Cleaner House and DST

 The cleaner came today. She has the half bath ready to clean. At the very end of her time, she got all the trash left in there picked up and the room, tiny bath    room, vacuumed. Also the closet had so much trash in it. Tommy had a boarder that left about 12 years ago. She was too ill to clean it, so her boyfriend and her brother moved her out. They left trash and belongings all over the room, closet, and bath. If course, Tommy has not vacuumed or cleaned it for that long, about 11 years, maybe more.

I asked her to clean a huge spot on the kitchen floor. She got on hands and knees and scrubbed the whole floor! She took the pile of junk left by the missionaries and we got that sorted and some donated, some to the trash, some to her. It looks so much roomier in there. But, lots needs to go in the dishwasher. I need to get in there and do that right now. I washed the filter on the vent hood and she changed the bulb to an LED that is brighter. Tommy could not understand why I washed the filter as he said there was nothing in it. Of course, it stuck to my hand and left my had sticky after putting it into the dishwasher. Apparently, nothing needs to be cleaned after forty years! 

Of course, she changed my bed and the floral sheets are on and they are so much more fluffy and cuddly than the other two flannel sets. 

Tommy was willing to get rid of more things, thankfully. Many of the items he has belong to his boarder. He cannot remember her last name. However, she had liver cancer, so we wonder if she is alive now. I claim the items he says are hers if he does not want them. One nice pitcher still has a sticker on it. Someone gave it to him in 1980 at a housewarming party the church threw for him at the church. 

He had five lighters and four worked. He does not smoke, and I have loads of matches. He decided to donate four. We donated about six ice cube trays, all very old, rough, and dirty! We tossed dirty, used, and shabby sponges. 

She cleaned the glass in the storm door. Now, I can see through it. He would not "allow" me to clean it several years ago. Now, I cannot reach up easily and almost tip over backwards! She was puzzled at the stuff that did not go away when the vinegar dried. Well, it is called extreme dirt! So, the door called for lots of cleaning. 

Tommy washed and dried three loads of clothes, pink set of flannel sheets, blue set of flannel sheets, all my towels, washcloths, and underwear. Thankfully, the day was not cold and there was no rain, so he could actually do it, going outside and up the driveway. 

Last week, I asked her to a move small folding table to the end of dining area and put my garden things there. I needed to find seeds. Only this Sunday afternoon did I discover she put it all against the back door. Yikes! I would be afraid of trying to get out in a fire. And, I found my seeds.

She made four trips to the car to carry out things leaving here. Plus, the trash can was overflowing when she emptied it, most from this afternoon. She also vacuumed the back bedroom, picking up boxes, vacuuming and putting boxes back, except further back in the room so we can get into the room more easily. It is not done yet, but it looks so much better. 

For dinner: Tommy--last of ham and chicken, potato, turnip greens. I had late meal of chicken breast, potato, Romaine, and an apple. 

The refrigerator is getting empty! I need to buy fresh vegetables. There are carrots left and the Romaine I bought yesterday. 

On Saturday I was ecstatic that DST started today. I have never had a problem with sleep from the time change. Of course, now I have sleep problems, but today I could tell no difference in my sleep. Actually, how would I know? 

I am still ecstatic over the time change. Today, has been a good day.

Did the time change cause any change in your sleep? Were you late to church? 

I Could Not Help Myself

 

First, I bought new flannel sheets--Laura Ashley Lisalee.

I have no idea why this post it the way it is. I cannot seem to get the justification correct. Anyway, I knew last December that I did not need to buy more Christmas cards, no matter how cheap! But, today, I bought two boxes! But, one was very pretty and the other was all African animals in Christmas scarves. So, how could I resist? but, but, but... They are National Geographic and marked down!

The 12 cards were $2 and 18 (17 cents each) were $3 (17 cents each). They are both very colorful, glossy and sort of glitter-y. The glitter I can do without.

The sheets were on sale for less than half price. Then, I found a coupon. Then, I decided to use a gift card, the one that I got for all the confusion a few months ago. Well, that gift card and another will not work. Or, maybe the site does not work. The sheets ended up costing about $50. I hope they are as pretty as the picture above.

The cards were in a grocery store that always has table, carts, clothes racks of merchandise deeply reduced. It is a strange store, but I have gotten good deals from these clearance tables. 

We are not doing very well at getting home before dark. I can tell the impending darkness bothers Tommy since he drives too close to the center line. I see cars dodging to avoid us as they approach. He says it is me, no. 

Last night, I slept my usual four hours, stayed up in here and waited for Tommy to wake. We decided to watch Sgt. York instead of the news. Well, at 11:15, I was so sleepy and went to bed and slept until 3:30. This is just wrong! 

Lynda just called. Her dog has not eaten for three days. She took it to the vet. The doctor said it could be some sort of stress since nothing else seemed wrong. Nothing is happening at her house. So, I suggested it could be DST ending. Then, she said the dog kept going to the bedroom to sleep and she would not. Finally, she turned on the tv in the bedroom so she could watch tv and the dog could go to bed. Lynda said the dog kept making faces, so she turned the tv off. Before she could get back in bed, the dog had scooted up beside her and was asleep before she could lie down. I suggested DST ending had bothered her dog. She thinks I might be right. So, dogs are affected by all the time changes. Do you have an animal who is upset by the time change? 

Today, my Thanksgiving prep is chopping onions and celery. I think I have celery. 

We are watching the last episode of M*A*S*H. There is some sort of special on after this. Good deal. TV is a trial to me right now. At midnight we always watched Frasier. Now, it is all Hallmark. We hate those. Tommy says there are only the murder shows. I would rather watch Hallmark. He would not. Really, I probably don't, either! Reading is best. 

Today is my brother's birthday. Gary was born on 11-11 and died on 12-12 at age 44, my little brother. 

Tommy is doing well eating off the new plates. At first, he sort of had a silent protest by eating off old plates, not that I care. I just noticed. He used a butterfly plate for dinner. Today, I used one plate all day. The first time I made a sandwich and nothing was drippy or smeary. There were only crumbs. The next time, I ate a few of Tommy's Fritos. Then, I had chicken and rice and the rest of dinner. I will wash it now...lol. I am still afraid to get paper plates for things like sandwiches and snacks, fearing he will just use them all the time. At Thanksgiving I will start using my Holiday plates along with these, I suppose. 

Don't you love new flannel sheets? They always get less cuddly as time goes on, imo. 

MASH is just about my favorite show ever. I told my daughter when she was still a child that when I was old I needed MASH, diet coke, and a rocking chair! Were you, are you a MASH fan? 

Do you think a dog can be stressed by the time change? Lynda was not stressed, so there is no chance the dog picked on her emotions.

Friday and Dressing

 Wednesday night, I received an email from my attorney that upset me so that I did not even mention it to Tommy as I wanted to sleep and go to Cullman on Thursday. I hoped by not discussing it endlessly, I would not disrupt my sleep. No luck. Plus, Tommy would have endless questions for which I did not know the answer. In the middle of the night, I emailed for him to call me.

Finally, about 6 am, my mind gave up and I slept until about 12:15. I carried my phone to the bathroom, everywhere, not wanting to miss the call. It made my day miserable. Still, I did not want to be more  upset, so I did not tell Tommy. 

About 4:30 I called the attorney. Well, he came to the phone immediately. I asked him if he got my email. He had tried to call me and got the message that my phone was not receiving calls. Since a doctor's office, a nurse, and various people tell me this happens, I suppose I have to approach the cell phone company to see what is the matter. 

As it turned out, the email was not a bad thing, just annoying. So, I explained to Tommy as I understood it and he did not have one question. I wasted a night's peace because of nothing. 

I am continuing with the Thanksgiving food made early. I got a box of SS, cornbread. I made it with the intention of freezing it if it were okay. It is not. The cornbread SS is way too salty and the herbs and spices are not to my liking. I suppose I tried it long ago and never bought it again. 

Maybe I will bake a pan of cornbread, crumble and freeze it to make later. We will see. But this box was a big fat fail. Other flavors of Stovetop Stuffing have always been fine. 

Going off DST had really played havoc with our schedules--when we can shop. About 2:30, I told Tommy I needed bananas. He wants to watch Jeopardy from 3-4 pm, so I asked if 4 pm was okay. It was. So, we just made a grocery list. I tell him what and he writes it. 

All I wanted was bananas, but it took him almost an hour and he came back with 2 packages of Ocean Spray whole cranberries from the produce section. I did not want two and not even one now. I always write down all I want and then look at the list and see which store is cheaper. He thought I definitely wanted two, when I was just writing the price. One will do and if it is cheaper in the next 6 weeks, I can buy more. It's okay. 

We then stopped at Walgreen's to get a prescription I need in the morning. There were only two people in the car line, but it took forever. Usually, there are at least six cars. 

We did not get home until almost pitch dark. There was the faintest bit of light at 5:30. This will only get worse until Dec 22. This depresses me greatly.

A story on the news reported that research showed that meditation/mindfulness is as good as medication for depression or almost as good. Well, that is what my swing was for. That is what sitting facing trees and flowers was for. That is what my chickens in the yard did for me. It was peaceful and green. Plus, birds in the trees and squirrels scampering helped meditation. I miss my swing. I miss my yard. And, for a long time, I have missed chickens. I have never been diagnosed with depression, but I suppose anyone can be depressed. 

Today, I staggered into the kitchen, put my scrambled eggs into the microwave, and opened the dishwasher to get a fork. I stood there, a little stunned and confused. Where could all the forks, all the other utensils have gone? Tommy had put them all in the drawer. I thanked him profusely. He had said he hated getting out one utensil, much less all of them. When I told him how the utensil holder would come out, he started emptying them. He is just now learning what most people have known for years. I never expect him to do any emptying of the dishwasher. 

We are expecting Friday to be a rainy day, so we will be inside, hopefully decluttering or something productive. How about you on Veteran's Day Friday? 

Do you have a proven de-stressor for your life?

Is the lack of sun playing havoc with your plans? 

Do you stuff the bird or make a pan of dressing? Do you make cornbread or loaf bread dressing?