the day and he can rest as much as he needs. I’m feeling almost 100% this morning, so it’s MY turn to take care of HIM. Our dog Amber was especially glad to see me because she smelled the bacon I brought home to her. :0)
Our fluorescent lights are acting up lately. There is one fixture in the kitchen that doesn’t come on until well after the light switch is turned on. We think we need to change the bulbs and then the light will come on brightly. Same thing in our office. We have two fixtures acting wonky. And one in the master bathroom upstairs. We may need to get an electrician out to check the transformers. We used to change this stuff out routinely ourselves, but maybe this needs to go on the ‘get help’ list.
Rain isn’t forecast today, but it’s really cloudy and looks like it could rain any time. We have the doors open for a nice breeze and we’re in for the rest of the day so it might be kind of nice to have a light rain.
I wish you a happy Wednesday.
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
Veggies, Tomatoes, and Flowers, Oh My!
VEGGIES
The veggies are doing great, except that they really need to have the weeds around them taken out. As soon as I feel 100%, it’s on my list.
TOMATOES
The tomato plants seem to be doing fine, too. I’m scheduled to add the worm castings fertilizer to them Thursday (I’m doing this once a month) I just made it around the yard, taking quick pictures before my energy left, but I’ll look more carefully in the next day or two.
FLOWERS
ROSES
STELLA DE ORO LILIES
Husband’s PERIWINKLES by the shop door
You can’t tell it much in this picture, but the group on the left has a slight pink cast and the ones on the right are plain white.
Filed under Gardening, Square Foot Gardening - Raised Beds
Back in the Land of the Living
Diply.com
I think I’ll be back to 100% by tomorrow, but I’m definitely feeling human again this morning. And to think I gripe when I’m a bit sore and creaky! I’ll try not to do that anymore. :0)
We have a beautiful, though cloudy day on tap today. The high is supposed to be 74. NO RAIN!!!!
We have front and back doors open, creating a nice breeze through the house. I’m continuing to rest today, gathering energy. This is the first day in three I’ve been at the computer, so I have a bunch to catch up on.
I hope you’re having a nice Tuesday.
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
Sorry
Safe Journey Dog Boarding
Sorry. I got sick yesterday afternoon and am still feeling bad today. I hope I can write some posts for you tomorrow.
Stay safe and well.
Filed under Uncategorized
Aging with Grace?
“When I grow up I want to be an old woman.”
— Michelle Shocked
Pexels-Abhilash Mishra
“It is lovely to meet an old person whose face is deeply lined, a face that has been deeply inhabited, to look in the eyes and find light there.”
— John O-Donohue
Pexels – Pixabay
“I’ve enjoyed every age I’ve been and each has had its own individual merit. Every laugh line, every scar, is a badge I wear to show I’ve been present, the inner rings of my personal tree trunk that I display proudly for all to see. Nowadays, I don’t want a “perfect” face and body; I want to wear the life I’ve lived.”
— Pat Benatar
Pexels – Yulia Rozanova
“The older I get, the more I see there are these crevices in life where things fall in and you just can’t reach them to pull them back out. So you can sit next to them and weep or you can get up and move forward. You have to stop worrying about who’s not here and start worrying about who is.”
— Alex Witchel
“As long as I am breathing, in my eyes, I am just beginning.”
— Criss Jami
Filed under aging
Celebrating Mothers Everywhere
If It’s Hip It’s Here
“The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new.” ~Rajneesh
Love Nature – YouTube
“Grown don’t mean nothing to a mother. A child is a child. They get bigger, older, but grown? What’s that suppose to mean? In my heart it don’t mean a thing.” ~Toni Morrison
Mix 93.1
“Being a mother is learning about strengths you didn’t know you had, and dealing with fears you didn’t know existed.” ~Linda Wooten
My Baba
“A mom reads you like a book, and wherever she goes, people read you like a glowing book review.” ~Robert Brault
National Geographic
“If evolution really works, how come mothers only have two hands?” ~ Milton Berle
National Geographic
“When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child.” ~ Sophia Loren
Happy Mother’s Day
Filed under holidays
Mother’s Day 5-14-2023
Flora Queen
Being a mom is one of the toughest, most rewarding roles there is.
This drawing hangs on the wall in my computer area in my office. It was drawn as a present for Mother’s Day to my mom from one of our dearest friends, Hal Thomson. We used to have what we called, “The Thomson Wall” in my parents’ home, filled with wonderful drawings for all occasions from him. I was too young to fully appreciate him and his wife, MaryEllen, as ‘artists.’ They made their living as commercial artists, but he loved to draw and she did bronzes. I remember a rabbit she created. I simply loved them for the people they were.
I may, or may not, hear from our son today. My guys don’t make a big thing of commercial ‘holidays,’ birthdays, or other days when people are EXPECTED to do something nice. They are both of the opinion that it’s what they do EVERY day that counts. My husband sent me flowers at work too many times to count ‘just because,’ making my co-workers envious. Our son will stay up very late across the world from us to talk via our conference call program where we can see and hear each other, talking and laughing real time. They both make me feel special when I least expect it. :0)
The Atlantic
I hope you have a loved-filled day.
Filed under holidays
Beautiful Bulldogs
Amy Watts-amysdrawings.com
anyutaanna.blogspot.com
Tiffany White – FirstforWomen.com
American Kennel Club
Filed under Amazing Animals
I Just Love Acorn Elves
Zazzle.com
Acorn Art – Acorn Elves – Petr Vaclavek – Dubanci.cz
Filed under acorn art, Petr Vaclavek - Dubanci.cz
Saturday 5-13-2023
Tenor
You probably won’t believe this, but it’s been raining here – AGAIN. It has stopped for a minute now, and the sun is out, but we’re due for thunderstorms this afternoon and evening. The exact quote is, “Off and on downpours.” Oh, GOOD!
IF the weather cooperates, I’m planning to do more weeding in my veggie garden and check my tomatoes this afternoon. I did some yesterday, but the weeds have sprung up while I was unable to get out there, so there is a lot to do to get things good out there again. I may also do more harvesting this weekend.
The rose bushes I cut WAAAAAAAAY back for the winter are blooming! I took these pics recently, and I’ll take more to share with you soon.
My next big project is to move the deck furniture from the back porch to the deck and then use the pressure hose on everything to make it nice to use outside. Then I’ll be able to wash the furniture on the back porch, plus the floor. That will probably take a couple of days or so, but we would like to get ready to cook outside, so this will be the first step if Mother Nature is smiling on us soon.
I wish you a nice Saturday.
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
Friday Lunch Bunch 5-12-2023
IceGif
Lunch Bunch was a delight today. Instead of being stood up, as I thought we might be, Kay and Bud were there, along with their daughter, LaDonna, from Albuquerque. Also, Alice – a sometimes LunchBuncher – and her husband, and us. Right after we ordered, my good, long-time friend Nora came in the door! It had been a long time since I had seen her and I was thrilled. Linda wasn’t there because her daughter, Patty, and her husband are in Greece, celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary.
Kay fell last week, face-surfing on some gravel. She didn’t break anything, thank goodness, but she really looked dramatic with the whole right side of her face bruised. She also broke her dentures – that will take a month to replace – so she is on liquids. She had some kind of a shake for lunch, was taking home a special dessert the owner made for her, and was going to pick up some protein drinks. She was feeling pretty well, otherwise. Our whole table was full and a great time was had by all.
We’ve just gotten finished putting away the groceries we got, also gas cans we filled for the mower. I’m going to plant some periwinkles in the pot right beside the shop door in a minute. My husband picked them out when we were in Walmart.
So a happy Friday for us. I hope that YOU are having a fun one, too.
Filed under Friendship
Ugly-Cute-Loveable Critters
Unknown
Unknown
Unknown
JJ Vincent
livemaster.ru
Roman Kahlilov-Flickr.com
Roman Kahlilov-Flickr.com
I just love ALL of these and want to ‘adopt’ them, giving them a nice home where they’ll be treasured. :0)
And the Rain Continues
Unsplash
Today is Lunch Bunch, but my husband and I will probably get stood up, due to various reasons. My husband said it didn’t matter, we’ll go anyway and then get stuff at the store on the way back. There is a 70% chance of rain this morning, this afternoon, and this evening. “Wet” is my natural state much of the day these days, though I try to use an umbrella.
I have one of those nice pop-up ones. That helps some, but it seems I can never get it up and over me before I’m pretty wet. We usually have gusty winds with our rain here, so that is challenging, too. I usually just say, “Okay” (bad words not supplied here), put the umbrella away, and just dry off when I get home.
It’s been so rainy lately that I haven’t been out to check the garden or the tomato plants. Hopefully, there will be a lull in the rain so I can get out and see what’s happening – with fingers crossed.
I hope that your Friday will be a fun one.
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
More Wonderful Signs at the Vet’s
Carroll County Vet Clinic – Maryland – WackoJaco.com
Filed under Funny Signs - Humor
Portraits and Miniatures by NC
Filed under animal paintings, NC
The ‘Dandelion’ is Gone
Swanson’s Nursery
The above is much like my hair looked before I went for ‘healing’ at Tangles, the beauty salon owned and run by Michael Remillard in Greenwood Arkansas. 479-357-9305. My husband and I have been going to him for MANY years and would be lost without him.
He can’t do anything about the rest of me, but my hair now looks like a plan was involved, and I’ll be able to wash and blow it dry daily in a matter of a few minutes.
A woman’s home is an ego thing, much like a teenage or young man’s car when he’s dating. The guy spends hours vacuuming, washing and waxing his car, even cleaning the wheels before he picks up his date. His car is an extension of HIM – the best he can afford at the time, and he spends most of his time on that, and only secondarily on himself. The teenage or young girl spends hours getting ready for her date, washing and buffing every part of her, agonizing over what to wear, etc.
When a woman has a home, it reflects HER. Not only how it is decorated, but its cleanliness. If someone is coming, she either schedules it AFTER the cleaning people have done their thing, or dashes around like a mad thing, vacuuming, polishing, fluffing pillows, dusting, straightening things, scrubbing bathrooms.
I have finished vacuuming the tiled areas of the first floor (utility room, 2 half baths, the dining area, the kitchen, and the pantry, plus the carpeted living room. I’m resting a bit and then will finish the office and the foyer, and then move the vacuum to the 2nd floor. I don’t mind if my house isn’t ready for “House Beautiful” to come in and photograph when the pest control guy comes, but I really don’t want a hairball to grab him by the leg as he tries to move through a room, or for him to be grossed out by anything.
Once the vacuuming is done, anything more will be gravy. He’ll be able to do his job without flying hairballs and my ego will remain intact. :0)
Singing in the Rain….
CBC
We seem to be in a “40 days and 40 nights” situation here with rain every day. Now it’s not a question of IF, but only of WHEN it will be heavier. Here’s what the local weather station showed this morning –
KFSM Fort Smith
Roller coaster, anyone?
I’m leaving in about 10 minutes to get the mail and get my hair cut. I look like a dandelion-gone-to-seed right now. Anything will be an improvement, but I’m lucky to have a stylist who understands that my hair is thin, fine, and won’t do anything on its own, and cuts it so that it looks like someone had a plan. It’ll be nice to look more civilized again.
Home Advisor
The pest control guy is coming to spray tomorrow afternoon, so I’ll be doing lots of vacuuming today and tomorrow so he doesn’t realize what a slob I am. Amber is doing a magnificent job of covering every space in the house with her hair. She and our cat have obviously agreed to have a contest to see who can leave the most hair on the floor, carpet, furniture, etc. I refuse to vacuum every day, but it embarrasses me if there are tufts of hair moving around when we walk.
Got to run now. I hope you have a fun day. :0)
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
creativeartworksblog 