We are home from our errands – our trash gathered and left in the humongous container from the trash company. My husband did NOT skid on the gravel today. :0) We got our mail and then drove to town to mail the memory box I sold. Even though it is ONLY 88 right now with a high of ONLY 96 this afternoon, I am grateful for good air conditioning. I have found that as I age, my ‘comfortable’ temperature range narrows considerably.
I will fix lunch soon and then will probably take a nap. (Isn’t my life exciting? – ACTUALLY, one of the best things about being older than dirt is that I can just pretend I’m from Mexico. When I visited there about a hundred years or so ago, everyone took a nap in the afternoon and then started their work day up again, stopping for the day about 9pm. I thought it was civilized then, and I really like it now. :0)
All About Gardening
After my nap I’m planning to do a couple of sessions of yard work. There are MANY things to do. We have the lawn and weed whacking mostly under control now. The weeds and Bermuda grass are trying to take over several flower planters, so I’m going to see if I can do some good out there today.
Hoping for a calm, quiet day and evening. I wish you the same.
While I was sitting at the computer, trying to wake up, even before I had gotten a cup of coffee, an order showed up in my email from my Etsy site, HandmadeHavenByLinda.
I sold one of my hand-painted memory boxes. This one is called, “Woodland.”
What a nice way to start the day! I’ll box it up carefully today and put it in the mail to its new home tomorrow. :0)
We’re under an ‘intense heat warning’ already, and it lasts until 9pm tonight. I need to weed whack, so I’ll do really short sessions, with lots of rest and water in-between, and see if I can get it done.
Adobe
We really enjoyed our first cook out of the season last night. We had our LED colorful rope of lights on, making the deck festive. We didn’t start the fire until about 7:30 because of the heat. My husband enjoyed a beer while he cooked. We ate around 9pm. We shared one of the steaks and each had a small baked potato. It has been about a year since we splurged like this and we savored each bite. We’ll share the leftover 2nd steak this evening with steamed veggies. YUM. :0)
The whole gang was there – the birthday girl, Linda; Patty; Bud; Kay; my husband; and me; PLUS our favorite waitress, Mikey; PLUS the owner of the Pizza Barn, David.
Linda liked her presents, we all ate well, and then enjoyed sharing some chocolate cake Kay had made. Linda felt special (as she is EVERY day) but maybe more demonstratively today.
She will continue her birthday celebration at her retirement place, plus with the rest of her family, who is gathering for a big celebration in July, so she will have quite the marathon. :0)
Bud and I compared notes on the gremlins that had infested both of our houses this year. I think it was a draw if we were having a contest. We commiserated, and agreed to help each other try to get rid of them.
After Lunch Bunch, we went to replenish our grocery supplies and then filled 4 gas cans we were carrying in the back of the truck to use with the mower. Since we had rain recently and then relentless sun, my husband was understandably grousing that he’ll have to mow again. I need to get out with him to try to catch up with the weed whacking.
I hope that your weather isn’t frying you like an egg or blowing you to smithereens. Hopefully, we can all simply relax and enjoy a nice weekend.
You can see how relaxed and comfortable I am since my wonderful massage with Lynn Moody 479-629-7601 this morning. She is a true miracle worker as a massage therapist PLUS allowed me to fully relax – somethings I am able to do less and less these days. I also consider her a friend.
I came home, fixed lunch, and then fell asleep in my recliner. My husband put my throw over me at some point and I awoke feeling really good. Ahhhh!
While I was gone, he took our bed apart enough to be able to find the model # on the air pump for our bed and looked it up on the net. He found one! We looked at it together and ordered it. It’ll be here July 1st. When it comes, we’ll take the bed completely apart, replace the air pump, find and repair any leaks in the mattress, then put things back together. HOORAY!
We don’t have anything else on the schedule today, so we can relax and do what we want.
I just realized that yesterday was the first official day of summer. We’re due for high 90’s or 100 degrees this weekend with a heat index of around 110. That’s what I call ‘making an entrance!’
My husband did a great job of getting us TO the dentist yesterday. We both got a good cleaning and good report. I did tell the receptionist that the NEXT time I call her, wanting her to arrange an appointment for the GeoThermal tech to come check our system, I would appreciate it if she were more cooperative. We had a good laugh. On the way home, my husband didn’t like the traffic and scared my hair off with the drive home. We are still alive, but I let him know that life was too short to have to endure that.
He increased my thinking about digging a hole in the back yard for him when he started talking to me in the middle of the night. He was mumbling too much for me to understand him. I was finally fully awake, only to find he said that I was ‘a cute fuzzy.’ I am definitely not at my best in the middle of the night awakened suddenly and forced to function. He quickly went back to sleep. I came downstairs and read for a while and then went back up to catch what sleep I could. He did remember talking to me and gave me a hug this morning.
We had a really good conference call with our son today. My husband has trouble communicating, and so does it less and less. Our son was asking if he would talk to him on the conference call thingie today. We got it set up and I got my husband to come over to my computer. The volume was too low for him, and I figured out how to increase that so that they could talk one-on-one, something they haven’t done for a while. It was good to see them smiling at each other. When they finished, our son and I talked. It was great to catch up and laugh together. He is safe and happy, so all is right in my world.
Even though I failed in my attempt to get the dental receptionist to make an appt for the geothermal guy to come, I DID call the correct number after that and he’s coming out this afternoon. It gives me confidence that someone who is knowledgeable about the system checks things over twice a year. He also changes out the filters in the basement and the attic so we don’t have to – a wonderful thing.
“Juneteenth is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. Deriving its name from combining June and nineteenth, it is celebrated on the anniversary of the order by Major General Gordon Granger proclaiming freedom for enslaved people in Texas on June 19, 1865.” ~ Wikipedia
reddit.com
My husband is alive, even though he woke me from a deep sleep at 0-dark-thirty this morning wanting me to remove a tick from the back of his knee. The light blinded me so it was hard to focus. When I did, the tick was so small I thought it was just some dirt. I could hardly feel it. I tried to remove it with my fingers, but finally found some forceps in the bathroom with which I was finally able to remove the tick. As I was wondering why we needed to do this in the middle of the night rather than the morning, my husband started to snore. Soon after I tried to get back to sleep, the alarm went off. AND, as I type this, guess who is taking a nap in his recliner in the living room….
The only thing on our schedule this morning is gathering trash and driving it down to the bottom of the driveway. We spent some time cutting branches in the driveway yesterday and will probably do another session today. It doesn’t take long for us to poop out doing this, but little by little, we ARE making a difference.
I am also planning to work outside, weed whacking, harvesting and cleaning up the veggie garden, and fertilizing my tomatoes. I’ll have to be careful, though, because it is supposed to be 95 today with a strong sun.
Just when I think I’m doing reasonably well today, I call the dentist’s office trying to schedule a check on our GeoThermal system. (Their phone number was just above the GeoThermal number on my desk calendar.) Embarrassing!
We had quite a storm overnight with LOTS of loud thunder and lightning. a lot of people in Ft. Smith and the surrounding River Valley don’t have power this morning. We were lucky, with no damage that we know of. We have another storm due around noon, and then I think we’re clear.
My good husband mowed the grass right before dinner last night so it looks like someone cares around here. I need to catch up with the weed whacking when things dry out.
We set the triptic (sp?) on the truck when we left to go to town yesterday, measuring how far it was from our driveway to the place we usually turn on Hwy 10 to finish the trip to town. It’s 5.3 miles to get there, going the back way. There’s another back way, where we go down back behind our house and out to HWY 71 South and then back to Greenwood, but that’s even farther. It’s not a huge deal – just a couple of extra miles in the wrong direction – an annoyance until the new bridge is built and open.
Weather across the U.S. may be severe today, so we need to keep a close eye out. I think I read that 50 million people are under threat of severe storms, gusty winds, hail, etc. today.
Unless things turn bad quickly, we’re planning to go ahead to Lunch Bunch this morning and then to pick up a prescription and groceries before coming home. Of course, this is all subject to change if we see flying hairballs.
If we’re lucky enough to have this bad stuff bypass us, I plan to check my tomato plants and harvest the rest of my heads of lettuce this afternoon.
Hopefully, we’ll all come through this threat intact and safe.
We’re leaving in a minute to get my hair cut. My husband is going with me today because we have to go the back way to get to town due to the bridge between us and town being demolished. My husband, being a non-trusting soul, went to see for himself that the bridge was really gone yesterday. He said there is just a big hole where the bridge used to be with a backhoe down in the bottom of the hole. We have no clue how long it will take to build the new one.
I know I can get to town just fine. I just don’t remember where the street comes out onto Hwy 10. I don’t think there is even a street sign to look for, so I’ll watch for landmarks as we come back home. After that, I’ll be good to go. I could use my GPS, but it doesn’t know where Greenwood’s post office is,(it’s been there for 10 years or so) and will routinely try to steer people into Greenwood Lake because of old OLD O-L-D information. (The lake has been where it is since we built our home 37 years ago.) Our town is obviously not a high priority for the folks who update the information for these things….
We’re just back inside from working in our driveway. Each time we don’t have a lot to do, we spend a bit of time in the driveway cutting back the branches that are encroaching on the driveway, forming a ‘tunnel’ now in some places. I jump up and grab a branch and bring it down with me, holding it down as far as I can while my husband lops it off as high as he can reach. I then haul it down the driveway some to a clearer spot on the ‘yard-downward-side’ and try to throw it off the driveway as far as I can. It doesn’t take long for us to call it a day, but we can see the progress we’re making.
Today was a bit harder because there were lots of briars attached to the branches. We did as much as we could with the loppers. My husband, thoroughly pooped at this point, went to sit in the truck while I did a bit more with my hand-held cutters. I cleared off the driveway a bit more of the stuff he had cut. Then we drove the rest of the way down, put our now-empty trash can back where it lives, got our mail, then drove down the road to the church to turn around.
Seton
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The road in front of the church had ‘road closed’ signs in both lanes, so I guess the bridge demo is going full steam today. We’ll have to go the back way to get to town until further notice.
Another day with no hot water. I’ll tell you it’s quite refreshing to ‘wash’ with a cold wet washcloth and then wash my hair in the sink with ice cold water. It’s a good cure for being sleepy. :0)
Our plumber called yesterday with a technical question about our tankless water heater system. My husband had to go down to the basement in order to answer it. Our plumber is going to come and ‘flush’ our system, hoping to get it working for us again. He’s trying to get here today or tomorrow.
We haven’t heard anything from the mattress lady on the warranty for the air pump on our bed.
I’m disappointed. There was an unbelievable video on Pinterest yesterday showing a gazillion hummingbirds swarming several feeders. I laughed aloud watching them. I copied the URL so I could share it with you today, but no matter what I did, the URL wouldn’t embed. I finally gave up. I wish I could have made it work. I’m sorry. :0(
Today is the day the people are demolishing the bridge between us and town. We need to call in a prescription and go get it today, so we’ll go the back way for the first time. It’s been awhile, so I’ll pay close attention to the turn-off on the way home. I don’t think there is even a street sign there. I’ll try to find a landmark. Meanwhile, I’ll try to reach someone at City Hall to see if I can find out a ballpark estimate of how long it will take to build the new bridge.
We’re due for some rain today (yeah, I know. JUST what we need). We’ll get our errands done and then batten down the hatches for the rest of the day.
Peggy J. Hughes – FineArtAmerica.com – art; Anthony J. D’Angelo, quote.
Hoping for a quiet day here, and one for you, too. :0)
Good Thoughts-Riny van Gend de Zeeuw-Facebook-Buddha Heart
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No hot water – guy cleaned points and got the system started, but then it quickly switched to ’13’ again. He called our plumber, saying it needs to be ‘flushed.’ Our plumber has the special equipment needed to do that, and so we wait for a call from him.
Waiting on mattress air pump lady to get back to us about warranty. Once we get that info, we’ll decide what to do.
Husband has given up on trying to fix our driveway detector and has ordered another.
Water irrigation system for yard is acting wonky. Will trouble shoot when the other priorities have been addressed.
The county/city road people are demolishing the bridge between us and town TOMORROW. No info on how long building the new one will take. We will have to take the back way out, adding several miles to our trip, keeping an eye on the sign that is near our house, but in the opposite direction from the way we’ll have to go until further notice. Any service people will have to be apprised of this, also, assuming they can then make it up our driveway once they get here…
We just finished putting away groceries. We’ve stocked up so we have as little reason to go to town as possible until the bridge is finished.
It was overcast when we got up. We ate breakfast and did our morning chores, opened up the front and back doors to enjoy the morning breezes and went into the office.
I looked out the window a few minutes later to see DARK skies and branches whipping around. We’re having quite a storm now! I shut the front door, but left the one to the porch open. How quickly things change!
The tech is coming sometime today to look at our tankless water heater. We are still without hot water and are hoping he can get it going again. If not, we’ll have to get another one ASAP and installed while having to resort to wash cloths and cold water hair washings. Happily, our machines, like the dishwasher and the clothes washer, heat up the water used, so we’re not completely back in the Stone Age.
On a happier note, the replacement battery pack we ordered for our cordless vacuum cleaner arrived yesterday. We got it installed and everything is on the charger. I’ll try it later today to make sure it works as it should. I’m delighted. I also got the full size vacuum cleaner’s filter back in and the clean canister put back on the machine. My husband took a large piece out to the shop and used the air compressor to blow LOTS of dirt out of it, so it’s almost like it has been to a refurbishment center. :0)
The lady who is handling whether we’re under warranty for the bed pump is to be back in the office Monday, so we should get an answer soon after.
Maybe we’ll get things back together around here one of these days.
We have a backup regular type hot water heater. We try to have backups on everything we consider important because we live at the top of a ridge line, up a steep driveway, outside of town and many times are ‘on our own’ during bad weather situations, etc.
Since our tankless water heater threw its hands up in the air and yelled ’13!” whatever that means and quit providing hot water a couple of days ago, my husband decided to light the pilot light on the backup heater so we would have hot water while we tried to find someone to help us with the tankless. After a lot of effort, we finally admitted defeat on getting the pilot light lit and called our wonderful plumber to see if he or his assistant could help us on their way home from work.
The assistant showed up very quickly. (He had to walk up the majority of our 650+ foot driveway because his tires don’t have a lot of tread and his truck wouldn’t come up.) H found that one of the hoses had a leak. He and our plumber worked together, got a new hose and installed it. He still couldn’t get the pilot light to STAY lit. On further examination, he found that several of the fittings and connections had simply rotted out after being in the basement over 10 years. He strongly suggested we drain it and get rid of it. We thought we would replace it, but our plumber said that the 40 gallon propane-powered water heater tank would cost over $700 now. OUCH! So, we’ve decided to get rid of the old one, and NOT have a backup system.
I had found a company who would send out a technician this afternoon. After talking to our plumber, though, we decided we would work with one of his buddies, rather than the larger company, who has a “come-out-and-look-charge-$89-then-leave-and-order-parts-to-come-back-later” routine.
My husband will stay home from Lunch Bunch today to wait for a call and for him to come. Our plumber got our model and serial numbers for the tankless. He said he would Google it and then contact his buddy about what to expect. I’m hoping that the tankless can be repaired. If not, we’ll order another one through him and have him install it. The super-expensive part of this installation was all the stainless steel routing of the propane to the system in the basement (which cost more than the system) and that shouldn’t have to be redone. It’ll be bad enough, though.
As this is only one of the challenges we’re dealing with lately, it’s a bit hard to keep a smile on my face. It’s easier when I think about all I have, and the fact that I’ll be seeing at least one good friend at Lunch Bunch in about an hour. :0)
“Dorky Dogs” – Liucija Adomaite and Justinas Keturka – BoredPanda.com
We’re having a quiet day here so far. That’s good because the stress level here has been higher than we would like for a couple of weeks now.
Rheem Tankless Water Heater
This has been wonderful. We’ve had ours for several years now and never had a problem. Now we have a ’13’ code. On the net it says that means “water heater has buildup of lime deposits, or air intake or vent exhaust opening may be blocked, or vent pipes may not be connected properly, or the gas shut off valve is not fully opened, or gas service has been interrupted, or LP gas is running low.’ If we check all these and the code is still showing, call service tech for service.
I’ve decided that there is little that is a better wake up call for me than washing my hair in the sink with stone cold water. I did have the option last night of taking a cold shower and THEN washing my hair in cold water this morning, but decided I could simply skip that for one day.
Dyson – Amazon
Hopefully, we will receive the battery pack part we ordered as a replacement for the part that is not working in my cordless vacuum today, AND that it is the correct one, AND that the vacuum again works after we get the part in. I really like this for vacuuming the tiled parts of our first floor. It’s so quick and easy compared to the full-sized plug-in version. I’ve gotten spoiled. :0)
Comfortaire Selenia
We didn’t hear anything from the mattress lady yesterday. Hopefully she’ll contact us today with what we need to do to tackle the problem of the failing air pump on the bed.
I finished the weeding in my raised bed square foot garden recently. We took two heads of lettuce to our wonderful hairdresser when we went for my husband’s haircut. He was very pleased, and I so enjoy sharing the wealth. I’ll probably harvest another couple of heads today. I’ll also start emptying the 2nd failed planter box of the Mel’s Mix today. I’m putting the soil alternative in big trash cans, as the mix is expensive. We aren’t in any rush to build replacement planters, as we have plenty of space to plant whatever else interesting that we find in town, but I would like to get this phase of the garden project finished.
My painter’s water bowl is still on my side table beside my computer. My days are whizzing past my head they are going so fast. It seems I barely start the day and it’s over. I will try again today to at least get it up to my art room, if not try it out. Such a thoughtful gift for my husband to get for me. :0)
I hope that you have some fun projects going on, and that you are not too adversely affected by the bad air quality caused by the wildfires in Canada. We MAY get some rain this afternoon and this evening. That would be nice.
I had three things on my priority to-do list yesterday: gather and put the trash at the bottom of the driveway, vacuum the first floor tiles and carpet, and clean and wash out the kitty litter box. Happily, I accomplished all three. I also took my two vacuum cleaners apart, washed the filters and left them to dry, and washed the canisters. I’m really bad about doing that, so it felt good to get it done.
I have all appendages (including my eyes) crossed that the new batteries for the cordless vac arrive today, are the correct ones, and WORK.
Unsplash.com
I’ve been shooting myself in the foot lately, waiting until afternoon to get outside to work in our garden. This is a big mistake because as I age, I handle heat and humidity less and less well. It sounds easy to just get up and go outside, but I’ve set up my mornings really well (for me) getting lots of routine things done at the computer while drinking a cup of coffee. The time flies by and once again, I’m trying to force myself outside with a sweatband I need to even walk out to the garden, much less get anything DONE out there…
@chubby.animol – Instagram
Last night my dinner of hamburger patties, black-eyes peas and onions went over quite nicely. Tonight we’ll have the other two patties and I’ll saute a crown of broccoli. A mystery occurred yesterday and I gained 1.6 pounds “Not eating enough” according to MyFitnessPal.com. UGH. Maybe it will come off today.
I would love to go to this restaurant. Apparently this sight is so common that no one at the table even notices!
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“Spotty pop-up downpours” may or may not happen this whole week, according to the experts. This over-abundance of rain probably indicates severe drought for the summer and into the fall. My husband is already longing for his favorite ‘brown, crunchy grass’ so he can slow down on the mowing. I’m trying to get into the habit of working outside early in the morning or late in the afternoon.
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unknown
Vacuuming, kitty litter, and trash, oh my! Such excitement for my day. :0)
It was a surprise to wake up with thick fog this morning. I looked out our bathroom window and almost couldn’t see ANYTHING! It’s clearing up fast now, but it was surreal.
We had quite a bit of rain yesterday afternoon, starting about 2:30 and raining off and on almost until we went to bed around midnight. It’s so wet I’ll wait to decide if I’ll try to finish weeding my garden today or not.
We’re going to go replenish supplies at some point, but that’s the only ‘plan’ we have for the day.
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“I put my scale in the bathroom corner and that’s where the little liar will stay until it apologizes.” ~ sent to me by my friend, Marsha.
iStock
I’m beginning to see a pattern that if MyFitnessPal.com says, “You’re not eating enough” I MIGHT actually be down a bit on the scale the next morning. I had made the calorie calculator happy the day before yesterday and gained half a pound. This is NOT what I’m trying to do, so carefully went a bit under that yesterday and got the half pound back off. I’ll keep playing with it. I know I’m eating healthy, and have lost 7 lbs so far. What I MAY be figuring out is that since I’m not as active as I used to be, the 1200 calories per day may be too much. I’ll research it.
The big push lately is to increase our fiber without increasing our sugar overmuch. My husband is a Type II diabetic, although he denies this, saying ‘he has a sugar problem.’ Anyway, I researched and found a list of some fiber-rich foods that I know he likes that we can add to our routine. We’ll just have to be careful with monitoring his sugar readings.
I just love the photo above. It shows hope for a bright future.
My Art – My Choice-Gif-Guy – tumblr_njxl1kHgkW1t0cscho1_500 – 4GIFS.com
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It’ll be interesting to see how we get to town and Lunch Bunch this morning. They were working on the bridge between here and town, and there was a sign we couldn’t see as we went last time. It turned out the sign said, “Road Closed.” The crew working on the bridge let us through. My husband is stubborn enough he went back through the same way. We haven’t been to town since.
When I reminded him that we needed to leave a bit early since we will need to take the back way into town, he scoffed at me (as he often does.) This shows me he’ll go the regular way just to prove me wrong, and will turn around and go the back way if needed – making our trip over twice as long as usual. (Do you begin to see why I’m considering digging a hole for him in the back yard?
Pinterest
My efforts to lose the lard are showing definite progress now. As of this morning, I’m down 7 pounds. The number I have ‘left to lose’ and the national debt look similar, but I’m just taking it one day at a time, trying not to default – as Congress flirts with too many times.
I’ve finished weeding 2-1/2 veggie boxes in my raised bed, square foot garden thus far. I have four boxes planted, and my goal is to catch up on the weeding before we’re due for rain tomorrow afternoon.
Since Mother Nature has snapped her fingers, changing us from spring to summer in Arkansas suddenly, I’m afraid I’ll need to then clean up the head lettuce plants and decide which to harvest. The weather is getting too warm now for them to last much longer. The happy side of the weather change is that my tomato plants should love it. :0)
Enjoy your Friday and your weekend, surrounded by love and laughter.
I’m hoping that June will be a wonderful month for all of us. Mother Nature has decided that summer has begun here in Arkansas. It’s hot in the afternoons with high humidity now, causing us to keep the house closed and turn on the a/c. I hope we’re not finished with spring yet, but I’m having to adapt my time outside already so I don’t boil like an egg out there.
I only put in one session of weeding yesterday. It was simply too hot for me yesterday afternoon. I think I told you that my spinach was already bolting, so I pulled all those plants out. This year was a bust for spinach after I was SO happy to find a whole flat of great looking plants. The weather was totally wonky, going from cool to too hot and back over and over, plus severe weather rains, hail, and flying hairballs. The spinach just finally gave up, sending shoots up into the air in surrender. Now I’m trying to save the head lettuce. The first step is the weeding, and I’ll try to get more of that done this morning.
I’m in a bit of withdrawal now that Iam Tongi won American Idol and there are no new performances each week. I really enjoy watching him perform. His latest is a single, “I’ll Be Seeing You.” He will also be performing in the “Beach It “ Country Music Festival at 2:40pm June 23rd, so that gives us something to look forward to.
“Dorky Dogs” – Liucija Adomaite and Justinas Keturka – BoredPanda.com
We’ve had warm days with lots of sunshine and no rain for several days in a row now. I’m not sure how to handle such nice weather. I do need to get outside early to do some weeding before it gets too hot for me.
May has come and gone in a woosh for me this year. I can’t believe it’s time to change my calendars. My hair is blowing as the time flies past.
My eating plan is still going well, although it stalled this morning after my husband brought me a donut last night, trying to be nice. I again explained to him that I’m trying not to eat in-between meals so that I can try to shed some of my lard. Of course, I was EATING the donut as I was explaining this to him….
We’ve just returned from doing errands and it’s time for lunch. I wanted to write quickly to let you know I was still alive, just in case you were wondering. :0)
We gathered trash and took it down. We’re a day later than usual due to the holiday. I’m really happy that this company posts their holiday schedule online so I can print it and check to see if we need to do anything differently.
We got our mail and then headed for town. There was a portable electric sign at the church where we turn to get on the main road, but it was turned so it showed down the hill, rather than where we were. It turned out it said, “Road Closed.” Yeah. They are beginning work on the main bridge between us and town. They let us through, and THEN we saw the sign that was on the other end.
We went to the bank and then picked up groceries. My husband was a Marine. “Marine” is synonymous for “stubborn,’ so on the way back, even though I reminded him that we needed to take the longer way around, he didn’t, preferring them to make him turn around, doubling the distance for us to get home. He lucked out and they let us through. He was, of course, smug. We don’t need to go to town again until Lunch Bunch on Friday, so maybe he’ll luck out again. We don’t know whether they are working AROUND the bridge, or ON the bridge, or REPLACING the bridge. I was reminding him that we need to check to see if the sign is still at the church when we’re going to Lunch Bunch Friday.
This morning was a good amount of reaching out for me, and it’s not over yet. :0)
I had my usual communication with my good friend, Marsha, and my SIL, MaryLou, first thing. I had received a text from my ‘cousin-in-law’ and wonderful friend, Murray. She has just moved and I’ll send her a text after lunch.
I checked to see if I had any messages from our son. While I was writing him a quick note, a message popped up from HIM, asking if I wanted to visit on the conference call thingie. We had the nicest visit. I LOVE being able to see his face. He was worried about two things: THING ONE – he was worried that we were upset that it has been so long since he’s been home. I explained to him that knowing he is safe and happy is paramount. Of COURSE I would love to hug his neck, but with the way the world is, the way things can change overnight, we are all better staying where we are. THING TWO – he wanted to be SURE his dad knew how much he loved him, how happy he was that his dad was patient with him, teaching him things that mean so much to him now. He had tears in his eyes when he said this and I promised I would deliver the message. When I did, I told my husband that our son got the dad that my husband deserved, but didn’t get, when HE was growing up.
So I’ve had a beautiful morning, feeling lucky to love so many good people.
I’m going to fix lunch now and then I’ll do some more posts later.
We’re not planning to do anything special today for Memorial Day. I still haven’t washed the furniture on the deck or cleaned the back porch. Priority for today is doing some weeding in the garden and seeing if there is anything I should harvest. This will probably take a few days to catch up. I’m hoping that the fertilizer I spread a few days ago will cause things to green up out there.
RTE
I wanted to share a nice description with you. I talk to my sweet SIL each day, checking in to share what’s happening. She’s been getting lots of rain. She said, “The world is refreshed.” Can you hear it saying, “Ahhhhhhhh!”? :0)
Since I’m old and getting a bit ditzy, I have note-its all over the place reminding me that because of Memorial Day, we’re NOT gathering trash today and putting it out – until TOMORROW, when we ARE. At least I USUALLY remember why I got up and went into a room….
I found a website new to me called, “Temu.com” My husband showed it to me. It’s where he found the water bowl for painters that he has ordered for me recently. They specialize in discounted items. We’re not sure of the quality yet, or if the orders will be delivered in a reasonable amount of time, but I’m impressed with the prices. They sell basically everything, and you could go down a rabbit hole trying to see all they have. I’ve ordered a couple of women’s tops. We’ll see.
Okay. I admit it. I started to type ‘Saturday’ in the title to this post. I also have trouble typing the year. I keep starting to type ‘2030’ and having to go back and change it. It’s easy to type, very symmetrical from the keyboard. Do you supposed I’m trying to wish away time – or just having aging problems? :0)
When the Sleep Number beds were a new thing in 2006, we really wanted one, but didn’t want to pay the steep price. We ended up buying a competitor – a king sized Celenia, Comfortaire. It’s a really sturdy air-filled mattress with dual controls so we can each have the firmness we want, changing it at any time. We love it.
This bed is now 17 years old! It’s not surprising that it is now showing signs of aging. We are having to hit the controls nightly now to bring the firmness up to what we have chosen for each side of the bed. My husband thinks we may need to buy a new pump or something. I just looked it up online and OF COURSE, it’s ‘discontinued.’ I’ve gotten out the paperwork and we’ll study the options we have.
Yesterday afternoon we decided to start our project of lopping off branches that are hanging down on both sides of our driveway, creating ‘branch tunnels’. I had already put our loppers in the truck. I added some gloves for me and my phone and sunglasses and we were ready. (I suggested that my husband wear tennis shoes instead of sandals, but he wasn’t interested. )
I pulled down each branch and my husband cut it off as close to the tree as he could reach. I then hauled the branch to the low side of the driveway and threw it into the woods as far as I could. We did this for about 15 minutes before pooping out. Happily, in that amount of time we each got good exercise and made a dent in the project to clear the driveway. We’ll try to do more again today, even though we don’t have errands to do or mail to get. (My husband put on tennis shoes this morning. Imagine that! :0) )
Each Memorial Day weekend I remember when I was the lifeguard at the country club my family belonged to in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I think it was called “Southwood,” I don’t know if it still exists. I remember gearing up, preparing the pool and my lifeguard seat, planning details of trying to watch everyone at once. It was the only real time I got a tan. I don’t do that well, usually burning instead, and the tan only lasted a couple of weeks when the job was over.
I taught swimming with my 6th grade gym teacher, Steve Balint, every summer from the time I was 14 until I graduated from college. This job was wonderful because it helped pay my tuition for college, gave me some extra spending money while I was there, and gave me the chance to meet some fun people. I especially enjoyed our “womens’ class,” where we helped some really nice ladies overcome longstanding fear of the water and taught them lifesaving skills to help themselves and others, if needed.
I still regret that we ran out of money when we built our home 36 years ago and didn’t build an in-ground pool. I fondly thought I would swim first thing in the morning if I didn’t need to be somewhere early, or would swim last thing in the evening to relax before bed. I also secretly fantasized about “Brock,” the pool guy who would ‘take care of things.’ :0) (Hey. I’m old, but I ain’t dead yet!)
My scales are outright snorking at me lately. I’ve been eating ‘rocks,’ it seems, and I’ve changed from trying to go day-by-day to hour-by-hour now. The stress level around here has been a bit high, but that is becoming the norm now, so I need to quit using that as an excuse to stuff my face.
I’m going to try to shed 2 pounds a week, cutting back my portions again and trying to drink more water. I had stopped using MyFitnessPal.com, but I’m starting up again. Maybe that will direct my efforts more effectively and see where I’m messing up.
Gfycat
We’re going to Lunch Bunch this morning, although my friend Kay called and said she and Bud won’t be there. I don’t know if the others will be, so we’ll go ahead, grab a bite to eat, and then hit the grocery store before coming home.
Bill Miller Associates
We’re starting our “cut-something-down-each-time-we-go-down-or-up-the-driveway” project today. I have the loppers in the truck and the weather is supposed to be cooperative today. If we do this each time we can, we should be able to make a difference in a reasonable amount of time.
(The picture above shows a ‘pretty’ version of what we’re dealing with. We have trees on both sides of our 650+ foot driveway. During the last winter ice storms, the trees’ branches were weighed down. Some broke off, some just hung down. Now we have almost a low-hanging tunnel across parts of the driveway to the point we’re ‘ducking’ inside the truck when we go through one. :0) My husband hurt his back, so we’ve been waiting until he felt better to tackle this. It’s a two-person job, with me pulling down each branch as far as I can and him lopping it off so I can then haul it to the low side of the driveway and throw it down as far as I can.)
Other than helping to clear the driveway a bit today, I’m planning to start moving the Mel’s Mix (soil alternative) from the other raised bed planter box whose bottom is ready to fall out. I want to get both of these boxes completely cleared out before I talk to my husband about making new plywood bottoms for them.
I’ll round out my exercise today with a session of yoga this afternoon. (After clearing tree branches and digging Mel’s Mix, I’ll need a good stretching session to try not to stiffen up.
I hope that if you’re traveling this long holiday weekend, you do it safely and smoothly. Whatever your plans, I wish you a happy day and fun weekend.
source unknown – there is a credit at the bottom left, but I cannot read it. Sorry.
Yesterday I finished emptying out the broken wooden raised bed square foot gardening planter. Today I’ll use our flat-bottomed shovel and see how much of the Mel’s Mix I can save from the ground under the broken box.
I think I told you that on closer inspection, ANOTHER box is due to fail imminently, so I’ll start emptying that one out, too, and we’ll make new bottoms for both when we can. Luckily, these were the two planters I had not filled with head lettuce and spinach, so no problems there.
I’m hoping to spend at least a couple of sessions outside today – one on the planters and the other on weeding the remaining boxes. The last few days have caused an explosion in weeds and I need to get things under better control.
I had a really busy day yesterday – errands in the morning and then working in the yard in the afternoon. With the mowing my husband did and the weed whacking I did, our yard looks very much like someone cares at the moment.
Buzzfeed.com
General Pump
We also finally moved the deck furniture from the back porch out to the deck yesterday. Next on that project will be power washing the deck furniture and then cleaning up the back porch, which is covered in dust, dirt, and pollen.
Corona
Also on the list is to carry the loppers in the truck and gradually try to cut the branches that are hanging down badly on both sides of the driveway, all the way up and down its 650+ foot length. It’s like an eerie tunnel now, and both my husband and I catch ourselves ‘ducking’ as a branch whips across the windshield. :0)
I find myself a bit at loose ends, now that American Idol and The Voice have both wrapped up. My guy, Iam Tongi, won American Idol and I was happy that Gina Miles won The Voice. It’s good that the exposure these talented young people get can propel them to great careers even if they aren’t ‘the winner.’ This is the first time I’ve ever gotten caught up in these two programs. It was nice, although it probably won’t happen again.
Today I’m planning to spread fertilizer on my raised square foot garden veggie planters and my tomato planters. We’re due for intermittent rain today and tomorrow, so I’ll try to make SURE I get outside this morning.
I hope that you’re having a nice morning and that your Wednesday will be an enjoyable one.
“Dorky Dogs” – Liucija Adomaite and Justinas Keturka – BoredPanda.com
My pick for American Idol won last night. (For those of you who don’t watch, it’s Iam Tongi, in the middle.) I saw a video yesterday of Jelly Roll – a new-to-me really powerful singer who has been winning awards lately talking to Joe Rogan on Joe’s podcast about Iam, showing him the original audition. Both men cried. Jelly Roll (“Save Me”) said he had publicly announced that he was going to find whoever was handling contracts with Iam because he wanted ‘in’ on them. Jelly Roll performed on the finale last night, singing a duet with my other favorite contestant, Oliver Steele, so I hope THEY hooked up, as well.
Speaking of Iam’s original audition, he sang “Monsters” by James Blunt. On the finale, James Blunt and Iam sang the song together, barely making it through in one piece. The audience felt the same way.
Pexels
This afternoon we’ll drive our trash down to the bottom of the driveway and get our mail on the way to our routine doctor appointment. Hopefully, there isn’t VERY much about us that is concerning and we can plod off blissfully into the sunset until the next appointment. :0)
My husband mowed the grass yesterday. Now it’s my turn to do my thing and weed whack where he can’t get the riding mower. With all the rain we’ve been getting, there’s a lot for me to do. We’re due for more rain on Wednesday, so I have today and tomorrow to try to get the trimming under control.
“Dorky Dogs” – Liucija Adomaite and Justinas Keturka – BoredPanda.com
I’m delighted to be able to tell you we made it through some scary weather last night safe and intact (I think). We went from pretty heavy thunderstorms to an alert from my weather thinger that said that GREENWOOD was in the line of a tornado warning. This lasted for about half an hour, then went back to just severe thunderstorms and finally quiet. (I was even worried about the QUIET after the tornado warning.) Anyhow, all is well. It’s a bit overcast this morning, but a nice 62 degrees. WHEW!
Women’s Health
Shout-out to Murray and John, who have now officially relocated from Thibodaux, Louisiana to Fayetteville, Arkansas due to a promotion for John. Be happy! Love you both!!!! :0)
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As of May 12th, the U.S. has finally lifted the requirement for Covid vaccine proof in order to fly to the U.S. This means our son can again come see us one day, if he can confirm all the places he has to stop on the way – (and on the way back) – won’t give him any problems. It’s been about 4 years now since we’ve seen him. We’ve been lucky to be able to use a secure chat program, plus a conference call program, to communicate and stay close, but it would be great to actually get to hug his neck again one day.
I will try to get pics of our veggie garden boxes plus our tomatoes to share with you later. The weather has made it a real challenge to get anywhere close, much less actually weed, fertilize, or harvest.
creativeartworksblog 