Sunday Low Key

 Dinner tonight was chicken stuffed with quinoa, spinach, and artichokes. No, I did not prepare this, just cooked it. Tommy had pork loin leftovers and a huge salad. 

We did nothing Sunday, not even a bit of housework/housekeeping. I unsuccessfully tried to nap. So, tonight I am really tired. Really, really tired is no guarantee I can go to sleep or stay asleep. However, I don't need suggestions as how to achieve a good sleep. It is just hopeless for me, I fear. 

The slidy thing and pool were picked up by the company today. It was a little sad because the children loved it so. If I were able to fling myself onto the platform, it might be fun for me. I doubt if my body would fling itself without pain...lol. 

What we have not done that is on a list for tomorrow:

bake and freeze a meatloaf out of the 96% lean/4% fat ground beef

Tommy cook two one-pound chubs of ground meat

DONE Me chop onions for meatloaf and the chopped ground beef 

both of us to load dishwasher

DONE Tommy wash clothes for me

DONE Me hang wet clothes in house

DONE Wonder if cleaner is ever coming back

Mower scheduled to come so be here to pay him

Tommy needs to find four or five packages of chicken, any pieces

color my hair

trim bangs

DONE cook all the yellow squash and zucchinis for meals this week

Stuff mushrooms

That is not such a hard list, right?

I have been dizzy today, so I think it is allergies. Plus my eye is hurting, allergies, too, I believe. We were out for a quick trip to Publix for one item. Tommy forgot to leave the ac on, and he was too far gone for me to call him and have him bring them back! Well, I could have and he would have returned immediately. But, it was too hot and his walking is difficult with the walker. It is really hot outside and doubly so closed up in a car! I suppose I need to start carrying my set of keys which has his car key on it. He apologized and was so sorry. He has never done that before. But, usually if he removes the keys, I remind him to leave them. I was feeling a little off, so I didn't catch it. 

The hose repair with Alien Tape failed. I will try it tomorrow since Tommy does not do good repairs. He carried a half-gallon jug and a couple of Coke bottles and filled them at the faucet for watering. 

It is just hot, just plain hot! Even a ride in the air-conditioned car seemed like too much of an effort. 

Are you staying indoors? Do you use ac? Do you work in a garden or water one? What outdoor activities do you choose to do? 

Cooking and Neighbors

 Dinner tonight--can of cream of mushroom soup, can of cream of celery soup, chicken breasts, thinly sliced carrot coins, celery sliced thinly across the ribs, 12 stuffing mushrooms roughly chopped,1/2 cup brown rice, all baked in the oven. I was going to sauté the mushrooms and celery, but don't want to stand to do that. I should have diced an onion. 

The two breasts were 12 ounces each. I cut them lengthwise and angled them in the 13x9 inch pan. There will be leftovers. 

Oops! I forgot to add pimientos. I intended to put in red, yellow, and orange bell peppers, too. I have a feeling it will be delicious, just not so colorful. Tommy will have a "salad" of the three colors of peppers, squash and zucchini. 

So, the dish turned out soupy, too soupy. I should have put more rice, but I was trying to avoid eating a lot of rice. It was delicious. Tommy did not like the mushrooms and gave his to me. I should have put in only one can of soup, too. This kind of dish is not ruined by adding or subtracting. So, all is good. 

Ha, look at the diacritical mark over sauté. The word had a wavy red line under it and when I clicked on the word, it came up with the diacritical mark which showed up on the page. I love this feature! 

Tommy hates mushrooms but will pick them out and save them for me. I should dice these stuffing mushrooms so he cannot see them. 

Last night, I slept about six hours but took a 3-hour nap early, 11 am until 2 pm. The last four nights I slept about 4.5 hours each, but I felt like I was awake and knew better. That kind of sleep leaves me tired. Both of us have had sinus problems for a few days, so I suppose it has been the weather. 

The neighbors put up a blow-up feature, 2 of them in their front yard. One was a huge structure that I thought was going to be a bouncy house. Tommy said it was a pool. No, it was a feature that had two wide grooves to slide through, sort of a slip and slide. At one end was a blow-up pool to slide into. The two kids were out trying it out about 10 am. All this is in the front yard. It is sort of near our house but mostly by the driveway. By 2 pm. there was a party happening--about a dozen children and more parents. About 6 pm, there was loud music and singing. We can hear none of it from the living room. I am not sure if is a birthday party or just a party. These people are not loud even when the music is up high and all are singing loudly. 

The dogs were nowhere to be seen or heard. So, I suppose dogs were banished for the party. They would bark continually and probably disturb the conversation. Plus, their nails might damage the blowups. 

I took Lynda half the box of mushrooms since she did not get any from the food giveaway. Tomorrow, I will look up a recipe and make stuffed mushrooms from the other box. 

Saturday, it has rained gentle showers three times. There is lots of thunder far away and nothing bad predicted for our house. Tommy and the flowers are happy about the rain. So, I am happy for both. We did not, however, get to test the efficacy of the Alien Tape.

Today, we scoped out a liquidator. Hopefully, we can go there on Tuesday when it is open.  It is the same place, different owner where I got the otc med for $5 instead of three times that price.

As you can see, nothing much is happening here, just the way I like it. I did get a little carried away with the chicken, soup, rice and broccoli dish. I knew I did not have broccoli, so used what I had. 

I was going to make a meatloaf for four meals from ground beef, 96% lean, 4% fat. I had never seen or heard of this quality but figured it would make meatloaf that is not floating in fat. I will make that tomorrow while Tommy chops and cooks two chubs of ground meat. And, I need to chop onions for the meatloaf and chopped beef and for the refrigerator. He likes it in his salad. So, I suppose we will cook again tomorrow and not take a ride. 

Do you like mushrooms as much as I do? I love them. 

Have you ever made stuffed mushrooms?  What did you put in them?

Mass Timber

 This building trend sort of bothers me. Read to see what you think. 

Click Here

I accidentally ate jalapeno, so just trying to survive! Feeling really ill.

Are you a jalapeno eater?

Ads Are a Bit Better

 Wednesday, I wanted more salad to have with tomatoes, so Tommy went into Publix. Everything on the list was reduced, bogo or on sale.  Cheerios were bogo, as was the Fresh Express American salad mix. The biggie for me was carrots--two pounds for $1.79. So, I had him get four pounds, two packages. We may get more carrots before the sale goes off. We love carrots. The last time I bought carrots they were $1.29/lb. So, we have four pounds, each less than $0.90 cents. 

There were not many meat or vegetable ads we want to use, but if you want really cheap Nilla Vanilla Wafers, they are cheap at The Pig. There are lots of sales on snack stuff. The salad and carrots at Publix are better sales than I have seen lately. Most prices are only few cents cheaper.

On Wednesday, Tommy went out to water flowers. All of a sudden, the water was a fine mist and covering the porch I could see and the door. I wondered what was happening. Maybe his hand slipped, and the hose is on the ground. Maybe he is on the ground. Well, I will look in a minute, I thought. Finally, I saw him trying to hurry through the deep St. Augustine grass. When he came in, he said the hose developed a split. 

I gave him Alien Tape I bought and the directions to read. He took the Alien tape and went out to mend the hose and water flowers using a milk jug. He read the directions that said it might take 24 hours to make a good seal. Well, on TV the guy seals a hole in his boat and appears to use it immediately. Oh my! Maybe the ad is deceptive? At any rate, we will try to save the hose. I don't think either of us can replace the nozzle, the place where the split occurred. We do have another identical hose in the backyard. So, good for now, either way. 

Today, our only chore was to return two things--panties I bought 3 sizes too small, and a back brush. I did buy the correct size panties this time! Well, we did have another chore while out, but forgot it completely. So, it can be done when we are out tomorrow. 

Tommy stayed in the kitchen for a long time last night. Finally, he came in with a nasty gallon bag with rotting bacon, rotting I tell you. He found rotting salad. So, that went to garbage. I forgot what else he found, leftovers that were hidden. I just cannot bend so far for so long to find things. Besides, he shoves and shuffles things around. But, that is okay. 

Later, when I went into the kitchen and got something from the refrigerator, I was shocked. He had totally organized the refrigerator! I was so surprised. Good man! 

When we went out this morning, I commented that it smelled like something died outdoors. Looking around the porch, I could find nothing with my nose that might be the source of the stench. As he left to water, he said he supposed all the rotten food was now smelling. To high heaven, I would say. He took the garbage to the road before he watered, self-defense, I suppose since the flowers are near the garbage can. 

Last night, I could not go to sleep, so I sorted junk from Tommy's drawers in the bathroom. I have tossed things with expiration dates from 2002 to 2015. He won't miss a thing. I also piddled in the bedroom, sorting things of mine. I slept from about 6 am to 9:30 am and took a 2 hour nap in the afternoon. So, sleepy right now. 

I am in the mood for chicken, rice, soup, and broccoli casserole. I think I will add thinly sliced carrot coins and thinly sliced celery, maybe some pimiento. Tommy said it sounded good when I told him the first four ingredients. I thought of the rest as a delicious and healthy afterthought. 

Tonight, we are having leftovers--roast, salad, with green beans for me, and tomato. I think Tommy is making a salad with greens mix, tomato, red, yellow and orange bell peppers, zucchini and squash slices. 

Beautiful Day and Problems Solved

 And, I got more sleep, albeit, in pieces. It was very hot, but I use ac liberally. There has been no sign of rain. We have gotten enough of that in the last few weeks. So, blue skies and white, non-threatening clouds are so pleasant. 

My 4.5 hours of sleep was certainly not enough and did not cover any deficit. So, I slept from 10:30 am until 3:30 pm, a whopping 5 hours. I have been awake an hour and am already tired. I will sleep tonight after such a miserable three previous days. 

Tuesday, I ordered a very long bath brush for Tommy. He misses his bath brush that was hanging in the shower. He never used it, but he is pining for a brush to wash his feet in the shower. So, Amazon has a 30" brush that he says will work. One of his two brushes was falling apart, the kind with the mesh puff. It took him two years to agree to toss it. I think the survivor is under the bathroom sink now. But, when he gets the new one, I am sure I can convince him to toss the old one. He now needs a little corner shelf for hanging things and for his soap. The old one left by the former owners in 1980, had mold behind it, visible one cleaner pulled it off the shower wall. ewww. Why does he do these things? 

The cleaner is not responding to calls. So, I will call her, leave her a message, asking her if she can recommend someone since she is obviously very busy. She should either come back or at least give me a name for someone else to help me. 

When I could not sleep for two of the mornings, I very slowly started cleaning up the little bits in my bedroom I needed to do myself. If you sent your child to clean and the child did the little bits I did, you would send that child back with strong remonstrations. I do what I can. 

For the last two dental appointments for cleaning, I have not gotten a free toothbrush like the dentist recommends. Before these denials, I had tried to find the same toothbrush model in at least a dozen stores and pharmacies. No luck. Last cleaning, they offered me one of three other models. I chose one. The bristles actually are little spikes on the end. They were causing pain and damage to my gums. 

I finally called the office and they told me where they order them. That was no help, but I made it work. I called and finally found the right place. As it turns out, the machine that manufactures the toothbrushes has been broken and will be repaired by the end of August and toothbrushes will soon be available to dental offices. When I called and talked to my hygienist again, she said no one told them that the machine was broken. So, she was happy to understand the mystery. 

Who ever heard of the toothbrush making machine breaking? Okay, I intellectually know it must happen. 

This is an old model, so I hope they plan to continue to manufacture this model. I will take the free one and plan to order a dozen more. Amazingly, they are cheaper by the dozen. In retail, this is never an option. I need my toothbrush! I did find another when they gave me two. Actually, I found two more in package. 

Over the last two weeks, I have "fixed" the problem of unloading the dishwasher. I have to hold onto the counter and lean over the door to get the dishes out. Then, Tommy stands to the side and takes the dishes from me, putting the dishes on his walker seat. Then, he has to take a load to where they go while I wait. This action of leaning and reaching really hurts my lower back. 

Now, I remove what I can put on the counter in front of the microwave. I don't tell him to help. I don't remind him. I don't even think about them again. Usually, this is four or five of the heavy glass dishes we use for storage and cooking and heating in microwave. He sees them when he wants to use the microwave. Just now, I asked him if this was okay. And, it is. I was getting sick of asking him to come help and his being "not in the mood" right then. 

Finally, I have gotten an appointment with the oncologist since I fear cancer has returned. The woman who gave me the appointment gave me the third degree to even schedule it. Strange. But, she finally said they usually tell her these things. So that is done. This makes about my tenth call to get in with an obgyn of any ilk. 

Have you found that making a doctor's appointment is more difficult? Often, I get a central office that asks me first who I am calling. Then, after being transferred, that office has a voicemail telling me to leave a message and someone will call me to make the appointment. Then, that person seems to be in training and does not smoothly make the appointment. I make the most important appointments first. So, if that office does not call me right back, I don't want to make lesser appointments and chance having to cancel if the first appointment needs to be on a day already filled. 

Do they need to hire more people? Are they depending too much on technology to avoid hiring? 

Discombobulated

 If I don't get some sleep, I feel like I will die! Cleaner did not come today nor return my two calls to her. I stayed up yesterday morning with only 4.5 hours sleep. And, I did not take a nap even though I wanted a nap. Tuesday morning, I awoke with 4.5 hours sleep. I did not go back to bed as I usually do. I waited up for her. Then, I did not get a nap. I called friend who could not talk and said she would call right back. Well, 45 minutes later, I finally went to nap. Then, 45 minutes after that, I got up madder than a wet hen! 

Finally, about 7 pm, we went to store and got bacon and bananas. Then, we came home and both had a salad with bacon and tomatoes. The salad had carrots, red cabbage, radishes, zucchini, squash and tomatoes. Tommy went into the store and had a lesson in how expensive bacon is these days. He bought the precooked kind and some more of the low sodium bacon. We still spent less than if we had bought dinner anywhere!

Yes, I am grumpy feeling, but not grumpy with Tommy. 

Tommy told me to call the lawn guy. I did and have not heard from him, either. But, he works hard and long in this heat. He will call when he can come. 

I tried to get an appointment with the ob/gyn oncologist and have heard nothing. The family doctor is out of town this week. The podiatrist, well, I forgot what happened with her. I just feel discombobulated. And, I am not going to look back over what I wrote, either. No editing. I hope it makes sense. 

Do you feel completely undone and miserable when you really need sleep and things happen or don't happen? My whole body started to ache when the nap did not happen!

This whole day has been horrible. Feeling like this is rare. The lack of sleep is the problem. 

The sky and clouds were so pretty today, so that made a portion of the day much better. The clear blue sky had the fluffiest, white clouds blowing along, a rare sight. 

Do you feel miserable when you cannot sleep and circumstances seem to conspire against sleep? 

BLT Fail

Tommy put all the bacon on a pan I covered with parchment paper and put it in the oven. Then, he went out to water. I checked on it. He came in and went to check it. He came back into the living room and told me it was "very dark and shrunken." I rushed in to rescue the burnt bacon. I only succeeded in ripping the bacon out before it went totally black. Aaargh! My rushing was a fast limp. I did not fuss because it was his first view of bacon cooked in the oven. 

I told him to take things out, that we can return it to oven if it needs cooking more. The blt was not so pleasant with burned bacon. I will buy another package of bacon tomorrow and we will try again. His toast which he made himself was burned, also. I turned down the toaster so mine was only brown. I love toast but have not had any in a year. 

We have not eaten a tomato despite having had market-bought homegrown tomatoes since Saturday. I want a good blt before they go.  

Sunday, I mentioned to Tommy, "Didn't she say she was coming to clean Tuesday or was it Monday?" He immediately turned and said loudly, "Why is it that you cannot remember "anything?" Well, I was ready to murder him because he is the one who cannot remember, so he always verbally demeans me until we find what he says he "put right here." Well, no, it is still in the car despite his clarity of the memory. I never, ever turn on him when he cannot remember correctly! 

So, I got up early this morning because I was hot, suffocating. Then, it was too late to try to get sleep, so I stayed up. She did not come! Most certainly, I was correct. She is coming Tuesday. Finally, at noon I went to bed and took a looong nap--4.5 hours. 

While I slept, he washed and dried two of his blankets that had been lying in a corner for three years. He slept much later than I did, so he is not being overworked...lol. These are in garbage bags, sealed at the top so dust won't get it. 

While shopping for the bacon, I found a brand that is low sodium. It probably has extra sugar! No, I checked. It has 0mg sugar. 

Tommy carried the bags of clothing he is giving away to the car. So, it looks even better in here. We carry away lots of bags to recycle or donate from this house. I cannot imagine how the house would be if we left all this in here. Plus, we organize a bit on our own, not relying on the cleaner for every little thing. 

Until I had dinner about 7 pm, I had only eaten two scrambled eggs and about 10 ounces of milk. Since 7 pm, I had the blt and all the innards for another sandwich minus bread, sort of a salad. Just now, I had an apple. Then, I had some ice cream. I try hard! 

Nothing Happening Here, Just Sorting

 We needed to go to a Big Box store, so we planned it to get there before the church folks arrived and got all the carts. Tommy wanted to buy shoes to wear as one pair is too worn. He got some that look like crocs. I needed a few things and got some of them and forgot the others. I slept maybe 4 hours last night and have been just dying this evening. It got too late to take a nap. So, I am struggling. 

Tommy was resisting sorting socks, so I brought in a bag of tshirts too heavy for me. I dragged them. Sooo, he sorted the socks. Then he sorted the tshirts. There were at least 50. He is keeping the Auburn, Scotland and Dr. Who shirts. He gave me two to cut for cleaning rags. I can have more and the rest will be donated to a shelter. None are new but none are ragged, just no longer fit him. He is getting rid of all his Sam's Club shirts. 

There are sweatshirts and sweatpants somewhere, but I could not find them. I will have to look tomorrow. He is giving away a pair of shorts and swim trunks that don't fit. Lots is leaving.

He gave me his eclipse shirt since mine is probably destroyed. August 21, 2017 was a fun day for us. 

I am keeping about six fuzzy socks so I can cut off the foot to use the tops on a Swiffer for dusting/sweeping. I will toss them when done since I had to cut the tops from bottom to top for use on the swiffer. The thin ones, nylon, are tossed. 

Tommy will be furious, but I want to wash all the shirts he is keeping and the ones I will be using for cleaning. But, I brought in two blankets that were lying in a corner accidentally and told him they needed washing and he agreed. So, who knows?

Tommy used the new stick, cordless vac for about twelve feet. The fine dirt is disgraceful and lots of it. The hairs and other trash are quite a bit, too, more than I expected on a two foot by 12 foot strip. 

I have a busy day planned for tomorrow and I dread it. I have a list! ugh  Hopefully, I can sleep tonight. 

Was your Sunday restful or productive?

Great Saturday Shopping, Price Drop

 We went to the Festhalle Farmer's Market and I found homegrown tomatoes. The market only allows farmers within the county to sell their produce and products. There was everything to imagine. I found tomatoes and squash to bring home for $5 each, so $10 spent on produce. We bought apple fried pies, also known in some parts of the country as hand pies. We both wanted peach but by the time I went to the car for cash, peach was gone. So, apple fried pies were delicious. 

Tommy loves fast food. We got burgers and sat in my driveway. It was so peaceful! I offer to make a sandwich from chicken, bologna, anything he wants, but he says he wants something hot. And, I am not averse to having a Whopper with cheese, lettuce, and tomato! 

For the last year or so, I have been struggling with plastic bags that tear up before I can even put anything in them. So, I finally called customer service. The woman sent me three coupons for $4 each with an expiration date of today! So, I had to work fast, considering I only got these coupons a week ago. I bought a box using one coupon and still had to contribute $1+ tax to the purchase even using the coupon. 

Today, I decided I needed to spend the other two coupons in Cullman or go to the store once we got back home. We only want to get into the house and relax when we drive so far. So, I went into Publix and found what I wanted had been on sale. I got two boxes of bags for $7.50 and had two coupons for $4 each for a $3.50 product. I spent $0.63 for tax on two boxes of storage bags, 180 in total. I spent $0.63 cents for tax. Good deal! 

We dropped off the dozen shirts, so that is gone. 

Gas has gone down again to $3.43. 

Tommy saw a large hawk flying along with two mocking birds chasing it. Mocking birds are vicious and fearless. I have seen them terrorize cats and crows, now hawks. 

I had a nap when we got home. Tommy never wants a nap, he just does...lol. Friday night, I slept about an hour, if that, so I needed a nap. 

Tommy is out watering flowers. Next spring, we will have an irrigation system that goes from pot to pot. I saw one on someone's porch. So, they do exist. I had no idea, just wished it existed. 

Believe it or not! I put out a package of woody chicken to thaw! I am so disgusted and irritated. I will cook it, but only because it is thawing. 

Tommy spends hours using a reacher picking up bits of trash from the carpet around the house. Right now, he is putting together a cordless, stick vacuum cleaner that has a hepa filter. This won't be for the whole house and dust that has been here for about 16 years, but he can at least get up what he sees and wants to get up. In four hours the battery will be charged and I suppose he will be using it all over the house. Of course, the cleaner will use the corded, more powerful one. So, YAY for a vacuum he can use instead of a reacher. 

About the hepa filter, I need it. Regular vacuums just push out dust into the air. With almost twenty years of dust, I suffer. It would be worse having it pushed back out into the air up where I breathe. 

Tonight, for dinner I am combining stuff already cooked and leftover--half a jar of spaghetti sauce, spaghetti noodles in the refrigerator, and ground beef we cooked last night. I will probably add some zucchini to the sauce. No, I sliced zucchini and squash, he got slices of red and orange peppers, and some grape tomatoes to a huge bed of salad greens. So, he had a hearty and healthy dinner. 

Around midnight, he tried out the little stick vacuum using his walker with one hand and the vacuum with the other. After three minutes on a "clean" carpet, the dust bin was full. This was in front of his chair, in front of the front door, and toward the hall. 

Do you have a full-sized vacuum or a stick? Does the stick seem to do a really good job? 

Are you going to markets that limit vendors to farmers in your county? 

Have you ever observed a mockingbird terrorizing crows, hawks, and large birds? This happened daily at my house, but I cannot see out well here. 

Lost Day or Not

 I spent it well, just not like I intended to spend it. I slept until 2:30. At 7 am or so, I awoke sweaty from the room heating up. Yes, it is that hot considering I was covered to spend the night in ac so I could breathe. 

What I intended to do was get a battery pack or something to run our chairs when we lose power. Since no rain is predicted for this weekend, I can do this on Saturday. I feel really good, so that is worth losing a day over getting one chore done. Everything else I need to do is right here. Besides, on Saturday we will rise and leave early.

Since the Mrs. Wages pickle mix has jalapenos, I am passing on that to someone who might use it. I will never use both the bags of bay leaves and have a bottle anyway from the store, and I will not use two bags of dill seeds, I am passing them on one of each. 

Tommy has a like-new sweater he has worn once. He hates it and has had it for ages, so it will go with his blessing. It is a heavy knit and has a zipper up the front. That goes. 

He still has not sorted the socks and refuses to sort the tshirts "right now!"   I don't say that, he does. I am sure he plans to do it right before she comes....sigh.  So, I will tell him the cleaner can sort. That should put a fire under him. 

Thursday night, we finally got the dishwasher loaded and he cleaned the sink. So, with lots of dishes and room to work, I may bake the cupcakes if I don't run out of steam tonight. 

He is in the kitchen chopping and cooking the ground beef. He learns. He suggested the chopped onions be added. He remembers what I do to cook. I have the two meatloaf burgers on cooking. I will make slaw to go with our other various vegetables and the meatloaf burgers for dinner. We are so boring. We don't care.

I have actually decluttered a bit today, actually at night. So, maybe the day was not completely lost to me. It just feels that way when I sleep so long. 

So, we will be dropping off at least one donation on Saturday. 

What is on your agenda for the weekend?

Woody Chicken Breasts, Storm

 Now I know why I have gotten chicken breasts with a strange look and strange texture. I asked a meat guy why the bscb looked funny. He said they were just fine, that some just looked that way and he did not know why. So, here is why!

These packages of bscb were lowest in years, $1.49/lb. I think someone, somewhere knew what was wrong with them. I have to watch this store because they have great sales on items with only 3 days left until "sell before" or "best by" dates.

CLICK HERE and HERE

Thursday, we went to Publix to get milk for Tommy and my milk for me, Miracle Whip, and ice cream. The MW has a best by date of Jan 24. I bought 3. The vanilla ice cream will be good with the strawberries. 

(I just remembered--Kim, have you discovered that Cokes at McD are no longer $1. They went up to $1.75!)

So, we drove about 3 miles. I was only in the heat to go into and out of the store. Since it rained, Tommy only went to the mailbox and back. I did not poke my head out the door the rest of the day. 

Just before 4 pm, the storm started, first with far off thunder, then wind, and then torrents blowing. It looked like one of the shepherd's hooks with a hanging basket of flowers was going to blow over as the basket blew back and forth. 

We both put our recliners in a position with foot down and backs where we would be comfortable if we lost electricity.  Plus, I did not want to have to call 911 to be hauled out of the chair. I called a mobility company nearby and we discussed the battery pack for the chairs--about $100 we were told. So, on Friday we will get a couple of those. 

Finally, at 7:15 or so, it calmed down after nothing worse than brief blips in the power. Birmingham probably had worse problems than we did. I heard the "feels like" temperature was between 113F and 115F". Now, that is hot. Okay, just heard--a three-month-old infant and a three-year-old child were killed when a tree fell on a home. It was a very nice multi-story home with mature trees. I say this because it was not a weather-related death in a mobile home as usually happens.

For dinner I cooked a package of spaghetti, shredded/chopped the last chicken breast, added a jar of alfredo sauce. For mine I added green beans and diced pimientos. Tommy did not. He had a huge salad with grape tomatoes and mayo. Basically, dinner was boiling pasta and mixing things in. There is more pasta for the half jar of spaghetti sauce in the refrigerator. 

Have you had chicken breasts that were strange with a woody texture? Have you heard of "woody chicken?" How did the storm affect you?

Much Free Food; We Won; Even Cheaper Gas

 Wednesday was so busy. It was a matter of getting up to leave at 9:30 and go to Cullman. Getting my mail was important since I have not picked it up at PO in almost two weeks. There was the pickup lunch, and a lecture to attend. 

I awoke too early, hot as usual! But, I was able to watch a bit of the Today Show, eat breakfast leisurely, read blogs, read some news, and bathe without feeling rushed. I had scrambled six eggs for breakfast yesterday and put up three for today. Usually, I bathe, get dressed, and take my eggs and a glass of milk in the car. 

The day was so bright I could barely see! We picked up four lunches and went to the site of the pickling lecture. We eat in the parking lot under a tree. When we came to the site, we saw a beautiful white horse out in the sun eating a tall weed. There were four other horses, all brown, under a stand of trees that were planted for harvesting. The brown horses stood so still, sort of looking off into the trees. I surmised the heat did not affect the white horse so it could stand the sun and heat. I could be wrong. Maybe that breed can stand heat better. ???

Lunch today: hamburger, hotdog, condiment packets, huge slice of beautiful tomato and good amount of lettuce leaves for the hamburger. Since we got four, we had dinner tonight, too. 

As soon as we went into the building, there were Covid tests to take home. I got one but Tommy did not get one when he came by.  The young woman gave a demonstration of quick pickles along with a six-page handout. Each person also received a little bag of bay leaves and one of dried dill seeds, Mrs Wage's pickling mix. There was a lunch, too.

I got a portion of a sub with spicy meat and turkey and a tiny egg sandwich and a tiny tuna sandwich. I ate the filling of the tiny sandwiches and took the slice of sub with me. There were five jars of pickled relish and other stuff the young woman had made. The handout had the recipes for those. There was a huge container with water that had herbs in it. Tommy tried all the pickled garnishes for the sandwich but not the sandwich. 

Toward the end there was a drawing for door prizes--jar of blueberry jam, two small jars of smoked honey, quart jar of pickled pears, pint of canned pears, two half-dozen cartons of fresh eggs, two pints of freshly-picked grape tomatoes. All the door prizes were locally prepared. My name was drawn fourth and I chose blueberry jam, changed my mind and chose fresh eggs. Tommy's name was drawn and he chose the pint of pears. We were so pleased both our names were drawn. We came home with 6 pretty, colored eggs and a pint of pears. 

There was a donation jar for the catered lunch. We only had a $1 bill between us. So, that was that. The day was hot (heat index of 105). The only time Tommy got out of the car was to go into and out of the building. I did the same, plus went into and out of the store. He did go out to water the flowers after 7 pm. He said it was very warm, but not hot. At 10 pm, it is still 83F. 

We went to one store. I bought the huge can of Argo peaches for $1.99, and four pouches of Betty Crocker fudge brownie mix for $1.19 each. These were $1.09 about four months ago and $0.99 last year. These are small and make few brownies, but we don't need many brownies, if any at all. Freezing extras won't help since I like frozen fudge brownies.

About ten miles down the interstate, we realized we had not gone to PO! Well, I was in no mood to return, and he did not offer. He would have if I had asked. 

These days, we carry two bottles of water apiece. Tommy insists he does not need even one bottle. But, after seeing reports about the dangers of the heat and how people need to carry water, he does bring along four bottles. Of course, I do emphasize that water could save our lives if the car breaks down. I usually grab one from the table where I have been drinking it and carry it along, too. 

Gas was $3.51. Amazing! 

When you go out, do you make sure you have plenty of water? 

Do you like or attend demonstrations?

Is the price of gas falling more where you live? 

Great Gas Prices!

 Today, I had a doctor's appointment. It took so long! So, we were out of the house by 1 pm. We were both very excited to see gas below $4. Okay, $3.98/gal. is good enough and heading in the right direction. We were home by 5 pm. 

Doctor needed blood to make a decision about my care. I would not be mentioning this except for the fact that she found the vein, it held and the whole thing was successful. Usually, my veins are invisible, roll away, blow up (whatever that means), or the nurse is mean. Probably not a nurse.

The day is almost gone. Thank goodness, there is plenty of food that we can eat without any effort other than dishing it up and microwaving. That fact alone makes this a good day! 

Cheap gas, good blood draw, and food cooked--the trifecta of happy. 

Since I had a restless night and little sleep, I want a nap, but will stay up and go to bed around midnight. 

Yesterday, I bought another 4 quarts of strawberries, so I suppose with all my free time this evening, I should get those washed and hulled. 

Monday, I looked over the ads for the next week, Wed through next Tuesday, and so far, there is nothing great on sale or bogo. Oh, the only thing right this minute that interests me is a sale of some sort on Miracle Whip. How many I buy depends on the date on the jar.

Have you found anything exciting in the grocery ads? 

Do you veins cooperate? 

What is the price of gas in your area and where are you?

Busy Monday

 

                                                                                Cute! 

I just liked this tshirt.

Today, the cleaner came. We got lots done and there is still more to do before she can vacuum. With Tommy's permission, I had her empty his chest of drawers. She first brought him a drawerful of socks. He was to sort into keep, give away, throw away. But, noooo, he had to get out his socks he stores by his chair and sort them, too. There are three huge bags of things from the rest of the drawers to sort. 

Without looking at them, he allowed her to throw away boxers that had sprung elastic. There is a shiny pair of black boxers with red hearts. They look like a ten-year-old could wear them.  There are more bags for him to sort. I know he wants none of the white t-shirts, so those will be put away for rags. Then, there are tshirts from Auburn and other colored picture t-shirts. 

I own and use several Rubbermaid-type bins. One was empty. I cannot imagine. Now, they are stacked with my stuff in them. I found a shirt I like and forgot I owned. This makes three days she has worked on my room. There will be at least one more day and the next time she can vacuum. There are still tote bags and boxes of stuff that has no home. When I get the chest cleaned out and I am sure there are not silverfish in it, lots of the stuff on the floor will go in there. 

We tried to get the kitchen drawer that binds back on track. I gave up. She used the swiffer thing with a wet pad and cleaned up whatever Tommy spilled in front of the refrigerator and said she went ahead and mopped in front of the stove. 

Then, I had her get things I dropped behind my chair and table. There was lots of stuff. The space from wall required for this chair is so large that she could easily get back there. She also moved cans of food I had not put in the kitchen. 

I have to rest when she leaves, so I did. We were sitting here when it started to rain, then storm. The electricity went off. And, I was stuck in my chair. I could have sat a little longer. However, I needed to go to the bathroom! So, I called 911 and two guys in a huge firetruck had to haul me out of my chair. Tommy was sitting in chair mode, so he had no trouble getting up. We will have motors for these things soon.

Since dinner is done, I am relieved. Watching someone move things is so tiring...lol. It is 4 pm, and I need a nap. 

How cute is that tshirt? Speaking of tshirts, for what do you use old tshirts?

Low-Key Day and Strawberries!

 There is nothing much happening around here. Everything has all been very low-key. We went for short drive yesterday, but on Sunday we have not even opened the front door. He did wash and dry my puffy pink comforter on Saturday late afternoon-evening. 

Slowly I am clearing off two small tables near me. These tables are catchalls when I don't feel well. So, now I pick at things, organize or throw away. I am finding phone numbers I need, lists I don't need, magazines, programs, scissors, etc. 

Meals available I have cooked:

2 pork chops with sliced potatoes in the pan in oven

2 bscb with zucchini in the pan in oven

We can eat Great Northern Beans, salad, tomatoes. Tommy has collards and peas. I have green beans. 

Hopefully, tonight Tommy cooks and crumbles a huge package of ground beef to which I will add chopped onions, garlic, salt and pepper. 

My big deal was strawberries. At Publix I found strawberries $10/3. Ooops,  I must have hit a key. I also found Driscoll Organic Strawberries bogo $4.99/2. Naturally, I got a quart of the organic berries. They were so good that I will go back and get several more. I took that first box we bought, and we ate some in the car. I know that strawberries are cheaper somewhere, but I am just not there. If I had known how red these were inside and how sweet they were, I would have gotten more quarts. 

Two weeks ago, I paid $6.49 for 5 pounds of red potatoes. Shocking! Maybe I could have found/bought them more cheaply, but the cheaper places had potatoes that I pared half of them away because of flaws. 

Tommy had to water Saturday and today. But, when he waits until 7 pm, he is happier about working outside. I think I hear him in the kitchen washing dishes in the sink at 11 pm. 

I am slogging through Salt Wars. I say slogging, but it is really interesting. The Salt Institute really wants all of us to use more salt. The prevarications about salt are amazing. I would highly recommend Salt Wars. Since I was about 30-yrs-old, I have deliberately reduced salt on my own. My blood pressure was really low, so this was not a need or a suggestion from a doctor. 

Do you try and limit salt? Is this a suggestion for improved health? 

Red-Letter Day

Thursday and Friday and Saturday

Thursday was a red-letter day. I had the cleaner clean out two drawers that Tommy had emptied and the guys then removed.  She put them back in. I had bought eating utensils last month and needed to buy a tray to put in the drawer for the utensils. Well, lo and behold, there was a pink utensil tray in a drawer I have never opened. Tommy washed the tray last night. So, today, I put all the utensils into the tray and into the drawer. Today was the first time that I could reach into a drawer at my elbow and get what I need instead of having to turn and walk the table and back! It was a red-letter day for me. 

When I went in to cook meat, there was only a package with two huge bscb, so that went into the oven. I told Tommy he could wait for that or have a bag of bsc thigh. He said he wanted some of the pulled pork along with the Great Northern Beans and Collards. So, that was it. The chicken will be for tomorrow and at least two more days. The breasts are huge! 

Tommy is happy because it rained today, and he does not have to water. That's good because today is the day to take the garbage to the road. He takes a step, reaches back and pulls the can to him, takes another step and pulls the garbage to himself again, over and over. I tried to help when I first came, thinking maybe the two of us could make it more easily. Well, no. My shoulders will not allow me to pull things anymore. So, he takes the garbage by himself. Sometimes, a neighbor will bring it back to the porch. 

Tonight, Thursday, I will freeze some of the beans and the collards. Tommy will love having more single helpings of food to eat. If I die, he can eat for several weeks from the freezer, maybe longer. 

I boiled eggs so maybe I will get potato salad soon--incremental potato salad...lol.  

Added benefit of having the basil to inhale--There is always a bit of the red stuff at the back of my nose. That has entirely disappeared after almost three years. Why three years? This place is filthy!

Saturday

Another benefit to basil--I have had a gum irritation that has been really painful. When I chew the basil after having smelled it, crushed it and gotten a different aroma, I chew it. The side I chew on mostly, is the side where the two areas of gum irritation are located. The basil seems to have worked to lessen and relieve completely the gum irritation. Maybe it is just my imagination. 

I had places to go, but the no tax day on school supplies keeps me out of anyplace that might be crowded today. We went back to Publix to get things I forgot and things not on shelves, all on sale. Since all these had to be refrigerated, we had to come home immediately and put them in the refrigerator. Then,

Then, we went back to a yard sale. The stack on the side of the road was disheartening as the one thing I saw as we drove away was not there. After that. we just drove around, looking at all the burned houses being renovated. That is not what we went to see, just saw so many. 

Saturday morning, I slept until 11:30 and felt wonderful. However, I was loathe to get up from my chair and do anything because I knew I would be zapped and would no longer feel so wonderful. What an excuse to do nothing, right? So, now it is 6 pm and we have to load the dishwasher. But, at least I felt great for about six hours. 

Other than loading the dishwasher I have to do other things--cut up three peppers for Tommy to eat, cook meatloaf hamburger, cut up strawberries, cut zucchini. 

In the car we have hangers to go to thrift store, plastic to go to recycling, and shirts to give to food bank. They did put clothing in a clothes closet. I told them as far as I was concerned, the workers could have them. I heard the minister, present at the food bank found a jacket to use. There are about a dozen people working, so surely they can use these shirts. We both have books to donate. I have had my books for three years; his have been here for a couple of decades. 

A New Type Bee Hive

   Click on Flow Hive 

This is a new kind of hive. What do you think?

La Quinta Inn and Other Things

 Original Post Here

I finally got around to talking to Customer Care about the La Quinta Inn stay. I have tried for the whole two weeks to find the right number. One guy hung up on me. Another number had breathing and a feeble person saying, "I am the only person here." Not sure what that was, but I did have the number I intended to dial. I got three other people who could barely speak English. Finally, I talked to a woman who did not seem to listen, only intent on saying, "If that is the way the motel wants it, we cannot make them change."

She said: 

If only one bar is required in the shower, that is okay. They are not required to put in more than minimum.

If they want to put handicap rooms where dogs are allowed in the room, that is the prerogative of the motel. 

No one is required to keep dogs from barking because dogs cannot be stopped from barking. 

No one has to bring me anything to the room. 

The motel can put the microwave anywhere they want to place it, no matter how low. As she said,
Wherever they have room. The microwave was so low that even a person in a wheelchair would have a problem reaching it and not falling out of the chair. 

She made absolutely no comment on the hair on the ice bucket or rolled in a towel. No comment on wet floor being slick as ice. 

The information that she reacted to the strongest was the woman who checked us in saying she was the only person working in the motel at that time. 

I forgot to say there was only one chair in the room and barely room for that one. Plus, there was very little room for walking. 

There is no one room that will fit every disabled person, but room for walking and safety in the bathroom seem to be things that a severely disabled person, more so than either of us, might require. 

I will get an email once she reviews the information. 

The reason I did not report this sooner was that at first, I was tired; some days we were not here; some days I forgot until after 5 pm; some days I had better things to do. I had all sorts of excuses. I suppose the only thing to do now is to post this information online on some site.

There are a few things I learned: Never go to any Wyndham-related motel. There are many chains under their umbrella. Always make sure where the dogs are and not stay in that section. Always see the room first. The first two rooms for disabled that I stayed in were superb. Lately, not so much. I wish I knew the names of those motels. 

I think we need to cook meat again. It is thawed and we only have one helping left of ground beef cooked with onions. Well, there are a dozen meat meals frozen. But, we are not getting into those. Plus, I need to shop for fresh vegetables. Overnight, I cooked dried beans in the crockpot. I use Great Northern Beans I cook from dried for making hummus. I have had hummus on my mind. And, Tommy hates it. So, I will figure out how to make some for him that he will eat. Or, maybe not. It really does not matter since he like GNBs. 

Yesterday, I cooked a two-gallon bag of chopped collard greens. Beans go with greens. Maybe I will bake sweet potatoes to go with the beans and greens. This all sounds like fall, but when you have it, you cook it. I may freeze some of the greens for later. 

Slowly, but surely, with all the cleaner did by moving things, I am able to further declutter my bedroom. At last, I can hang things in the closet, so my clothes are not stacked different places. Also, the Rubbermaid storage crates can go into the closet. 

What are you cooking today? How does your garden grow? 

Stress Caused by the Medical Community

 Sometimes, it seems there is no end to problems encountered withing the medical system. Mostly, the nurses, doctors, pharmacists and all the people involved are wonderful and do their job. The ones who present with an attitude, ineptitude, and plain old orneriness cause stress to me and other patients and caregivers. 

It seems that more and more even the people who make appointments are inaccessible during office hours. I am not asking for special treatment or access, just access

 in a timely manner. Plus, I expect not to be the butt of jokes or the straight man for a doctor who has females for an audience and expects me to laugh along with the rest of his audience. 

When I call some doctors for an appointment, I get the answering person for the whole building, not just for the practice. Then, I have to tell her what I want--doctor, nurse, or other options. I am happy because I assume I am in. Nope. Now, I must navigate the choices at the doctor's office. When I press the button designated for an appointment,  I am directed to leave a message! Nooooo!

Okay. I am calm now. I leave a message and hang up, waiting for who-knows-how-long. The problem is that this is appointment is the most important, key to making other appointments that don't clash. So, now that I am expecting a call, how do I continue with this key piece of information missing. Plus, do I dare get on the phone for anything important, like another appointment or call that I don't want to dismiss and take the first call. 

Plus, sometimes I hurry and get off the phone only to find myself the victim of spam. I know I can see who is on the phone first, but sometimes the caller cannot take and hint and rambles on about how I can call back and on and on, so I just click to get the incoming call. I have yet to figure out how to hold a call, usually losing both calls, so this is a stressor. Maybe it is just me on switching calls.

I had a question for a doctor and called the office, wanting the office person to ask him and call me back. I waited four business days and called back. She did not know the answer yet. This went on for three weeks. Finally, I asked pointed questions? I asked if he had gotten the note. Well, no, she did not write a note. How does she communicate with him, then. I just wait until I can catch him and ask him. WHAT? That was last year. I am biding my time until I find another doctor of same specialty and will fire him.

I was scheduled for an angiogram and having stents put in arteries if needed which the doctor is sure I need. Well, he was put out that I asked questions in an appointment before the procedure. I did not finish one sentence or one question since he interrupted each time I spoke. He either finished my sentence, made a face or questioned why I would even need to know that. Then, he used what I said to make a joke and looked to the three women in the room to laugh. He stayed in the room less than ten minutes. The nurse who said, "Just call me if you have any questions" was inaccessible no matter which number I called. I was calling to cancel the appointment for the procedure. So, now they probably have mean notes about me and my "no show/no call." 

During numerous xrays and MRIs, I have been treated shoddily or hurt. So, now I am willing to drive over 80 miles for an MRI. The technicians are very easy and listen when I comment that my back is injured and the wedge should not be ripped from under my knees without warning. One guy when I winced and moaned, and commented that he hurt my back said, "I am just doing my job."  Not only was he rough and very remote, it looked like that had called in the maintenance man for my MRI. 

Whoever scheduled my sonogram for thryroid scheduled it 108 miles from here instead of the closer city. I don't even have a guarantee of treatment like the one 80 miles from here. If I am going to take chances of getting good treatment, I will chance it closer to home. 

Most doctor's offices can get out a call-in prescription in two days. Right? Nope. the doctor with the phone answerer who "catches" the doctor to give a message is the worst. It sometimes takes five days to get a refill called to the pharmacy. I know I should not wait until I only have two days left of a med, but I do sometimes. 

There are some doctors I treasure and will never complain about because they are so wonderful, listening and responding. They dispense medical advice and respond to queries. And, I love all the nurse practitioners, female and male. Well, one NP was a toad and I hated her and her attitude, but there always has to be one, right? 

So, that makes one doctor I have fired and another is on the radar. I have determined he has to go, but I need a new one in his specialty and want one more trip to find out one thing. 

 The trouble is that with all the means of communication we possess, it seems the system for pressing buttons in the phone systems is causing more delays than progress. 

I know you can relate. Share your frustrations with medical care. Maybe slugmama can share or post links to her drama a few years ago. Her doctor made the news for all the wrong reasons. 

Do you have to wait on a call to schedule an appointment. Do you have a doctor who thinks he is there to entertain the nurses and techs? 

Go ahead. Rant.

Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia Kills Patients. There is a Simple Way to Stop It.

 Read this article to find out how to keep hospital-acquired pneumonia from killing people. CLICK HERE

Sunday night, I slept two hours--7 am to 9 am. Tommy woke me at 9 am to get up because the cleaner was coming at 10 am. She worked until 1 pm and I went to bed at 3 pm. About 3:15 when I was just on the brink of sleep, the dog next door started barking! I came flying in and complained to Tommy. He went next door.

The woman said they could not stop the dogs from barking and to go ahead and call Animal Control like we did before. That was her response in total. I am so furious. It is almost midnight and I have not been able to sleep. The dog did start barking again. So, I will call Animal Control on Tuesday when I am in a better mood and better able to take the stress of calling. 

Lynda said her dog knows when she is in trouble for barking. Her dog stops barking at a word. The cleaner said the elderly woman in the nursing home has a dog that knows to stop when she, the cleaner, speaks sharply to her. However, the dog does not obey the owner. I think that a book on dog training should be required of all dog owners. Or, send the dog to an obedience training course, or have the owner take the course. 

It did not rain at all today, but it was overcast almost until dark. Tommy says he hurts from dragging the hose. There has got to be a better way for him. 

Monday, the cleaner continued in the bedroom. She cleaned out the closet entirely, cleaned the walls and ceiling with a swiffer with a washcloth on it. We sorted the almost a hundred hangers. Some he is going to donate to a thrift store, along with an old pair of shoes that looks like new, only worn to church. There was a single shoe that he said he must have thrown out the mate. There was a gift set of small men's colognes and single bottles of cologne. He sorted shirts and is giving away about a dozen. The vacuum cleaner will be used next time she comes. It really helps to give him stacks of clothing and let him decide. It really helps to have her do the walking and carrying. Remember, we had to find the floor first!

I had her stop a little after noon and show me how to put apps on my phone. I did it easily on my old one and the one that was stolen. She put Gas Buddy on first at my request. We can find the cheapest gas anywhere. I can add the rest of the apps I want/need.

Then, since there was time left, I asked her to clean out two drawers removed from the kitchen cabinets and emptied. Since I kept hearing clinking and went in to see what she was doing. She did not see the drawers but took out two I had completely forgotten and was cleaning those. I kept telling her to leave it, but she continued until about 3 minutes past quitting time. The last thing I want to do is keep her past what we agreed. We gave her the same as last time--$70 for three hours. 

I think it might take two, maybe three more visits to get it clean, including windowsills. We will be able to get a ladder into the room for her to change the overhead light bulb. It will be nice to have a relatively dust free room. She will be here forever. Tommy wants her to come twice a month after the whole place is clean to keep it clean. 

Monday night, I had 9 hours sleep, so Tuesday is a good day so far. We did one chore. In a few minutes we are going to give something to Lynda and she is giving us a whole box of Snack Bags that she accidentally bought. We use these. She does not. 

Make sure your teeth are brushed in the hospital. Brush the teeth of anyone you care about. Had you ever heard of this problem? Were you aware of bacteria in the mouth causing pneumonia? 

We Interrupt This Program for a Special Announcement!

                          Okay, I found the Miracle Whip by accident. 

I was looking in the cabinet on the left side of the sink, looking for something else I misplaced. As I looked where the little two shelf storage unit for spices is kept, I looked on the shelf above where quart jars of flour, sugar, etc. are kept. My eyes went upward to the third shelf and there was the MW, sitting there, mocking me! 

The other thing I misplaced was the little pink bin where I previously kept spices. I remember it being in front of the microwave in Tommy's way as I was rearranging that shelf and putting in the double-decker spice holder. I told him to just put it anywhere. It was near the table with a box of cleaning supplies on top!

And, after I took the Miracle Whip to the kitchen, I placed it on the counter beside the sink where I was going to make a sandwich. I was not sure if there was enough MW in the jar or if I would need the new jar. Well, there was enough to put back in the refrigerator for another use. So, I picked up the MW and put it right above where it sat, in the top shelf instead of where I would store it. 

See, I remembered how both "lost" items were...lol. Well, I do remember how they got where I found them. Got to save face here. 

Some were concerned the MW had been out of the refrigerator too long. But, this jar had never been opened. I am glad I found it because I paid over $6 for it. That is outrageous. I was dreading buying another. However, MW is a food group. I like it thick and sloppy on my sandwich, but I need to put it on in a civilized smear like I was reared to do. 

I slept two hours last night and the cleaner came this morning. She emptied the closet in the bedroom and cleaned it and fumigated it. She started filling it back up as I directed from bed. When I asked Tommy what to do with some things, he said to throw them away. Well, they will be sold instead. He has a Polaroid camera and a nice case that are over 40 years old. Plus, he has various colognes, gifts he has never used. I am glad he hates cologne. 

It is now time for a nappy poo. 

When you misplace an item, do you remember the circumstances of where you put it once you have found a "lost" thing?

Sunday Nothings

 Even though Tommy said he could see no signs of a burn, I can feel the effects of the hot, black seat. There is a tingle where it was burning on Saturday. He often cannot see evident things. 

Sunday, we went no further than to slightly open the storm door to sniff the air. Today, I piddled. Tommy got his lunch and dinner. Lunch was something in a wrap. I do know he put salad greens in the wrap. Dinner--Italian Sausage and a salad, including grape tomatoes. I keep saying I will have spaghetti since I have half a jar of spaghetti sauce and cooked ground beef, so that and a salad will be my dinner. 

Sunday, I have piddled about the house, always with an eye out for the Miracle Whip. The only way I will ever find it is to go buy another jar. You know how it goes. 

Monday will be a hard day, so I don't intend to get tired today since it will spill over to Monday. After the cleaner was here two weeks ago, it took me four or five days to recover. I did nothing except watch her. 

My friend used the basil in some sort of tea with honey. She slept better and said she has less congestion. She said she is not sure what helped, but was glad she was less congested and coughed less. 

When I closed Beowulf and decided to go to bed, I was tired. When I opened the book last night and started reading, I was shocked when the book only had 3 1/2 pages left, so it was a short read last night. The remaining notes were so interesting that I read for another half hour. 

The day was overcast and it rained a bit. So, Tommy is happy once again he does not have to water flowers. This week, the highs will be around 90F, so a bit more moderate. I suppose people in the World Games will be a bit more comfortable. 

It appears both my pots of Wave Petunias are done. I think the heat got them. Maybe they needed more water. I always watered my WP twice a day at my house and never lost any. I wonder what else will succumb to the heat. I thought pansies were cool weather plants, but mine is hanging on even in this torrid environment. And, it is planted in a concrete bunny planter. 

Okay, at 9 pm, I will do a better search for the Miracle Whip. I cannot stand it any longer. 

I Burned My Buns! The Ones I Sit On!

 Saturday afternoon, I decided we should go to Big Box. At between 2 pm and 3 pm, electric carts are few and far between. Also, employees who might bring one out to me are all staying in these days due to the torpor under which we suffer. So, we search.

Tommy fiddle faddles around, so I miss vacant electric carts. Other people walk up to the driver getting off and ask for the one being vacated. Then, we found another. It worked, but slowly, more slowly than usual. My behind and tops of my thighs right next to my panties were ablaze. The pain was severe. Finally, I saw another cart which had a bit more charge. But, it had been sitting in the sun longer. I have not felt pain like that in a long time. 

Every few seconds, I had to stand up, sort of, straddling the cart. I tried sort of sitting on one side of my body, on one cheek. That does not work since the solid contact with the seat is what makes it work. The cart thinks somebody is getting off or has fallen off, so it stops going forward. It was a long and torturous ride to the store.

Finally, I drove into the store and found the first piece of cloth I could, a man's shirt folded on a shelf. I appropriated that until I left the store. Well, it was such an ordeal getting the register right, that I forgot and went right out and right back in. I gave the shirt to the greeter and told her what happened. That old woman blessed me out. She said I should have gotten a towel. Well, I was not near towels and in pain. She walked quickly away to customer service to turn in the shirt or me. I left fast as I could. I could feel her coming after me to haul me to shoplifter jail. 

Usually, I put a blanket from Tommy's car on a hot seat. He had driven to the other end of the store where I exit. I did not have my cell phone. So, I was stuck.

Tommy will examine me for burn wounds...lol. I can still feel the burn and it has been seven hours. Okay, Tommy checked and there is no redness, but I still feel the burn.

At the register I chose, I got in line, breaking the line, and was informed so. Well, I certainly did not see that the line extended across the front aisle and into the store. So, I looked for a shorter line and found it. The woman ahead of me let me go ahead as I had less than she. It took three checkers to finally get someone who pulled me out of line to get it all straight. It seems that my $10 coupon was over the limit that the register would allow. Whew! That took 20 minutes. I was exhausted from the pain of the black seat of the electric cart and tension of the register debacle. This was in the self-check line, but an employee did all the work since I cannot reach the buttons to push, bags or anything. 

My neighbor down the street is so congested that I can barely understand her. She coughs continuously and her chest rattles so. I told her my basil story and offered her some for tea. She was so very glad to get it that she came down to pick it up. I gave her two full stalks of basil. 

About five o'clock the rain, thunder, lightning, and wind made for quite a spectacle. The lightning was so loud and close that the cracks sort of scared me. But, Tommy is happy he does not have to drag a water hose with his walker and water the plants. The rain may have interrupted the World Games, though. The temperatures cooled from the mid to high 90s to 74F. 

Once again, we chose to have meatloaf again. I did freeze the last of it for two big helpings, another meal. I will have grapes and an apple tonight. I am not sure what fruit Tommy will have. I would make a fruit salad by adding sliced banana, but I cannot figure out what I did with a new jar of Miracle Whip. It is not in the trash or freezer. ??? Maybe I left it in the bag. 

Tommy asked me if I wanted to buy more MW as a way of reminding me. Well, I will just do without until I find it or the MW is on sale. I want it every day. I wanted to make potato salad, pimiento and cheese, and tuna salad, all since I lost it. 

Speaking of losing food, I lost catsup and found it in a bag of canned diced tomatoes. Why did I put it there when only diced tomatoes were supposed to be in the bag? I have no idea. It is Heinz Tomato Ketchup with a blend of veggies. I hate it. It has a sharp bite that also makes my ears feel like I have skewers in my eardrums. 

Vinegar can be made from many products--corn, wheat, wood, and other foods. I know that vinegar made from wheat is something to which I am allergic. My ENT prescribed an Epi pen because my throat starts to close and I feel that in my ears. I know. It is all so complicated....and serious.

Do you ever bring home a can or jar of something, or maybe it is a box, and then you cannot locate it? 

What is burning you these days? car seat, steering wheel, electric cart seat? 

Dolce and Gabbana, eBay, Ritz Crackers

 

As I sat on my bed briefly, I looked down at a pretty blue and white canvass bag I bought for $3 at a yard sale. I could not believe my eyes. There was a "Dolce and Gabbana" tag. I went on the internet and, yessiree, I bought a designer bag for $3. I thought it over. I enjoy having designer items, but hate having the label showing. This label is very unobtrusive. If I could sell this bag for a nifty profit, I would enjoy that even more.

The problem is that I really love this blue and white striped purse/tote! My daughter would love it, too. And, she would not care it is secondhand because it looks like new. However, I also want to sell it for a profit. The truth of the matter is I would seldom use it. 

The other problem is that I would have to sell on eBay. My first and only experience selling was a bad experience. I wasted my time. I found the same bag on eBay for $59 to $20. 

I have always liked Ritz Crackers, but I don't think I have ever bought a package. When there was a chance this last week to taste an oldy but goody, I was surprised and puzzled. They are even better than I remembered. The box has the name "Ritz" and "everything baked with onion, poppy seeds, garlic and sea salt." I love them. These are better than the original. I won't be purchasing them. 

This discovery led me to want to go to yard sales on Saturday. But, it appears heavy rain is in the forecast. So, that won't happen. Okay, Saturday now and just too hot. Besides, with the forecast of 80% chance of rain, I doubt people are having yard sales. It did rain lots, just not in Birmingham.

No rain will be good for the World Games held here this year. But, if it does not rain today, Tommy will have to go out in the heat to water the flowers. He waits until 7 pm in order to have the sun behind trees. I don't blame him. I stay inside and watch him...lol. He is a good man for watering.

Today, I will make the pimiento and cheese I have talked about for days and maybe some sugar-free Kool Aid and Jello, too. 

Do you buy and resell on eBay? Have you tried the new flavors of Ritz Crackers? 

Two-Year Earache, Basil, New Use for Plastic

 As you may remember, I have had an earache in my left ear for well over two years. I had a telecall from my ENT.  He concluded that it was pain from TMJ. This was before I told him I had that problem. I sort of doubted it, but figured there was nothing to do as I cannot take pseudoephedrine, the one thing that relieves congestion in my ears. 

For four days my ear has not hurt, neither day nor night. For the last day I have been mulling over why the pain and congestion is gone. Finally, I realized I can smell the basil sitting on the table not two feet from me. (I have been able to smell it all along, but it occurred to me this might be a solution.) So, quickly I googled "basil congestion" and discovered there were lots of entries. Most call for steam from a concoction or ingestion of the plant. I am here to tell you I did not need anything but the scent or whatever I am inhaling. 

It just so happens that I love the scent of basil. It is sort of like an aphrodisiac for me or mood enhancer or something. It is pleasant. (Tommy hates everything basil) Most scents from plants or flowers I bring indoors congest me. Therefore, I was anxious about putting it so close to me. 

I have had one other basil this year. I left it outside and it bolted in the heat. So, I was taking no chances with this one.  I have never had two basil plants in one year. I was also anxious that the basil would die in the dark house with no light coming in a window. Thankfully, it is thriving under the lamp beside me. It gets a 180 degree turn every day.  Who knew LED light would work? Not me. I suppose I need to carry a basil plant with me in the car!

All my sinus problems seem less. I thought at first it was because the level of pollutants and allergens in the atmosphere was low. But, that seems not to be the case. Okay, Thursday now. I awoke congested. My head is not well. I reached over and pinched off a basil leaf, folded it and sniffed. The whole inside of my nose burned in a very unwelcome pain! The congestion did subside. 

If I carry around a basil leaf and sniff it, people will talk! Right? Do I care? Not a whit.

Some products like vitamins and prescription medicines are packed with a little paper packet of desiccates to cut down on humidity damage. Instead, now I get a little drum/barrel-shaped plastic with the desiccates inside. Once opened the content is the same as the little paper packets. I am furious. Why did they change to plastic? Maybe the paper packets would biodegrade in a few years. Plus, the volume of the paper was minimal. The plastic is definitely a larger volume. Maybe the plastic will degrade? Maybe it just looks like plastic. Maybe I have over-reacted?

Finally, a search revealed these are plastic. Dastardly plastic! 

Thursday, the lawn guy mowed for the first time. The yard looks really nice for the first time in a long time. I had Tommy give him a bottle of water when he arrived and another after he finished. He expressed his appreciation both time. It feels like 103F. I asked him to cut up the huge limb that fell in the back yard and we could get boys to move it. He spent five minutes cutting it, not moving or stacking or pulling on it, just using the chain saw. The missionaries could not get it over the fence, so now it is in pieces they can manage. 

He is very impressive. He said he picked up the limb, moved it, and mowed under it so it would not get grown up. Most guys would have just mowed around it. 

For dinner on Thursday, Tommy ate meat loaf, potatoes, carrots, and zucchini. I ate meat loaf and cole slaw.

I know that herbs are used for medical problems and but never basil. Have you used basil or heard of its use for congestion? 

Have you noticed the new plastic containers of desiccants in products?

High Electric Bill and Beowulf

 Wednesday

After another two-hour night of sleep, the day has been difficult. No amount of sleep hygiene will keep me asleep some nights. I don't ingest anything that could cause a rebound effect and keep me up. I will spare recounting my good habits to you. 

Tommy was horrified at his electric bill, almost twice the amount for June last year. He resists any effort to lessen the bill. Long ago, he stripped his yard of shrubs and heat mitigating growth. He insists the St Augustine grass be mowed to a nub. His brick home absorbs all the heat! Window coverings are flimsy. The front storm door sits 1/2" from the door frame allowing hot air and cold air easy access to the house. I can see a quarter inch crack all the way around the wooden door, same with the back door. He would rather pay for electricity and discomfort than a few minor cost home improvement items. 

I did not bake the blueberry cobbler last night. I did not freeze all the meat today. I did nothing all day, it seems! 

We have not seen or heard a dog all Wednesday, even during my nap. Lynda suggested they might dog sit for people as that would explain the different dogs, the varying numbers and the dogs being outside during different times of the day. It makes sense to me. I just don't know. Tommy said friends/family come just to visit and bring their dogs. He sees them arrive with dogs and leave with dogs. 

Tuesday night, I went into the kitchen when Tommy was cleaning the small pot. He said it did not look quite clean, so he was doing it again. As I stood there, he put about a cup of vinegar in it. I was quite shocked but holding it in. A quarter cup would have been excessive, but I just kept my mouth shut. I will casually mention the correct amount later. The pot shone like new! I would have used a Tablespoon in the two-quart pot of water. Or less.

Thursday

Have I mentioned that Tommy loves the third hour of the Today Show with Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager? He does and laughs often. I guess I broke him. 

A friend sent me another box of books. I read one, forgot the title. Thanks! Right now, I am in the midst of reading Beowulf. It is a wonderful read, my beach read, I suppose. lol I am having regrets that I never read Beowulf to my children. They enjoyed Kubla Khan by Coleridge and The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe, so I think they would enjoy Beowulf. When my daughter was ten-years-old, she came running out of the movie Xanadu with Olivia Newton John exclaiming that they had the poem I read in the movie. I was so proud of my daughter! My son is an English teacher, so I suppose I did something right! 

They understood enough to ask intelligent questions and learned lots of new words. Of course, I did stop and explain the action. It felt good to introduce them to important literary works. My son's first book he read was The Call of the Wild. He was only seven when he read this, breathless and excited when he recounted what he had just read. Even the four-year-old enjoyed the poems. And, we did discuss all this later just as part of our conversations. 

If feels like 100F out at noon, so it will be worse later this afternoon. I feel for people who must work in this heat. The temperature is only 90F, but the humidity is brutal. 

Is your electric bill higher from June? How do you mitigate the heat in the house? 

Do you like Hoda and Jenna or any of the Today Show? 

Did your children enjoy heavier literature when they were 11-, 9-, and 4-years-old?

Baked Beans and Animal Control

Maybe once a year we have had baked beans, but always from a can. I knew I had a can of pork and beans, so I told Tommy if he would get it out, I would make him baked beans for the 4th. He got it out the next day. So, I made him my version of baked beans. He really liked them. 

I really have an aversion to pork and beans that people heat for a meal. I only like them right out of the can, room temperature. That is the way I ate them at home. However, we never had pork and beans with a meal. I think it might have been with a sandwich as lunch. I think that is how Daddy ate them. Of course, with dinner he wanted his Great Northern Beans piping hot. 

Dinner on the 4th was the ribs, slaw, and baked beans for Tommy. He had about a cup full of blueberries later, and I had a beautiful plum. 

We heard lots of fireworks but saw few. Bummer. We drove down the street to neighbors who had something happening. The husband had shot off some loud and big stuff. She had something flickering. We asked her what it was called. Strobe light. She said it was something safe for children. So, kids can get the light without the boom or anything flying about. The mother had the very small kids in the back of the SUV and the older, about seven, outside the car. 

Late on the 4th, Tommy peeled potatoes and scraped carrots. I finished them up, cutting and putting into a cooking bag--potatoes, carrots, zucchini, onions and squash. He did not want any of the vegetables since he had dinner. So, that will be for him to eat this week along with slaw and baked beans. He seems to enjoy having food to eat and in what combination he wants. Works for me since I don't have to have a discussion every night or cook things every night. 

Early Tuesday morning, we were sitting and watching TV. We were waiting on the cleaner. Someone knocked on the door about 30 minutes before she was due. Well, what a shock as no one knocks on the door, it seems. I asked who it was as I tried to arise. It was a man. I asked who it was as I looked out the fanlight. It was Animal Control. 

He had not been next door. This shocked me as I thought the peace had been achieved by his visit. No. He will leave a hangtag on their door today. If it keeps happening, we can call back and he will sit down the street and listen. I doubt he can catch the dog barking for longer than 10 minutes continuously. So, my only recourse is to get it on video, showing the dog and house. per AC. Great!

It seems they must care about the dogs, at least, since they shut them up when I rapped on the window. Regardless of whether they bark for ten minutes or not, Tommy will continue to go over there. Oh, the guy asked what time of day the dogs barked. I told him from 5:15 am to after 10 pm were times when I had heard the dogs barking. 

The Animal Control guy cannot be reached directly. A call to the police number gets me a menu that helps me to reach him and gets an email sent to him. So, that is how it stands! I feel lucky he came so soon.

Tonight, I am making a blueberry cobbler with the gallon of blueberries we have. I wish we had vanilla ice cream! 

It looks as though Tommy is getting lucky with a shower coming so he won't have to water the flowers. But, he still must go out and get my quilt for my chair from the dryer. 

Sunday Night Cooking and the 4th of July

Sunday

We work late, it seems. I have been tired and took a nap. We went for a short ride afterwards. Tommy got to skip watering as it sprinkled a bit. The wave petunias were looking ragged, so I trimmed all but two "branches" and gave it a drink of Miracle-Gro. It should recover. 

We cook late:

12 boneless, skinless thighs

6 chicken tenders

3 lbs. ground beef chopped and cooked with onions, salt, and pepper

4 shoulder ribs ? or some such with garlic powder, salt and pepper

2.5 lbs. ground pork and beef made into meatloaf

12 chicken Italian sausages cooked and stored in refrigerator

Most of the chicken thighs will be frozen one portion at a time. A couple of the tiny ones will be frozen together for a portion. The tenders are for me to eat now this week. The ground beef he is chopping and cooking with onions will be for spaghetti or whatever. He also puts it on his plate to eat or in a sandwich. Ground pork and beef are going into a meatloaf tonight. The Italian sausages are for him to use in wraps or whatever he decides. He has really taken to wraps. There are four hamburgers in the refrigerator for tomorrow. 

It was really helpful to have the onions and bell pepper chopped on Saturday. I try to do that since all I have to do is mix things instead of needing to chop. 

We finished a little after 3 am. This was not our intention, but we just kept going, cooking all the meat so it would be ready to eat. Sunday, the plan is to freeze most of the meat. I told Tommy to put a dish of meat in the refrigerator, putting a cloth underneath it so the heat would not affect the refrigerator shelf. Well, I turned off the kitchen light, turned around, and there were two dishes of meat on the counter! 

The last 45 minutes of the marathon meat cooking event was spent washing out pots and pans. Tommy said it would be easier to wash now than letting it sit until morning. Besides, he is very much on top of keeping any tiny morsels of meat from the drain. We save all plastic bags. Some from Amazon are perfect for putting liquids from kitchen cooking into and then into the trash. I have taught him well. He was totally oblivious to these dangers for his drains and sewage before I warned him. He religiously uses the strainer for the drain. 

All day Sunday we have not seen or heard a dog from next door. The dog across the street barked for about 15 seconds because his people came home. Someone was shooting off fireworks far in the distance. Sunday night, the fireworks were on this street. I waited too late to go see them. Then, they quit at 10 pm. So, it could have been in the park. 

The park backs up to houses across the street. It can get very noisy with music I cannot stand. But, at the stroke of 10pm, it is shut down. So, it is not hard to endure, knowing when it will end. 

The 4th of July

Despite our late night, I was up just before 10 am. I mixed coleslaw and made baked beans. Now, at 4 pm, we will prepare vegetables for baking and eating all week or until they are gone--potatoes, carrots, zucchini, carrots, celery. The squash is already baked. 

So, our meal will be hamburgers or maybe ribs, cole slaw, baked beans, baked vegetables. It is too late for me to commit to making potato salad, but Tommy won't eat it or miss it. I will boil the eggs, and chop pickles and celery. So, that will be for tomorrow. Tommy just said he will have ribs. The hamburgers do need to be cooked, anyway. 

We have not seen or heard from the dogs tpday. The kids are still waving at us. Now, for dark and random fireworks and our sparklers. If it does not rain by 7 pm, Tommy will water. He always roots for a bit of rain. None of the meat is going to spoil, so Tuesday may be the day we freeze it. 

This was an uneventful 4th and we like it that way. How was your day? 

Dogs Again

 

The dogs next door woke me one day an hour into a three-hour planned nap. I must admit that I was enraged. I rolled best I could and got to the back side of the bed and rapped on the window. Once, and the dog kept yapping. Twice, and the dog seemed to hear. The people certainly did. Thrice, and the people started getting out of their chairs. Then, I heard nothing more. But, the nap was over, and I was shaking when I was awakened. I needed the nap since I only slept three hours the night before. 

It took me a bit to get to the other side of the bed and stand up. I did a rapraprap three times before they did anything. Yet, they told him they were doing the best they could. The dog barking certainly did not faze them! 

They said the dog barks all day long when people walked by. !!!

I told Tommy to go talk to the people about the dogs and not to mention anything about my health, just they woke me again barking. He did. They said they were trying the best they can do, but that when they went off to work, there was nothing they could do. (There were at least two of them sitting there when the dog started barking.) They said they were sorry it was happening.

Tommy continued and said I need sleep. Now, mind you, some days it is 5:15 am when the dogs bark. 

THEN, one of them said they were following the city ordinance. Sooo, they have had a problem with this before, obviously. The ordinance states that a dog is a nuisance when it barks continuously for ten minutes. They are following the letter of the law with no consideration for anyone or anything else. 

The next day, I was sitting on my bed when the cleaner was here. She was here and getting things off the floor, clothes and everything I own, it seems. Wellll, the littlest, and yappiest dog started in for OVER TEN MINUTES. So, I called Animal Control. We did not see Animal Control come here and they have not told us anything. We have not seen or heard a dog in two days. Well, it is the weekend and some of the people are gone. 

Since then, Tommy has seen three dogs instead of seven. I cannot imagine 7 dogs and 9 or 10 people living in one house! They bring them all in at night. Tommy said just now that he thinks some of the dogs came with friends who visited for the day because the dogs were gone when the company left. 

We drove by yesterday on the way home from a drive and all three children were on their bikes in the front yard. The oldest, 8, turned and told the other two and nodded in our direction. All three waved wildly like we were long-lost relatives home from a six-month expedition. I wonder if the kids were told to be nice. Am I being too suspicious? 

So, we will see. All the cars are not there. So, are some of them on a vacation? Did they leave with the dogs? Are the dogs coming back? They trained the children, so why not train the dogs? 

I still have not made the cupcakes for the kids like I intended. My friend down the street says I should not do it. But, they are good kids. I WANT to do it. Should I still bake the cupcakes? 

Small Economy Instead of a Huge Waste

 Sometimes, a small or large package of wipes, whether for just wiping hands or sanitizing anything, dries out. The package either gets the flap knocked loose or it is not closed correctly. Sometimes, the wipes are in a canister, sometimes in a soft, plastic flap pack. Bummer! However, I never waste them. 

These wipes are very thick and tough. I take a very dried out wipe and pour a bit of water from my drinking bottle and splash the tough and dry wipe. It works just as before--to clean my fingers, mostly. Of course, if you need something dry to absorb liquid, there is no need to douse the dry wipe with water. 

I never wet the whole dried lot of wipes because I think it might spoil, either grow mold or become rancid, grow bacteria. I just want the water fresh as possible. 

Since March 2019 I have used more wipes than I have in my whole life! I stocked up on all types--Clorox, Lysol, plain wipes, canisters, flat packs, diaper wipes. I don't think I have had more than two of any one kind since I just got my one-pack allowed of whatever came in. 

And, I did not stop at Ninja Fireworks!

Do you ever rehydrate a wipe that has dried? Tell me about a small economy you have had lately. What have you salvaged? We all do this. Your actions would be an inspiration.