Relaxing Sunday

 Easter weekend was very low-key, just like I like it. It rained Friday and Saturday. As we had nowhere to go, we missed nothing. I spent Sunday making potato salad as I was determined to have some. Tommy says he hates potato salad, so I just never make it. As you may remember, I questioned him about why he hates potato salad--hates boiled eggs in it, hates cold potatoes. My solution was to give him potatoes boiled for the dish, but hot and with no eggs. 

I spent hours, dicing potatoes, dicing celery, dicing onions, dicing boiled eggs, dicing two kinds of pickles, getting eyes and bad spots out of potatoes that Tommy peeled. I had slaw from the day before and tomatoes to slice. 

As I was mixing all this together along with MW, mustard, and a bit of vinegar, I forgot not to put the boiled eggs into the potatoes. However, I did manage to dip where only the onion was present, mostly. He informed me he dipped out the one tiny bit of yolk I left. 

We had a slice of ham, the kind sealed in heavy plastic, just one huge center cut slice that we shared. It was delicious, very relaxing not to have cooked all day. I am still exhausted from covid, so even going out to eat would have been tiring. 

Monday, I was taking a nap while Tommy got his own dinner. He said he dipped potatoes from the potato salad and heated it up. He did dip one dice of potato out at a time in order to avoid egg yolk. When I got up from my nap today, I had cold baked chicken and potato salad. In a bit I will have a salad, and an apple. 

I have a new sinus infection, so I have an antibiotic again. It is not covid, just my usual. 

My left knee, the good one, started collapsing on Friday, I think. By the time I got up on Saturday, it had quit. Then, it started again. So, I am using the walker permanently now. It will be fine and then hurt like a 9/10. I have never had to have a cortisone shot in this knee, but now may be the time. 

I had a tumble Saturday night that had nothing to do with the knee or disability, just a stupid move on my part. But, I don't feel like typing or thinking anymore tonight. Plus, I am still a bit traumatized. 

Happy Easter!

 

                                                                   My precious baby! 

She will be 48 this September, almost 50 years old! 

Bent Every Which Way But Straight

 

                                                                         (not him)

Tuesday night, I lowered my chair and was met with resistance and a weird sound.  The chair raising mechanism was toast, it appeared. Well, finally, it worked. Something had slipped under the chair and in the lift mechanism. The whole chair is now whomperjawed. The left side of the footrest is lower than the right. The seat lists to the left. The left arm is lower. This throws off my whole body. 

When I awoke this morning, my left knee would not hold me up. I slept like a log for about seven hours. I must have slept wrong on my knee. Or, the chair not sitting right could be the problem, maybe both.

After I got up from a nap, just now, the pain in my left knee is worse. I managed to get to my chair. Then, I had Tommy bring in my walker. Hopefully, using it to get to the sink to wash my hair will work. The pain is so bad, my knee just collapses. 

Now, Tommy is back to getting things for me. Usually, my knee stops hurting just as quickly as it starts. Not this time. I may have to resort to an aspirin along with the cream I am using. NOW, I cannot walk without knee collapsing and extraordinary pain. 

Thursday

Well, I just figured out Sunday is Easter. Walking is no better. 

Today, Tommy drove me to Publix--slaw mix, lettuce, carrots, milk, bread, apples, bananas, strawberries, Halls Mentholyptus cough drops, eggs, two chocolate Lindt Easter Bunnies for Easter. When I got in the car, I told Tommy I bought a slice of carrot cake to share tonight. He was very effusive with "Oh GOOD!" We enjoyed it. 

We picked up eight more covid tests. I am still negative. These tests were so hard and confusing. Okay, the directions left out things. So, I wasted the first test. There are six more. 

Tonight, I gave Tommy instructions to put eggs on to boil. Well, he put the lid on the pot. Why? I was timing them with lid off, but at least I managed to get in the kitchen to see it. He left frozen meat on the counter to thaw. Why?

Tommy's voice is suffering as he sounds like a very old man whose voice is soft but still low. I hope it comes back. He told me my voice is not back yet, either. He said it sounds hollow. I have no idea what that is. 

We planned nothing for this weekend as neither of us have much energy or ambition other than to eat well and stay well. 

He is having ham and I am having chicken breast. I think he is opening green beans. I made cole slaw in my recliner. So, we are back in the groove. Since I boiled 6 eggs, I had one with a sliver of butter on the hot egg. I will make one into two deviled eggs for me and the other four will go into potato salad. 

The eggs peeled perfectly since I used really old eggs. I need to color some just because it is Easter. We do have our chocolate bunnies, but I think we need colored eggs of some sort. I am not sure where my molds for Jello eggs are hiding. 

I forgot to call about getting the chair repaired. Since tomorrow is Good Friday, I doubt I will get much of a response.

On Friday, we need to go to the grocery store again since I did not get everything we need. Tommy is going in with an electric cart, too. Today, I hit a table with Easter cookies and pastries on it and was so embarrassed! They added a table in the aisle, so it was easy to hit. I did the same thing to the extra table with Christmas cookies. ugh! 

The Sedum Joy is regrowing after the winter. It always does. I think the Gerbera Daisy is the plant with all the green growth. 

What are your Easter plans? 

Have you ever broken a recliner or lift chair? How did you break it?

Too Much Chopping

 After hours, it seems, of slicing, chopping, and dicing, Monday my hands hurt and were stiff. That effort was focused on one dish--potato salad. Somehow, typing does not hurt me at all since I use a light touch on the keys. But, my hands and fingers feel clumsy. What is this? Old age? Guess so. sigh

For lunch I had potato salad and a chicken tender. Then, for dessert I had potato salad. I have not made potato salad in years. I have had it at dinners, but it was never mine, so not so tasty. It seems Tommy not liking potato salad has caused me not to make it. No More! I will make and dip his out before eggs and Miracle Whip are added. Another thing--the relishes are not as good in potato salad as gherkins and dill chips diced. 

The hummingbird feeder is out. I have procrastinated since there were storms when I wanted to put it out. I noticed my neighbor down the street left hers out all winter and now she has taken them in to wash. Who has their hummingbird feeder out yet? Have you had a hummingbird yet?

My whole body hurts, not just my hands! All this celebrating is rough. I have a clothes basket of dishtowels and dishcloths to fold, so that is my big ambition for today. I need to start working again on the table to my left. I can see the surface of the table due to other days of decluttering, so this should be easy. Do you ever work on layers when decluttering flat surfaces? It is like an archaeological dig. 

We watch Jeopardy every day. Right now, it is on and it pains me to watch Ken Jennings. I don't like him. He is not funny as he thinks he is and insults the intelligence of players. I am shocked at things he says. However, I love the game. But, there is one category I just cannot answer. It is the type question where two answers are smushed together. Forgot the name of it, but I am baffled most of the time. It is not that I don't know the answers that are smushed together, I just don't know it is happening and usually end up with both answers, wondering  what is the correct answer to the question. 

Tuesday now. The new neighbors have TWO dogs that bark too much. More on that later.

Did You Know?

Easter meal was delicious! We ended up with pork loin, potato salads, deviled eggs, cole slaw. I forgot the green beans, tomato. I was exhausted when it was all done because I waited until Sunday to make the potato salad. That was a lot of chopping. 

Tommy's bowl of potato salad was yellow-orange from all the mustard. He really helped me a lot with cooking. He brought things to me to chop and took potatoes back and put in the pot, salted it, took away potato peelings, brought celery, brought the onion. He washed two large bowls I needed for the potato salad. Well after eating, he washed the pot in which I cooked cabbage and the huge one where I boiled potatoes. 

Sweets: I bought Tommy a gold-covered Lindt Easter bunny that was in a little train. He shared it with me. I didn't even get the Jello dishes made, either. Those can be made another day. I decided to forego Easter candy this year. I miss it. 

Have you ever used celery to get the onion smell from your hands? It works. I took the end of one of the stalks and rubbed it on both hands. Then, I took a wilted top and rolled it between my hands almost like I was using the leaves to wash my palms. Tommy did not know why, but I asked him if he could smell onions on my hands. He said that my hands smelled like celery. Now, 15 minutes later, the celery smell is gone too, all without washing my hands. Did you know celery removes the stink of onions or garlic from your hands?

Shopping hint: While I am perfectly capable of using food coloring and vinegar to dye eggs, I have bought the dying kit on sale after Easter. One year, I bought 6 or so after Easter for ten cents each. I sent one to my daughter and used the others in subsequent years. I stored them where I kept the plastic wrap because I came home and put them there to keep them off the counter. There they stayed. I did give one to a friend with 6 children. At any rate, you might be able to get the kit cheaply for use next year.

I suppose this is the first year ever in the last 75 or so years that I did not have colored eggs for Easter. Sometimes, I have made Jello eggs and put them on a bed of green lettuce on the table. That did not happen, either. I am okay with that. 

While I was chopping celery, I chopped the whole head of celery. I saved back a bit from the potato salad to use in tuna salad or something else this week. While I was chopping, I should have chopped the last four of the free red onions. 

Even though it was cloudy all day before Easter, about 6 pm, the sun shone through the clouds and the clouds lessened. Then, on Sunday, the day was sunny and warm, but Sunday night, thunderworms developed. All in all, I was disappointed with the wet grass for children to hunt eggs, but it was not stormy all day like I expected. 

I cannot believe my oldest child turned 54 on Saturday! And his son will turn 16 this week. I now send gifts as egift cards from Amazon. 

How was your Easter?

Easter Meal and Easter Outifts Long Ago

On Friday, I baked 6 sweet potatoes. We ate1 each on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I ate my sweet potato with a bit of butter, nothing else. Tommy had no butter on his. I seve them in the skin. 

On Saturday, I made a small green bean casserole. We ate half on Saturday and half on Sunday. 

On Sunday, I made cole slaw. And, I made a sort of glaze for the piece of ham and shoved it into the oven. I could not figure out where the brown sugar was so I used 2 Tbsp honey, 3 Tbsp real maple syrup, and a tsp of yellow mustard. Tommy was concerned about what I was using but thought the ham tasted fine. 

If you are keeping up, for Easter meal we had ham, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, and slaw. We had no bread or pasta salad since we don't need those carbs. 

Our meal was sort of like a progressive dinner, only different. It progressed from little each day to a full meal on Easter. 

I could never had gotten all that on the table if I had cooked it on Sunday. Yes, I hurt that bad and am that exhausted all the time. It was delicious. We still have half the slice of ham for another day. I can make another green bean casserole, another small one. I will bake more sweet potatoes and we have slaw leftover. 

When I was a child, we wore little bonnets, sometimes straw for Sundays and especially on Easter. I remember a pale blue dotted swiss Easter dress I had when I was about seven.  

Easter morning may be a little chilly at church time. Since I had cute, new pastel home sewn dresses for my girls, I hated to ruin the precious look with a coat or jacket. I had winter coats that were only for church for them and very dressy, but I did not want that, especially when the coat would not be needed, most likely, by afternoon. To be frank, I wanted pastels and spring clothes. I know--shallow. 

But this problem was solved. I bought the first daughter a white, crocheted cape with fringe and arm/hand holes/slits. Do you remember those? Do stores still carry these? The white cape went with everything. And, my girls wore it other Sundays than Easter. The one I bought my first daughter was rather long but she soon grew into it and out of it. That year I got her a larger cape, the younger daughter was ready to wear the first cape. She was proud to wear her sister's cape. They both had white, dressy sweaters, so if it were too cold, I was prepared to have them wear a sweater over their dresses and then the cape over that. Oh, if it were that chilly, white tights were necessary, too, not the white socks with lace and colored embroidery. 

Tommy said he and his brother wore blue and white seersucker suits every year with the short seersucker pants, and a tie. He said girls wore a pink or white sweater. 

What do you remember about your Easter clothes or those of your children. Do you remember the white knit or crochet capes with fringe? 

Okay, I have lost the little tip that plugs into  my laptop and the power cord, so I will be back when I find it or buy another one. Just comment and I will answer sometime...lol.

1977 Easter

 

Yes, you have seen this picture before. This is a rerun post. 

The picture above was taken on a cold, drizzly March day. We went to a Craft Show in town just before Easter. She was dressed  warmly in shoes, socks, jeans, and a shirt and sweater. When I saw this cute picture-taking event, I remembered the new outfit I had just bought her, one of her few ever bought pieces of clothing.

I went out in the rain, got the bag, and changed her for the photo. All the other kids were told by the parents to stand beside the giant bunny and the photo was snapped. It was a one-shot deal. I thought I could do better, so I said, "Alana, hug the bunny." She did as she was told and this was the precious photo. You know what I love the best?....her precious, curled little toes as she stood on tippy toes to hug. Ah, and the slight smile is so cute to me. Other mothers were wishing they had changed their children's clothes.

The way she followed directions impressed me. She did not try to wrestle the gigantic bunny  into  a bear hug and obviously was not capable of giving it a full-on hug. She just put her hands around the bunny only as far as she could and kept her face visible. When I took her picture, she always seemed very natural, not forcing a smile.

I never told her to smile! 

What are your favorite pictures of your child?

Wouldn't you know?

 My allergist office called me to tell me they had vaccines! So, I could have gotten the vaccine in an atmosphere and location where my allergist was present. I would have felt safer. But, I took a deep breath on Monday, and decided I would just go ahead with the opportunity I had at the time. 

The injection site is about the same as for an antibiotic injection, and a lot less painful than flu vaccine. Tommy's is painful, but he thinks it is because he uses muscles to push his walker and lift heavy things. 

Tuesday, I went to Publix  to buy four things. I came home with more and had spent $60.

*sausage patties bogo

*smoked ham center slice

cups

white grapes

*Italian salad greens

*grape tomatoes

*celery $0.99

coleslaw mix

*strawberries

*2 lbs butter

*3 Grands! Buttermilk biscuits

*3 Philadelphia Cream Cheese 

*jellybeans

*cranberry sauce 

Welch's Grape Juice

bananas

The sausage patties were on sale bogo and were cheaper than the roll. I am going to make and freeze sausage biscuits with Grands! for Tommy so he won't stop for one on the way out of town. I was shocked I spent $60, but have bought little the last two or three weeks. If grape juice and wine are good for the heart, I opt for the grape juice.

I have ammended the Easter menu...lol. We will have ham, slaw, green bean casserole, fruit salad, and sweet potatoes. If I add more, okay. It could all change! I bought the ham slice because it was on sale and we have not had ham in ages. Tommy won't eat deviled eggs, so I am going to take two boiled eggs and make deviled eggs for me. I will also color eggs. 

I was looking on my shelves and found a cannister of french fried onions. the best by date is Jan 21, so it is time and they still taste good. 

After having only about two hours sleep on Monday night, I did not take a nap on Tuesday. But, I went to bed at 10:30 and slept until 3:45. That is the best I have slept in ages. Of course, I took a leftover opiod from the tooth extraction. That is not the way to go, and I only have four left. sigh

Are you adding or subracting, generally reworking your menu for Easter? What will you eat on Easter? Is anyone else cooking for your meal?

Just Damage; Easter Plans

Wednesday, we did not leave the house. It was rainy all day, so no drive or picking up meds, just staying home. Plus, there was a tornado watch from about 3 pm until 2 or 3 am over the whole area. Then, individual warnings were issued with the attendant polygons. Or, something like that. I had no sleep the night before, so I took a good looong nap. Tommy said the tornado sirens went off a couple of times and he was afraid they would wake me. No fear, I was out for good. 

We did not wear our St. Patrick's Day pins for each other, so he put them back in the six pack I found for 50 cents. Dinner was not St. Pat Day food. I baked chicken with potatoes and carrots, all sprinkled with Italian seasoning. Plus, I cooked the cabbage on the stove. We thought it was delicious. 

St Patrick was born in Scotland to Roman parents, so Italian seasoning is not off at all. He was Italian, not Irish. 

As for myself, I was so happy to have chicken breasts again. It has been about two weeks, and I miss it. More chicken is thawing so I can cook more on at least Saturday. 

As it turns out, there few injuries or loss of life from the day of tornadoes, thankfully. I think there were 27 tornado warnings, but the powers be have not sorted it out as to how many were multiple sightings of individual tornadoes.  There was an incredible amount of home damage for an EF1 tornado. 

UPDATE: In five states, there was only one death and it was in Mississippi. 

My few Easter items are coming out.  I have already bought Tommy his chocolate Easter bunny wrapped in gold foil. He allows me to have an ear so neither of us will be eating so much. It really makes him happy. He says it reminds him of his childhood Easters.

Have you started putting out Easter stuff? Or, are you still in the planning stage? What are your customary Easter treats? I really don't do much decorating.  

Tuesday Tidbits

Okay, the pink plastic bag was thrown today. And, there are no coupon inserts. I hate that. But, the Publix ad was there even though there is nothing I want. There are plenty of things on sale.

The Aldi ad held nothing of interest to me. blueberries are more expensive there than at Publix.

Walmart has closed their garden center, so there is no way to buy bedding plants or garden things. Yet, they are selling hair color and other stuff that will not keep you healthy or alive.

I had plans for today, but it appears I will get nothing done. So, my expectations for me has fallen. I will plant carrot seeds for carrots that are only about 3" long--Ferry-Morse' Petite Sweet Little Finger. Hopefully, it will be good and grow more value than the $1.78 price for the seed pack. Eventually, I want to grow enough carrots for cooking and freezing for winter.

My concrete planter will be home to mounding petunia plants I have. I plan to put some in the backyard, too.  A six-pack cost $1, and I got a pack of white and one of pale pink. I like those two together.

Seeds for Roma Tomatoes will be started tonight in plastic cups and soil mix. So, that is three things in the ground this evening. It is almost 6 pm here and the sun is still very bright, not near setting.

Somewhere on the internet, I saw a picture of a person who had made a face shield from a hard plastic container from greens or cookies. Well, it is that hard plastic type. I think that is very clever and useful. She had it somehow attached to a strap around her head. That might work for some of you.

Tonight, I am making the green bean casserole. Since I mixed the peas and snaps with green beans, there is a large portion of that left. I am going to put it in the casserole instead of just leaving it in the refrigerator. Ham and fruit salad will be on the menu, also.

A chicken breast that needs to be used will form the basis of Family Circle Hot Chicken Salad, along with the rest of the potato chips. Fruit salad will round out the menu.

How are you re-imagining Easter food? What have you planted or germinated? What do you plan to plant or germinate?

Stock Up On Sales

Will children get to have Easter Egg Hunts? I worry some will not. So many parents depend on community events for their children.

I managed to get another good night of solid sleep. Well, I only got up to go to the bathroom five times and went right back to sleep each time. The trauma of this last week has been so stressful that I suppose I am catching up.

Today, right after I awoke and ate breakfast, I was walking very quickly back and forth to bedroom and back to kitchen. All of a sudden in the bedroom, I started seeing double. It was so scary that I called Tommy.  It lasted about 15 minutes.

I would go to ER, but the fear of contracting Covid19 keeps me here.

At Publix, there were good stock-up sales. You know how Easter brings out good bargains. There were other bargains that I did not take advantage. Since I am no longer buying salad, I was not tempted, and we have plenty of fruit and vegetables.

Dole Pineapple 5 @ 4 for $5
Cream of Soups 10 for  $10 I bought 8
    no cream of celery
Wheat Thins Hint of Salt  2 for $5

handful of very expensive white grapes!
small vanilla pudding
two jalapeno peppers

Really, the Dole and Campbell's soups were only things I got for stock-up, but there was other stuff at good prices, but not anything I ever buy. The Wheat Thins are low salt variety, Hint of Salt, still frivolity. Then, I got a package of low-fat, sugar-free vanilla pudding for whatever it costs. Tommy hates banana pudding, so that is out. He likes pineapple, so I will put that in pudding for him. He prefers not to have vanilla wafers. The jalapenos are for my homemade bug spray that is non-toxic;  I can make it in a blender.

At Publix, I saw many iterations of homemade masks. There was an elderly woman without a mask in a wheel chair being pushed by her equally elderly and frail-looking husband, also unmasked. I wanted to tell them to leave and I would shop for them. She was at the meat counter while her husband held things up or pointed and told her what it was. I suppose they came out to get Easter food. It was sad.

For Easter I will thaw the cooked ham, make green bean casserole, potato salad, vanilla pudding for him, and fruit salad (banana, apple, grapes, MW) for me.  I might cook field peas and make Cole slaw. It depends on how I feel.

The forecast for storms looms over us. At least, all my clothes are clean if we lose electricity. Hopefully, we will not get tornadoes or the large hail predicted. Tommy's car and my garden are vulnerable. My car is in the carport, so I could receive limited damage or none.

Added to post--Saturday evening while it was still light, we went to one of the small, sort of crummy stores where people with less money go to shop in Bessemer. In the trunk was a box with a dozen or more cans of food, a three pound bag of brown rice, and a box of Publix bakery Easter cookies and a single banana muffin that was packed in a single little container. There were cans of corn, peas,tomato sauce, butterbeans, and things I cannot remember. Oh, I did put back into the box two cans of green beans because I thought people might like my favorite vegetable.

I told Tommy to go over to the woman putting up her cart in the corral. I rolled down the window and told her I had food in the trunk I was not going to use and would she take it. She said she would, so Tommy pulled over to the trunk of her car. As she got the box, I said I hoped it was stuff she would eat. She said, "I sho will!" So, stuff out of the trunk that we did not have to carry. And, she looked like she might just use it or have enough people around to use it.

Are you in the path of destructive storms? What are you having for Easter? Will your children get to have an Easter Egg Hunt?