Purple Cauliflower/New Farmer's Market

Today, as I said we would, we went for the ads at three stores. I had looked up the ads online and we made a list from my search. But, I wanted them in hand. So, we did get them to have here and study. Sometimes, I miss things in the tiny print and pictures. 

On the way to the third store, we passed what was apparently a farmer's market. On the way back they allowed us to drive into the space. There were only three vendors left. I am not sure how many were there originally. It started at 4 pm. We arrived at 5 pm. This is a small market that only meets on Wednesday. 

The first booth had wonderful bbq sauce and other canned items. We just tasted the sample, about two tsp. in a tiny cup, tinier than I have ever seen. This is obviously a small market, but the selection of the three booths was good for us. Next week, we will be there by 4 pm and maybe get a better selection.

I have never seen purple cauliflower that I can remember. But, I have a head now at only $2. I found three cups of strawberries @ $4/cup. She dumped them into a basket. Those were the last three. So, that was $12. Tommy was against buying it. He thought the purple color was icky, I guess. I told him I would cut a bag for his salad. He made a face and shook his head, "No!" I think it would be pretty in a salad. 

I had to try their own blueberry lemonade. I doubt it was pasteurized, but it was in plastic bottle with labels. It was delicious. I bet I could make a cheaper version myself. 

Dinner: Tommy had chicken thigh, salad, potatoes with onion. I had spaghetti, salad, and later had potato salad. 

Have you ever seen a head of purple cauliflower? Have you eaten any?

Isn't it fun to find a new source of home-grown vegetables?

Butts, Lemons, and Impatiens

I had Tommy go back into the store with the pork butts for $1.79/lb. to see if they got more in before the ad went off on Tuesday. No such luck. He was going to get more lemons, too, but they had gone back up in price since they were on the holiday ad. 

Interested in how the lemons tasted that looked pale orange, I took one and cut it open. It was the juiciest lemon I had ever seen, and the juice was not so tart as most lemons. After a little research, I decided I had bought Meyer lemons. The bag is from Limoneira, from California. The brand seems like an upscale brand, but this grocery store is definitely not upscale, not that it matters. 

I have been checking for lemon flower buds on my Meyer lemon tree. Now, I need to juice the ones I have from the grocery. 

At the plant sale, I bought an impatiens plant. I am not crazy about impatiens, but I knew the ones I had seen had really pretty flowers, especially when viewed from afar. My impatien finally had one red or dark pink flower. Then, the leaves started turning yellow, but the yellow was in a pattern. So, I lost the panic and figured these were variegated leaves. Then, many flowers bloomed. It is beautiful.

Finally, I looked it up and found a plant just like mine. I am so happy I bought this pot because it is beautiful, not as many flowers as in the pictures, but gorgeous anyway. And, the plant was a foot tall for only $4. My flowers are not pink, well not a paler pink like in the picture at the head of this post. I love it. 

Have you ever found Meyer lemons in the produce section at any grocery? 

Do you like impatiens? My friend's impatiens reseeded every year so she never bought them again, just watched them grow. Has this been your experience? 

Easy Memorial Day and Apples

Today was a good day. I slept 10 hours last night and awoke at noon. Around 7 pm. I took a nap until 9 pm. I did not cook anything special, but we ate well. For dinner Tommy had a chicken breast and a huge salad.

Right now, at 10 pm, I am boiling a pot of potatoes for potato salad for tomorrow. I will make mashed potatoes for Tommy tomorrow. My Victoza pen will not work--on a holiday, of course! For my dinner tonight, I will have keto bread, chicken breast, tomato, green stuff, and MW. It only has 6 grams of carbs, so I won't need the injection so much. I think.

Tonight, I will only add the chopped onions to the potatoes as I think hot potatoes on the onions makes the potatoes soak up more of the flavor. I really don't like cooking so late, but Tommy was peeling potatoes when I went for a nap. I could have stayed awake and miserable, but I chose sleep.

As for Sue's question--how do I find a crisp Red Delicious Apple. First, I look at the color. If the color is not bright red, sort of a darkish red and not shiny, it is never a really good apple. But, the main thing I look at it the blossom end. If it is really open, it is not crisp. I do look for green leaves at the blossom end. But, dark leaves and a closed apple on the blossom end is good. So, the main thing is the closed end.

I was really distraught at the lack of good apples, only mealy Red Delicious. An older produce manager told me that when the blossom end is open, that means the apple has been off cold storage and it might be mealy. 

Looking at the color just tells me which apples I want to pick up. Then, the closed blossom end. Then, the green leaves around the blossom end. The first time Tommy ever picked out an apple for me, he was dismayed--Do you know I had to pick up 19 apples to find this good one? I laughed and assured him I have done the same. 

Of course, I do pick up apples from the back of the stack without letting them roll off the counter. I have a theory the best ones are on the back. 

My reward for all this work is a satisfyingly crisp apple. 

How was your Memorial Day? 

Grocery Ads

Friday night, I was sitting in my chair and felt something on my right arm. Thinking it was a hair, I turned to brush it away with my left hand. No, it was a tiny spider. So, I was hurriedly trying to squash it and brush it away. I am not sure if it escaped. At almost the same time, I heard a mosquito buzzing in my left ear. So, I was fighting right and left. I am not sure if I killed the mosquito or not. I think this is the third spider I have ever seen in Tommy's house. Maybe I should investigate further and stop this before it becomes an invasion I will not welcome. 

Since I must drive to get the ad even after viewing it on the internet, I only usually get the Pig and Publix. This week, we did decide to get Food Giant ad. It had more deals than the other two stores. I barely felt like going for a ride in the car, much less going in and shopping.

I circled what I wanted and he shopped, calling me with questions. The bananas were not on sale, but he got me two. Pork butt was $1.79/lb and they were all gone. This store does not give rainchecks. This store had two ads, one for Thursday-Sunday. The other is from Wednesday to Wednesday. So, today was the last day for the Memorial Day ad. 

Lemons were 1lb/$2. Tommy called and said they were tinted orange. I was unsure but had him get a bag. It says on the internet that Meyer Lemons turn a bit orange when they are left on the tree too long. So, not sure and I don't feel like trying one. Red or gold potatoes were 2 five-pound bags for $5. Tommy chose red. 

Dole Cole slaw and salad mixes were 2 for $2, bought two coleslaws. Pictsweet frozen vegetables were two bags for $5. The only thing I wanted that was left was the chopped broccoli. This will be for chicken and rice. He picked out four Vidalia onions at $.99/lb. 

I only slept three hours last night after going to bed for or five times. Sleep would not come. Finally at noon I slept for three hours. Hopefully, I can sleep tonight. 

The people across the street were firing up the grill when we left the house at about 4 pm and there was a crowd when we got home a little after 5 pm. 

Tommy was tired so said he would water tomorrow. One of my blueberry bushes has blossoms. The other bush looks like a four-foot dead stick. 

The pillow for raising my legs has been here since the 24th and still is not fully "inflated." That is four days, two days more than the 48 hours it should have taken. 

Today, we did no decluttering, but we did get a few, very few, things back where they go. That is a little progress, right? 

Friday, the skies were murky with smoke from Canadian fires. Today, the skies were a brilliant blue. have your skies been murky with the smoke?  

Today, Tommy chopped the ground meat and browned it. While he was browning it, I chopped a huge Vidalia onion and half went into the ground beef. The rest will be used this week. 

Dinner: Tommy had salad with onions, ham, and another vegetable. I had a sandwich--keto bread, MW, huge slice of beefsteak tomato, and spinach and other greens. This was a 6-carb meal. 

I will try tomorrow and Tuesday and see if they have more pork butts. 

Did you find good deals this week? What are you having for Memorial Day? Are you cooking out? Going away? To a parade? Do you have veterans in your family?

Saturday Progress

 Within 12 hours of taking the first dose of an antibiotic, two things happened. First, I felt much better. Second, all the symptoms of the illness occurred--head congestion, sore throat, lots of coughing with results. It puzzles me.

Today, we took a ride to get another ad and look for produce man. At the store we went to today to pick up an ad. They had the best sales! The Pig and Publix did not have good ads. 

Last year, we found a guy selling produce from his truck that was backed up to his yard. Today, I only bought a beefsteak tomato for $2. I am quite sure he buys his produce from the Finley market, but I don't have to walk. 

I took a nap later while Tommy found his dinner. He took a pint freezer bag from the freezer that contained ham. He had ham, corn, and cherry tomatoes for his dinner. I ate a bite or two of ham with slaw and later had a tomato sandwich--bread, MW, slices of beefsteak tomato. Yes, just a tomato sandwich like I remember from my youth, only we grew the tomatoes of my youth. 

Our flowers are covered with bumblebees. Tommy steers clear of them. At my house,  bumblebees bumped into me and never stung me, so I am not afraid at all. The one time a bumblebee stung me was when I scooped it up in my sandal. I thought a stick was in my sandal so continued to walk with it stinging my little toe several times. 

I am really not well, but today I have fetched my own food from the kitchen instead of asking Tommy to bring things to me. That is a good sign. 

I know a BLT is delicious, but there is a simplicity that spells pure summer bliss in bread, spread, and tomato. Do you ever eat a simple sandwich of tomato that is evocative of long-ago pleasures--tomato sandwich? Or, maybe you never ate this summer delight as a child or young person?

Friday

 I do not have a uti! But, I do have an antibiotic. This ailment must be a sinus infection. Did I say that Tommy took the specimen to my doctor? 

Today, Tommy resolved his problem with the exorbitant price of his insulin. He transferred his prescription to Walgreen's and is charged $35 as opposed to $70 at Walmart. "Walmart's price is within Medicare guidelines." Th    at is just not right. 

I am encouraging him to transfer all his prescriptions to Walgreen. Walmart is about a 6-mile round trip while Walgreen is a 1-mile round trip. 

While we made the short trip for his insulin, he asked me if I wanted to go home and eat out of the refrigerator or get something to eat while we were out. When I said just go look in the refrigerator, he said okay. That was nice of him to think maybe I wanted something else. He went in the grocery store to get me apples and brought back a chicken breast. Tonight, I want nothing yet, but he found a cooked breast for me. 

We were supposed to meet someone in Cullman on Saturday, but I called and cancelled. 

Okay, he has a piece of sugarless blueberry pie. When he finishes his, I will get him to bring me some pie. 

I don't understand how I can be so ill and have so few upper respiratory symptoms. But, I have to go.

Corn and blueberry pie is a good enough dinner. 

Favorite Food Missing

 The chicken and ground beef was not cooked. I am just too sick. No, Tommy cannot put it in the freezer. I would have meat juice all over the place. 

Today, I called the doctor and of course, the nurse returned my call ten minutes before closing. I can take a specimen into the office for testing. Another doctor gave me sterile specimen jars to bring to his office. So, I am all set. Tommy can walk it into the office. If she had called earlier today, I would be a day ahead of getting better. 

Today, I received two free Westinghouse LED bulbs. Yesterday, a pillow for lying with knees higher came, one I ordered, not free. It seems now someone has decided to put items where we don't have to struggle to retrieve them. The box with the pillow was on the porch next to the door. The lightbulbs were on the table. 

I finally sent off a birthday card and gift to a granddaughter and graduation gift to recent grad grandson. They are siblings.  I struggled to get those done. My writing was shaky. I almost sent the Amazon gift to myself when I ordered it. Tommy took cards to PO.

Without an afternoon nap, I took an unplanned nap tonight during The Seven Year Itch. What a great movie and I missed 30 minutes. Rats! 

My wildflowers are really blooming now. The millionbells have fully recovered and are multiplying. Both varieties were beaten into the dirt that one day and struggled to fully recover. 

Dinner: Tommy had Tommy had hotdog and fake hamburger--both without a bun, slaw. I had hotdog, chili, cheese, slaw. 

I must have a Red Delicious Apple every day. Mostly, I just eat half. But, Wednesday, I had a huge apple and decided to eat a third each day. Well, wouldn't you know, it was brown inside except for about a quarter inch. So, I just peeled it and ate peeling. We did not remember to get more apples while we were out. So, my eating pattern has been thrown off quite a bit. I feel peckish and all that will do is an apple. 

Is there any food you want to eat every day, a food that you do not usually do without? Oh, I also want banana every day, too. 

Junk Food

 On Tuesday I felt I was recovering. Today, I felt even worse! This is one of those instances in which I have no idea what malady has me in its grip. My ears don't hurt or feel stopped up. Throat is not sore. Sinuses feel fine. I just feel weak and feverish. My eating habits seem to be the only things affected.

I had Special K, milk and banana for breakfast about 11 am, then was so hungry I had another bowl thirty minutes later.

Then, I decided I should lie down for an hour before we went out. Well, I slept a total of three hours and told Tommy to at least go to Publix and get our milk. I had mentioned earlier in the day what we needed and things on bogo. He brought those home even though I did not expect it. 

He gave me the receipt which looked weeks old with a thousand wrinkles. ??? He brought home--his milk, two of my a2milk, ice cream bogo, 4 Kraft Medium chunks--bogo, cherries $4.99/lb on sale, 3 bananas, keto bread, 2 huge bags of potato chips, 5 lb. red potatoes, 1 Corn Chex bogo. Then, he said, "I brought you a surprise." It was a bag of Chips Ahoy Chocolate Chip Cookies. OMG

I did ask for the ice cream and will only eat less than a half cup each day. The potato chips are his thing. I decided I would make pimiento and cheese. Well, there was no pimiento and the cheese was grated. Tommy volunteered to go back and get it for me. They don't carry Dromedary, so he bought Lindsay instead. I now have an opened jar, 7 ounces. Grating the cheese exhausted me. 

The keto bread was $6.99. But, worth it I thought. However the keto bread, Nature's Own has 10 grams of carbs while the Nature's Own Honey Wheat has 13 grams of carbs. I wonder if it even worth buying this keto bread. Besides, the keto bread is so chewy! 

Tommy went to the kitchen and found food for himself--slaw I made yesterday, leftover chicken, corn he decided to open. I did not want anything! There are two packages of chicken that need to be cooked--thighs and split breasts. Somehow, I with Tommy's help will get those cooked. I have had an incredible amount of junk food today, especially tonight. But, I will have chicken, slaw, and green beans tonight. 

We are watching "The Game Show Show." It is great because we get to see old favorites like The Gong Show, Truth or Consequences and more. This is the third session. I am not sure how many more installments there will be. Have you seen this show on ABC? 

Hopefully, all this junk food will cure me. What do you think? jk I know this is not right.

Into the Freezer

 A few days ago, I cooked 2.5 lbs. of ground beef with onions and froze it in small packages. Tonight, I froze another 2.5 lbs. raw, and it is in the freezer. Four of the packages were large enough to make a meal that would serve four, so two meals for each of us. Sounds like leftovers to me. The last package was puny. But, I told Tommy I could make a meatloaf that would feed both of us a meal. Or, I could cook it for spaghetti. 

Edit: I know this sounds like tiny portions, but I will put this in spaghetti or make meatloaf or some other recipe to stretch it. If we want a hamburger, which we seldom do, we can always use a package for four meals and use it for two meals, one for each of us. It is flexible packaged raw.

The only way I got this work done was by having Tommy bring a cookie sheet type pan, the meat, a spatula, pint freezer bags, waxed paper. I worked from my lap and got nothing on hands, sheet pan or anything. I am careful. I scooped the ground meat onto a square of waxed paper and folded it to put it into the pint bag. It is labeled and in the freezer. That feels like quite an accomplishment since feeling puny, I was afraid it would the meat would spoil. Of course, I could have had Tommy cook it all in a pot on the stove. 

Tonight, I also made slaw on my lap. 

After a good sleep Monday night, and a very good nap today, I feel just a smidgen better. 

Tuesday morning, Tommy washed a load of underthings and nightgowns. So, tonight, I am hanging them to dry. I have not felt like doing this earlier. They will hang in doorways until tomorrow night unless company comes by. 

I got behind on reading newspapers to send to recycling, so I am working on catching up. I feel a renewed effort is worth it to send the papers to the animal shelter. Plus, we both want them out of the house. 

Today, I found one of the wildflowers is ready to bloom. These were embedded in a postcard from Johnson and Johnson. But, none of the Stella D'Oro bloomed, and I am not sure why. Not enough sun? We had clouds and a slow and gentle rain today. 

Dinner: Tommy had sirloin filet, slaw, leftover potato. I had hotdog with no-beans chili and cheese, slaw. I am not eating a bun with these hotdogs, just a little chili and a lot of cheese.

I had breakfast around noon: Special K, half a banana, milk. Then, at 3 pm, I had a huge salad with chicken, cheese, and Caesar salad dressing. 

We went out for a small chore at phone store. But, we did not take the password. I did not want to go home, get it and go back. Then, I did not want to get the milk we both needed. I just wanted a nap. Not only was it a good nap, I dreamed all my photos magically appeared on my laptop. 

The dog next door barked for a solid hour because the kids across the street were playing basketball. Of course, no one came out to quiet them. Surely, the mothers must become annoyed at some point. Or not.

What did you have for dinner on Tuesday night or this week? I am planning to cook chicken on Wednesday. What will you cook for this week? Are you lucky enough to have leftovers?

Malaise

 For the last three days, I have felt like doing nothing. And, until today, I kept up the pace I set. Today, not so much. I am having chills, but my temp is never much, but I suppose a low-grade temp is why I am cold since I am wearing long pants and a jacket. 

What drives me and has for weeks is getting photos from the flip phone. Tommy keeps taking it in and I get instructions as how to do it myself. Well, today, I could barely get to the car and he took it in. I told him to get the woman to do it for him. She explained what I knew and sent directions once again. So, I made a new password for my email. Now, I am just too tired and, besides, my fingers will not hit the right letters. Tommy won't do it. So, tomorrow, he will take in the phone and new password. 

I tried to take a nap even though I had slept almost eight hours. No such luck. I slept fitfully. Tommy stopped to get us a Big Mac. At the pickup window, 5 or 6 employees were fighting. So annoying.

It did drizzle and rain on and off all day, so Tommy did not have to water. I think he prays for rain. Maybe he does a rain dance. 

Body aches have set in. Got to go.

Loppers

 It is 3:30 here on Earth. Tommy is doing something I have asked him to do for about three months. Two or three years ago, a friend came from Cullman and cut down several trees, some were sprouts, originally from the main tree. At any rate, they had grown so high they were going to tear up the roof. The tree in the back yard was growing against the foundation and was six or eight feet above the roof and was tearing up that roof! He objected mightily. 

Now, there are sprouts six feet long that will eventually be a tree once again. So, I bought loppers around Christmas so he could cut the mess before leaves appeared. I have mentioned this almost daily for the last two weeks. Today, I said it was time, so begrudgingly he has gone out to lop. 

I love lopping, really love lopping. A guy I dated said every time he came to my house, I had lopped limbs for him to carry to the road. He then complained when his daughter came to visit him at his mother's house, his daughter and his mother had piles of lopped limbs for him to carry. I suppose women like lopping. He thought they should carry it to the road. 

For years I did the lopping and carrying. Finally carrying or dragging larger limbs got to be too much for me. It appears now that the hand strength of lopping is gone, too. So, he is lopping. I will get the stuff off the ground. As of now, these are short sprouts and not many.     

We had a talk about how to treat these. I hate lopper handles resting on the ground. I prefer the lopper lopping parts sit on the ground. The handles on the ground gets the handles dirty. One pair had nasty, disintegrating handles because people I paid to use the loppers disagreed with me and stuck the handles on the ground. That meant in the dirt, sometimes damp dirt.

I also asked Tommy to just wipe off the blades as I will clean them later with WD-40 or oil. Since I cannot figure out where my can is, I will use oil on them. People who worked for me also disagreed with the WD40, so I did it myself. I had no rusty tools. I know I can put tools in a bucket of sand with old motor oil, but that did not suit my lifestyle. Plus, I kept tools in a climate-controlled place. 

Tommy laughed at my preference of blades resting on the ground. He worked for a real estate lady who told him to never get them in dirt unless he was using them to lop. Due to my back, walking, and arthritis in my hands, I just don't lop anymore. 

My two books came--Killer Angels and Rubaiyat. Each page of the Rubaiyat has only four lines, the quatrain. Even the back of the page with the quatrain is blank. This makes marginalia much easier. I wish lots of my novels had such an expanse of extra space. I have serious doubts about needing to write so many notes. 

I may have been mistaken about the reason the neighbors cleaned the carport junk and had it carried away. They are throwing a big party out there. They throw the quietest parties ever--lots of people and no noise. We have to see it to know it is happening. There are even children in the pool playing quietly. 

Now, I have to wash all the hummingbird feeders. I am woefully behind on this. Some are sticky from last year because of life. I suppose Tommy pushed them far back on the counter where his coffeemaker sits. I stay away from there...lol. 

Do you clean your yard tools after every use and oil the blades? Do you love to lop?

No Lock on the Pool Gate

 While the day has not caused me any angst, it has been a gloomy day. There has been no rain, but it sure looked like rain all day. My flowers have recovered the beating by the rain. 

I did a bit of decluttering, just a teeny bit, nothing to get excited about. 

Since I forgot bread yesterday, I had to be in Publix, so I bought Bob's Red Mill Super-Fine Natural Almond Flour. There is a recipe on the bag for Almond Pancakes. maybe I will try that. 

The label says there are 3 carbs in 2 Tbsp of the almond flour. 16 Tbsp per cup equals 32 cabs per cup. The two cups will be 64 carbs in the pancake recipe. Two bananas adds 27 grams of carbs each, so another 54 grams of carbs added to 64 carbs equals 118 grams of carbs in ten tiny pancakes. Oh, 2 cups of Bisquick has 336 grams of carbs. I have never made pancakes from Bisquick, but it is here. Well, Tommy won't eat these with bananas. So, just a thought not a plan. I did all the math in my head, so hopefully it is correct...lol. 

Well, Tommy went beyond upset at the thought of lower carbs and acted nasty. You would think I was forcing him to have pancakes for a meal at night. I shut that down! 

I was thinking about complaining to the city about the house next door. The carport is the receptacle of every piece of furniture that they removed from the house. It is a junkyard in there. Well, I just did not want to do it. But, obviously someone else did complain to the city. I saw a frequent truck over there today with furniture on it. Tommy said that truck with the very same furniture has been coming over there for two weeks. Well, I saw the truck leave piled high with furniture, broken and junky. I imagine the guy across the street was the person who complained since his house and this one are the only houses that can really see the junk up close, and those are the last two house. Or, maybe it was someone else on the street. I am quite sure they blame us. 

Of course, one of their dogs, the tiny one, was in our yard today. They let it out all the time. I am terrified of the two large dogs. When we drove around to the park and back, there was a little doggie play pen, the kind that is about 18 inches high in the front yard. I was a little surprised they were putting it in the front yard. Then, I saw a couple of chickens about two months old pecking around inside the little pen. Those chickens are perfectly capable of jumping out. They just need to look up. This should be interesting. I wonder if they know anything about chickens. I hope they are protected so predators don't devour them. Tommy has seen possums on this block. 

The other thing they have in their backyard is an above ground pool in a yard with a gate but no lock. And, there are five little children who live across the street and two doors down, all but one under four years old. These people are so annoying. 

They hung four huge baskets of flowers and they are all dead. They don't seem too responsible. 

Tommy is sitting here reading a newspaper that has nothing in it but Iron Bowl from 2007. I assume Auburn won over Alabama. I wonder what else is behind his chair. So, we know it has not been vacuumed back of his chair since 2007--16 years ago. sigh He wonders why he sneezes. 

Dinner--Tonight I cooked two burgers with mushrooms and cheese. I also cooked four sirloin filets wrapped in bacon. I hate two meats together, so Tommy ate my bacon. I baked them with potatoes, celery, carrots, and onion. Tommy had a filet and I had a burger. We both ate the vegetables. There are leftovers for tomorrow night. 

Have you ever had neighbors who had a pool that had access and no lock on the gate? 

Did anything exciting or earthshaking or interesting happen in your world?

I am off to get an apple to eat. I say that, but actually I only eat half an apple each time. 

Highlight

 Today seemed like another day waiting for the rain or wondering if it were going to rain here. It finally did rain after Tommy went out and watered. We planned to go to the grocery but had not.

Tommy went out for the mail about 4 pm and got the mail. I received mail, wonderful mail. It was an announcement that grandson in another state is graduating from hs. He is tall and handsome and all smiles. My son was a child full of smiles. He graduated from an International Baccalaureate school. Tommy sort of explained that to me. I think it is for high achievers and has a social aspect to it. He is in top ten in his class and is going to continue as an Engineering Major. I am so proud of him. 

I don't want to put cash or even a check in a card, so I will send the card by PO and money by Amazon. It won't be much, but I cannot afford much. 

The announcement was amazingly beautiful with so many photos of him. It was done through Shutterfly. The card is viewed landscape. It folds out from both sides from the middle. On both sides of the front of the card are pictures of him, two on one side and one on the other.  Once opened, there is a picture on each side and a description with his name in the wider middle portion. On the back is another picture of him. That is six pictures. That makes plenty for clipping and framing. But, I won't cut this card. I have never seen a card like this. Have you? 

This has absolutely been the brightest spot in my life for a while now. 

At the grocery we bought apples, bananas, strawberries, Graham Crackers, cooking bags for the oven, card, Pepsi bogo. 

Tommy has been very mellow today. 

For dinner it was leftovers. Tommy had another fake burger, ear of boiled corn, and a huge stack of shredded carrots, about 3/4 cup raw with nothing on them. I had a bowl of Special K with milk and bananas, later half ear of corn. In a few minutes, I will get salad with chicken tenders. 

I had him peel three potatoes and asked him to put the filet mignon on the counter. I went in and heard meat falling like rocks. I thought they were thawed! So, they can thaw for eating another day. 

Have you seen the Shutterfly card like I described? They are expensive. 

Calm Wednesday

 Today has been neither a good or bad day, just a blah day. That's okay with me. I don't have to have drama. Of course, winning the lottery would be fun or even having my cleaner come again. 

Like Tommy said, "We don't even know if she got back from California. 

So. we are in limbo since she never answers the phone and has no voice mail set up. Never mind.

It rained much of the day, often just a gently rain, sometimes hard, but nothing was like the torrents of yesterday. 

We did go out to the pharmacy and Publix. At the pharmacy I was given the same wrong prescription as the last three times I got it. I needed milk and an ad at Publix. 

I did have a really good experience when I talked to a friend. Her husband died last summer. One shoulder with a torn rotator cuff had four surgeries and it is still not right. She fell last year backward into the bathtub and broke several ribs. Somehow a few weeks ago, she fell on the hardwood floor. After five x-rays, she was declared whole. Well, then a week later, they found out she cracked a rib. So, she said they put bondo in the crack. It failed and they used bondo again. Whew. These are only a few of her problems. She is 86 but hanging in there. Her son quit his job and moved in with her the first time she fell after her husband died, plus she has two granddaughters, their husbands and half-grown great grandchildren to help out. For the first time ever, she has someone come in to clean. 

We had a many good laughs today, mostly talking about our health problems. It is not funny, but you have to laugh. Crying does not help. I have known her for 43 years. She is the cousin of my best friend of twenty years who died from hoarding if anyone remembers that incident. Just search for hoarding on my old blog. 

She is one of my friends with whom I laughed. We both have a self-deprecating sense of humor. And, we can allow other friends to laugh at us. 

Tonight, Tommy had a fake burger patty, rest of the slaw, baked potato and carrots. I had scrambled eggs and later an ear of corn. There are still enough leftovers for one more meal. 

Tommy has been very mellow today! 

Do you have friends that you know when they call that the call will dissolve in gales of laughter on both sides? Of course, there are serious moments, even tragic moments. But, really getting bondo in your rib is certainly funny. I really don't know if it was bondo used on cars and seriously doubt it, but that is what she called it. 

It Was Tuesday All Day

 I don't know what gets into Tommy some days, but he was easily irritated all day today. Over what? Anything. 

The rain that fell only lasted about 30 minutes, but it was a very hard rain with lots of wind. It almost ruined my flowers. However, it was mild rain in short spurts the rest of the day. Well, until night. I heard the wind roaring and the rain beating on everything. I wonder what my flowers will be like in the morning and how long it will take for them to recover. What happened to "April showers bring May flowers"? Today the May storms destroyed flowers. 

Tommy was happy when I remarked that he need not water the flowers today. He does it willingly, but I think a walker with big wheels would go through the grass more easily. I want to find an old one to keep outdoors. 

He washed some clothing for me. Now, before go to bed I must hang them to dry. We also need to carry the tuna to the bedroom like we were going to do yesterday. Why did I not do these chores earlier? Maybe it was the nap that interferred. 

We finished off the Mediterranean Pasta. Sooo, that means cooking tomorrow or finding leftovers in the refrigerator. I did not get mushrooms at Publix because I did not want to buy two containers as it was not bogo as I thought. 

I have 27 pages of introduction to This Side of Paradise before I can get on to the story. Do you always read the intro in books as I do? Usually, I read the intros if not always. In school I always read the intro. My professors would be very disappointed if they found out now I was skipping the intro.

Are your flowers or vegetables being beaten into the ground? Losing blossoms?

Mother's Day Treat & Preferences

 I decided well before Mother's Day that I was going to make a dish Tommy objects to eating--Mediterranean Pasta. Well, he ate it even with basil in it and other ingredients he has said he does not like. 

While I had decided to have this treat and let him eat leftovers, I did not plan to make it on Mother's Day.  You have to believe that he in incredibly kind, nice to me...until he explodes in nastiness and downright cruelty. He made Mother's Day this year one of the worst days of my life. I told him I wanted Jim n Nick. We each had a bbq sandwich. I did learn something. When I asked for slaw on my bbq, the woman said, "Oh, you want a Memphis BBQ?" She explained that bbq with slaw on it was "Memphis BBQ." I told her I was from Memphis and did not know that. So, she called me Memphis from then on. 

Today, Tuesday, I had slept for over 8 hours, did nothing much and decided to cook. So, I had Tommy fry the little pieces of chicken in a skillet with olive oil while I assembled the rest of the ingredients. There are a lot of recipes for Mediterranean pasta, but the ingredients I used were different.

chicken breast

sundried tomatoes

artichoke hearts quartered

feta cheese

olive oil

basil

pasta

I forgot I had sundried tomatoes, so cut up a whole package of grape tomatoes. Then, I found the sundried tomatoes, so the recipe got both. I forgot I needed artichoke hearts so thought we could do without. Nope. Found a bottle on the shelf. 

After I had mentioned feta cheese tonight, Tommy said I have some in the refrigerator.  So, I won't have to buy any for next time. I had told Tommy that feta cheese in the deli was more expensive that feta from the packaged cheese section. That is when he told me I had a chunk in the refrigerator. So, I will break that down before I make this dish again. 

Then, instead of serving the dish over angel hair pasta, I put a bag of cooked rotini in the skillet with the other the other ingredients and stirred it. I have used penne in the past. 

I am stuffed and cannot wait until tomorrow to eat more. Tommy needs to lay off it, though. I am serious.

Is there anything you love and your SO or kids says they hate and then he eat it? 

Is there anything you are grateful he does not like? Tommy hates bananas.

The Day Before

 

When we left the house, it was 86 and uncomfortably hot. I am not complaining as I like it this hot. Today, Saturday, we went to Sam's Club and found nothing we went to purchase. But, we brought home more cups and Cheerios. We ate a nasty hotdog. I will never eat one of those again. I might take a bite of Tommy's. Those are so long, so big around and so greasy. And, not healthful.

I have no idea why or how I put this image in twice!

Then, we stopped at BAM. I now have three books, two of those had to be ordered, but he went in to do it. I brought home This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Killer Angels by Michael Shaara, The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam were ordered and are on their way. These are my kind of books. These are gifts, so it does not count as my buying...lol. 

Then, I stopped by Publix and got kalamata olives and feta cheese for a Mediterranean Pasta. I had this first with spaghetti, but I may use another past with it.  I am making this because I want it. Tommy won't eat it...too bad. It is my gift to me. After all, it is Mother's Day tomorrow. He will buy me dinner tomorrow. I have no idea when I will cook this.

Tonight, Tommy will chop and brown/cook ground beef with Vidalia onions that I need to chop. Some will be used tonight in jarred pasta that needs to be eaten. We will have cole slaw with it. 

I tried something new--Lindt Classic Recipe OatMilk non-dairy chocolate. It was delicious. I was not trying to avoid dairy, just tried it. I would highly recommend it. 

By the way, the keto brownie mix did not have laxative effects on me like the package warned. YAY!

The chicken was eaten slowly tonight. And, I drank lots of water. And, I did not choke. 

Do you have an esophagus that is narrowed and must be stretched? 

Have you eaten chocolate made with oat milk? Did you like it?

Have you read either of the three books he gave me for Mother's Day?

Do you eat the hotdogs from SAM's?

Eggs, Tuna, Screaming Ambulance

 Friday, I changed the small eggs that expire today for the large eggs that were free at The Pig. They refunded me the cost of medium eggs, and gave me the large eggs. So, we are all square. 

I bought another four four-packs of Starkist Tuna, making the total cans at 56 now. That is a year's supply if I eat one can each week. However, with an expiration date of 2006, I won't worry how fast I eat them.

That is all for Friday...lol. 

Well, it is all except for the ambulance that came screaming to the house after Tommy called 911 for me. My esophagus needs to be stretched again. NOW! It was a horrible experience. I ate the rest of my dinner over the next two hours, one tiny bite of chicken at a time. I will call the doctor immediately. It has been since 2018 or '19 since I had this done. 

Tommy is reveling in the fact it rained Thursday and today, meaning he does not have to water plants. He said he can hook up the automatic watering. So, maybe I will buy that. Well, I will pick it out and he will pay. It will be brutal out there in the afternoon sun with heat radiating off the brick house. 

oops, I forgot

Dinner: I baked eight skinless thigh and ten tenders along with potatoes, carrots, and onions. I made coleslaw. So, dinner was chicken, potatoes, carrots, onions, and slaw.

Ads This Week

 Publix had no paper ads in the store on Wednesday as they had not received any. Last night, I pored the ads as well as I could on the internet. When Tommy asked about an ad, a manager said he was leaving right then to go pick up ads from another store. 

There were deals I wanted. By the time Tommy arrived at 1 pm, there were no mushrooms that were bogo. They arrived at the store and did not meet the store standards. Tommy would have gotten anything even though I told him they had to be really white. 

At Sam's when we went, I found 10 cans of tuna packaged together for a bit under $11, about $10.98. So, I got those since tuna is much more expensive nowadays. At Publix, 4 cans of tuna in a package are 2 packages for $6. That makes it $0.75/can, cheaper only 5 years ago. This is StarKist Chunk Light in water, 5 ounces. I told Tommy to get as many as he wanted. Since there were only 5 packages left, he got four. It seems "2 for" means you have to buy two to get the special price. He had remembered that. These will go fast at this price, so I will probably get four more before the ad goes off. Is this a sign of prices going down or just my good luck?

Planter's Peanuts in a jar are bogo, forgot what price. But, I will get these because he gets the ones with full salt. I get the lightly salted ones. 

There was a Publix bag for 99 cents. I had Tommy get that one. It is heavy recyclable polypropylene. It is smaller than I wanted but okay. As I took off the tag that ties the handles together, I decided to open it and see exactly the size. I struggled a bit and finally looked inside. This bag has dividers, four of equal size. Maybe they each would hold a bottle of wine or catsup. Interesting. I have never seen a cheap store bag with dividers. I will go over the ad again, and so will Tommy. But, I will wait for a paper ad. 

By the way, Tommy could not reach the tuna on the very bottom shelf so had to get a very young woman to get it up. So, the store put the best tuna deal out of sight? Not an accident! Well, I went back in later and the sale tuna was on a side of the endcap front and center.

When I went in to get the ad, I decided to shop. Tomatoes (bogo)are needed for Mediterranean pasta. We needed peanut butter, so I got Skippy Natural, 40 oz for Tommy, 15 oz size for me. I bought four more 4-packs of tuna, 16 cans in all. With the 16 cans Tommy bought this morning and the 8 cans left from Sam's purchase, we have 40 cans, enough for 10 months with dates of 2026 on the last 32 we got today. 

Tommy bought the thick tote bag with four sections. But, this afternoon, the manager had no idea, had never seen them. He was very jovial today and just gave me two bags. I kept asking how much are they. Free. Well, okey dokey.

I was getting faint, so I bought a banana and got a spoon from the deli and had banana and pb to get my blood sugar up a bit. It sure felt good to eat. 

Then, we went to the Pig to get the ad. I shopped because I did not want the free item to run out. Eggs were free with $10 purchase. I got those, 3 Vidalia onions. I got two little packages of sugar free Jello. The receipt is in the bag with eggs, so I am not sure what else I bought. 

When I took the eggs inside the house, I checked to see all were whole. They were. Then, as I held the egg carton, I saw a price of 99 cents on the carton with a marker. I picked up the eggs from the bin where the free ones were located. But, these were from another bin with eggs that were expiring on Friday, May 12, 2023. So, now I need to go back and get the exchange. Using the app may be hard, but they will do it, I know. Tommy was a little horrified when I told him I got more eggs. "We don't have enough room." Cooking tonight emptied on of the cartons of 18. So, we don't have the problem he thinks. 

I have said I was going to make salmon croquettes for the last week or more. Tonight, I did. Three eggs, a can of salmon, onions, oats, crackers, salt and pepper. They were delicious. Dinner: Salmon croquettes. green beans, slaw. I had strawberries afterward. We had salmon croquettes with pan fried potatoes and brown gravy. I think we had greens and navy beans. 

Hold me to this. I need to dehydrate celery and Vidalia onions. Both will go into Ball jars for use all year. I won't dice the celery since it is too much on my hands. Besides, I will only use it to put into soup. spaghetti, or on a pan to bake meat or other vegetables. The Vidalia may just be sliced, not diced. 

So far, the brownies have not had a laxative effect. whew! 

Rain came down in torrents tonight, blowing hard. Tommy beamed as he looked out the door. "I don't have to water!" Well, it was dark, so if it had not rained, it was too late to go out to water. Every day, he counts the blossoms on the Stella d' Oro. Today he was so happy there were eight blossoms. He commented that they are doing better than last year. I suppose it a second year thing. I will divide them for next year if that is a thing I can do to get more plants and possible more blossoms without buying a new plant. They are dependable. 

Do you buy Vidalia onions when they are in season? Dehydrate the Vidalia onions to use all year? 

How does your garden grow? I think I saw a blueberry blossom today. 

Yucky Keto Brownies (edit--death at Publix)

 Today was a good day. I replaced the Wilton brownie pan and found a blouse on sale. It did not rain here once again, but it seemed Birmingham was spared. On the interstate there was about a ten-second spit of rain. We didn't even need the windshield wiper. 

All the flowers faltered a bit a few days ago, but seem to have rallied. The Stella D'Oro are full of flowers now. Maybe the flowers rallied because they got their second dose of fertilizer on Monday. Most of the flower envelopes stated to fertilize once a week, so we will. 

When I was in the research group for people who had had cancer, I was given two boxes of Miracle Gro, for flowers and vegetables. Then, at the final dinner, we could take all the supplies left over from the research project that was ending. Tommy and I both took two boxes of fertilizer. So, we have plenty. 

We both had an appointment with the podiatrist. We were about two months overdue for our next appointment. Her office called and said she had to cancel our last appointment because she was ill. Well today, she said she was in the hospital for a week. She had a pulmonary embolism. She had risk factors and had just traveled by plane. 

After the appointment we did go shopping. Of course, when we came home, I had a nap. 

Dinner: Chicken Cordon Bleu, new potatoes, slaw. I had the last of the strawberries--2, and almost a half cup of blueberries. 

We tried the Duncan Hines Chewy Fudge Brownies, and it stinks. There is nothing thick or fudgy about them. The texture of the batter and the brownie was like corn meal, the chocolate tasted bitter. I love dark chocolate, so this was a different taste, not good. Tommy is not a fan, either. AND, there was this warning--Excessive consumption may cause a laxative effect in sensitive individuals. Just great!

I forgot to include this:

91-year-old woman dies after being struck by vehicle in Cullman (msn.com)

I was told a month ago at this Publix that a woman was hit and knocked into the bushes. I am afraid to cross to the store on the electric cart. I have known this woman for at least 35 years. 

If you do keto, do you find the same texture I did? I think the weird chocolate taste was due to artifical sweeteners. Do you like keto baking items? 

This and That, Nothing Much

 There is usually one question we mull every day--is it going to rain. We need to know this in order to decided whether Tommy needs to water the flowers and berries or not. We debate this, watching the weather and radar channel. Today, while I slept for a bit, he did water plants. When I awoke, I heard lots of thunder. He commented that it did rain all around us, just not here. It is dark, I still hear thunder, and it has not rained. It seems Tuscaloosa is getting lots of rain and maybe flooding. hmmm

Today, there was a hummingbird at the fuschia plant. The sight still thrills me every time I see it. 

We cancelled something today because it appeared rain would be a problem. Of course, it did not rain where we were going to be driving. 

Remember the freezing/blasting that was done to my arm yesterday. Well, the bandage fell off about two minutes after I applied it. AND, the smaller one blasted is twice the size of the larger one and has a huge blister on top. I am not sure what is happening. 

I needed a2milk on Saturday as I only had a partial half-gallon. Well, Tuesday was the next delivery day and they were out of all types of a2milk. Today, I purchased two half-gallons. They were an astronomical--$4.99! Is scarcity driving this price hike? 

When I went in to buy milk, I bought Tommy a package of Juicy Fruit chewing gum. His chewing drives me crazy. His storage of the gum and chewing the next day drives me past crazy. But, he loves it. 

Speaking of chewing, I think I crumbled off a piece of filling while chewing meatloaf. ugh

Every time I awake, I think Tommy has called me and told me to get up. Every time I am wrong. I laugh at myself. If I lie down at 4 pm, I will tell him to wake me if I am not awake at 7 pm. Really, I only want to sleep until 6 pm, but figure if I am really sleepy, I may need to sleep until 7 pm. But, I do not want to sleep four or more hours. I do clearly and distinctly hear him calling my name to wake me when he does not. This is really strange to me. 

We had one small chore along with buying milk, and these chores wore me to a frazzle!

On Saturday, April 22, we bought a gallon of pretty strawberries for $20. I was down with an upper respiratory infection on Sunday and the first of the week so forgot about them. I think Tommy started eating them on Wednesday. I encouraged him to eat them up. He came in with huge bowls of strawberries, eating them with his hand. 

Finally, 13 days later, I ate two berries when he warned me there were only four berries left. Not one of the berries in the bottom of the plastic bucket was bad. I was shocked. Usually strawberries don't last that long with disintegrating or molding. I certainly hope to find the people who sold these.

Tonight, we ate the rest of the meatloaf I made last week, the slaw I made over the we1ekend, and fresh corn on the cob. It was a wonderful meal. There is more slaw and corn, so tomorrow, I will cook protein or find something protein in the freezer. Frozen chicken and new red potatoes are thawing in the refrigerator. I was thinking I would make salmon croquettes, but maybe not. I had blueberries for lunch and will have apple and strawberries for later tonight.

Are you getting rain? Do you watch for rain when planning your watering?

Have you had strawberries last almost two weeks without losing a portion of a berry or two?

Blasting my Head

 Since my upset in my plans on Friday and subsequent watching of the Coronation, I have not been well. I have not gotten enough sleep and consequently have been out of sorts. Right now, my body is throbbing. But, I was in bed for an hour and could not sleep. I don't toss and turn, but I do not sleep. 

Tommy fertilized all the flowers late this afternoon. They are all growing well. I am still waiting for more blooms. 

Today, I went to the dermatologist. He froze a thing on my head, my crown, a growth? He warned me I would get an ice cream headache. I told him I had never had an ice cream headache. He assured me I did not know what other people went through and how bad the freezing was going to hurt. Well, after four blasts of freezing, painful blasts, I felt nothing; my scalp was just a bit tight for about ten seconds. 

He said my infected finger was getting better and did nothing. Now, four hours later, it is worse with huge pocket of pus. So, now I go back. I have already operated on it twice, and it is back.

The two places he blasted/froze on my arm hurt so bad! I suppose I need to put a bandage on them the keep me from scratching or even touching them. I made another appointment to have a growth on another place frozen, and I will not tell you where that location is. 

Saturday night, I made meatloaf-filled bell pepper for Tommy and just a dish of meatloaf for me. I would not eat the bell pepper, so no use wasting one. Of course, I dice bell pepper in the meatloaf. That was dinner on Sunday night, too. We had slaw and squash and something else.

Tonight, we are having BLTs. I may just have mine in a bowl as a salad and only one slice of toast cut up. 

Tonight, as I stumbled out of bed after the failed nap, I decided to get more food from the bedroom for the kitchen--sweet relish, Hunt's tomato paste, Miracle Whip. Tommy had to tell me that we ran out of the sweet relish but had plenty of dill relish. All three items were bought on sale. Of course, we are eating cheaper than if we bought at today's prices. 

Have you had an ice cream headache? I wish I could have just one to see what it is like. My little brother had them every time, and I felt so sorry for him. 

Have you ever had a growth frozen off anywhere on your body? Hurts, doesn't it. 

Have you had a BLT yet this season? 

The Coronation Watch & Cucumber Sandwich Recipe

 Tommy woke me at 3:30...ugh. I made the cucumber sandwiches before and during the coronation. It was wonderful. George seemed to do a superb job as holder of the train. Charlotte was so pretty in her special dress, her hair up and a floral crown just like Kate's. I am surprised that Kate never gives Louis "the eye" to stop him. Yes, he is young but too old for his shenanigans. 

I was surprised Kate and some other royals had coronation robes on at the coronation. Harry seemed genuinely happy to be there, back in his element, I suppose. Finally, I found out who the woman in blue was, the one who carried around the sword, it seemed, during the whole coronation--a politician. And, I was mystified as to the identities of the two women in white who followed Camilla--her sister and another attendant. 

The tears in Charles's eyes during the ceremony were touching, almost making me cry. I was totally shocked at his disrobing partially and the screens put in front of him. The architecture in Westminster Abbey certainly added to the pageantry below. 

So, these are just a few of my thoughts as I watched. Finally, I had to go to bed, just before the crowd reached the balcony. Did you see the horse that was spooked and could not be brought under control, smashing through the barricade and into the crowd? 

I slept for about four hours, got up, then took a 3-hour nap in the afternoon. It was a good coronation watch. I caught up on the rest of the coronation celebration as best I could. After the nap, I made meatloaf and put Tommy's into two halves of a bell pepper.  We had leftovers with it--a bit of Suddenly Salad, and a huge tossed salad. 

I made the cucumber salad filling just before the coronation coverage started. Usually, I serve these on little cut rounds of bread made into sandwiches. Not this time as I just made a sandwich with two slices of bread and cut into rough fourths. I ate nothing else during the night, no matter what I had prepared for the munchies. 

I ate strawberries for breakfast and blueberries after dinner tonight. I was going to make deviled eggs with avocado (green eggs) but did not. The eggs are boiled, so I can do it as I wish later. 

The cucumber sandwiches are delicious, but presentation is everything. I got this from a friend who was a cater who made me promise not to tell anyone, that was 40 years ago, she no longer caters, and sort of quit talking to me , and I don't know why. But, she had a strange life filled with violence and sexual abuse since she was a young child. We were thick as thieves until I went back to school. So, now I will reveal this simple recipe she might have gotten elsewhere. 

I use a cookie/biscuit cutter/jar/tin can. Size is the important thing to me. I make sure it is the diameter of the European cucumber I buy. You will know when it is correct. I don't want the cucumber hidden or hanging out, just a bit smaller than the bread so it shows.

Use room temperature or softer butter to spread on the rounds of bread. You want it to be the thinnest smear, not much at all. The idea is to keep the mix and the wet cucumber from making the sandwich soggy. I usually am transporting these for an hour to my destination. 

Slice the cucumber as thin or thick as you wish.  I try for around a eighth of an inch. 

Try to put the filling on the other buttered bread without crushing the bread. putting on just a little bit, sort in little smears or dots and then spreading keeps the bread intact. 

So, you have bread, butter, cucumber, and cream cheese filling, Good Seasons Zesty Italian dry mix. Do NOT use the whole dressing package with one 8 oz package of cream cheese. Use it to your taste. 

I use cream cheese and half a little packet of Good Seasons zesty Italian dry salad dressing mix. Let the cream cheese reach room temperature, put the dressing on top and mash with a fork until mixed. I did not use the whole package. Try it and see what you prefer. This "recipe" can be made using your own dressing mix, any herbs you please in any combination. There is too much sodium and soy in the mix, so next time I will make my own dry mix. 

The last two times I made this for others to consume, I had Tommy help me with the bread rounds and cucumber slicing. In the past, I have used two different breads that were different bread hues. This added interest to the sandwich tray, I think.

This was my first coronation and my last, I am sure. So, staying up for it, even with little sleep was fun. 

Did you stay up or get up for the whole coronation? 

Did you watch the balcony part? 

Did anyone see the musical part, the entertainment part? I did not but will find it on laptop later. 

What impressed you the most? Or, surprised you?

Hard Friday

 Thursday night, I slept for 5 1/2 hours and was proud of myself. Then, I had to go to an appointment for a test. I had to lie down and my back was in excruciating pain the whole time. The woman squeezed my leg so hard and had my lie in a position that made my back in more pain. 

We had to drive in the rain for about ten minutes while I thought I would die! Tommy has not washed the car windows since he washed them with a nasty tool like they have at service stations. And, even more pollen was on the windshields. He spent the whole ten minutes fiddling with the wiper adjustment. I asked him to spritz some water and it was out. v

When we got home about 3 pm after another short chore, there was a huge package on the porch. I could not lift it or even push it. No clues as to what is was or who it was for. Finally, I saw an obscure little label that said something about double lift mechanism. First and only clue--the replacement for the machinery under the lift chair. 

I called the store and they said they would come get it. This was about 3 pm. Well, I needed a nap and stayed up until 7:15. Two minutes earlier, I decided to change clothes. I came back into the living room without my pants on because sitting on the bed makes my back hurt and I almost slide off the bed. So, I am sitting in my lift chair pantless and the guy is coming to the door. I told Tommy to hurry and get to the door and stay where he could not see me. Do you think he could do that? Well, you know the answer. 

When I told Tommy to move over so he could not see me. Well, he moved over even further. Finally, I yelled at him that I am naked, move to the right. So, he moved all the way from the door on the left. I was fit to be tied. Well, he said he did not hear me say anything but to move. He thought I wanted to talk to the guy. The first thing I told him was to go to the door and stand where the guy could not see me!

He was not the guys unloading the truck who were supposed to come, according to the owner. This guy explained that this is the way the repair company worked. First, they deliver the supplies so that they are here when the show up to work. He said the box was under cover. I explained that for almost a week there would be rain and dampness. Then, he wanted to put it in the carport. I explained that rain blows into the carport and the box would get wet. The guy really wanted to leave it, but what if someone stole it?

I have no idea why they told me they would be right over to pick up the box. I have no idea why we are supposed to store it. I have no idea why they sent one guy since he pushed the box to the road. He was not young enough to handle that box. 

After he left and Tommy and I went round and round over what happened, I went to bed. I lay there for an hour with no nap and my back hurt worse all the time. 

Finally, I got up and found the eggs he was boiling in a small pot on the large eye. I changed them to the correct eye and a few minutes later tried to peel and egg that was raw. Tommy said he put them on about fifteen minutes before I got up. No, maybe two minutes before. 

Even though I was going to take a nap before the coronation, I am still up at 11:30. I chopped carrot straws to put into the Suddenly Salad instead of celery. Now, I have to pick the peas out of the dry pasta. 

This will do for the Saturday post. I will post about the coronation on Sunday morning if I can keep my eyes open for the whole event. 

My wildflowers in two pots are coming up. Of course, I have no idea what they are, but it looks like a bunch of weeds. We transplanted nothing, but Tommy watered everything. 

Maybe I can get a bit of sleep. 

Cucumber Sandwiches and Coronation

 I am not one to watch the Super Bowl or any games for that matter. The Kentucky Derby is not a food occasion for me. But, one event will call for food...all night long. What is that?

The coronation of Charles III. Today, I took advantage of Publix sales to stock up on things that are not high carb. I will be eating all night during the coronation...lol. 

I bought celery and now have three heads in the refrigerator. Why? Because I forgot I had two heads and bought a huge, pretty head for $1.50. I suppose I need to get dicing, eating, freezing. But, I will put it in a Suddenly Salad with tuna. 

Slaw will be made to eat with chicken breast and Roma tomato. Slaw was bogo at Publix--$4 for 2.

Avocado $1

Blueberries. I have strawberries, both just to eat, no desserts with them. 

European cucumber for cucumber sandwiches. The bread will not be cut in rounds, just 1/ 4 pieces of bread. I have cream cheese.

I bought Nabisco Graham Crackers in case I need one with peanut butter. Northern TP because it was on sale. Classico Spaghetti Sauce because it was bogo.

There is tuna and Suddenly Salad here which i will make with lots of chopped celery and not all of the salty seasoning pack that comes with it. 

Tommy bought six 24-packs of Diet Pepsi and Diet Dr Pepper. He may have bought some sort of chips for him, not sure. (yes, he did)

I am very excited about the coronation. I love the tradition and pageantry. I am so glad Meghan will not be present. And, I am not a Camilla fan. There will be no debate from me on this subject. But, you may disagree. It will be a disappointment not to see all the traditional robes and accoutrements as it seems lots will be eliminated, like the knee britches and velvet robes.

On Friday night, I will go to bed after the news at 10:30 pm and have Tommy set the alarm for 3:30 pm. I plan to stay up for the pageant and will need snacks, so Friday afternoon will be spent preparing the cucumber sandwiches and Suddenly Salad.

Tonight, the ground beef did not thaw, so we will have chicken thighs, yellow squash with onions, and sliced tomatoes in our salad. There were chicken breasts in the chicken thighs I baked, so I won't have to thaw anything for myself. I need to freeze lots of the thighs tonight. I should have made Coronation Quiche. 

At 7:30 pm we went out and put the pink lemonade and lemon slice into one pot. It went quickly and Tommy put a bit more fertilizer on it and watered everything. He won't have to water this next week because it appears we will have rain every day or a chance of rain. 

Will you be watching the coronation all night long? Are you a fan of the royals? Are you having coronation food?

Out and About Recycling on Thursday

 As you may know, we recycle--newspaper, other paper, drink cans, drink bottles, water bottles, batteries, prescription/otc bottles, Styrofoam, plastic wrapping film (tp packaging and such). You can imagine the clutter this makes. But, we keep it under control by having each in its own container. We do sell the drink cans and soup/tuna type cans. 

When I heard on the news that the Birmingham News demise was affecting the Birmingham Humane Society, I knew where the newspaper needed to be taken. They were asking for newspaper since the paper was no longer in business. So, today, we took a drive.

Tommy separated the paper from newspaper. I gathered all the prescription/pill bottles and we drove there to donate them. I talked to woman at desk and she came and carried it all inside. 

We picked up a prescription. Then, we collected this week's ads from three stores. Mustard was the free item this week at The Pig. There does not seem to be many exciting sales. But, I did not look at the Publix ad. Tommy said he circled items while I did shop in The Pig. 

If you live in the Birmingham area, maybe you can take a load of newspaper to the Birmingham Humane Society. We go to a battery store to recycle batteries. Publix takes the paper, bottles, and Styrofoam. 

When Lynda was speaking to us, we gave meat scraps to her dog. I would like to compost table scraps and veggie scraps, but Tommy is not amenable to the idea. I want one of the bins that sits up on legs and can be turned with a handle. 

Tonight, we are watching a PBS documentary with David Attenborough about bird songs. He was a strikingly handsome and virile young man! 

So, dinner will be something prepared from the store. The price was right. One dish has some sort of veggie ravioli and the other has asparagus and mushrooms. We can eat chicken thigh if we desire meat. I will put the exact dishes in tomorrow's post. 

I made a mistake. We just had the two dishes and both were beyond too hot/spicy for me. One bite of each made me ill, woozy, and ready to rid myself of both bites. If I did not hate to throw up so much, I would get rid of this. The red sauce had incredibly spicy sausage. The white sauce was the hot part with mushrooms and asparagus. I warned Tommy, but he can stand spicy food even though he does not care for it much. I have had strawberries, watermelon  tonight, apple, and banana tonight. 

Lunch was chicken sandwich with cheese and Romaine. Lunch was late, so brunch, I suppose. My temples are throbbing from a bit of spicy. My blood pressure is high, too. Ears are ringing. 

What do you recycle? 

To Plant Pumpkin Seeds

 

That is my plan. However, all the talk about mounds and hills did not help me. So, I took to the internet. A mound keeps the seeds warm. Really? How? I read for a long time and came across a loophole in the mound/hill suggestion or, rather, rule. 

One person suggested that the Indians poked around with a stick loosening the soil. The planted seeds in the mound they dug up, it worked, they had pumpkins, and so everyone followed suit. I am going with this explanation. 

Several persons made the same observation I did--pumpkin patches are not full of hills. They are flat. So, my little pumpkin patch will be flat. 

I have the raised boxes in the back yard. I will have Tommy poke some seeds in the boxes. I have to be honest, any pumpkin that wants to grow will have to be determined. It is difficult for Tommy to get back there, and almost impossible for me. There is nothing upon which to sit. Remember, we have no back door. The door in the carport has steps straight down and against the utility room wall.  There may be nine inches between bottom step and the wall. There is no suggestion that will help except a back door or a stair lift. 

The pack of pumpkin seeds says "Jack O'Lantern. So, maybe that is what we will get--decoration for Halloween. 

I hear it is not yet pumpkin planting time. These were free seeds, so I have nothing to lose. I have boxes of dirt, so planting is the only answer...lol. 

Yesterday and today, we have spent too much energy picking up plants that have blown over or blown off the porch or ramp. So, I decided to put that energy into placing them where they will not blow with the wind. 

Has the wind been fierce where you live? 

Have you ever planted pumpkins? 

Have you ever planted pumpkins? 

Call to Police and Other Stuff

 Even though we planned to have the rest of the pork roast and vegetables for dinner, we had something else. I had a pizza with goat cheese, tomatoes, and herbs that looked good and needed to be eaten. Well, the taste was off, not bad, just not "right." After I ate, I read the ingredients. It turns out the pizza had a cornmeal crust, and I think I want that type crust from now on. Salad accompanied our pizza. The carb count was too high!

The allysum and bachelor buttons seeds I sowed in a pot outdoors have germinated. I hope being in the same pot works. This success feels great. 

We were in the park today when a police vehicle pulled in. After a few minutes two other police cars car roaring and and all three went fast down the park road to the other end of the park and then turned around and came out slowly. The end where they turned around is sort of a little circle, right where we turn around. So, we went down as we were headed there and turned around, too. Beyond the park is a utility facility, lots of lines and boxes. 

Tommy said there was a guy beyond the park fence, slowly going out of sight as he went down as he walked...into a ditch or downhill. We were not sure. As we were headed home anyway, I determined to call the police and tell them what we saw. I sort of felt like it was not our business and had nothing to do with the reason the police were there. But, I still was going to call.

However, I looked at plants outside, rushed in to use the bathroom and sat down to watch tv. We saw this at 5 pm and it was almost 6:30 when I remembered. But, I called anyway. The dispatcher was very interested, wanting to know his ethnicity and what he had on, all this beyond what Tommy saw and I reported. So, I suppose we saw something important. It's just too bad I did not remember to report it in a timely manner. 

I have voiced many times the fact the park could be scary if the wrong people came in to hang out. Hopefully, this was an anomaly. There are eight ball fields, tennis courts, basketball courts, a walking track, outdoor exercise stations. And, on the other side of the park drive is a children's playground. There is a party room, a senior center, and the EMS and ambulances. Gunshots would ruin my day. 

Then, we watched television, had dinner, and watched more television. I made a few phone calls with some success. Tommy only wants to buy milk after the gallon is empty, so we had to go to Publix for a gallon of milk. That was our mundane day. But, I can do without excitement. 

What did you do today, exciting or mundane? Dinner? How are your flower and food plants doing? Do you ever feel the need to report suspicious behavior to the authorities?