Trembling Enchantment of Green

 

Trembling Enchantment of Green

"He who keeps a garden still his Eden keeps."

Don't get me wrong. I never wear green. Nothing in my house is green--no walls or furnishings. Green of nature enthralls me every year as though I had never seen it before. As I grow older (almost 63 now) (edit: almost 68 now) (now almost 76), it seems I appreciate it more....not sure why. The life I see in green is something Thoreau would appreciate. Nothing else seems to hold the peace and promise of green trees, foliage of yard plants, and the grass. Maybe it's just me. My St. Augustine grass has a depth to its green that is lacking in other grasses that I have observed. By no means have I experienced all the greens and grasses of the earth.

As I drove the back way from Huntsville, south to my home, avoiding the interstate, about 6:30 pm last Saturday, I was struck by the majesty of the land around me. There were few houses, a little mountain foothills  range, and absolute quiet. People must be at home eating, tending the last bit of their garden, or getting ready to go out on Saturday night, I thought. This road normally has many cars. Not so when I drove the 30+ miles home this evening.

Since I had the radio off, the drive seemed especially serene. From now on the radio will be off so the noise won't interfere with the green experience. Ordinarily, I could not see green for the cacophony of my favorite music (60s and easy listening).

I passed the old barn right beside the road with the little stand for selling produce. No one has sold produce there for the last 25 years. The old man died. His widow insisted on raising and selling gourds. Maybe that is produce. Her son raised gourds just for her and filled a 6' x 6' x 4' high lattice bin, made just for her and her gourds. The bin has a nice roof and overhang for shoppers and gourds to stay dry and shaded.

One summer day, I saw her, bent and walking slowly. She wore a faded, printed cotton house dress, topped by a faded apron. She had a bonnet on her head and old knee socks scrunched around her legs. For years there was never anyone at the stand. The one sighting of her and a later conversation with a very young, respectful relative were the only means of communication except for the locked money box in which to deposit money to pay for gourds. Laughing gently, the relative said the old woman had the only key and checked it regularly.

Now, there are only very old gourds in the bin. It does not look like they raise gourds any longer. The young relative had pointed them out to me, up on the hill near the woods. Did she die? I wonder. Everything was too quiet and green to stop and inquire.

Even the dogs seemed to honor the peace of the green afternoon, soon to be dusk. All their masters must have mowed the lawns because every lawn was freshly cut. The scene was not marred by a jarring note. Mowers were gone. No cars were in sight in the yards and few were on the road. Nature, even subdued by a lawnmower, seemed to be in charge. For one moment, I wondered if it were this quiet a hundred years ago. Home awaits me.

Late Spring has given us over a week of rain which seems to have added another dimension to the green world. As I stood in the backyard today, hanging clothes on the line, I was struck by the fact that I could see only green as I gazed round me. Only the clothes, the chicks and part of the back of my house broke the green spell. The sky was blue with clouds. The 6 foot back fence was obscured by scuppernong vines and wisteria. Even the trunks of the trees were gone, hidden by privets that reached up toward the branches of the hickory nut trees and bowed to the ground, touching the grass. The low-growing limbs of the tree hid my car and the house next door.

The diffuse, trembling green of Nature seemed at her best. Green must be female, tantalizing us each day to play with her, to interact. Green has many agendas and roles--nurturing, playing, birthing, tending, feeding, burying, cleaning, listening, hiding. Green is there to discover as I increasingly have the last few days.

It all seemed too perfect, punctuated by two bright petunia plants, rescued from brown doom at Lowe's. I nurtured them back to their green and pink state. The old-fashioned roses on the back fence have faded, and I won't cut the vines until I see hips. Maybe I will have hips.

For a moment, I felt as if I were in a secret garden, seeing nothing and hearing only the birds and chicks. Sometimes, it is hard to tell them apart just by listening.

I had no horizon, only walls of green on four sides and a blue ceiling. The house is there, but from where I stood, I could not really see it. The blaze of the sun, though blinding, kept me focused on the green. Weeds grown up over my rock garden hid even the heat of the rocks so nothing emanated. It was all green, just green.

This feeling comes over me every year. Today pulled all the green I feel from the depths of me. I never told anyone before.

"He who loves a garden still his Eden keeps."  (sign in my yard)
A. Bronson Alcott

(Written on June 22, 2009, ten days after I had no TV)


(Note: June 22, 2011: I still have no TV. I can tell the chicks (now hens) from the birds chirping in the trees. Neighbors cut lots of green privets and put up a fence which the wisteria is starting to cover again. I will be 65 (edit: will be 68) in two months. Today is the same green month and day as when I wrote this.)

Okay, this is June 30, 2022. I use this post often and I am fast approaching 76.
Your turn
Does the green of nature touch you deeply? Does green, lush foilage renew you as it does me?

Muggy + This and That

 Wednesday was soooo hot and humid--muggy! It was cool in the house and in Publix, but going outdoors from both places was rough. The muggy air just envelopes a person, fills the lungs. I went to a Big Box, too. Tommy sits in the car with the ac on and reads the newspapers or listens to sports or news. 

The temperature was about 90F, 8F degrees less than the last few days. Yet, the suffering was worse because of the humidity. I am not the only one thinking so. Everyone at both stores was agonizing about the humidity. Do you often have high humidity with heat which exacerbates discomfort?

We got a few sprinkles this afternoon, so Tommy does not have to water the flowers. He is grateful for a reprieve. He had to carry in lots from the car from shopping, so he needed a reprieve from dragging a hose. 

We hired someone to mow the yard and weed eat--$70. I think it is outrageous, but Tommy was just fine with it. This guy works for a landscaping company, and he does this after work. He will never come before 4 pm since he works until 3 pm. Tommy wants mowing twice a month, but I think once a month would suffice. He has St Augustine and wants it mowed to a nub! Poor grass! The guy mows in the neighborhood, so we see how he does and good job and is regular. 

We wanted hamburger buns for the weekend. However, the prices were so high, about twice as much for the cheap brands as before. We don't need bread, so going to the bread store is not something we were willing to do. 

Since my skin is so dry and whitish looking, I decided it was dry, a condition I have never faced in my skin. The bottles to squirt were too heavy for me, but I got one anyway. I will leave it on the table and never lift it. I also bought several small tubes from the travel selection to see which one is best for my skin. Also, I can carry a small tube in the car but not 18 oz pump bottle. I have had hand lotion go rancid in the heat of summer when left in the car, so there will be no car lotion. 

We had to pack and carry my large and heavy bottle of shampoo and his large and heavy shaving lotion this past weekend, also a huge tube of toothpaste. I always find a tube almost empty to carry. But, I said nothing, just used his toothpaste and left my brand home. I bought him a travel size shaving lotions and bought a little bottle to decant shampoo for me. We will probably not stay in a motel for ages, but this will work when we do. We need to plan fewer bags and less weight. When I went to Atlanta for a week for job training, I carried a bag (train case) that was about 6"x6"x10" that carried all I needed. My bag for clothing was a carryon that was not filled at all, very light. My shoes and train case were also in with clothing and I only used half the room available. 

I bought Gold Bond ultimate diabetics dry skin relief. I anticipate only having to use this on the backs of my arms from elbow to wrist and my condition is not severe. The little tube is Jergens ultra healing repairs and heals extra dry skin. Tommy says he does not need it, but his skin is mostly white with chunks of skin floating. It looks like arm dandruff. And, he scratches his arms. The 18 oz pump should last me for ten years! I also bought Queen Helene cocoa intense moisture. What do you use?

What do you use for diabetic or dry skin?

Watermelon was on our mind, so I bought a bogo dish/clamshell of cut watermelon, only $2. It was not great, but okay. I may have the cleaner carry a watermelon in in a week or two and cut it for us one day. We will buy it just before she arrives, She can use my walker to bring it in, the bag under the seat. She has a client for whom she works 7am to 7 pm, so I suppose she does lots of things. I will feel her out about things before I burden her. 

I hope to bake cupcakes with strawberry frosting with sprinkles for the kids next door. They yell and wave every time they see us. They seem to be such good children. I wish I could say the same about the dogs and adults who let the dogs bark. I never made the cupcakes I planned to before. 

Tuesday night we stayed up until almost 3 am watching TV. I awoke hot and suffocating at 6:30, trying to sleep. At 7:30 am, I got up to use my laptop in the living room. I think I went to bed at 9 am and slept until 12:30 pm. I had a wild and crazy dream that is mostly gone.  Yes, the dogs were barking. 

Tonight, we had taco soup/casserole leftovers for dinner, easy peasy. The rest was frozen. We will both have a snack later. I will have an apple, at least. 

Even at a lower temperature, does the humidity bother you?

What kind of moisturizer do you use on dry skin, like your arms?

Do you make a point to pack toothpaste in small size or a tube almost gone? And, do you purposefully try to cut down on weight in bags even for a small trip, one night and not far away? 

Showers, Claws, Music, Motel, Fireworks

  I know people were appalled about the length of time between showers. How does 18 years or 25 years strike you. I have always taken baths. I feel like I am being punished when I have to get into a shower. However, it beats not having water all over. 

I grew up without a shower. The shower was one thing I hated about college. I was willing to scour the tub everyday in order to have a tub sanitary enough to bathe in. We lived in a house in a neighborhood nearby the campus. 

Even now, I prefer washing my hair in the sink. His sink is not large enough, so I wash my hair in the kitchen sink. At my house when water was not functional, I went to the yard and used a water hose full of hot water for my hair washing. Several times, I went out back of the house, concealed from everyone and wore a nightgown and bathed in the gown, soaping up underneath. Then, the water hose rinsed me and my gown. Our electricity was off for a week, so no way to get hot water. I did not want to heat water on the grill since I knew it was hot in the hose, cold in the house. 

My 94-yr-old neighbor had not been in a tub or shower for 20+ years since she could not get out. She always smelled very fresh and sweet. Since then, I have learned that many older people do not regularly bathe, shower or bath. They wash up in a little tub in the kitchen sink. Tommy is edging closer to getting a shower with flat bottom and no ledge to step over. He said, however, that the 1.5 ledge was fine. 

Finally, I remembered to buy claws for my hair. I was in Publix and found a worker and asked her to get a gallon of milk down from the shelf. She had a handful of hair claws in her hand, stocking the shelf. I told her I wanted one of those, so now I have clips. I love Goody items. My hair is not quite long enough yet to get it all up in one try since I mutilated my hair, getting it too short. But, it is all up. Tommy said I looked like someone who is going to work in the yard. It feels good. 

The cleaner is scheduled for one morning to clean in my bedroom. I am not sure how many hours, but I hope it is three hours. Maybe she will get back to the bathroom to further clean. The guys will come another morning and finish the cabinets. I don't want them in my bedroom. I might have to schedule them at the same time to lift the doors for her to clean.

When we had glass shower doors in one house and the tub, my children and I took baths. For some reason my son took to getting up in the night and peeing on the shower doors. I was far along in my pregnancy. So, despite my husband not want to, I made him remove the shower doors every morning and clean the bottom of the doors and the track. I have no idea why my son started doing this. He was actually standing in front of the commode--sideways. He was very good all this life at hitting the bowl. He never went on the floor or walls. Then, this.

I now have reason to learn how to put music on my phone. I carried my boom box to the motel to have my sleeping music. What a pain! Tommy had to get up in the middle of the night to eat since his before bed snack was not enough. I had packed Wheat Thins and Baby Bel, so he ate that at 2 am. I brought a pint of my a2milk to have milk for breakfast. I had packed it with two blue ice packs to keep it cool. Next time, I will put it in double bags, so I don't have the bulk and weight to carry back home. For the quick trip, I should have left my laptop at home, but I am glad I had it. 

Monday night, I was so tired I went to bed at 10:30 pm, highly unusual for me. But, I slept until noon today. I did have to get up for an hour and sit so my bed and body would cool. This is the way I deal with the heat, sweat a bit and cool a bit. So, I was catching up from travel, little sleep, and stress. And, I have not felt a need for a nap on Tuesday. 

While I was in Publix, I found a fireworks display! What is the world coming to? Well, I now don't have to stop in Crazy Bill's to buy fireworks...lol. I have never gone into one of those trailers to buy fireworks. I just don't buy fireworks, ever. Now I have sparklers and those little white wads of paper with gunpowder in them. Tommy did not know how they work, so I took two and threw them on the ground to make them explode/pop. I love those things. I don't know when we will light the sparklers, maybe every night of the 4th weekend.

I am posting early tonight. I am not sure why...lol. No, I have done nothing yet about the motel nightmare. I was busy listening to Jan 6 hearing. 

Where do you buy fireworks if you do? Do you enjoy fireworks? I know you have a wild and crazy fireworks story. Share with me please. Or, maybe it is a tame story. 

Tonight, Tommy is having the carne asade sliced thinly, salad and whatever on a wrap and squash. I will have chicken, salad and cheese on the wrap and squash.

La Quinta Inn Nightmare Stay

 We have been gone out of town. It was not a fun or exciting adventure, just business. However, we did stay overnight and I had my first shower since November 2019. It was heaven. Water all over at one time is a dream come true. Here, I use a washcloth all over. Not ideal or even good. 

His has been too nasty for me to consider putting one toe in his tub. I still won't get in it, because I don't feel it is sanitary still. Never mind, it is a long story. 

We requested a disability accessible room. It was a nightmare. Have these accessible rooms changed? Once in the 80s, I stopped without a reservation to rent a room. I was very tired and it was very late at night. There was no room. Finally, they told me I could have a disability accessible room if I wanted it. I jumped at it. 

Then--room was huge with plenty of walking area. Now--Tommy had to make a little zigzag through the narrow room. He hit the wall every time. 

Then--the bathroom was spacious. I was sort of put out at how far I had to walk from commode to sink...lol. Now--it was actually cramped. The commode was right inside the bathroom door. I have no problem with Tommy coming into the bathroom, but it was close passing me with the walker. I was told the shower was a flat floor. No, it had a ledge about 1.5 inches to step over. I have a friend who could not even get over a step that high. There was no place within reach of the shower to put a bar of soap or a washcloth or shampoo! I had to step out of the area to get what I needed. The seat was all the way to the back of the shower, so I had to stand to reach the handheld shower. I was up and down for soap and shower. Scary.

The floor of the bathroom was slick as ice. I stood and watched my feet slide along the floor. I really was afraid one of us would fall. Once I stepped outside the bathroom, the floor was better but not rough enough to make me feel completely safe. 

The beds were so high that we both had trouble getting on! And, they were too soft to even turn over without great trouble. There was one nightstand between two queen-sized beds and it was too far to reach the light from either bed! 

I stuck my walker into a corner where it was really inaccessible for use. Tommy must have his walker at his fingertips when he gets out of bed. The only places for it were in the "hall" or between the beds. That made it difficult for me to get out of bed. I had to work to get out safely. He had to get out of the other side of his bed and walk around between the beds, holding onto his bed in order to get his walker. 

The microwave and refrigerator were both too low for me. I know it is meant for people in wheelchairs and does not help either of us with our mobility issues. When I tried to open the refrigerator, it slid out and there was no way for me to access it. So, I had to rely on Tommy. Not good. He never complains but I hate to ask him to help me do so many things. 

Of course, the curtain provided no privacy as it would not come together. I called the desk and the woman talked to me like I was two, telling me there was a stick to pull it together. Of course, I had nothing to hold it together--clothes pin, bobby pin, hair clip. I ALWAYS have had with me without fail. She could not help me she said as she was the only person working. LIE! I asked her if I was to undress in front of the window or check out or what. She said she had nothing. I asked her if she had a paperclip. She said when she checked in a few people, she would bring me paperclips. An hour later, she brought me three. 

The beds were not only too high and too soft, the three pillows on the queen-sized beds were too thick, overstuffed, and hard. I finally got situated, but Tommy was suffering. He said he finally got settled where he could sleep on his back. 

The closet did not have any place to hang clothes except very low. Not everyone who has a disability needs a knee-high rod for their clothing. I have no idea how anyone in a wheelchair would get into the bed. There were not enough bars for me in the shower and bathroom for me to use to feel safe. And, I need grab bars less than many others would. 

As we sat at the table to eat, I found a dog hair on the plastic lining the ice bucket. Gross. It was red, definitely not belonging to either of us. Then, when I got a towel down to dry off on Monday, there was a very curly hair in my towel. Neither of us has one curl. This was rolled up in the towel.

I did not realize we were on the floor designated for dogs. One dog was barking when we settled into the room. As we came down the hall, four dogs were yapping and barking. Tommy heard dogs barking as he came back from getting ice. What a nightmare!!! In the middle of the night two dogs were barking! 

The manager was very dismissive of my complaint, countering with their "policy". I shut that down telling her I was interested in a night's sleep. Customer service for Wyndam cut me off. 

A funny bit--The only picture of an animate object was a fat little bird with its head cocked. The bird ws about a foot long.Finally, Tommy laughed and said the bird kept staring at him every time he looked at it. Or, something to that effect.

Have you had nightmare stays in a hotel/motel? 

Tommy Finally Felt It!

 I awoke hot and came into the living room at about 7 am. Then, I went back at 8 am and stayed there until 10 am, I think...lol. When I got up it was freezing in the living room, so I check the thermostat, set on 67F, I exclaimed to Tommy. 

He said when he went to the bathroom, he could feel the heat as he got to the bathroom. So, he bumped the thermostat down to 67F. When I tell him I can feel heat in the bedroom, he always poo poos it because he cannot feel it down the hall. So, he felt it! Of course, he sleeps in front of an ac vent and often in a hoodie with two blankets. 

I wish I could sleep under an ac vent! My room ac could be aimed anywhere I pleased. If I had my way, he could set the thermostat high and I would have an ac in the room with me. 

Not only can I not stand the heat, it is stifling in the bedroom.

So, at least he can feel it. Or, just now admitted it. I feel vindicated or at least hot with reason. 

The grass needs mowing, but St. Augustine Grass looks so lush and does not look so shaggy. I like the mower blade at 4 ". Weeds are the only thing that spoil its look and there are not many of those. 

I am still sick about the decision that will cost women's lives. 

Right now, my treat for lunch will be a grilled cheese sandwich. I say "treat" because I rarely have one as it is so hard to stand for that long! 

What do you have seldom, so call it a treat? Oh, I have fancier, more complicated treats, depending on the occasion. 

I will be back tomorrow night

Beautiful, Hot Summer Saturday

 Saturday was hot as is usual these days. But, it did not deter us from listening to live music outdoors. Of course, we sat in the car and only rolled down the window with the ac going. We were so close we got the full effect of the music. I will post about that maybe next week.

In the meantime, I have a hard Sunday night and Monday coming up. I am trying not to wear myself to a nub since I have to be alert. 

Friday, I put a chicken and five extra legs in the crockpot. Saturday night, I took them out. The legs are frozen. The breast has been removed and at almost 1 am, Tommy is in the kitchen taking the rest of he meat off the bone. 

For dinner Saturday night, Tommy had carne asada, tomatoes, and baked squash. I had chicken breast and baked squash. The carne asada was too hot for me. After two tiny bites I was burning to the bottom of my stomach. So, that is a sign it will not go well if I eat more. 

We got showers from the glancing blow a storm skirting us dropped here. Tommy is always happy he does not have to drag the hose around. Flowers look happier after a rain. 

Tommy really loves the blackberries with Swerve. He is welcome to it. It's in a pint jar for him to enjoy. I was going to jell it, but he likes it the way it is. 

What's happening with you this weekend?  I am waiting for Elberta peaches! Are you eating fresh produce?  

Clean Bathroom!

 The cleaner is here cleaning. YAY! I asked her if she had ever seen a filthier bathroom. She said, "NO!" I had warned her before she came.  In addition to the things I bought, I gave her vinegar IF she wanted it. She took it. And, I gave her a little tub of baking soda. She was using both. She was using both even though I had bought everything she asked for when I talked to her. 

Tommy had a little plastic corner shelf attached to the wall in the shower that he used for his soap and washcloth. I told her if it would come off the wall, remove it. He may have a fit, but it was black, nasty and moldy inside the shelf and behind it when removed from the wall. 

Tommy took the rugs out and they will be dried in the sun and will be ready for the clean bathroom. 

She stayed 3 hours, actively cleaning the whole time. There are things not done all the way, but when she comes back, we will deal with those things. Yes, I will pay for further cleaning in there. It was a horror. Tommy went to see after she left and said, "WOW!" I asked what. He said it is so bright...lol. 

I took a nap while she was here, sitting in my chair with the back leaned back. I put my tshirt headband over my eyes, and pulled the quilt on the chair down over my head. Tommy turned the TV down and no one called me. it was a great nap. 

She stayed 3 hours. She charges $18/hr. I told Tommy to give her $70. I figured $20hr. and another $10. She thanked me like she was surprised.  

When Tommy goes to water at 7 pm, I am going out to see what he is "deadheading." I think he is "liveheading" the blossoms not yet out. I need to show him the flower ovary!

It is very hot again today. "Feels like" temperature was over 100F. 

I need to go cook something, so we can watch "Steel Magnolias" for about the tenth time. 

Wednesday and Thursday and Friday

 Grocery ads are not great this week. Aldi had their Honey Nut Cheerios, $1.99/$19.5 ounces. I don't remember the exact price, but for 18 ounces, and on sale, I think I paid about $3.50. Wednesday, I told Tommy to go into Aldi's and get six boxes. He objected to buying so many. I insisted that this was the time to stock up at a really good price. So, we left. I wasn't sure how many he would buy, but he came out with six boxes.

The Aldi brand came to 10.2 cents per ounce. Real Honey Nut Cheerios were 23.3 cents per ounce...over twice as much as the Aldi brand. 

I saw him walk back toward the store with his reacher. but I didn't pay attention to what he picked up. Later, he gave me a penny he had picked up. Good deal! When he gets out at the gas pump, he has to hold onto the car to get around the car to the pump. I always tell him to watch for money, rap on the car, and I will get out and pick up the coin. 

Wednesday, we had several choices of what to have for dinner. Tommy chose the taco casserole/soup. I put everything in the crockpot--cooked, ground pork, two cans tomato bits, two cans black beans low sodium, one can whole kernel corn. I turned it on high and got out the cheese. Well, 45 minutes later I went back and found the crockpot turned to "Off." 

About 30 minutes after I promised it at first, it was sort of warm. So, we dipped out some of what was in the pot for ourselves and put cheese on top and popped it into the microwave. I will stir in the rice and add cheese to the whole batch later. Even though it was not all the way finished, it was delicious. We can do without the rice, anyway. Okay, I put the rice into the crockpot and will add the rest of the cheese before storing. Really, it is done when it goes into the crockpot, it just needs to blend, but it was really tasty like it was, freshly mixed. 

I had an appointment at 10:30 Friday morning a long way across town with my ENT. However, I could not get into the office and they refuse to help after doing it twice--against policy and insurance won't cover. 

Since I really like this doctor, I will work it out. But, I asked if I could get a phone appointment. Lo and Behold! They said he would come to the phone. Usually, I have to wait forever. It appears the earache I have had for two years might be TMJ. So, I suppose it is here to stay. However, I may not be able to take the pain med he prescribed. So, there is that. 

I am firing two doctors because... 

While I was over on that part of town, I got to go into a different Publix. I love Publix though I purchase little. I did get some B&M Bread. It is such an experience being in that Publix, so toney...lol...real or imagined. Now, don't get me wrong, I love digging in bins and dragging good food to the surface in sketchy places with concrete floors. The aisles are generous, staff eager to help. The Publix at Cahaba is a step or two above even the nicest Publix around. `

Sitting in the car and a short trip into Publix exhausted me. I bought everything the cleaner wanted. I even bought the wet Swiffer cloths because I want her to be happy and be able to clean this awful bathroom! I even got Windex instead of the store brand or giving her vinegar. I don't want her to think I am giving her tools that won't work, even though she only asked for Windex after she asked if there were a mirror in there. I know she can do it with less prices items. But, for now, this is the way it is. This is the only room requiring such a list, so we are going with it.  I will have a gallon of vinager nearby when she comes Friday morning! 

Update on friend. I made progress and about a dozen phone calls. I told her to call the clerk at the county courthouse because they know procedures for everything! She did and found out that since he is not doing things he agreed to in divorce papers, he will soon be in contempt. I actually knew that, but it has been so long these facts slip away. She found out other things, forgot what. And, she wanted all the numbers I called to help her. I feel like she is more hopeful. 

He said in divorce papers that he would give her the car. Well, he refuses to give her documentation where she can get insurance. He has not yet given her a clear title. I told her if she wrecks it, all the fault will fall on him for damages. We both like that. So, she has to drive without insurance in the meantime. 

I said often and with compassion that I understood why she did not take steps she did and did not do things in divorce proceedings...and, 

the phone just rang. Long time friend called and her husband has stage 4 esophageal cancer, stomach tube, and mass in stomach and cancer has metastasized! She is sweet cousin of my best friend who died from hoarding...a fire. Her husband is a really good guy, sweet. She has a strong and large support system and a son who quit his job to go home and help them. 

The cleaner comes at 10 am in the morning, and I have calls to make, and now this sorrow. It is 10 pm, and I have not eaten. Tommy had a salad.

We were sitting in the shade today and it was 89F. I love the heat and love the relative lack of allergens. Dry, hot weather suits me. How is the weather in your area?  

Nell's Sweet Potato Vine

When I was a child, Nell, my aunt, had a sweet potato vine growing in a window, lots of places. It was in her dining area off the kitchen. First, it grew in a window. As the years passed, the sweet potato vine grew longer and longer and reached another window. She had to provide support as it ventured out. I suppose the last time I saw it, the vine was about 10+ feet in both directions. I was amazed and still am. 

I remember a few things from her house. It was immaculate. She had a loaded pistol on the nightstand in her bedroom that we were forbidden to touch. We would not dare go into her bedroom or touch the gun. My mother laid down the law. (No comments with gun info will be published!)

She had a conch shell and a beautiful piece of coral. I was always fascinated with her life and her. Her life was just different from ours. Obviously, she had been to Florida. 

She was married to a man from Greece. I really loved Uncle Pete, but he possibly just tolerated us, but he was kind to us. He did yell at me once. He took us to the Greek Orthodox Church he attended. I walked up the aisle toward the platform, the raised part and he spoke loudly and sharply to me, telling me not to go up there. It was just one step up. I remember being mortified, embarrassed that I had done something wrong. But, he did not remain annoyed at me. 

My three sweet potato slips are in water still in the kitchen, thriving and reaching for the window. I think of Nell when I see them. I really need to plant them. 

Other than getting slips ready to plant, have you ever grown a sweet potato vine in a window? Do you know someone who grew a giant sweet potato vine in the window? 

Long, Stressful Day

Today, I almost overdid it. I am trying to rest for a real challenge next Monday. We left early to go to Cullman to meet someone at my lot. I got my business done with guy we met. First, we had a burger and went to PO. Afterwards, we went to the festehalle and I bought beautiful small yellow crookneck squash from my sweet potato man. Then, we came back for something this afternoon, something that was cancelled when we got there. Bummer.

I called and left a message cancelling the missionaries because I was tired and knew I would be exhausted for three days if they came by to help in the kitchen. But, they did not get the message. They showed up, and I did not get out of my recliner. I told them I was too tired and we had left a message cancelling. However, I told them I had something that really needed doing--take all dead limbs at back of the lot to the road. 

When the guy next door paid for someone to mow Tommy's lawn, the mower carried all limbs to the back of Tommy's yard. It is not like we live backed up to a forest. The guys thought we meant the huge limb that fell on neighbor's fence. They got it off the fence but could not get it through the small gate. So, they just carried all the limbs at the back and left the newly fallen limb which was okay.  

They left without telling us. I am sure they were hot and figured that lady would have more work! Of course, I would not...lol. They had on black pants, white shirt and tie. But, they did not mind working outdoors that way. These guys are really nice young men, personable. 

I cooked, mashed and sweetened the blackberries with Swerve. It was fine until I tried drinking milk. Then, my mouth seemed to be lined with sugar. I could not get the sweet taste off my tongue or lips. It was weird and way too sweet once I drank milk. I only put 1/4 cup swerve in a quart of blackberries. 

Then, later I decided to eat oats and put only a tsp of Swerve in the bowl of oats. Well, my tongue was coated with a sickening sweetness once I started drinking milk. I tried wiping it off with a dishcloth but it would not go away. I am not sure what is happening. 

I won't give up. I need to cut back on sugar, of course. And, I need to make Kool Aid! I should buy pure Stevia. 

My plan for the squash is somewhat off-beat. I will slice them, put a tiny bit of oil over them in a bowl and stir in cornmeal Then, I will put on a pan for the oven. I have done this before in place of frying the squash. I cannot stand or tend to them for a long time. Plus, if you don't use an iron skillet, fried squash is nothing special and does not turn out right. It is better in the oven. 

Tuesday night, I folded kitchen linens, folded my bathroom stuff, struggled with Tommy to open a huge box that we could barely get inside, had meatloaf and vegetables for dinner. Tommy heated his own leftover meatloaf and vegetables and went out and watered the flowers. 

The flowers are surviving the heat from the brick house. Of course, Tommy's watering them is working miracles. Tomorrow, it will be 100F here, so we will stick close to home. 

Monday night and Tuesday afternoon, I talked for a total of four hours to an abused woman whose husband and his attorney agreed to give her $1000/month as long as she does not marry or cohabitate  with anyone. She thinks living with her brother out of necessity or staying with our mutual friend to do his 2020 taxes is cohabiting! (Friend lives far away and her work laptops were stolen, so she uses friend's computer.) He gets $7000/month from his pension from former high level govt job. He told her that it was not money she could get like social security from him since they were divorcing. 

He and his family stole her medicines, computers with clients social security numbers and all their financial records. The items he stole include pre-colombian articles that a dead husband gave her. I know that sounds fishy and will not criticize her or listen to criticism. He abused her in ways I cannot imagine and have never heard before. 

His daughter took her walker away so she was helpless, pulled it across the room. He stole her son's computer and camera, and phone! She did not recognize elder abuse, and obviously her son does not recognize theft! 

She talked to an attorney who wanted $5000 up front. So, she has given up, suffering, I believe, from learned helplessness. I promised I would help her. I will. So, I have a chore set out for me. 

It all makes me so sad and wears me down emotionally which affects me physically! 

Progress on Many Fronts

1) Found a local magnifier. It was ten whole dollars. Too much and not really good, but it is the only one in three stores. So, we can use it until I get something larger. The lens is about 1.5" square. It does have a light. I figured out part of the problem, the reason I could not make out one word. Well, two reasons--the tiny print was in grayscale, and it was fuzzy besides. I know gray scale is not supposed to be sharp, but this was the fuzziest gray scale I have ever come across. 

2)List for today, rather tonight: 

put capon in oven

cook frozen pizza with some of the meat Tommy cooked

Load ingredients into crock pot for taco soup/casserole

wash and cook blackberries

hang up with clothes

fold clothes from dryer

hang up wet clothes

None of this is really time consuming, just Tommy's job of picking meat from capon carcass. I did buy 5 gallons of vinegar today. I would have bought another five, but Tommy has to push it in his walker and lift it into the house. He has real muscles, bulging ones from lifting the walker with gallons of vinegar, 24 packs of water, two gallons of milk, Cokes. His muscles are impressive. 

3) I just talked to newest cleaner of bathroom. I asked what she wanted in the way of cleaning products. She wants Windex and she will get Windex, never mind that I think vinegar will do a good job. She wants to be paid $18/hr and she will get that and more! She wants Comet and she will get Comet even though I think Barkeeper's Friend is better. I don't want her unhappy! 

If she willing, Tommy is willing to have someone come and do one room at a time until the house is completely clean and then have someone come in every two weeks. 

4) We have lots of utensils. Today, I found dinner forks and got two packages for a total of 12. Yes, we can have a banquet. I have only purchased 6 dinner knives. However, I have 12 salad forks, 12 dinner forks, 12 teaspoons, and 12 larger spoons. I can eat with either fork or either spoon. I have never seen teaspoons that were not iced tea spoons. These are just regular spoons. The larger spoons are not soups spoons, not sure what purpose. We have plenty with 24 forks and 24 spoons. 

Tommy, who so objected to my buying flatware, is now using metal instead of plastic. When I walk into the kitchen holding a fork with which I have eaten, I put it right into the dishwasher. I have no hopes he will do this. But, it is just as well since he would probably put spoons in so they spoon and never come clean in the wash. 

This pizza was given to us. When the instructions say to put it in the oven frozen, do it. I had a hard time getting all the doughy crust from the plastic to pizza pan. It just was a glob I had to try to smooth and stretch. I have never bought a frozen pizza in my life. 

The weather has been nice and hot and low humidity. Nice! It has been a pleasant day all around. How has your day been? What have you done today? Plans for tomorrow?

The Search is On!

 It should not be so hard to shop online. But, I want hands-on most of the time. This is hard!

I need a magnifying glass! My sight is not getting that much worse. The print is ridiculously small, and getting smaller every day. The print is getting smaller every day. NO, not my eyesight. I don't need help to read a book. I need it to read things like the print in instructions, like for my camera. 

When I saw a pack of 8 handheld magnifiers and told Tommy, we had a good laugh. Admittedly, light would help, but this house does not have good lighting like my house did. We imagined putting one in every room, one by each of our chairs. When I cannot read something on an article in the kitchen, it is lack of light. Mostly, I can read anything with enough light.

Today, I faced print I could not read even holding it under a lamp or using a flashlight! Tommy could not read it either. Usually, one of us can struggle and read any print. This print is too hard. 

We will buy several and different sizes. The Book of Mormon given to me is so fine print that I asked if they had one with larger print. I don't need one in Large Print, just something less tiny. 

Amazon is confusing me. There is just too much...lol. I really need a magnifier store to shop in person. Do you use a magnifing glass ocassionally? I don't need one to use all the time, just sporadically, sometimes for a word or two and sometimes for a bit of text. I won't be using it for a book. I am thinking about getting at least one with a light. 

How do you use a nagnifing glass? Instructions? A whole page? In dim light? 

Plans That May Change

 I bought four containers of blackberries at Publix, of course, small containers. The plan is to make blackberry jam or something resembling blackberry jam. Since I don't want to add 2 cups of sugar and don't want to add artificial sweetener, I think I will crush the blackberries, add about 1/4 the sugar required, cook with or without no sugar Sure Jell and call it jam. 

Strawberry shortcake was in the works, but Tommy prefers the little shortcakes sold for dessert. I hate those and love my biscuits that have a bit of sugar and butter. Do I please him or please me and have less sweet stuff? 

After visiting two more stores as I shopped, no special trips, I found that the vinegar was cheapest where I bought the first two gallons. So, I will go there for another 8 gallons. 

The terrific wind brought down a large limb that will need a saw taken to it. So, we need to get that taken care of this next week. It fell on the neighbor's fence but did no damage. Just the end leafy parts are on the fence. But, since the wooden fence is inside the chain link fence, there could be damage not evident from my view from the car as we passed the house. 

I told Tommy he should go over and tell them he will get the tree off the fence. Tommy said he will do nothing, not even talk to them and ignore the limb unless they say something. He is a terrible neighbor. 

Produce is lasting forever here since I convinced Tommy it should go into a storage bag with the air pressed out. One week, at the food giveaway we were given 7 clamshells and bags of salad greens. We bagged them all in separate storage bags and not one was lost. Tommy ate out of them for over a month. So, he is a believer. These are Christmas designs and cost very little. We reused the bags for other uses, not food storage, before they are thrown out. 

I think I will make Kool Aid with Swerve. About once a year, I want Kool Aid. I wonder if Swerve will freeze so I can make popsicles, too.  ???

Tommy is not a father, but he was a good chickydaddy the ten years I had chickens. I always wish him Happy Father's Day. He did object but I point out his job as chickydaddy and he smiles. We are doing nothing spectacular or celebrating. So, it will just be another day. Both our fathers are dead, taken by cancer. 

We celebrate having air conditioning! The temps are high here. So, what are you doing on Father's Day?

The Saddest Movie I Have Ever Seen

 Thursday night into Friday morning, we had lots of thunder and lightning. I am not sure if it rained or not. But, Friday afternoon, we had a terrific storm. The rain was blowing almost sideways. My wave petunia had all the flowers blown to one side. Another plant on the ramp blew over. I was surprised the shepherd's crooks with the hanging plants and feeders did not blow over. The ladder in the end of the carport blew over, thankfully missing both our cars. 

We had the door open, not a good idea, I hear, in a storm with lightning. I saw streaks of lightening followed immediately by the loudest boom of thunder I have heard in ages. I jumped, so startled. Lynda said her dog yelped and jumped in her lap. She is not a small dog! Everything is calm and past us for now.

The temperature cooled about 20 degrees in an hour. WOW! For several minutes, I thought we were going to lose power as lights flickered continuously. Scary. 

The shooting and killing of three people happened in an area in Birmingham that has the second highest wealth in Alabama and right next to the area with the highest wealth in the state. A 71-yr-old white man killed people in a church. As yet, no one has said why. The point is, killings do not happen just in lower income, ethnic neighborhoods, and in depressed areas. He killed three elderly people at an Episcopalian church potluck. None of us are safe. Well, we are until we aren't. It seems only luck spares us. The whole area looks like the safest place on earth. 

The saddest movie I have ever seen is Cheyenne Autumn. Tommy said he thought it was sad when he saw it when he was eleven-years-old. Have you seen this movie?

Cheyenne Autumn is a 1964 American epic Western film starring Richard Widmark, Carroll Baker, James Stewart, and Edward G. Robinson. It tells the story of a factual event, the Northern Cheyenne Exodus of 1878–79, told in "Hollywood style" using a great deal of artistic license. The film was the last western directed by John Ford, who proclaimed it an elegy for the Native Americans who had been abused by the U.S. government and misrepresented by many of the director's own films. Wikipedia

If you have not seen it, you have missed a great movie. Maybe you can find it. 

Food Talk Today

 Last night, Tommy ate all the leftover cole slaw. I sort of questioned him since I thought he would share it. He insisted there was only a tablespoon, not enough to divide. Well, I thought I remembered more slaw, enough for two good helpings. I mulled this over, wondering how I could forget us mostly finishing if off. There was plenty other food for me to eat, but I was concerned about how I could forget it since I emptied it into a container for the refrigerator. So, I got no slaw.

This morning he came rolling in and showed me a container identical to the one he emptied last night. "Look, there is more slaw. I ate old slaw. I thought it was a bit mushy." I assured him the slaw was not old enough to harm him. Thankfully, he told me. My memory was true! Does anyone ever tell you something you are sure is not true, but the person manages to make you doubt yourself?

If there were the least bit of malice, it would be gaslighting. But, he just dug around and pulled out older slaw and thought it was the slaw I told him would be for our dinner.  

This afternoon, I bought $2 of blackberries, just a tiny container. I put them into a small cereal bowl, mashed them with a tiny bit of sugar, poured a little milk over them and devoured them.  They are bogo at Publix--$2. I may go back, get two boxes and make blackberry jam. Tommy will say he does not like it, then eat it all...lol. He told me he hated orange marmalade and is eating all of it, not that I care. He always does that--reject food and then eat it. I am amused. Okay, I asked. He does like blackberry jam. 

I waste lots of banana, pounds each week. Most bananas are larger than I should have. I do try to buy smaller ones. When they are just right, yellow or spotted but not too soft, I can cut one in half, put Glad Wrap over the end and eat the other half the next day. However, once it gets to a certain ripeness and I cut it in half, it is all downhill for the banana. For a year, I froze the extra banana. However, two years later I threw out almost all the banana because I am not baking banana bread and was storing too much banana in the freezer. 

Tommy hates bananas with a passion, so no sharing with him. He is not even fond of banana bread. The best I can do is put the mashed banana in brownies. But, I am not making brownies, either. I just have to have my banana every day.  Any other ideas besides feeding to the birds? But, then the pigeons will come! 

I talked just now to my friend who has a dog, offering her the bananas. Are bananas poisonous for dogs to eat? She hates bananas as much as Tommy, so she has never thought about feeding the dog banana. 

The sweet potato sprouts are still here. I must plant them before they die. I did put them back in water tonight, so they will survive, hopefully.

Tonight, we had chicken, hot dog, slaw, and zucchini. Tommy had a baked thigh, slaw, and zucchini. I  had the last hotdog, a bit of breast, slaw, and zucchini. Today, I had about a cup or less of blackberries and half a banana, not together. He had grapes. 

Lunch and Dinner and Seminar and a Plant Question

 We had to leave too early for Cullman this morning to go to Aldi to get fresh grapes. So be it. 

We went to the pick-up lunch and offered to bring one to 90-yr-old friends. They said they would get their own since we could not come to their house and eat. We had other plans.

There was an event to attend with food from a food truck. But, since the event and meal was indoors, we decided not to eat since we cannot eat with masks on our faces! We took the free lunch and ate outside the venue and went in for the lecture.

Lunch was a hotdog and a hamburger, two of the largest slices of tomato and some lettuce, 6 packages of condiments--catsup, mustard, mayo, pickles (we picked off and discarded), package of chips, two cookies, one oatmeal cookies with icky white stuff inside. We drank water. 

Tommy's burger was pink inside. Mine was red-raw. It is in the oven right now with a second burger in a second plate we both got. I never cook when we go to Cullman because I am soooo tired. He gave me his tomato for lunch and the other slice of his dinner meal. So, he had hotdog and last bit of slaw for his dinner. I will have a burger, two huge tomato sliced and four huge pieces of iceberg lettuce. He is saving his other burger and my hotdog for tomorrow. 

Then, we went inside the agri-plex, a center that is all things agriculture. There was a table of free things--hardback books, sweet potato sprouts, okra seeds. I took one book and three sweet potato sprouts. We love these events. This is where we heard the professor from Auburn University speak about Alabama rivers and bought his book. 

The book I took was written by Thalasso Cruso, Making Vegetables Grow, 1975. This read will be interesting. Have you heard of this woman or read any of her books? She was on Johnny Carson Show. 

We checked on my lot and found my friend had finally mowed. My other friend, his bil, could not meet me there, so we must go back another day. sigh

At one grocery store, I bought one package of Ronco spaghetti, my favorite. Price has gone up about 25%. But, I pick up a package of spaghetti just about every week. This store had stacks of pasta. The store is small, but are never out of anything! I know they sell their food because it is a popular store. 

Before we left town, we visited the PO and delivered cans to our elderly friends to give to a mutual friend. She collects them for selling. 

My next-door neighbors put up a huge flag at the beginning of Pride Week, a Progressive Pride flag. I cannot keep up with the more than 30 different pride flags. It certainly adds color to the street along with my flowers. I saw it was a pride flag, but Tommy pointed out it was different, so I took a closer look and investigated on the internet. 

On the way home today, the car kept making a funny noise for about ten seconds and then the noise quit. I think it is cooling system. I was suffering from the heat riding in the car with ac. After getting so sick I thought I was going to throw up, and complaining of the heat and how I felt woozy and faint, I finally figured out Tommy did not have fan or cooling on highest it would go. And, the choice of where it came in the car was not enough to keep me cool. So, after three adjustments, I finally felt a bit better. 

I was in the bed and in my nightgown before Tommy could get in the house, and I had put the food in the refrigerator first and changed into a nightgown! I talked on the phone an hour, cooled off, got up and then went back for a nap. This was a long day, but the sun and sky was glorious. 

From now on, we will carry two bottles of water for each of us. Tommy usually says the two inches in his bottle will be enough. This week will be in high 90s, so we cannot take chances, especially Tommy. He thinks he is invincible...lol. He thinks I worry too much. 

Don't get me wrong. I love the heat and I love this weather. But, luckily I don't have to work in the heat. Plus, we have ac and we do not hesitate to crank it up. Tommy said he only watered each plant just a little bit to cut down his time outdoors. Me? I got under a quilt and wool blanket for my nap. 

Last month, I received a Better Homes and Gardens that I did not buy. Today, I received a Cosmopolitan. I wonder why. 

My long list only has one item: buy a spray bottle. Maybe I will add bake capon and sweet potatoes.

My Stella de Oro has not bloomed in a week despite watering it, deadheading, and a bit of Miracle Gro. Did it get too much fertilizer? There are swollen buds that never blossom. Does anyone know what is happening with these flowers in a pot in FULL SUN?

It is after 9 pm, and I suppose my hamburger is about done. I hope so since I am hungry.

Does your community have free lectures and events to learn? What precautions are you taking for the higher heat? 

New Flatware and Stuff

 For a long time, I have wanted to use regular flatware rather than plastic, but Tommy said NO. Well, when the heavy plastic spoons and forks were impossible to find, I suggested it once more and suggested now was the time. He said it mattered to him because he was the one who would have to dry them and put them all away. 

Well, that was a shocking reason. I told him I could dry the flatware or let them air dry. He was adamant. He said he was willing to spend the money to be able to throw away all forks and spoons. I tried to buy 6 Pfaltzgraff spoons but when I got them home, they were 18/0 stainless steel, not good quality. I took them back.

He commented when I bought the first forks and then took them back unopened, that he hated to eat from a salad fork, that they were too short. I thought that was strange.

Finally, I repurchased them and used them. Then, I bought more salad forks and more spoons and a package of three knives. There were no dinner forks on the shelf. I put them in the dishwasher and washed them. When Tommy got me a utensil from the dishwasher, he had to have noticed there were lots of forks and spoons, but he said nothing!

The other day I took all the clean and new utensils out of the dishwasher and put them on the counter over the dishwasher. I walked away to sit and rest my back. Sitting between simple tasks is sooo necessary. Well, when I came in later, he had gotten the short basket from storing grapefruit, washed it and sorted the utensils and put them in the basket. I was shocked. 

Nothing was ever said. Later, he was using the salad fork to eat. He swore he hated salad forks, preferring plastic forks. Now, he uses the metal and not plastic ALL the time. I figure these real utensils will pay for themselves in about four months by avoiding buying more plastic. Believe me, we have many boxes of 100. We can use the occasional plastic and have them left this time next year.  Or the next year!

I have really enjoyed eating from real utensils. Now, if I can just get him to eat from a real plate, not a paper plate, at least for dinner. 

Oh, why don't we use his flatware? His is all silverplate, and in a case except for two or three pieces. This was his family's everyday flatware. I tried using the tarnished spoon and it really needs cleaning to avoid the awful taste. He really did not want me to use it at first, just out of meanness. And, unless I polished silver, I would not try it twice. 

Any transition with him is long and bumpy. He is not easily convinced of any little or large idea. 

Speaking of grapefruit, we wasted six given to us. I love grapefruit, but in the spring and especially this spring, I have avoided citrus since I am allergic to citrus. I kept reminding him. Now, we have red grapes that he should eat! He did for breakfast this morning--red grapes and a muffin. I hate red grapes. 

Today, Tuesday, we left the house at 1 pm. I put my hand on the car after I opened the car door to help me get inside. I burned my hand on the car, pulled it back, and fell into the car with my head....again!  Tommy burned his hand on the car since he must hold onto the car to get from the back seat where he puts his walker to the front door to get inside.  

4 pm--Right now, it is 92F and feels like 103F. 

10 pm--Right now, it is 86F and feels like 96F. 

Since I only slept 2 hours Monday night, I took a 2 hour nap this afternoon.  Tommy spent that time taking cans to car to recycle and watering the flowers. He cleaned the ants out of two hummingbird feeders. This is the first time I have ever gotten big ants in the feeders here. Then, he took all the sweet potatoes outdoors and sorted them, throwing away ones gone bad, not many. He is really good about taking care to sort sweet potatoes, taking out the ones going bad so they don't cause the rest to go off. 

For dinner tonight, we put bbq sauce on baked chicken and I made coleslaw. It was delicious. He had grapes for later. I would have a banana, but I don't have a banana or an apple. 

The list gets shorter:

sort sweet potatoes 

buy spray bottle

wash or color hair used color

The ac runs here and we stay in, so we have not suffered from the heat. How is it at your place? Hot? Torrid? It has been dry enough here, but I hear there are floods elsewhere. 

Cheeseburger Pizza

 I had the ground beef with Vidalia onions in it, both chopped and cook, and was inspired to have a cheeseburger pizza. We also had flat bread, grated cheese, and spaghetti sauce. I chopped two zucchini and layered it all. After a very few moments in the oven, it was all melty and warm. We really enjoyed it. The zucchini was a bit crunchy still but did not detract from the overall pizza. I forgot to put fresh oregano I cut on the pizza, too. Next time, I will soften the zucchini, maybe cooking it like the onions with the ground beef.

This is a hefty yardstick. I hold it, turn it stroke it, admire the brass ends. It is such a new experience. Never in my life have I been so enamored of a new tool. The other yardsticks were all freebies and thin and much more flexible. 

Speaking of tools, I needed to use needle nose pliers. Tommy brought me his, and they were solidly rusted into one hunk of metal. Tommy said they are over 80 years. They are identical to mine--solid metal and no rubber on the handles. I really dislike the ones that have coating of whatever sort on the handles. His hammer is the same age. 

On the list, we washed the snaplock lids. I wash them and Tommy dries. Even though he was not asked, he started sorting them into sizes and placed them sideways in the bin where I keep them instead of stacking them and shuffling them to find the right lid like I did...lol. The dishwasher is now emptied. 

When Tommy's old dishwasher was removed, I took the utensil holders, two, to use in this one. I like the utensil holder on the door instead of on the side of the dishwasher. That is why I bought this particular model. Now, it does not work so well. This removable utensil holder fits on the side and is easily removable. I bought flatware! I will relate that later. 

Remains of the list: 

sort sweet potatoes

buy spray bottle

wash or color hair

hang clothes inside to dry

cook ground pork

Not on list but things accomplished today:

Tommy watered plants

I washed and filled hummingbird feeders

Tommy put them out

I napped

We drove to find pink bag of ads

At 10:30 pm, it is 95F

Tommy cooked the ground pork I put in the pan for him. Before I turned away, he asked me if I wanted to throw away the remains of the chopped zucchini that would not go on the pizza already piled high with chopped zucchini. I had him add it to the pork when it was almost done. I intend this pork to be used for taco casserole/soup, so zucchini won't make a difference. So, we used it all. I will probably freeze the ground pork. 

Tuesday night, we will have spaghetti since we have spaghetti sauce open and the rest of the ground beef and onions to use or freeze. That will most likely make two meals. 

Now, we are making a list for Wednesday. I will go into Aldi first thing Wednesday morning while produce is not trampled for grapes and zucchini. This is a time I will get up early for a bargain since the produce looks nasty and people are throwing it about and walking on it much later in the day or week. 

This was a good day, pleasant, hot. Of course, the ac was great inside...lol.  I watched birds, hummingbirds, butterflies and other birds, plus all the flowers outside the door. 

Do you have your own version of cheeseburger pizza? 

Have you found that zucchini can be added to anything without changing the taste or character of the dish?

Breaking the Hardee's Habit

 Every day we went out early, Tommy loved stopping at Hardee's for a sausage and biscuit and coffee. Of course, I like the breakfast, but often carried a sandwich for breakfast. Tommy was not having any of this. He wanted Hardee's. 

Then, I started buying the expensive patties for him. Well, he quit the Hardee's habit cold turkey. I was amazed, still am amazed. He hasn't even had one of the patties lately I bought to turn him around. Once every three months or so, we do get a sausage/biscuit. 

Of course, there is no substitute for a Whopper for me. I eat the Whopper with cheese, lettuce, and tomato. However, I have been trying to get him to let me make us a chicken sandwich or anything to take when we go to Cullman. He objects strongly. His excuse--he just wants something warm.  I think that is an excuse, but I never fight it. I have to figure out what will be a good temptation. 

I suppose I could make a sandwich, wrap it in foil, and strap it to the engine....or something like that. 

The French fry habit has been cracked a bit but not broken. When I have eaten two fries and said I didn't want more, he demands to have them and eats all of them! So, I just quietly do not eat them and they are thrown away. Plus, we don't order meals that have a drink because they always have fries! 

The StarKist Chunk Light Tuna in Water came today--48 cans. That was one heavy box. Tommy could barely lift it, but he has trouble bending so far. Eight (8) cans were bent, one pretty bad and on the rim, one slightly and on the rim, the other 6 on their sides. I was given a refund on those. The date on the can is Nov 2025. 

I told Lynda that I would "sell" her a can for $0.935 for each can (not the bent ones) if she wanted SK at that price. She said she did. So, this won't be so costly as it appeared from what I paid. Of course, I don't want to sell too many, maybe just a dozen or less. Since the date is so far off, I won't feel as though it is "old" tuna.. .lol.

The tuna I have is costing me $0.77/can when all is said and done. A credit was used to get it to this price. I'm happy! 

Tommy put the shrink-wrapped package of cans on my lap and I went through each can, stroking and observing for dents. These cans will be placed back on the flat on which they were shipped and stored in the bedroom. However, I can only carry 6 cans in a bag at a time. Tommy will bring the cans we put in bags on his walker to the bedroom for me on Monday. This is hard work for me. My lap to knees need to recover.

I am terrified, petrified by the car wash! Today, I drove my car there and just wanted to die as I went inside! But, my washing my own car days are over. Besides, it must have been almost a year since I washed at this carwash. It was beyond filthy. Oh, it was $7 last time and $10 today!

I am still working on the list. Today, we got a few more things done.

List:

cut hair

wash snaplock lids

wash clothes

take cans of food to Lynda

find yard sale

find deodorant

unload dishwasher

air tires

wash car 

sort sweet potatoes

toss eggs

cook ground beef

buy spray bottle

dice 6 lbs. Vidalia onions

wash or color hair

order Rada

cook ground pork for taco casserole

We bought three more half-gallons of milk for $10.

Tommy did wash two loads of clothing for me, and I am grateful for that. 

We wanted to watch Fiddler on the Roof, so we had chicken and carrots for dinner. Tommy had a salad and I had an apple.

Midnight Sunday night and Tommy is in the kitchen washing two pots. After he used my good, expensive strainer to strain the bits of food from things he washed, I bought some sink strainers. I asked tonight how they worked for keeping food out of the pipes. He said they were so much easier. He can let any water drain now without working so hard to keep bits out of the drain. He had been spreading a dishcloth on the bottom of the sink and pouring liquid slowly through that. Then, he wrung out the cloth carefully and, picked/shook the residue into the trash. He was not aware that the sink strainer was a thing. 

If you use a walker, do you use it to transport heavy objects on the seat? Or, do you push someone else's walker like a cart?

Do you know someone with a fast-food habit? 

Yardstick YAY!

 My yardstick came! It was in a box about a yard long by 11 inches by 3 inches. It was a mighty big box for a skinny, little yardstick. I think it cost me $5.88 for something I used to pick up for free. Tommy was impressed that it was such a nice, study one. I got the Westcott with brass ends. I have never had one with brass ends or so thick. The measures are on both sides. The free ones were thin and easily broken. Tommy said he had never used a yardstick, just felt it on his backside.

I am still amazed at the size of the box required to get me a piece of thin wood! I had nothing else to order that would have not required a larger box in the other two smaller dimensions. But, now I can measure. Ordinarily, I could make do with a measuring tape. But, difficulty with moving and reaching puts me at a disadvantage. Maybe you don't understand. 

Five inches came off the bottom of Tommy's hair! It was so long and grody looking, beyond shabby. And, he washes his hair about every two weeks, so I refuse to cut it unless it three days clean. We do it on the driveway because it is almost impossible to get to the back yard bit of concrete. We could get out, but with 87F and on concrete it must be 100F! I was suffering trying to get back into the house, only 10 ft to get to the ramp. Trying to crawl over or around the steps would be horrendous for both of us. You know how it was with being hot and exhausted and having one more Herculean task to complete and THEN having to get to front of house, and up the ramp. It is a long and arduous journey from backyard to living room....lol.

The last time I cut his hair, he told me I left it too long on the top. This time, he said I cut it too short! Just shoot me now! I did discover I had cut it with little hairs too long all over. So, I will fix that on Sunday. It was hard on my back to cut, bend, and move. 

When I had run the clippers up the back and one side of his head, he was saying how cool it was already. When I finished, he was happy that his hair was gone. 

Tonight, he is having the chicken, carrots, and potatoes I baked. He is enjoying all this with no salt! When I moved here, he would cover everything with salt. I will have potato salad, carrots, and chicken breast. I need to freeze packets of chicken, too, tonight. 

We aired up one tire tonight and topped off two others, all up to 32 psi. Okay, I have no idea why this is so large and bold. Maybe it will go away. Okay, got the bold to go away. Okay, I will just go with this larger font right now. Of course, it was an argument the whole way. Most of the time, he could not understand what I said and yelled at me for what he thought I said. Now, I still don't know how to use it on my own since I just plugged the unit into the power port in the car. But, I can guarantee this works well from our experience. I had gone out and found one tire half flat, only 18 psi when Tommy checked. Now, all tires are at 32 psi. 

We drove just a bit around the neighborhood because the car needed the battery charged more. I drove. It was starting to be sluggish when I started it. At the moment before dark, I came across little kids on bikes, three of them with the mother yelling and ordering them home. One little girl was actually staying at the curb and refused to pull out in front of us. So, mother went to her and escorted her across the road. That little girl was NOT coming in front of a car. I stopped far back for all our sakes. 

It gives me a good feeling to drive again. Every time I resume driving, even if for only a cruise around this small neighborhood my body and mind feel different. I wonder how. Freedom? It is good. Tommy could ride with me more often, but he can barely get his legs bent enough to get them inside the car. 

List:

cut hair

wash snaplock lids

wash clothes

take cans of food to Lynda

find yard sale

find deodorant

unload dishwasher

air tires

wash car

sort sweet potatoes

toss eggs

cook ground beef

buy spray bottle

dice 6 lbs. Vidalia onions

Understand that this list was made for the weekend and beyond. It was for Friday night, Saturday, and Sunday. It is early Saturday night, so more will be done tonight and Sunday. It seemed like a lot as I added two items today, but I assured Tommy that not all had to be done, that this could go over to Sunday. I think he was relieved. Besides, I took a nap, so I cut out available time for chores. 

I am livid! Tommy came through the living room with the garbage can on his walker. He proudly told me he had the eggs in the trash bag. Nooooo! Why not? He assured me the bag with eggs in it was in the middle of all the other bags in the trash bag....??? Not sure why I care about that. I assured him there was a great chance the eggs would stink to high heaven. He is sure one plastic bag is the solution to not smelling. Well, he cannot open the bag, he said, because the bag is tied. As far as I am concerned, we can waste a bag! Anything works not to get flies. I will be spending lots of money on odor control and fly control this week, I fear. His defense--it is on the list. 

This is why I sometimes ask him what he is doing when I hear him in the kitchen. Right now, I am nervous about what he is up to. So, going to look. It will be weeks before I trust him not to screw around with something! 

So, the list is with him. I have him make my lists because I will be doing something and remember an item to list. He is well aware of things I need to do and people I need to call. After all our discussion of keeping the eggs cold, I guess he just hyper-focused on tossing eggs. 

And, at midnight he just offered to go chop and cook the ground beef. I had him add the Vidalia onions I chopped yesterday. I always go in and get ground meat out so he will not dribble blood all over. The other day, he was telling me the meat thawed. Later, I found blood on the stove where he had sorted by removing from bloody container. He cannot be trusted around raw meat!

Do you have someone who is just not careful or aware about handling raw meat? I have seen him wipe a dribble of blood from his hand onto a dishtowel I am going to use again. Does it scare you like it does me? 

I do recommend this device for adding air to tires. It says it is also for toys and things to be inflated.