My First Hummingbird

At exactly 7:20 pm, June 29, 2021, the first hummingbird came to the feeder in the front yard. Well, it was the first one I saw. The holes in the feeder seem too small, like tiny slits. I wonder if it was really feeding or just trying to feed. On Wednesday there will be two feeders there. 

I am reading up on how to attract more hummingbirds. My yard needs adjusting. It took Tommy so long to get up and to the door that he missed seeing the hummingbird. 

Tommy said he saw hummingbirds in my yard all the time. NOW he tells me. I never saw one and 1-inch black ants filled my feeders all the time. I was disgusted cleaning their dead bodies from the feeder. Finally, I gave up trying to attract hummingbirds. But, he saw them feeding from flowers. 

The casserole turned out great. Usually, I layer the vegetables, buttered bread chunks and cheese. I just dumped all the squash, zucchini, and tomatoes in the casserole, threw on the bread, and cheese. It cooked for an hour and was delicious. That was all we had for dinner. I put only two pieces of broken bread into the dish, so at least it was healthier for the lack. This was all we had for dinner. 

I did slice a zucchini and a squash for inclusion in salads. Tonight, at last I will cook the chicken and the thighs. So, a salad will probably included in the meal. 

Tommy broke the bread and sliced and chunked the cheese. He was a real help. 

So, today, he saw a hummingbird at the newer feeder.  Now, I must clean the first one and refill the newer since Tommy managed to spill the sugar water, somehow.

So, I am headed in for a nap before dinner.  Mostly, I lie down to rest and relieve my back pain. Sometimes, I sleep; often I don't.

My First Zoom

 Tuesday, I had my first Zoom meeting, a virtual memorial for a professor/friend who succumbed to dementia. I had absolutely no trouble doing this meeting and talking. My camera was covered as it usually is covered. But, I spoke.  It was a sad occasion as we shared stories. But, it is done. 

The hummingbird feeder was installed on Sunday. Only a wasp has been there that we have seen. So, Bummer! We have not installed the one in the backyard, yet. We will. 

Tonight, I will make a big casserole: zucchini, squash, tomato, onion, bread bits, cheese, butter. It should be delicious. I am going light on the buttered bread chunks. This dish will be a combination of the squash casserole and the zucchini casserole I usually make. 

I marched for 5 minutes and will do 5 more this evening. I only quit because I was barefoot and the ball of my foot hurt the whole time. Marching with sandals does not hurt me. 

My Android phone now has one app installed. When I went to The Pig, I asked if anyone at the office would put the Pig app on my phone. A twenty-year-old cheerfully volunteered.  I have installed apps on my stolen phone, so I know it is possible, but it seems things have changed. I got my free item. A person has to buy $10 worth of food to get the free item. That is less than I usually spend there.

A Birmingham friend from years ago is going to meet me and show me how to do all I want to do on my phone. It will be good to meet with her since we have only talked on the phone lately. She was at the zoom virtual memorial. 

For the 4th memorial for the friend, I am trying to decide what to take as it is potluck. I am trying to decide what to take. 1) brownies from mix I have, 2) Two packages of Suddenly Salad pumped up with peas and shredded carrots, 3) baked bean with 2 packages of hotdogs cut up in the dish. I have everything for each dish, so neither will cause me to go get anything.  I am favoring the hotdogs in baked beans. What do you think? 

Monday

 Okay, I managed to erase a whole post with one keystroke. So, that will be for tomorrow. I am so disgusted. I forgot the keystroke to restore it. What is it? 

Dinner tonight was delicious if I do say so. Tommy enjoyed it even though it had no salt. He told me once he had to have salt on everything. Well, he know there was no salt and said it was good. 

I took a small cookie pan and lined it with foil. Most of a pound of baby carrots were spread on it. On top of the carrots I put four really thin premade ground beef patties with a slice of Vidalia onion on top of the beef patty. I scooted the carrots together and put bunches of whole green beans, just enough for a helping for both of us. The green beans got their olive oil massage. I sprinkled garlic powder and Grillmates Smokehouse Maple seasoning, just a bit. Who knows how long it was in the oven, but it was done. 

He saved one of his beef patties with the Vidalia onion slice on it for lunch tomorrow. There are enough carrots for another meal, too. 

The beef patties and the carrots were given to me. YAY! 

We went to the bread store and got two loaves of bread and hotdog buns for $3. 

Saturday, a friend had a memorial service for her husband who died from Covid. He was bil of a friend. Monday, the same friend had a funeral for his mother. 

Tomorrow there is a zoom memorial for a friend of mine. On the 4th there is a potluck memorial, like the 4th she had for all of us. I will see so many old friends and maybe reconnect with a few! This woman always had a 4th street party. There was a band, fire dancer, and lots of good food.  She only provided a party place for her friends. Each house on the street had its own party if they desired. The street was closed off and lots of people walked in Southside to sit on the pavement and watch fireworks. This should be a fun reunion and memorial.

So, how is your day going? We had our last dry day today and lots of heat. 

"Oh the HORROR!"

 To quote Ur-spo. 

Here is what caused my horror, not Urspo.

When we eat a sausage and biscuit at Hardee's, I notice they are incredibly salty tasting. I have eaten these occasionally over the years and do not remember them as being so sodium laden. So, I decided to see how much sodium is actually present in the delicious morning meal. Imagine my shock when I saw the figures for each patty. 

1320 mg sodium

42 g carbohydrates

!!!!!!!!!

The Mayo Clinic recommends 2325 mg each day as the upper limit of sodium. So, a person consumes more than half the recommended sodium in one tiny meal. 

The make matters worse there are 42 grams of carbohydrates in each sausage and biscuit. Mayo Clinic site recommends 200 to 225 carbs per day. 

I see every bite he eats and I can assure he eats more carbs than 225 each day. I am not confessing to anything. 

As a result of this shocking information, I decided to cook breakfast to avoid more carbs. The last time we went out in time for breakfast, I cooked Johnsonville Sausage patties. He ate two with a piece of bread and complained the sausage had little taste. I scrambled three eggs and ate two sausage patties, thinking the sausage was overly tasty! I think all his years of smoking and eating too much sodium has affected his taste. 

Now, I need to figure out how to make his sausage more tasty. I will only eat one patty, if even that. I am not really worried about eggs since three has less than one carb all together. Each Johnsonville patty has 0.5 g of carbs. 

Additionally, I had about ten ounces of milk...10 grams of carbohydrates. He had a slice of bread, about 15 carbs. So, we both had a better breakfast than our usual Hardee's breakfast, more nutritious, less sodium, and less deleterious to our health.  

From this day forward I will keep a list of foods we eat and carbs therein. Yes, calories count. Carbs are what is making him drive crazy when his blood sugar drops. 

There is no need to inform me when I eat something bad for me!

Have you ever found out one thing about the food you eat that has been a revelation and changed your way of eating? 

Saturday So Busy and "Marching" Record

 We went to Cullman Saturday. I got the mail and went to the Farmer's Market where I bought:

A mess of green beans $2

dozen eggs $4

peaches--seven for $6

zucchini $4 with yellow squash added to make it $6,

2 yellow squash 

I used coupons for free produce, and they are in $6 denominations, so I get something to make up the extra cost, hence the 2 squash. 

The green beans came from the guy selling eggs. I asked him if I could just get $2 of green beans. The other guy at the booth started bagging up a whole mess of green beans and I reminded him I was only buying $2 worth. He said, "Well, this looks like $2 worth of beans to me." So, he was being generous because I am a regular customer and love to talk chickens. Good deal! 

I went to a store and bought tomatoes and Vidalia onions. The market only had green tomatoes, and I am not a fan of green tomatoes. I should have bought a couple to fry for Tommy. 

Saturday night, we had meatballs and green beans cooked in foil in the oven and sliced tomatoes. It was delicious. The tomatoes should have been added to meatballs and beans. Tommy like the whole green beans--"different way to cook (whole) and different taste (olive oil and garlic), good." The meatballs were cooked and frozen, so just needed heating.

On Friday, I "marched" for 10 minutes, a new record for me. Tonight, I will do the same. Okay, it is getting late and I am about to drop, so tomorrow. 

Saturday morning, I cooked breakfast to avoid buying Hardee's sausage and biscuit. Tommy ate bread and two sausages. I had three scrambled eggs and two sausage patties. Next time, I will only have one sausage patty. The Johnsonville Sausage patties were on sale this week, so I have three packages of premade sausages. 

After sleeping an hour and a half on Friday night, I took a two and a half hour nap, getting up much sooner than I really desired. Hopefully, I can work my way back to a semi-normal sleep pattern. 

Saturday was a really good day.

Successful Friday Yard Sale-ing

 Today, we had plans. Once again, we went to a food giveaway, not the nationwide one. A church is the location. We brought home enough meat for two + weeks as we don't consume as much as a family. 

On the way there, we had to take a detour since traffic was so heavy the way we needed to travel. Lucky me! We passed a yard sale, so decided to stop on the way back. I have certain criteria for yard sales.

First, does it look like it is just children's toys and clothing for anyone, especially children? Do I have to walk far? Do I have to walk down into a ditch or up a bank to get there? Do I have to walk far? Am I broken already so that I will be unsteady? Is it raining? Will I have to walk in mud or wet grass after a rain or before the dew has burned off? Is there a dog in the yard? 

I could see a dozen things or more that I could use or liked! It was very close to the road. there was only a little step down and nothing like it to walk up to yard level. I was fresh! No mud or dew was present. I saw no dog. 

As I went along, I spied a box with "Waterford" on it. I asked the woman to pick it up from the ground. I also asked if I could sit for a minute. Yes, it did have a Waterford mark. I asked her to get me the two Monopoly games. One was very old with the old markers. Money was clean and barely used. I did not check the Star Trek Monopoly game. I asked if they would take a reduction on the Waterford and paid one price for all of it which meant a reduction on the two games, also. 

I may sell all three. I might only sell the games. We will see. I walked about 20 feet and 20 back to the car with a little rest in a chair and a cane to steady me. She pointed out holes for me to be safe, and she put the items in the vehicle. I had fun. There were three people there and no other customers at the moment, so I did not take up time they needed to spend with someone else. 

Used, the Waterford bowl was $29, so maybe I can sell it. 

Now, I need to start thinking about dinner. Even though I did little, my back really hurts! 

We decided we will keep both hummingbird feeders and put one in the back yard. It will be hard to fill and we will have to stand at the sink to see hummingbirds, but it will be worth it. The backyard will be cooler, so we may have more hummingbirds there and fewer in the torrid front yard. 

Do you have criteria or a criterion for yard sales? Can you tell from the road when you do not want to stop? Have you ever stopped against your better judgment and found a treasure? Hve you ever stopped with a heart full of hope and found nothing to buy? How do you react to overpriced junk?

I bought blackberries, cream cheese, Diet Coke Caffeine Free b2g2, Johnsonville Sausage Patties on sale, two tomatoes, bananas, a2milk 2/$7 (Usually $4.59 for  half gallon), and garlic powder at Publix.

Accomplished

 I think I slept until 11 am today, and I am sure I could have slept longer. But, I got up with a mission in mind--hummingbird feeder. It is done the hard way. 

Ordering it on Amazon was so easy, but they sent it to the wrong station so I cancelled. Today, we spent 4 hours buying one. 

First, we went to the Most Hated Big Box. I found the feeder but not an ant moat. Tommy stood in line and made three returns for me, so that is almost $30 back in my pocket. When he saw the hummingbird feeder he seemed very please and picked it up to look at it. 

I went off to find Miracle Whip. I found store brand Cheerios for Tommy, a small package of sugar-free candy-Werther's. I also bought a hand towel. Don't ask. 

Then, I went to Lowe's to see what kind of what kind of feeder was there, My plan is to use a shepherd's crook to hang the hummingbird feeder. I also needed some wire for another project. I looked for wave petunias but they had none. 

Sooo, the electric cart quit before I even got started. I managed to corral a guy to push me...lol. This has always been the idea of Lowe's, so I asked someone. I bought another hummingbird feeder so I can take the one back that I don't want.  Then, life became very difficult when I wanted wire. They wanted me to buy insulated stuff and buy it from a roll, having it cut. They swore they have never seen a little roll of wire on cardboard with the clear bubble enclosing the wire! And, they mocked me for even thinking anything like that existed. 

So, I left with my shepherd's crook with two hanging places and another hummingbird feeder. All this took four hours! We were exhausted. 

I took an hour and a half nap and awoke to heat chicken and some cooked zucchini for Tommy, plus he had uncooked baby carrots. I just ate two bites of his chicken and zucchini. He loved the zucchini from Ruby Tuesday, so I cook it for him. There was no garlic that I could find, so I put onion flakes in the zucchini that I cooked last night for today's dinner. 

And, I forgot to buy loppers! And, it was so hot today. I love the heat, but inside Lowe' s garden center and in full sun is not fun. 

Tonight, I really am going to get the hummingbird's nectar ready to get this all up tomorrow. I think Tommy will love it. I may have to change the nectar every afternoon since the front yard is sooo hot here. 

All in all, Wednesday was a happy day due to bringing home the hummingbird feeders and something on which to hang them. 

Have you ever seen wire in a bubble pack? They swear it does not exist. Have you spent an inordinate amount of time for a small chore that left you exhausted and disgusted? 

Tired and Rambling

I have been so tired and not sleeping well at all. Okay, I can sleep for hours during the day. But, at night I am wide awake even if I do not take a nap. I suppose I should give in and become a vampire. 

Everyday, I tell Tommy he needs to come and help me get frozen meat from the freezer. He is sort of a spotter in case of an avalanche. I usually throw my body at the freezer and stop the chunks from falling and hitting my feet or skittering across the floor. 

Finally, tonight, he helped me. I did sit on a five gallon bucket and get stuff from my upright freezer. So, no chest stopping the meat. I found a package of frozen thighs, a turkey breast, and a package of Italian Sausages. Then, I looked more closely and found I had a chicken and not a turkey breast. Oh well. 

I will cook the chicken in a cooking bag along with the thighs. After we have our first meal, he will remove all the meat from the bones. He will like this for lunch sandwiches or to put on a salad. Then, I can check more carefully and find a turkey breast. I know I must have one in one of the freezers. 

Tuesday afternoon, I bought an expensive package of boneless, skinless breast instead of buying KFC. That package worked for lunch and for dinner tonight as well as dinner last night. So, now that more meat is thawing, there will be no temptation at all for eating out. 

We are slowly getting a zillion cans of food that are five years old from his dining room, all stashed in a huge box! I go around and behind the table and pick up one can at a time and he stands on the other side of a barrier of food and stuff and takes each can and puts it in a bag for discarding in the garbage. Some of the cans are ready to explode, others have leaked, all in pretty bad shape. Before I got the floor lamp to use, there was no way to see what was there! 

Items back there that he forbade me to discard, he is now amenable to losing as he says he does not care. How many ice cream buckets that are 20 years old does one need?

So, I have done things, just not much in the way of fun activities, which is not to say life is boring or mundane. The glue in my eye dissipated, so that is one worry off my mind and out of my eye. I resumed reading The Bird Way now. 

Everyday, I call two places trying to get rid of this covid haircut! They must have plenty of customers since they never answer the phone. 

Everyday, I look for a package.  Finally, I cancelled the order. I had ordered a hummingbird feeder for Tommy and an ant guard. I will find one somewhere else. The neighbors must wonder what I am up to when I look outside every few minutes for days. I will make the feed to go into the feeder instead of buying the poisonous red liquid. Tommy does not know what I have been waiting to receive. 

Does anyone have a hummingbird feeder? Got any good stories or advice? 

I Am Confused

 When I went to the doctor, he said he was concerned about how low was my blood pressure. I commented that it was actually higher for the last appointment I had with another doctor for something else. I also told him my blood pressure for years was too low. 

Okay, that went well.

Then, I picked up prescriptions. I asked the pharmacy person the only new prescription was. She said a fluid pill. Okay, I had complained that my feet were still too swollen. 

Then, at a different doctor, she commented on my feet. Then, while reviewing meds, she asked me if I were still taking a certain med. I know I looked blank, and sat and stammered. When I asked, she said it was blood pressure med. I still looked blank and slowly said, "No." 

My blood pressure was actually high at this visit, so I am sure she thought I was not taking meds I needed. As it turns out, at that appointment, the person doing my pre-doc stuff put the blood pressure cuff below my elbow.  My arm is not that big. When the cuff inflated, I felt like I was stabbed and all five digits were extended involuntarily. So, I wonder why my blood pressure was really high? I commented about the position. When I felt stabbed, gasped and complained further! 

Now, a week later, my arm and fingers are not back to normal. It feels like lightning strikes down my arm and fingers. The tingling is painful. 

I am feeling abused by the medical industry. However, the rest is working well for me, I think. Do you ever have bouts of misuse of their power. 

According to medical site, taking blood pressure below the elbow results in a higher blood pressure reading. 

When I went to pharmacy to pick up my meds from first doctor, one prescription was too expensive. Why? According to woman at window, not pharmacist, my insurance did not cover it. I asked what it was--cortisone cream. I was puzzled that this doctor would give me something for skin. So, I asked who gave it to me and wrote down the name. I told her I had never been to that doctor, that there must have been a mistake. No, no mistake according to her.

When I came home, I looked up the doctor's name, a pediatrician. ??? I wonder what child did not get te cream needed. 

All this happened in three days!

It is a good thing I am still able to be in charge of my own health! Do you ever have bizarre or incorrect info or meds from doctors or people trained for intake?

I Tried Watermelon and Mustard

 Today, I was using Gorilla Glue Ultimate. Now, my eye is burning from glue in my eye. At first, my eyelids were sticking together. Now, It just burns and waters. I had gotten glue on my finger and wiped it off. I really thought all the glue was off my finger! I checked my other fingers and there was a thin film on many of them!

I may have Tommy take me to the eye emergency room. 

Amazon is late with something for Tommy! Grrr! Well, it is not personal so I will enjoy it, too.

Finally, I remembered to buy watermelon to taste mustard and watermelon. Really, it is good! I won't be eating this all the time. But, it is not horrible at all. I thought Tommy was going to try it, but he refused. sigh Try it and let me know what you think. Okay?

I was all set to only have Tommy wash the clothes once a week by buying more panties and putting more dish towels in rotation. So, Thursday would have been a week since laundry. But, rain kept me from even asking him. Today, Sunday, he washed my clothes. I still had plenty, but it is going to rain for the next three days, I think. 

Instead of washing clothes seven times a month, at this rate the clothes will be washed three times each month. So, that is less water and less times the washing machine runs. I think that counts for a win. 

Today, I took my car to wash it, but the car wash was closed tight. I don't know if it was because it was Father's Day or because it was Sunday or too late. I am grateful my tires did not get a flat spot from sitting so long. I would have hated the loss of tire rubber. 

My father is dead and Tommy has no children, so there was not much happening in this house today. 

The bunnies in our yard and the birds at the park have kept us entertained.  Speaking of our yard, I did not know what plants had been given to me since they were not labeled. I thought they looked like Brussel's Sprouts, but dismissed the idea. Well, today I confirmed that since I have dozens of tiny sprouts. But, they are all hollow, just little round shells of sprouts. Bummer. Hopefully, I can revive them. 

Do you grow Brussel's sprouts? Do you think I can pull off all the tiny dud sprouts and get more?

Two guys and two car problems

 The battery on my car had died since I never drive it. Then, when I wanted to drive it, I could not. This frustrated me. We have a battery cable, but I did not think the two of us could handle it. I know he can do it, but often there is often a need to go back and forth from one car to the other if something slips off the post. My hands might not be strong enough. Side posts are so hard for me. The carport is about 18 inches above the level of the yard.  It would make his life too tough to have to go down to the driveway and around the yard to his car and/or back! 

Some days, it is just too hot or too wet or something...lol. Then, I was ill. There are neighbors but for various reasons, they cannot help. Tommy is loathe to call a service and so am I. Finally, he asked me about my roadside service. I called and within 45 minutes, my car was running. Why did it take us so long to think of this?!

The guy came and had a big case, a charger, I suppose. All of a sudden, he started screaming. This was quite a shock to my system, let me tell you. I am quite sure this black man could be heard down the block. Then, he started screaming into the phone again. Finally, he unplugged his case and was leaving. He asked me for my id, so Tommy went to get my purse. 

In the meantime, I told him nicely that he should not be using the phone and making such a racket arguing while with a customer and on the job. He said it was his daughter, that her dance teacher was going to charge him $10/10 minutes as he was late picking her up. The second call was from the dance teacher. He was very rough with the teacher. He was explaining all this to me, telling me had to get to Eastlake to pick her up. This was 8:15 and he said he picked her up every night at 9 pm, so he could not figure out the deal. Whew! He left without getting my id, so I don't know the outcome of his reporting the job he did. 

After the car was jumped off, we needed to drive it. One tire really needed air, so we set out to find air. There is a station with air that we could not work because Tommy cannot bend far enough and I could not stay bent down long enough. So, we wondered if maybe Auto Zone had air. When we got there, a guy was coming out  and I asked him if he knew if they had air. He said they did not. He told us to go the service station and he would put air in the tire. 

I was going to use my debit card but there was a problem, so Tommy kept yelling he had change. I went back and he dumped lots of change but only three quarters into my hand. Well, I knew the machine would not take anything but quarters, but he kept insisting, so I just threw all but the quarters into the seat.  I asked him to get a dollar from my purse and he did. The guy kept saying he would pay and went to his car. So, we only needed another quarter after he found four quarters. 

He was so nice. He and his friend with the quarter both worked on putting air in the tire. He assured me it only had 43 pounds now, but he would put more. I explained it only needed 32 pounds, so his friend took over and let some out. Whew! Nice guys, so nice. I really felt bad neither one would take the dollar I offered to repay them. 

That was last night, so if the rain quits, I will see if I still have a charge. I need to drive it more often. 

It is rainy here in Alabama and one tornado hit far from here this morning. Hopefully, there will only be rain from here on out. It was in the low 70s all day today, rather shocking temperature. 

There are four beautiful bell peppers here, so they would be put in the meatloaf tonight. But, yesterday, I thawed diced peppers thinking it was diced chicken. So, Tommy had bell pepper in his salad yesterday. thankfully, I had also thawed a whole chicken thigh. I need to thaw more ground beef and make stuffed peppers. He also loves it when I use peppers, onion, garlic and other vegetables cooked in olive oil and just served as a vegetable dish, along with whatever meat I serve. 

Tommy is not a father but since he was a chickie daddy, I always get him something small and make a fuss. His gift has not arrived even though it was supposed to be delivered here today. bummer

Stressful Situation that Became Calming

Wednesday night, I slept a whole two hours. Maybe I slept another four hours, but when I awoke at 8:30, I knew I should stay up as I had things to do. 

I was stressed to the max because the doctor's office I was visiting refused to get me from the curb. Last time, I had to ask a stranger to get me pushed inside. Then, I had to ask another stranger to push me to elevator, then another to get me into the elevator and to doctor's office. In the meantime, no medical personnel would help me. 

This was so humiliating, making me feel unloved, uncared for and just hopeless. 

I cancelled an appointment a couple of weeks ago since I did not want to sit in the rain in a wheelchair and hope someone would help me. 

The building that houses the doctor's offices is a bank, I think. They will bring a wheelchair to the curb and leave me to fend for myself. 

After the doctor treated me and was about to leave the room, I told him there was one more thing. He was soooo nice! I told him I really liked him as a person and a kind doctor, but I could not come to him again because of lack of access. He immediately said he would allow someone to help me. I was one breath away from asking him to recommend another doctor. 

Tommy had used canes to get to me in the wheelchair. I hold his canes. He struggled to push me. I had him come into the doctor with me. The doctor looked at him. I told the doctor Tommy could not take one step without help, unlike me. I also told him about my spine problem, telling him I needed help for any distance. 

Because of hand injuries and torn rotator cuffs, I cannot wheel myself anywhere. 

The doctor was so sympathetic to both of us. He told me to call and someone would help me next time. When I told him the person at the desk had refused to come down and push me, saying they were not allowed. The wheelchair they brought me was for a very huge person and the woman had trouble getting it into the room and especially out of the exam room. He had a nurse push me back down. I had Tommy start down since he is slower than a wheelchair. He is also slower than me pushing a walker. 

I cannot walk far even with a walker! He can walk far with two canes or a walker. I  can walk farther than you might imagine if I can sit often. But, going to a doctor is often not possible without help. 

All in all, it turned out to be a pleasant and fruitful visit. I was going because of the bump in my ear that is way down near the eardrum, but not on it. The doctor I saw on Monday told me it had a little white top to it. He could not see that top but said he suspected it was a sebaceous gland. He can do nothing short of surgery, but is trying to make it go away. I have some sort of drops to put on a cotton ball and put that on the bump. 

This sebaceous gland wants to be a virulent problem. I wonder why it comes and goes. I also wonder if the Vit D3 is helping it stay fairly small. We discussed that. He thinks maybe that is so or at least is a possibility. He was shocked I was taking a 50,000 units dose twice a week. Me, too. 

Thursday started out so stressful and ended on a calming note, thankfully! I had a two-hour nap and managed to heat hotdogs and chili sauce, no beans, and make slaw. So, we are fed. This meal was planned last week, but I was in no shape to even stir slaw. 

Oh, I looked at Tommy as he sat down in the exam room. He had on permanently stained and torn pants with a huge grease stain on the shirt. One of the stains on the khakis was some sort of glob of tomato sauce. I was horrified. I made sure they knew I did not know of this. He kept saying he thought he was going to sit in the car the whole time. GAAA! Let's clean up, anyway. 

Checking Receipts Pays Big!

 One day, I purchased toilet paper that was in the sale ad at Publix. When I checked out, the toilet paper was higher than I expected. I commented that it was on sale for $6.49. The cashier assured me it was not, so I purchased it anyway at $9.99. 

I thought it over and decided I was correct, but somehow the ad was discarded when it expired. All the while I was ill last week, I planned my next move. I had Tommy check with his credit card company and see when a purchase was made for a little over $10. With that information in hand, Sunday, I asked at the service desk if someone could find the receipt. Within minutes I had a copy of the receipt. 

Then, I told the CS person the problem and asked her to find the receipt ad, she did. She produced the ad, and, sure enough, It was on sale. She gave me back a $10 bill and almost a dollar in change. It seems if the price is wrong in Publix, the whole amount charged is refunded. I was not aware  So, I was able to hand Tommy almost $11. He was so happy to have money in his wallet. He never has money unless I repay something I have borrowed...lol. 

When he bought cereal for me, it was bogo. However, the two boxes were rung up on the receipt with no evidence of bogo. I had paid full price for each. When I pointed this out, I received a little over $10 back. Good deal!

Check your receipts! Between us we received over $21.  Plus, I have a large pack of tp and two boxes of cereal I did not have to buy. $$$ and free merchandise are my kind of deals. 

Usually, I challenge the price when I believe it is wrong. If not, I go back to the shelf and check the price again. Very seldom am I wrong about what price I thought I saw. 

Right now, I have receipts sitting here to challenge at a big box store. There are a variety of problems with them, so it will take more than just returning items. 

Often, in the case of the toilet paper, I am tardy with my return. 

Do you check receipts at the time of purchase or at home? Are you willing to take things back or challenge a price you were charged?  Are you really happy to receive your own money>

Midnight at the Oasis

 I awoke from a night's sleep or my version of a night at midnight. I had gone to sleep at 9 pm. But, do you think I could get  a good night's sleep? Well, no. Apparently, I am not meant to sleep ever again. 

A trip to the doctor confirmed I am going to live, that I survived the severe (bronchitis?) lung problem, the prednisone and Z pack. I feel really well. 

The seat pattern and 4 pieces of plywood are at my friend's house, awaiting his magic saw. Hopefully, he will get those done soon so that I can get Tommy's chairs upholstered and he will have something sturdy. He readily agreed to lose the old, metal and vinyl chairs when we rescued these. Actually, I put a "free" sign on them. Someone who was willing and able to do a bit of work picked them up. 

A piece of "free to me" plywood stayed propped against the mailbox post until someone rescued it.

My friend who died two weeks ago is having a virtual memorial with Zoom. Or, maybe it is a virtual funeral, not sure. 

Tommy really uses his bird book and cd lots. We saw a bird in my yard that neither of us recognized. He spent time looking it up while I was in the doctor's office. Apparently, it is a cowbird.

Wildlife is abundant when a person is looking for it and when  a person is not. We saw so many cows up close and personal. Well, they all seemed to be near to the highway where we cold get a good look as we zoomed by. I love cows!

Tommy often asks me "What is that flower?" Mostly, I only catch a blurry glimpse of color. Sometimes, I know; sometimes, I don't. Today, I ordered a seed catalogue and another for flowers. I guarantee he will enjoy these in the car and at home. 

It is now 1:30. Maybe I can get more sleep.

So Tired

 Azithromycin always makes me tired. The prednisone has made me hurt all over. Yet, I can only sleep about four hours every 24 hours. It takes a nap to get to four hours after two hours each night. 

I immediately became less ill after the last pill, so did not go to the doctor. I no longer believe I have covid, but I am being tested. 

Tommy is having leftovers--chopped chicken with bbq sauce, salad, green beans. I am having a can of tuna with lots of celery in it and salad. 

Saturday

 

The ground beef has been chopped and cooked. Tommy did a great job of chopping it very finely. I cooked part of it for dinner with leftovers for another meal. I froze about  third of it. And, I put another third in the refrigerator for another meal. I figure we will have six meals, three for each of us or more out of each third, from 2.5 lbs of beef. I thought each package held more. It was separated into thirds with each package giving us four to six meals. 

Tommy was looking forward to meat loaf, but I had cooked all the meat, so I put out another package which should get us a total of four meals, two each. 

I am officially declaring Hamburger Helper nasty! I made the cheeseburger box and hated it. And, why does it need two cups of milk? So, no more. 

Maybe I have covid. Tomorrow, if I feel so awful, I will be going to have a covid test. The antibiotic and prednisone are helping but not much. No, I am going no matter how I feel. This is bad. 

About what the doctor said about the thyroid ultrasound--the recommendation to wait a year for another ultrasound came from the doctor who read the ultrasound. He is not the doctor who sent me for the test. The doctor who sent me did so after I expressed concern that another lump was in my neck. It hurts. So, he said, "Do you want me to order an ultrasound?" When I agreed, he immediately ordered it. I have every assurance in my head that he will see this nodule is removed. I can feel it when I swallow. 

At last, the rain is letting up. I have spray painting to do outdoors, so I have been in a snit to get outdoors. Well, maybe I will feel like going out. I want to walk and just end up in bed. It was a pretty, peaceful day in the park today. 

Stuff

 Since it had been three days since I had done my "marching" exercise, I resumed them Thursday.  I marched 1:30 and then another 3:30 later for a solid 5 minutes. I folded clothes--dozen+ dishtowels and a few dishcloths, hand towels and washcloths. I hung panties and two nightgowns. I emptied the dishwasher which took me all day. I took no nap but lay down for an hour and a half while I talked to a friend. 

Tommy went into Publix for me and took a list. He bought all I wanted, some sales, and milk. Still no 2% of the a2milk. He mildly complained about a line.   

My knees do not hurt at all now. Enough rest and the knees are okay for a while. 

I really hate to have to try so hard to convince doctors I do have something wrong with me! Just as I thought after receiving a report from ultrasound, I do have a nodule behind the surviving half of my thyroid! I really don't want to follow the recommendation to let it stay for a year and then have another ultrasound. Would you? It will become cancerous if it is not now.  Well, that is my fear.

Okay, Friday morning here, and I have not slept a wink.  My feet were not cold. I did not get up every fifteen minutes to go to the bathroom. I was not hungry. But a toe hurt all night. 

Oh, I have lost five pounds. Yay me! 

The friend with whom I talked for so long last night said he had lost 65 lbs. during his store closing. Now that he is at work again with the store open, he has gained back 10 lbs. He goes out to lunch everyday. I encouraged him to pack a healthy lunch like he was having at home.  I think he will. 

Today, we are going to cook two packages of ground beef and decide what to do with it: freeze it in small packages, or cook several dishes and freeze those for quick meals with a salad or a can of vegetables. Tommy said he would tend the meat, chopping it and stirring, and not letting it burn. When the meat is in the pot, I will move several packages of chicken to the refrigerator to thaw. 

Okay, I slept most of Friday. I feel terrible and Tommy is not cooperating with things. Well, he did let me sleep undisturbed, so that is great. He wants pizza since the kitchen is a wreck and I told him I don't want to clean and cook. PBJ would be fine with me except we have no B or J...lol. I am reeling and need my inhaler, so I had better go get it. 

All in all, it was a good day. He is going to cook and chop the ground beef later. It does not need to sit another day. 

Reducing Loads of Laundry, Mending Soothes

 It just happened that white things of mine needed to be washed about every four days. It occurred to me that increasing items I have could make that a once-a-week chore. By the way, Tommy washed all his clothing in one load every two weeks! So, he does. Since I had trouble with balance for a while, he did mine, too, so I would not fall off the carport side. It is only 18 inches, but that is too far to fall...lol. 

I needed more panties to extend the time between a load of panties and my towels and washcloths. So, I bought two more bags of panties. Yes, I use lots of panties. 

Remember how I bought many dishtowels last fall when I got them for 50 cents and 32 cents? Well, I did. When we were washing dishes by hand, I used lots of towels for drying and one to just lay things on the counter to drain until Tommy could dry them. But, I was using the ones still from 2019 sales. Ten of the new 2020 towels were on a shelf to use in case I needed them. Well, I took those 10 and added to 10 I use all the time. So, with dishcloths, so now Those can stretch to only be washed once a week.

So, somehow, Thursday became a day for washing white load or loads. 

I have two pair of black pants that are so old and holey. But, I wear them. One of the holes is under a blouse and one is on my backside. If I wear black panties, the holes are not so evident...lol. So, last night, as poorly as I felt, I starting mending one of these pair of pants. I discovered other holes have sprung, so I was busy. These pants are 100% cotton, so they will soon disintegrate. 

Sewing and reading are the two passions of mine. Sewing includes machine sewing, mending, and needle arts, especially needlepoint. So, even with mending black after dark and feeling very ill, I somehow felt very peaceful and relaxed after sewing with a needle.  Yes, you heard it right--

Sewing is relaxing! 

I have been sewing since I was four, so this is a passion of over 70 years. I have used a sewing machine to make wearable clothing since I was ten, so 60 years on a sewing machine, starting with a treadle. 

It does seem counterintuitive to buy more to save money, time, and energy, but having enough items to only wash once a week or less works for me, especially since Tommy drives it to the laundry in the carport. 

Does sewing relax you? okay, stop screaming and tell me what "household chore" relaxes you?

Dinner tonight all leftovers--hotdogs, slaw, green beans, maybe chili without beans. I am making a Suddenly Salad just because. Tomorrow, it will have tuna in it for me. Scratch that plan. Try: chopped chicken from freezer and add bbq sauce, salad with dressing, about two Tbsp of slaw, Suddenly Salad with lots of carrots in it.

Bad Habit or just one time

 Okay, this cannot become a habit! I have never eaten during the night! EVER! But, last night, I could not sleep and was famished. And, I could not sleep. So, about 5 am, I ate cream cheese.  Then, I ate cheese. Then, I ate ice cream. ugh I will just drink water next time! 

I finally went to sleep about 7 am and slept until noon. At 1pm, I rested for twenty minutes while I called a friend. 

Needless to say, I am maybe one bit better. Tommy is going to do the grocery shopping today. Needing milk is the only reason he needs to go at all. When they were out of my milk, I just got one whole milk. They still don't have whole milk in the a2milk, so he is going to get only one half gallon today. I did make a list for him, so we will see how he does. Sometimes, I have trouble with even a list, so it won't matter as I can just rest in the car, maybe sleep. 

Now, the weather looks bad, so maybe we can wait until tomorrow.  Okay, we waited for a hour or so and went in a sprinkle and came home in dry weather...lol. He got everything I listed. 

He substituted the kind of salad greens I buy but I could not remember exactly what to get. He did find my Cokes b2g1, so that was good. I told him to get anything he wanted, junk or not, to just get it if he wanted to eat it. He got nothing. He is not a browser. Well, today he was not. But, the bananas are what I wanted and he got the kind I like--not green. 

We are having hotdogs, no buns, chili sauce with no beans, and cole slaw for dinner tonight. I think I can manage to microwave hotdogs, and make slaw if Tommy will open the can of chili. 

I feel a teensy bit better tonight than this morning. Who knows? Making slaw might just destroy me.  I think tomorrow will be better with the prednisone and Z pack.

A friend is going to cut the chair bottoms for me from the wood he gave me. I hope he lets me pay him.  YAY!  Now, I need to shop for fabric to cover the chairs. Maybe I can get something used for the upholstery or something cheap, on sale, clearance.  I suppose I will have to buy a stapler since my heavy one I bought for $1 at a yard sale is gone!

Tomorrow's trip to get my mail has been cancelled since 80% rain and storms are forecast. I also cancelled free lunch. Since a person has to reserve a lunch, I suppose they expected a cancellation instead of a no-show. 

Even on a gray day, there are smiles. We saw a bunny playing in the neighbor's yard. 

Do you ever eat in the middle of the night if you awake hungry? What do you eat?

Frugal Dreams

 As I have said, I slept not a wink on Monday night.  I did have a few things to do before I went to bed for a long nap. 

First, I called the doctor. So, I had to tell her all about what I wanted/needed. I told about the three inhalers, the guaifenesin, present temp, and coughing, wheezing, pain in chest...on and on. She said she would get the assistant to call me. I was so upset at not having this message given to the doctor...PhD nurse. 

SO, I COULD NOT GET SLEEP.

Then, hours later, I received a call from the nurse. I asked her if she did not get the message with all I said. Well, it appears not so I had to repeat myself. I was not in a good mood! AND, I forgot some of the items she needed to know, like the inhalers. I did not need a prescription for another inhaler is the reason I thought this was important. Hopefully, all this got to the doctor. 

Sooo, finally I slept. My dreams were all frugal. I dreamed about cooking the whole time I dreamed. 

I had found roasts on sale so bought several. Then, I had the butcher cut them smaller. Then, I was cutting them myself. You know how dreams go. I tore pieces of foil to cook many of these "dinners" of roast, carrots, and onion, and a stalk of celery.  I busily loaded the foil and folded the foil just so. I was reveling in how many meals I cooked/prepared at one time. Each "meal" was good for two or three meals when thawed. 

I was so busy as I slept and rested. I slept over four hours and awoke feeling like someone beat me. Now, we are going to get my prescription. 

Okay, at 7 pm, I have two prescriptions. Tommy went into Publix and got me a chicken breast, Cheerios for him, and chocolate ice cream. Now, at home, I don't feel like eating anything. But, I must and I must drink lots of water.  He is eating the rest of the breast and will have two boneless thighs, green beans, and tomatoes. 

I wish I had some of the roasts and vegetables I prepared and cooked in my sleep.

Monday Doings--Asthma, Air Fryer, Knee, Shingles

Bed has been my friend! For the last week, I have been fighting what I believed was bronchitis settling into my lungs. Well, maybe it does not settle, but I have been feeling it. I have elevated temp by 2 degrees.

I have used inhalers, otc guaifenisen, and rest, but it hangs on and is getting worse...as in asthma attack. I slept little Sunday night and slept late on Monday. I can stay up about two hours and then collapse in the bed and sleep for hours. All this rest is good for my knee as it is not quite so tender and painful. My eardrums are killing me! Shingles is back on head and outer ear. I am miserable!

Monday morning I did not have enough milk because I had milk Sunday night. About 6 pm we went to Publix and Tommy went in.

I had him get one half gallon of milk, well, 59 ounces. They did not have 2% in a2milk, so he bought whole milk. I only wanted him to get one. This is the first time he has gone in a grocery store in over a year.  We won't do this again. I felt so awful I did not even comb my hair and knew I would struggle even to drive the electric cart. Oh, I could have driven it--right into displays and people!

We went to Burger King and had a meal of Whopper Jr., little bit of fries, and drink. That made me feel so much better. Now, several hours later, I am still hungry, so while I have the strength I will go in and fix something else to eat, like maybe chicken noodle soup. I throw out the noodles.

While eating in the park, I told Tommy he needed to come and help me get meat out of the freezer as soon as we got home. The only reason I need him is for potential avalanches! Luckily, all he had to do was wait for me to take two packages of ground beef from the freezer. Tomorrow, I will find bell peppers and make meat loaf. I want to make the cheeseburger meatloaf, too. I took out two packages of meat. 

The park was a bright, fun spot when we watched people and birds! 

We got the air fryer out and tried to see why the cooking unit will not go back into the heating unit. No clue! So, I suppose I will contact the manufacturer. After asking Tommy for months to get it out and look at it, he finally did when I told him to do it now! 

I was informed of a place to get free lunch in Cullman, a new place and the same place that had dinners for elders and children...no dinners there now, and now lunch. They called me.

When I go check my mail this week, I will get my covid antibody test. I am anxious to know the result. Hopefully, the excessive rain will let up. Otherwise, we will not be out and about. 

If it is not one thing, it's another!

 Somehow, Friday, I hurt my knee. I don't remember now. I think I just sat with it crooked. It is not getting better, just worse. I still did my marching. I marched for five minutes twice yesterday. Then, I just marched one minute, waited a bit and marched for another minute. 

Twice today, I have gone in to lie in the bed and rest my knee. Both times I went to sleep. But, since I had Tommy get me after one hour, I did not sleep away the day, just rested. 

Saturday, we were going to Cullman to get my mail, but that was postponed because of my knee. Of course, I was planning to get more eggs and strawberries. 

Dinner was hard to manage even though I only made a salad with Romaine, carrots, and tomatoes and microwaved chicken for a minute. Oh, forgot, we did have mac n cheese since there were no other carbs in the meal. 

Today, I re-learned a lesson. The mac n cheese was three weeks over the best by date. And, it was awful. Years ago, I learned this, but I suppose I forgot. Since we don't have this Kraft treat often, this was the last box. It is the cheese that goes off. It loses color and taste.

Friday night's dinner made a good meal on Saturday, too. Unfortunately, I will have to cook on Sunday! Maybe meatloaf? 

So, there is nothing happening here! Anything happening at your house?

This and That

 We went out for one thing today and forgot the watermelon to eat with mustard. But, there is a list for tomorrow and the watermelon is on the list. 

About ten days ago, I talked with two friends. These were the conversations that leave a person happy and filled with a satisfaction. You know the kinds of conversations I mean. 

Dinner Friday night was turkey breast slices, carrots, and potatoes, all baked in the oven. 

I received a pair of pants and two blouses I ordered from Amazon and nothing fit. Bummer. 

The neighbor that mowed Tommy's yard had to have someone mow his yard and had the service mow Tommy's, too. I think another neighbor is sick. Remember, one died. 

Instead of using storage bags, I mostly use sandwich bags for short-term storage. Tonight, I put two pieces of chicken in a sandwich bag instead of a storage bag. We will eat the chicken tomorrow. Sandwich bags are cheaper. 

Once a month, whether I need it or not, I buy a package of Northern in the purple pack, any size. 

Tommy lets oranges waste because he does not eat them regularly and just lets them sit. But, when he does eat and orange, he eats three. I don't understand. I rarely eat an orange, actually never because I cannot eat much fiber per doctor's orders. 

Tomorrow, I hope to get my car jumped off. The battery has been dead for about two months. I doubt I can help Tommy with the battery. I can sit in the car and start it...lol. We need someone to help us. 

Thankfully, we are eating down the food in the refrigerator. Tommy had two gallons of milk and I have five half-gallons. I cannot search, so he has to. Now, I can find things on my own. 

I had the nose-pieces changed in my new glasses from the ones that came on the glasses to new silicone ones. The tech said the ones that came on the glasses were plastic. The plastic ones make my skin, hurt, burn, sweat, and turn red! So, now I get to wear my new glasses again. 

Do the little nose pads on your glasses bother your nose/skin? 

Watermelon with Mustard on It

 The ribs were better on Wednesday than on Memorial Day. The sauce sort of slid off. But, on Wednesday I used a different sauce that stuck, soaked in for better taste when I recooked the ribs. So, they are gone. I had corn on the cob and Tommy had coc and peas. I got those ribs all over me! 

Somehow, somewhere, I got the idea we were having a streak of 90F+ days. It has been anything but. I must have remembered that from last week. It is in 70s and 80s and mostly damp. The temps are okay but I can do without the rain. Yes, I know we need it. 

Thursday night, we are having a salad with tomatoes, carrots, Romaine, celery, and other things in it. I will cook turkey tenders to go on the salad or just to eat with the salad. 

UPDATE: I put the very thin pieces of tender is a skillet on the stove. A few minutes later I came back and there were no tenders! I stirred and stirred and poked and found nothing but liquid. What on earth could have happened to the turkey??? I opened a large can, 10 ounces of turkey breast and put that in each salad. There are 9 g of protein in the can, so we each had 4.5 g protein, plus I had protein from the cheese. Good enough. But, can you imagine what happened to the turkey tenders? I baked half of them last week, froze these. 

Did you see Hoda and Jenna trying watermelon with mustard on it on the Today Third Hour? They both said it was delicious and kept eating it. We are going to try that. The experiment won't waste much if we hate it. The watermelon chunks did not look good, so we skipped that for today. Tomorrow, I will go early when the choices of watermelon are better.

So, are you going to try watermelon with mustard on it? 

Haircut, Lamp, Blanket

 It's a good thing I got my mail from the PO box on Tuesday. It was stuffed full! While I was at the PO, I bought stamps because the rates are going up in August. Tommy keeps getting a stamp from me, which is fine by me. But, I decided to get stamps with his cc for him while I bought two books of flowers for me. His stamps are Star Wars robots. I was torn between the flags or Star Wars. He laughed a bit as he thoroughly examined the robots. He said starts or Star Wars did not make a difference. I had been using Christmas stamps, so now I can save them for Christmas. 

We drove 182 miles. I needed an ultrasound, so went to a place that is friendliest and most caring place I have ever had an MRI. The ultrasound tech did not disappoint. Since this facility always gives a $10 gas card, the cost is somewhat mitigated. This is the place that has snacks and cold Cokes for customers. 

While I was going so far, I was going to take an antique lamp to be rewired. BUT, I forgot to put it in the car. I will take two or three lamps next time and maybe make the trip to pick them up. The guy rewires while people shop or take care of other business, so not sure how this will all play out. I love a good lamp shop. Looking at lamps makes me heady. I do not need a meal or a drink, just lamps. 

My lot is still there...lol...and in same condition. I feel well when there, relaxed. 

My friend building a home cut me four squares of plywood to use in the salvaged chairs I found for Tommy. So, that is one cost I (he) won't have to put into free chairs from a junk heap. He may have to pay to have them cut to size. 

The best thing that happened was that I thought to remember to find a telephone number for a hair stylist. He worked with my favorite stylist who quit cutting hair after a thumb joint replacement. I had gone to her for at least 25 years. As she quit, I ended up here, and then Covid hit. So, I really need to find him, someone I trust.

The mail brought me a wool blanket I ordered from ebay. It is vintage. Hopefully, it is 100 percent wool. Tommy thinks it feels rough. I think it feels cuddly.  

I came home exhausted with swollen feet that hurt. So, I did my marching exercise for one minute only because the bottom of my foot hurt. After I put shoes on, I "marched" another five minutes. Eventually, the swelling lessened enough I could walk without pain. 

Hope of a good haircut, a working lamp, and a cuddly blanket--what more could a girl want?!

Last night, I slept well and long. For that I am grateful! 

Will you buy Forever stamps before the price goes up AGAIN?