Category Archives: Housekeeping – Maintenance

April 6, 2021 · 9:47 am

Thoughts on a Tuesday 4-6-2021

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We are having a beautiful day today. It’s hard to believe that we are due for possibly severe storms overnight into tomorrow, with gusty winds and hail (and flying hair balls) much of the day tomorrow. I’m hoping that the whole thing will bypass us.

My guys are due tomorrow to finish painting our new porch ceiling. They will also paint the rest of the woodwork on the porch, so it will seem like a whole new porch when it’s finished! They have already installed a new shutter to replace the one that fell off the front of the house and sealed the area of the roof soffit where the squirrels were getting in. Clifford Harden is very reliable. He either comes when he says he will or calls to let us know what is happening, so we’re not left hanging. He, his brothers, and other workers in the group they call Safe Elite Transformations have a passion for excellence. You can reach them through Home Advisor, or directly at 479-849-0520.

If Mother Nature cooperates with us, by the end of the day tomorrow we should have a nice-looking new porch ceiling!

Since our weather is so nice today, I’m planning to transplant the celery I’ve started in the kitchen to the main garden. I’ll take some pics so show you later. Things are happy in the garden so far. I’m also planning to finish weed whacking in the back and then hopefully spray some KillzAll to discourage the weeds from popping right back up. My goal is to have less and less to weed whack each time throughout the season.

I’m still trying to go through the things I brought home from the booth I shared with my friend Carla at Rags & Roses in Greenwood. It is a really nice shop, and the owner, Joanna Brandt, is a peach. Our sales were super slow, though, so we decided that it was best we try other venues. I am going through things, trying to decide which I should list on my Amazon Handmade page. I’m taking my time, so my office looks like of like an explosion occurred. :0)

I hope that your Tuesday will be a nice one.

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April 2, 2021 · 9:33 am

Hooray!

iStock

This picture isn’t our house, but it gives you an idea of what is going on this morning.

The workmen were here at 8am. They will tear down the current porch ceiling, replace it, paint it, and put the fluorescent fixtures and ceiling fan back up. They will also install a pair of shutters on the 2nd story of the front of the house, plus seal a place in the roof soffit where the squirrel family got in. They will take away all the debris. They think they will have everything done by the end of the day on Monday – even with this being Easter weekend – and having to wait for different steps to dry in-between. We are delighted to have found them.

I showed them where the bathrooms were on the first floor and that there were bottles of water in the fridge and they got started.

I spent a couple of hours yesterday moving everything off our back porch. My back immediately began talking to me, but it isn’t hurting as badly today. I was happy that I was able to move a round table off the porch by myself. I had to turn it on it’s side, and maneuver it to get each of the legs to clear the doorway, but I DID IT.

I went through Home Advisor to get quotes for the job. I’ve used them before and was pleased. Things were much more complicated this time because “Home Advisor” bought out “Angie’s List” and there are a lot of details to be addressed regarding which website you’re on versus a payment app on a smart phone. We did it, but it was pretty awful. Thank goodness for a woman in the payment department named April who figured out what the problem was and helped us solve it.

Though not having the worry of the ceiling crumbling while we’re trying to enjoy lunch on the porch is a really nice thing, my biggest relief regarding this job is that my husband was planning to install the new shutters on the house himself. The shutters that fell off during the winter were on the 2nd story of the house. This requires standing on an extension ladder and balancing while holding the shutter, tools, etc. We had mollies in the brick into which the screws go to hold the shutters on, but sometimes they fail. The shutters have to have holes drilled in them, but that isn’t a problem. I’m just happy that my husband – who still thinks he is young – won’t have to try to do this job.

Otherwise, my husband prevailed and got our riding mower going yesterday, after installing a new battery and then using a chain hoist in the shop to raise the whole mower so he could remove a piece of wood that jammed in there, causing the blades to stop rotating, and was able to mow the back yard. He’ll do the front today. I’ll do the weed whacking and clean up.

I hope that YOU are having a good day, too.

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March 31, 2021 · 1:13 pm

Thoughts on a Wednesday 3-31-2021

Marcus Westberg-ComedyWildlife-Forbes

Though I am extremely grateful to have been able to get the COVID shots, I lost a whole day yesterday due to my reaction to the second one. My arm is still sore, but the nausea, dizziness, headache, and feeling I had been run over by a truck are gone. I didn’t sleep well Monday after the shot, slept in my chair downstairs ALL morning yesterday, then ate lunch and went to sleep AGAIN. I was up a bit between a nap and dinner, and then slept ALL NIGHT, after taking more Tylenol. The only thing remaining is the soreness in my arm, and I can sure handle that! I’m happy that we have done what we can do – other than continuing to be reasonable about what situations to avoid – to hopefully either have no infection or a mild case, if we do contract the virus. Being old is a good thing regarding getting vaccinations.

One of the many things on our repair-or-replace list is replacing the ceiling on our back porch. It is over 30 years old, and squirrels got in through the soffit on our siding edge and there is now a hole in the sheet rock on the ceiling. We had some runner boards installed a couple of years ago to keep the ceiling from collapsing on us while we were eating, but now we need to get more serious. I looked on HomeAdvisor.com. A guy called me immediately and he was at the house a couple of hours later. He will call us later today with a quote on the ceiling, plus installing some shutters on the outside of the 2nd floor on the front of our brick house. (We HAVE the new shutters.) I’m hoping he is affordable, because he said he would seal the soffit for me at no charge so the squirrels won’t get back in. Fingers crossed.

We got a part from the hardware store so that we can finish making a new pvc pipe installation in our yard irrigation system. This was frozen last winter and simply shattered.

We want to sign up to see Fox Nation on TV. I was able to sign up online, but we’re having trouble getting it on our TV. We just had a Roku delivered and my husband installed it, but we’re still having trouble. I’m trying to do everything including wiring my mouth shut to keep from offering inane suggestions while my husband tries to get it working.

Our weather is beautiful. Sunshine and 55 degrees today. Happy day to be outside some if we can get things on the TV working….

Happy day to you!

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March 24, 2021 · 9:37 am

Big Check Mark!

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Yesterday afternoon – after a year of trying to get it done – the wonderful guys at Window World of Fort Smith called, came, and installed replacement windows in two places for us.

We got the windows originally in 2005, I think, and we have been delighted. About a year ago, though, an upstairs window and the center one in our dining area got liquid between the layers during a storm.

Due to my stupidity, we had trouble proving to the company that they had, in fact, installed the windows originally. Finally, I was able to produce a small piece of paper that had a number on it. That turned out to be the serial number on one of our windows and they were able to locate our account and the information they needed through that to help us. Hooray!

Then the pandemic came and the world as we know it fell apart. Like everyone else, they had trouble staying safe, as people, and afloat, as a company. They were trying to create replacement windows for us.

I kept checking back with the nice office lady from time to time to no avail.

When I called last week, though, she told me she would check in the back to see if our windows were there and call me back. They were there!

We set up installation tentatively for late Tuesday afternoon.

Now we have brand new windows replacing the ones that lost their seal. I called the office this morning to thank them again for standing behind their warranty, getting the new windows made, and getting them installed for us.

This is a BIG CHECK MARK finally off the list – and – unlike all the rest – this one didn’t cost us anything. :0)

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March 23, 2021 · 9:35 am

Thoughts on a Tuesday 3-23-2021

Camelot Care Centers

There are lots of reasons to be down these days. Some of them we share. Others are personal. I think it’s more important than ever to be grateful we are HERE and ALIVE, and live with enthusiasm for the gift.

I just went out to check our spring garden. The plants are totally unaware of any possible problems in our world. I’m not advocating being UNAWARE. I guess I’m advocating living as IF “heavy, heavy” isn’t hanging over our heads. Much of what is happening is beyond our control. We can be aware of those things, but concentrate on the things over which we DO have some control.

My spirits rose today as I saw that my garden plants – well watered from an overnight rain – seem to be thriving. On the other side of our property, our tomato plants are also looking good. I stopped to remove the PVC irrigation pipe that was shattered on one brick planter during one of our last winter storms, saving the faucet part that we can reuse. There are many things to be done in the yard, and I’m happy for the normalcy of that.

I’m taking a new direction in selling my craft products. I’m concentrating my efforts on my page on Amazon Handmade, listing new stuff in a steady stream. Linda Lewis Artworks If you happen to visit, I would very much appreciate your honest feedback.

My husband and I are both in reasonably good health at this point, although our bodies remind us that we might have taken on too much sometimes. :0) We are trying to get the lard off, and I am trying to exercise and move more on a daily basis to stay as healthy as possible. We will both get our 2nd COVID shot next Monday. I will feel relieved that two weeks after that, we should be as protected as we can be and will not be a source of the virus for anyone else.

Today we are scheduled to have some windows replaced. Several years ago we had all of our windows replaced by Window World. We have lived in our home since we built it in 1987. Obviously, some things have really gotten better since then. Replacing our windows made a big difference in our energy bills, but also in the QUIET. Many times we get a hard rain and don’t even notice it! We are very pleased with this company. It has taken a long time for us to get the replacement windows, but we are lucky we are all in a position to do this at all. Hopefully, it will happen this afternoon.

Everett Ruess via Lisa Bearnes Richey

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March 22, 2021 · 9:35 am

Thoughts on a Monday – March 22, 2021

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It’s a fine start to a pretty day here. We’re supposed to have some sunshine and 63 degrees this afternoon before having thunderstorms overnight. I’ll take it!

The gremlins who have been plaguing us lately seem to have decided to ease up some. We’re waiting for the new valve we ordered for the shop heater to be delivered. Our long awaited window replacements from Window World are due to be brought and installed late tomorrow afternoon – “weather permitting and the creek don’t rise.”

I made a major decision this week. My friend and I decided to close the booth we shared in the local shop in Greenwood and I closed my Etsy shops online. I will concentrate my efforts on my online shop on Amazon Handmade now. If you would like to visit the shop, click on this link Linda Lewis Artworks. If the link doesn’t work for you, here is the URL – https://www.amazon.com/handmade/Linda-Lewis-Artworks. I will be adding things to this site steadily.

Though nothing was said, our fish are swimming happily in the aquarium after I cleaned it for them yesterday. The new combination of things I’m using makes it so we can go several weeks now without cleaning and the water stays nice. Ever since I changed from the regular aquarium gravel to the glass beads, the fish seem to be having a “Bead Sucking” contest as to who can suck one up and swim up the highest with it before dropping it. It makes a funny, “tick, tick” sound as the beads fall back down.

Not sure what the day will hold, but it’s wonderful to have some nice weather to do it in.

Happy Monday.

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March 16, 2021 · 10:31 am

Warning

Unknown

I’ve told you that the Gremlins are in full force in our area lately.

The latest is our Honda Ridgeline. We took it in yesterday. They called today, saying the repairs it needs will be about $600. Sigh.

I also finally reached the propane people. A guy will come out between 12 and 3 on Thursday to see if he can help my husband get the pilot light for the heater in the shop lit, or figure out what needs to be repaired or fixed out there.

When things tame down a bit, our porch ceiling sheet rock needs to be replaced.

And so it goes.

In my NEXT life, I will be tall as a basketball player, strong as a football player, smart about fixing things, and have a gazillion dollars….

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March 15, 2021 · 12:33 pm

Thoughts on a Monday 3-15-2021

jellycat-ostrich-stuffed-animal-CrateandKids

So far I’m feeling a bit frazzled today.

We are just back from taking our Honda Ridgeline truck into the dealership because a couple of lights started showing up on the dash this weekend. We looked up the icons and couldn’t make much sense out of them, except one had to do with emissions, so we thought it was important that someone who works with Hondas all the time and knows what they’re doing should look at it. They will call us when they have an estimate on fixing the problem. We have been running from one thing to another lately that needs repair or replacing, so we have had to spray money in all directions – a bit stressful. So I’m hoping that THIS time, we’ll hear some good news. I’ll stay in close proximity to the phone so that I won’t miss the call.

I wasn’t sure where the dealership was. I followed my husband – a nerve-wracking prospect – so the trip seemed to last forever. We’ll go back together to pick up the truck when it is ready, and I won’t have any trouble getting back home.

My husband is building a new welding table out in the shop. He found one online that would allow the table to be tilted and turned, giving him more flexibility and ease of working on his projects. The trouble was, the table cost over $2200! He looked at it, deciding that he could build one. He ordered the table top online. We went to Davis Iron in Fort Smith and bought the heavy square tubular metal he needed, and then went to Harbor Freight to get some really heavy duty wheels. He has been working on the project for several days now, and is at the point where he will paint the metal support for the table.

The bolt at the top (to the left of the table top) can be loosened, and then the table top can be tightened to any angle desired. The top can also be turned so that he can work on long items. He can roll the table around, or store it out of the way. He also MADE a breaking mechanism so that the wheels can be locked so the table doesn’t roll while he’s trying to weld something.

We have a nice, sunny day today (AMAZING!!!!) – so he is trying to get the metal support for the table painted today so it won’t rust.

Once we have paid for whatever the truck needs, I need to call the propane people again for help with the pilot light in the shop’s heater, the Window World people to see if they have been successful on making our replacement windows, the property tax people to see if they have sent out bills yet, and finally (I hope!) a contractor who can help us repair or replace the sheet rock on our porch ceiling…. 2021 seems to be an unending series for us. Our son, who lives in Thailand, said when we chatted briefly this morning, “I hereby declare a moratorium on things developing problems.”

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March 7, 2021 · 2:16 pm

Thoughts on a Sunday 3-7-2021

Lowe’s

We spent from before lunch until 6:30 in the evening, but we got the new garage door opener installed and running yesterday. I am definitely coming back ( in my next life) as a combination weight lifter and basketball player who majored in fixing things.

The main thing that strikes me about the new opener is how QUIET it is compared to the one we replaced. I’m also very grateful we don’t have to manually haul the door up and carefully let it down now. A device that does that at a touch of a button is definitely a good thing. :0) It would be very nice if our garage were as clean as the one shown in the nice image above. No such luck.

We are resting today, still pretty whipped out with all the labor yesterday. The weather is gorgeous with reasonable temperatures and lots of sunshine. I will try to at least walk around the yard awhile before the afternoon is over, just to smile at the sun a bit, if nothing else.

I’m enjoying book # 29 “Widows Walk” by Robert B. Parker. I think there are 40 in the Spenser series, and I am truly enjoying revisiting his wit, sense of humor, wonderfully drawn characters, and clean writing.

I have spaghetti sauce in the slow cooker for dinner tonight. Nice Sunday.

I hope that YOUR Sunday is a good one, too.

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March 4, 2021 · 1:44 pm

Progress re Revenge of the Gremlins

I told you recently that gremlins have taken over our home lately. We have had to move from one thing needing repair or replacement to the next over and over and over, all starting when we were iced in for a week and then snowed in for another week last month.

One of the important things was that our generator didn’t do its automatic weekly test. My husband was unable to start it manually, either. Thank goodness we didn’t need it while the weather was so challenging. We recharged the battery that we just bought a little over a month ago and I bought a new air filter, and we made sure the oil was good, but that wasn’t enough. My husband took out the starter motor. We called around and found a guy who fixes small motors, and drove to Ft. Smith – leaving it with him. He called later and said he was unable to fix it, but that he had a new one we could buy.

My husband went back to Ft. Smith, bought the new starter motor. On his way home he had a flat and managed to get to a tire place to buy a used tire to get him home. We ordered two new rear tires for the Vette.

My husband installed the new starter motor in the generator and tested it. It RAN! He left it set on automatic weekly testing. I put the time of 12:20 today for the test on my calendar. I set my alarm so I could open the door and HEAR it start for the test. It was 12:23 when the motor turned on and started the generator!!!!! It ran for 10 minutes and shut itself off.

ONE PROBLEM SOLVED!

We got the two new rear tires and headed for the local tire place, with me following my husband there. They installed the new tires, but told him that he needed new FRONT tires ASAP. So – we ordered new front tires…

While we were waiting for those to arrive, we took the Vette to the dealer in Ft. Smith because the turn signals weren’t working. I followed him there and we left the vehicle, asking them also to look at whatever holds the exhaust system up because it was rattling, and the headlights, which opened up, but were recalcitrant about going back down when we push the button. They called us back, wanting $1200 to fix the exhaust system and they wanted to change the headlights. My husband told them to JUST fix the turn signals. (That entails taking the whole front off the Vette). They called us later that day, so we made a second trip to Ft. Smith to pick up the Vette.) They charged us $211 for the turn signals. My husband says if the exhaust system rattles get louder, we’ll take it to Midas. He will ignore the problem on the lights, since that isn’t a safety issue.

Today we received the new front tires and have now left the Vette at the local tire place for them to put them on. They will call us when it is ready.

So we will have TWO of the several problems we have had one after the other FIXED – or as fixed as we can afford. :0)

Two remaining problems is that the heater in the shop isn’t working and the garage door opener quit. We have contacted the propane people about the shop heater and we have ordered a new garage door opener. The company wanted around $900 to install a new garage door opener, but we ordered one for $250 and will install it ourselves – we hope.

If you see the gremlins, please catch them for us. We will see if they can be appeased…

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February 28, 2021 · 9:38 am

What You Think

QuotesGram

Though it’s on my wish list, we have very few quiet days around here.

I’ve told you that things are falling apart around here lately. We are having to jump from one thing to the next, sometimes trying to juggle several things at once, trying to keep our heads above water.

We are waiting for our propane supplier to call us – hoping that one of their delivery people can stop by the next time they are in our area to help us get the pilot light lit for the heater in the shop. I’m assuming that because my husband can’t do it this time, it needs something replaced. We are in a good holding place on this problem. Everything is turned off. We don’t HAVE to work in the shop, and the weather is gradually getting warmer anyway.

I told you that my husband ran over something in the road on the way back from Ft. Smith last week, resulting in a flat and our having to order two tires. The turn signals quit working and the exhaust system is rattling now. The wonderful Vette designers made it so the whole front of the Vette has to come off to work on – or change – the turn signals. We are planning to take it to the dealer in Ft. Smith tomorrow and leave it with both problems to be fixed. THEN, when the tires arrive, we will take it to the local tire place to have the new tires mounted and balanced. Hopefully, that will finish THAT project.

I THINK that is the last of the series of things we have been dealing with the past month of so. (Knock on wood) I’m very glad to be enjoying the LAST day of February!

I saw the local hardware store is selling veggie plants! I may break down and get some. The seeds I started may one day finally be strong enough to go out in the garden, but I’m not depending on that. The plants are calling to me. L- I -N -N- N—- D- A! WE’RE W- A- A- A- A- I- T- I -N -G F O R Y O U !!!!!!!! :0)

Happy last day of February. I hope it’s a fun day for you.

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February 25, 2021 · 9:45 am

Thoughts on a Thursday 2-25-2021

forwarded from a friend

I want to adopt this dog. NOW. I simply melted into a puddle when I saw his little face.

If you’ve been following the blog, you know our generator suddenly wasn’t working. Yesterday we found a man in Ft Smith who could look at the starter motor to see if he could fix it. It turned out he couldn’t, but he had a new one for us. I was asleep when he called, and my husband insisted he would go and pick it up.

I was worried by the time he returned. He said he ran over something on the way home that flattened a tire. He was able to limp to a tire store and buy a used tired to get home. So now we have bought a new starter motor for the generator and ordered two new tires for the Vette. Oh, joy.

We worked on the starter motor most of the remaining afternoon until dark. He was able to get the motor in and running, but will have to tweak it today. He said he had to loosen something to get the motor out that apparently controls the speed of the motor. He will see if he can get that into the proper position today. I hoping this goes smoothly and solves our problem. He really had to work hard yesterday.

I am also hoping for a quiet day so I can get back to exercising. Both my husband and I have been either doing errands quickly, putting out ‘fires’, or working on the generator the past few days, so all routines and idea of a ‘regular’ schedule have been out the window. Instead hot showers, heat pads, muscle gel and Tylenol have kept us afloat.

My mantra is “things will get better.”

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February 12, 2021 · 1:47 pm

As Good as it Gets

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February 9, 2021 · 10:05 am

Some Progress, More Coming

Drafting Table When I’m Working – 1
Drafting Table When I’m Working – 2

When ideas are coming fast and furious, rattling around in my poor brain until I’m dreaming of them, it’s a relief – and so much fun! – to spend time zipping from one idea and medium to the next, shoving things out of the way enough that I can keep playing.

Every once in a while, though, the adult emerges and looks – appalled – at the mess I’ve created once again. The stern taskmaster says that I MUST clean things up before starting anything else.

I went upstairs several days ago. intending to at least START with the tractor in there, but got some ideas for new magnets and I simply gave in to the need to play. I had a GREAT time, got the magnets finished, priced them yesterday and put them into the basket I take back and forth to my local booth in town.

I then listened to the taskmaster and decided to at LEAST get the drafting table cleared off.

Drafting Table Cleaned Off – 1
Drafting Table Cleaned Off – 2

My plan is to continue my cleaning efforts up there today. at LEAST getting another table cleaned off.

Happy Tuesday!

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February 8, 2021 · 9:49 am

Cleaning my Art Room?

Two days ago I went to my art room full of good intentions to clean things up and organize. I’ve been reasonably productive lately, so things are really a mess. :0)

I started with my drafting table because that’s where I do most of my work. As I cleaned it off, I got some ideas for new magnets to make for sale in my booth in Rags & Roses. The cleaning stopped as I started gathering the things I wanted…

Raising Children Network

Today I will go up and see if I can actually finish cleaning off the drafting table, as well as tackling more of the art room…

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February 6, 2021 · 4:44 pm

Art Room Honesty

Full disclosure – if you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you already KNOW what a slob I am, and along with that, a lousy housekeeper. I decided that my current project will be cleaning up my art room – AGAIN.

The only time my art room is clean is when I’m not in there and have no current art projects going on. I have some images I took for my shops on Etsy, and they look really good. But nothing is happening in those images. :0)

I started cleaning in here this afternoon. I decided to start with my drafting table. I made a bit of progress, but then got caught up in a new idea for painted magnets. I started rummaging around, gathering things to try my new idea.

Under here is a drafting table, believe it or not.

And under here is a nice work table.

My art room has actually looked worse before. Sometimes it’s a challenge to walk from the door to the drafting table. :0)

Tomorrow I’ll show you more of the cleaning project, plus progress on the new magnets!

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January 30, 2021 · 10:46 am

Declaring Victory –

123RF.com

We took the bed apart, down to the air mattresses and pumps. We used soapy water all around the pumps hoses, and then around the edges of the mattress on my husband’s side. Everything was nice and firm and we found absolutely no sign of a leak. He said the firmness was still up from last night.

We’re not sure if the jostling around that we did got something back in place, more settled, or more secure, but we are declaring victory. We have the main part of the bed put back together now and are waiting for the mattress cover to get finished in the dryer. Then we’ll put it on and add the fresh sheets.

A lot of activity this morning, but it’s good to know that even if we continue to have a slow leak, it isn’t because of something serious.

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January 30, 2021 · 9:13 am

We Have a Leak

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In 2005 we bought a competitor to the Sleep Number Bed, called Celenia, by Comfortaire. It has been a wonderful bed. We particularly like the fact that each of us can independently adjust the firmness of our side of the bed. It has worked flawlessly until lately, when my husband keeps having to hit the control to pump up his side.

We stripped the bed all the way down to the fancy, super-sturdy air mattresses this morning. We will tackle finding and repairing the leak, if possible today. This is much like finding a leak in a tire. We will make up a solution of soap and water and see if any area of the bed bubbles up. If that doesn’t find it, the problem may be where the hose goes into the mattress – a more complicated problem.

I’m a good go-fer and will endeavor to keep my mouth firmly closed – with any suggestions or questions squelched before they are allowed to see the light of day. Hopefully, we will find and fix the leak while I’m washing everything that goes ON the bed. I really would rather not have to call and try to find someone who can come and fix it for us…

Fingers crossed for our success.

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January 27, 2021 · 9:42 am

Funky Fish

I cleaned out my aquarium yesterday. We have a new issue, and I’m not sure why – that of ‘green water algae.’ I researched it, but didn’t find a whole lot of information about the ‘why’ of it. Since we have it and I don’t want it, I found and ordered some stuff that is supposed to be safe for fish but gets rid of – and then helps prevent more – algae. It’s called, “No More Algae.”

Right now the water is sparkling clean. I really am beginning to think that cleaning the aquarium spurs the fish on to poop more – if possible. Maybe it’s boredom. Maybe I can find some kind of decoration that sings, dances, or talks to the fish to give them more to do than eat, swim, and poop.

I love my fish. I like going past the aquarium umpteen times each day, talking to them, seeing the clean tank and water, feeding them, and occasionally finding another decoration I hope they’ll enjoy. The smaller, almost white gold fish is about 3 times as large as it was when I bought them. The gold fish is a good 4 or 5 times as large as it was. They seem healthy and happy. Hopefully the new algae killer/fighter will help me keep the aquarium nicer.

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January 25, 2021 · 10:08 am

Pat, Pat, Pat

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Yesterday I truly earned a pat on the head.

THING ONE: I FINISHED my part of our 2020 tax prep. It is in an envelope waiting for some investment statements to be available online and printed, then it will be taken and dumped, with relief, on our CPA for processing.

As a part of this, I started spreadsheets for 2021, made some improvements to my filing system, and threw some stuff away. I also discovered that there was, indeed, a DESK in my office, under the huge pile of STUFF.

Note: The big white envelope on the right side of the desk is the tax stuff that is almost ready to go!

THING TWO: I finally went through the big laundry basket I use to haul things back and forth to the booth my friend Carla and I share at Rags & Roses Collective in Greenwood. It was an absolute mess, full of packing materials, display supplies I can never quite put my hands on when I’m trying to put new things in the booth, products I had brought home, products that needed to be put in the booth when there is room, etc.

The thing remaining is the counter area where my computer is. I’ll clean that up today and then celebrate by giving myself some time to play in my art room this afternoon.

Every once in a while, I do something GOOD! :0)

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January 16, 2021 · 9:24 am

Clean Digs

I finally took the time needed to clean out the aquarium yesterday afternoon, providing a huge sigh of relief for my fish. I was a couple of days late this time and their water and tank really needed my attention.

When I got everything back together – all squeaky clean – the fish checked everything out avidly, noting the differences in decorations, but mainly looking to see if I gave them extra food. They got in the corner, blowing bubbles at me and wriggling their bodies, and I caved, as usual, and gave them a bit extra.

I have decided that the AquaClear system is the best filter system for my 5 gallon tank. I use the ’20’ size. I’ve tried all kinds of things, since I was having to clean out the tank and provide fresh water WAAAAAY too often – my research baldly stated that gold fish take pride in being champion poopers and messing up whatever container they are in.

The AquaClear system is a 3-piece system with the large part of the filter hanging outside the tank, giving the fish more room to swim around unimpeded. There is a block of foam, a charcoal filter bag, and finally a ‘bio bag’ that fit together to filter the water. I think I average once a month now on cleaning out the tank – a MUCH better thing than once a week!

I smile every time I go past the tank, with the happy fish and sparkling clean water…

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January 12, 2021 · 4:43 pm

Best Laid Plans…

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I was going to get a big list done today, but my plans went awry.

I was getting ready to go out to the garage to put in my 35 minutes on my elliptical trainer. My husband wanted us to go to Walmart and get some glue, so I switched gears, grabbed our Walmart list and we headed for town. We DID manage to leave our trash at the bottom of the driveway and get our mail on the way. We got what we needed at Walmart, even though my husband was in the mood to wander around. Since we get very little entertainment these days, I tried to be patient.

By the time we got home, it was time to fix lunch, so I did that. Then I started getting ready to go to Rags & Roses to change out my products and rearrange the booth. My husband got a reminder on his computer that he was supposed to check the oil in the generator, so he went out to do that. Just as I was getting ready to go out the door, he came in, saying that we needed to get another battery for the generator. He insisted we go back to Walmart.

We took the old battery in and left it in a receptacle at the customer service desk where indicated, found a replacement battery and brought it home. We had a bit of trouble getting the new one in, but finally managed to get it hooked up and tested. Then we ran a quick test on the generator and it was good.

My husband went to put a tool back in the well house and decided he wanted to start the propane-powered gas heater in the well house to keep our pipes from freezing. (We have a small electric heater that turns itself on when it gets too cold in there, and it was on. ) He had a bit of trouble getting the pilot light lit and the heater on, but we finally prevailed.

On the way back to the house, we saw that the new pvc pipe we use on our irrigation system on one of the planters was broken in two. We thought about tackling replacing that, but we were just too tired at that point to care much.

Both of us fell asleep in our chairs.

Now it’s too late to go to the booth in town, too late to do my elliptical trainer in the garage, and too late to do my yoga practice.

SO –

I will write this day off as far as trying to get my list done and hope for more success tomorrow.

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January 8, 2021 · 12:36 pm

Sing It!

photo forwarded by a friend

We’re having a good day. It’s cold outside (35 degrees F., cloudy and gray, with a bit of spitting rain.)

We just got back from Lunch Bunch. One of our good friends and her husband was there. The other friend and her daughter weren’t. (My friend wasn’t feeling well, so maybe we can see each other and catch up next Friday.)

We hadn’t seen each other since the Friday before Christmas, so it was GREAT to be able to share a meal and catch up. We came straight home afterwards so that we could try what will be the last attempt at a ‘fix’ for our broken microwave.

We bought it in 2004, so we can’t complain that we haven’t gotten our money’s worth, but it would be wonderful if we could fix it. The mechanism that goes between the rotary turntable motor in the bottom to the part the plate sits on inside the microwave is the problem. We have mixed up some really good, apoxy-type glue to see if we can bridge the gap and make the parts work together again. (The plastic parts are not replaceable and we cannot remove them because one part is under a metal plate that is welded in.) So, this is a last-ditch effort before we either live with a microwave where the plate doesn’t rotate or we buy a new microwave. We have it glued now, and will look at it again tomorrow.

I will head out as soon as I finish a cup of coffee to the garage to do my elliptical trainer exercise for today. I’m looking forward to playing in my art room this afternoon. I have another piece started and am eager to see how it turns out. I am planning to take the bleeding tissue paper artwork I’ve done recently to Rags & Roses (the local shop in town where a friend and I share a booth ) either tomorrow or Tuesday. I will do my yoga practice when I finish in the art room. Today is DAY TWO of getting serious about our diet and exercise plan.

My husband is working on an addition to our house security system. He has the physical part done now, and is waiting for help on a password before he can finish up.

I’m in the middle of re-reading #32 in J.D. Robb’s (Nora Roberts’) In Death series. I’m re-reading the series in preparation for the latest to come out in paperback (# 51 Shadows in Death) that I received recently.

It’s a good day to have a warm, dry house and too many interesting things to do for the time I have.

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January 6, 2021 · 10:18 am

Holidays

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The weather forecasters were right – it’s gray, rainy and cold, with another cold front coming through today, possibly bringing some snow. Not my favorite weather.

To add insult to injury, the motor that controls the rotation of the plate in our microwave died suddenly last night, right at dinner time. My husband is taking the microwave apart as I type, seeing if he can fix the motor. We are in ‘discussions’ about what to do if he can’t. I think the rotation aspect is important. He, of course, disagrees. We will see. :0/ Update: He has the microwave apart and the motor that controls the rotation of the plate in his hand, seeing if he can get the old motor to work. (He did – and is trying now to put it back into the microwave. I have just ordered a replacement motor from Amazon. (Isn’t THAT amazing – we bought the microwave in 2004.)

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I’m having a truly wonderful time playing in my art room with my new bleeding tissue paper. I’m trying to do something different on each one, seeing how it works. My poor brain has ideas rattling around, pushing to come out and be tried. I LOVE it.

Photographer Unknown

Tomorrow morning is DAY ONE of ‘stopping-the-splurging-and-indulgence-that-has-marked-our-holidays’ and starting ‘eating-like-an-adult and exercising’ – which will last until further notice.

I hope that YOUR Wednesday is a productive and enjoyable one.

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January 4, 2021 · 10:11 am

Can Fish Grin?

I don’t really know, but my fish SHOULD be. Their water is sparkling clean. They have nice decorations in the tank. New filter innards….

They have made it clear over the years that the only thing they really care about is getting fed twice a day. They see me coming, jam themselves into the corner of the tank, wriggle their bodies and blow bubbles at me until the flakes come raining down. Then I am forgotten.

Our aquarium is on the divider between our kitchen and our dining area. This is a high traffic area in our house, so it makes me happy when the aquarium is bright and shiny.

I have made lots of changes on how I take care of the tank and what I put into it, but the fish remain goldfish – and seem to take pride in their reputation as ‘messy fish and champion poopers.’ I used to have a 40 gallon tank with lots of fish. It stayed looking good with relatively little work. THOSE fish didn’t react to me at ALL, so I finally gave the fish and the equipment away. I’M not easy to live with, either, so this is a good match. :0)

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January 3, 2021 · 11:04 am

Thoughts on a Sunday 1-3-2021

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Actually, the past week was a mixed bag.

THING ONE: FOOD-DIET-EXERCISE – I raked myself over the coals about stuffing too much food into my face and not exercising enough. My sister-in-law kindly told me to give myself a break and make little changes on a regular basis to get back to my better habits. My husband is determined wait to go back on our diet on the 6th – or maybe 7th – we haven’t completely hashed that out yet. I don’t know why we’re waiting. I guess it’s because we still have some wonderfully delicious bad stuff to eat our way through, though I am determined not to buy any MORE of it for myself. I got the makings of beef stew in the slow cooker this morning. We’ll have a bowl of that with a roll this evening. I will do my yoga stretches this afternoon.

THING TWO: WEATHER – Arkansas ran the gamut on weather this past week. We had sunshine and spring-like weather, as we’re having today, with sunshine and low 50’s. We had sleet and rain and gusty wind. We had drizzles and gloomy gray days. We had a PERFECT snow – with HUGE fluffy flakes coming down while we fixed lunch, making us feel we were in the middle of our own, private snow globe. (This was perfect because that gorgeous snow, though heavy, melted as it hit the ground and caused no trouble. :0) )

THING THREE: PLAYING IN MY ART ROOM – I discovered an art form that is new to me – bleeding tissue paper art. The effect is watercolor. The sky is the limit on what you can do with it. I found it on YouTube and watched some demonstrations, drooling. I found some people who do mouth-watering art with it, giving me some really high goals to try to reach as I practice. My sister-in-law sent me a package of large sheets of the special tissue paper to get me started. I ordered some pre-cut shapes in different sizes today that will be delivered in the coming week so I can concentrate on playing, saving the sheets for larger, more complicated shapes. I’m having a BLAST experimenting. :0)

Another thing for which I am setting up is painting some wooden fridge magnets. I can play with my Unicorn Spit paint for these. I can also see what happens with my alcohol inks, my new bleeding tissue paper, and more. I have the magnets, and my wooden circles should be delivered sometime next week.

THING FOUR: SUNDAY CHORES – I don’t have a lot to do today (translated to mean that I CHOOSE to do), but I WILL spend some time cleaning my aquarium so my fish can start the new year with sparkling clean water and some different decorations, just for giggles. I wish I knew what they THOUGHT about the decorations they have. I really wouldn’t mind it if the two of them held their noses when I started to put something in the aquarium they really don’t care for. They don’t say anything one way or the other. The only thing they DO that shows me they are really interested is both of them get into the corner of the tank, wriggling their bodies and opening and closing their mouths to HINT that they would like to be fed yet again. (Seems like they, too, are on a SPLURGE eating push until the 6th or 7th…. )

Have a happy Sunday!

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December 23, 2020 · 8:54 am

Good Exercise

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Yesterday afternoon my husband and I spent about an hour with a chainsaw, cutting down a huge branch that broke off recently. It was hanging down into the civilized part of our front yard (as opposed to the woods that slope all the way down to the street that runs in front of our property.) The branch would have made it difficult, if not impossible, for my husband to use the riding mower there.

Since the land slopes, I had quite a challenge of trying to get the ladder braced against the back of the tree so that my husband could get up high enough with the chain saw. I breathed a sigh of relief when we got the main part of the branch cut and I could quit worrying about that part of it.

The rest of the time was spent cutting smaller branches off the large one so that I could grab them, pull them away from the main one, and throw them down the hill farther so they would be out of the way.

We don’t like to think about it, but we are considered ‘elderly’ by the people deciding who should get the Covid-19 vaccine, so I guess that means we’re older than dirt, whether we want to accept that or not. I have to admit that after we finished the job and had rested in our chairs awhile, both of us were wincing a bit at sore muscles.

Today my husband would like to use our pole saw to cut down a few branches along the side of our driveway. They are about a third of the way down, which means we’ll need to put two 100-foot extension cords together to get power down that far. Hopefully we can get them cut down and thrown off to the side of the driveway without too much problem.

Please wish these ‘elderly’ people luck…

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December 20, 2020 · 1:44 pm

Laborious Aquarium Clean-Out

What is usually a 30 minute job turned into at least a two-HOUR job this morning and afternoon. I was putting together the aquarium after cleaning and ran into a problem with the filter. The motor wasn’t running when I plugged it in. I played with it, my muttering becoming more and more colorful as nothing worked. I finally asked my husband to come look at it.

He looked at things, tested it, and decided it was dead. I found one of our old filters and installed it so that the sweet fish wouldn’t croak while we waited for a replacement. My husband continued to look at the one that wasn’t working, and decided it was working again. I changed things out, only to find out the motor died. We did this two more times. Finally, he took the filter apart as far as he could and found a part he thought had been jammed. I changed the filters out for the fourth time and it worked. I told my husband I would fix lunch and leave the new filter running and see if it quit again.

I came back after lunch and it was still working. I then proceeded to clean up the kitchen – which is always a mess after aquarium cleaning – PLUS now from the lunch fixing. I have just now finished cleaning up and leaving the dishwasher running.

All this for two goldfish who never say a word, show any affection, do tricks, or perform any service. They DID get into the far right corner of the tank and wriggle their little bodies, opening and closing their mouths as they looked at me. I broke down and put a bit more food in the tank.

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December 20, 2020 · 11:14 am

Thoughts on a Sunday 12-20-2020

Bengal Tiger – Jagdeep Rajput – Comedy Wildlife – Forbes

I love this. It shows a great sense of humor. I’m still smiling. Thanks to the creator of it. :0)

Welcome Wildlife

When we started up our driveway yesterday, there were two white-tailed deer! We stopped and watched as they looked at us briefly and then crossed the driveway to disappear into the trees to the west of our property. Beautiful sight.

We had a really special Lunch Bunch on Friday with our friends. Since Christmas is next Friday, we exchanged gifts. We have been meeting at The Pizza Barn every Friday for over 17 years now, and this is more of a family gathering than simply really good friends. The two waitresses, Susan and Mikey, are a definite part of our family and we exchange gifts with them, too. My husband kept us all entertained by opening all of his food goodies, sampling each one (while waiting for his lunch order to be delivered) and then stashing them in a humongous gift bag, being quite territorial about his presents. The way the holidays fall this year, we won’t meet NEXT Friday or the NEXT – and will have to wait until Jan. 8th to meet again.

Otherwise, that is our Christmas this year. Our son is in Thailand, and I’m hoping that we can arrange a video chat either on Christmas day or that weekend sometime. There is 12 hours time difference, so it’s a bit of a challenge to find a time we’re all up and functional, but we’ll manage. I am grateful that we are all pretty healthy right now. I am thankful for a quiet holiday.

Today’s project is cleaning the aquarium. I will see if I can find something festive to put in their tank for the holidays.

Have a wonderful Sunday!

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December 19, 2020 · 10:02 am

Saturday in the Rain

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Today is a wonderful day to stay inside, warm and dry.

First, we need to get our mail and then mail some things at the post office. THEN we’ll enjoy the rest of the day inside. :0)

I will try to find the time and energy to get up to my art room today. It’s been awhile, and ideas are starting to rattle around in my brain on things I would like to try. That idea fights with things I am passing that definitely need my attention today, so I’m not sure which will win out.

I hope that YOU are having a nice Saturday, doing something fun.

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December 10, 2020 · 11:44 am

Windows!

I have just cleaned out or dining area so that the Window World man can come this afternoon to replace two of our windows. We had all new windows installed at the end of 2004 and have been really happy with the results. Our energy bills decreased and it was so much QUIETER – something we didn’t expect.

Earlier this year we noticed condensation between the panes in the window in our guest room and in the middle window of the set of three above. I had been lax about keeping the paperwork we needed, but finally we were able to find our information and schedule replacement of these two windows.

The pandemic has played havoc, of course, and I had down on my calendar to call next week and check on things, but the nice lady called me yesterday to see if it were all right for the guy to come and install the replacements today!

If you’ve been thinking of window replacement, I highly recommend Window World. Even though the world has placed great stresses on everything, this is a company that deserves your business.

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