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? 

I Think I Broke Tommy

 Still Memorial Day

At 1 pm, I went for a nap. Around 2:45 I awoke to go to the bathroom. Or, did I? I could hear rattling around somewhere in the house. Okay, he will quit. No, he did not. So, it was about time I wanted to get up since 3 pm was how long I wanted to sleep.

As I stood in the kitchen door, I was stunned. He had on a pair of clear plastic gloves and was using the pot where I boiled eggs to wash all sorts of utensils. 

I finally broke him. (not broke him in)

I went to my chair. Then, he dried everything and put it away! Having put on gloves made me think he was getting dishpan hands. I had moved one of the boxes into here, out of my room, so he uses them. 

THEN, he went outside and watered the flowers for the second time today. 

Around 5 pm, I noticed that the five ears of corn had all the silk removed and were drying on a dishtowel on the stove. Since I only planned to boil one ear each, I was shocked all were still out of the refrigerator. He said he only wanted one ear. Finally, I asked him to put the other three back in the refrigerator. 

Dinner was excellent. I heated the meat in bbq sauce. I love bbq of any kind with slaw. Of course, the corn was sweet and fresh and deviled eggs were a treat for me. He hates eggs so never eats deviled eggs.

I did not exactly break him. The one thing he does not do is wipe the water off the floor when he washes dishes. I suppose since he washes dishes and all sorts of stuff I will drop a towel on the wet floor and mop it up with my foot. He has never done any of these things before, so maybe he will catch on to the water on the floor. 

Memorial Day 2022

 This is going to be a good day, a beautiful Memorial Day. The sun is shining and it will be be 90F, maybe warmer. Although I only slept 3.5 hours, I still feel great. I know that will pass and have penciled in a nap...lol. 

The pork butt is roasted and I will add bbq sauce to it and call it delicious. In a few moments, I will make slaw. Tommy can take the silk off the corn. You can see the day will be easy for us. I forgot, one egg made into two deviled eggs for me. 

Seriously, if the food is ready, isn't it a good day already?

Sunday, I made Cherry Crush. a delicious recipe from Cheryl's Frugal Corner. It is a Jello and fruit concoction. After making it and eating some, I realize that cottage cheese might work rather than the cream cheese. I used pineapple tidbits because I did not have crushed pineapple like I thought I did. I think the difference made it softer than I thought the Cherry Crush would be. But, it was definitely worth making. 

Cherry Crush ingredients:

6 oz package of cherry jello

3/4 cup boiling water

8 oz. cream cheese

can of cherry pie filling

can of crushed pineapple

Check her blog for directions. But, you can probably guess those. 

Since Tommy did not water yesterday, he watered at 7:30 this morning. The little bird nest was on the porch, so the two dead baby birds were the only two. That's sad since I enjoyed the birds. Very slowly we are moving all the plants to the corner of the ramp where the ramp turns. Nothing is on the ground but on the ramp so the mowing can be easier. This is the same place where three shepherd's hooks are located with the bird feeders. 

This is quite pretty, but the petunias are hanging where I can see them from my chair and so are three of the four hummingbird feeders. I had some flowers on the porch, but now I put them all together so Tommy won't have to drag the hose so far. He appreciates it. Imagine pulling a heavy hose and using a walker in grass! 

Friday night, as I said before, I sort of twisted my knee in the kitchen trying not to fall. Well, I could barely put weight on my knee all day Saturday and Sunday. Monday morning I woke and could bend my knee for the first time since Friday. I stood at the sink and he handed me everything I needed to stir or whatever. 

Memorial Day travel is not in our plans, not even out of the driveway. People were driving crazy on Saturday and Sunday, on the interstate and in town. We took a drive on Sunday, so that will do for us. People are very impatient! 

We do remember all who died so we can sit here and feel free from fear. We have been talking about relatives who fought in wars and came back home and some who did not. 

A nap is dragging me to bed. When I get up, I will cut Tommy's hair and we will eat. 

How is your Memorial Day? 

Memorial Day

The ribs went into the oven about 6 pm. We had ribs, slaw, corn on the cob. I had two deviled eggs and Tommy had baked beans. The day was quiet around here. 

Earlier, I put color on my hair, and reveled in clean hair! I had been putting off the hair color for two days, so my hair was nasty. 

Last week, two of my high school 1964 classmates died. The girl I cannot remember. The guy was nice and funny and everyone liked him. 

The third person died Saturday night and was a professor and eventually a friend. I went to parties at her house for over 20 years--Thanksgiving Dinner, Christmas party, Christmas Open House, Easter, Fourth of July block party every year. Halloween a couple of times, various educational meetings about sociology, her field. A bunch of us had yard sales at her house in Southside catty corner from Lorino's. I was included in groups that were mostly professors. I have many fond memories of her--intelligent, brave, funny. She died with dementia. 

I saw the dementia in about 1995. Folks, it starts well before it is identified. Her husband died about five years ago of vascular dementia.

I do so much appreciate the men who died while ensuring I could be free today. 

Commotion Friday

 Friday morning, I lay down for one hour, just to rest my back. Then, Friday afternoon, I was tired after only getting four hours sleep Thursday night. I lay down a little after 5 pm and told him to wake me at 7 pm. I fully expected to sleep. 

Well, less than an hour later, I heard a big noise. I ran out and he said he dropped what he was holding--a paper plate with the leavings of three oranges he had eaten. So, I still have not asked him what made the big noise.  I just went back to bed! 

About 30 minutes later, I heard lots of noises, seemingly coming from the kitchen. I went in there and he had knocked a coke off the refrigerator shelf and it rolled about and something else. He had all the little crates (3) of cheese and such on the counter and was sorting them. Well, I got the coke from the floor and whatever else fell. 

He had emptied and sorted the whole refrigerator! It looked really good! But, I never got a nap or any more rest. So, that leaves me now, at 9 pm, reeling from exhaustion. At least dinner was easy. 

I took two deli rolls and halved them. I had thawed leftover pizza sauce still in the jar, almost. I thawed meatballs in the microwave. I put pizza sauce on the rolls rather heavily, sliced the meatballs in three pieces each, put those on the pizza sauce and topped it with mozarella cheese, sliced, not grated. Then, it went under the broiler. A salad of Italian blend greens and tomatoes and Italian dressing topped off the meal. I only ate one half of my roll and ate the toppings off the other half.  Ah, easy dinner. There is enough pizza sauce for another meal. 

He was really helpful but I needed sleep! Of course, I am not irritated, just exhausted. I don't think he did it on purpose. 

About a month ago, I spotted  a new rake in a tree on city property. I doubt anyone was coming back for it. And, it certainly was not city property. So, I struggled and extracted it from the tree. I doubt I was stealing or I would have left it. 

The children across the street liked the Easter eggs in the tree in front of Tommy's house, as I have said. Now, I am planning what to hang in the tree for May. Maybe I will hang blue stars and red and white ribbons. If we put it up the middle of May for Memorial Day, it can last until the 4th of July. 

Saturday, we went for my two things on the list--look for the Food Truck Corner activity and see if the church is having a yard sale. Nothing was happening on the corner and the church was having a yard sale. I could barely walk, so stayed about three minutes. I found another large purse for my Pink Purse Project and only paid $1. 

I managed to wash a few more dishes and Tommy dried. The lamp I bought to illuminate the dining room a bit was finally plugged in. It took both of us. And, I finally found one of the hundreds of bulbs, 60 watt, that I bought before the production was banned. I am not sure why the old bulbs were on sale, but I purchased them cheaply,  Westinghouse, 130V. 

Now, I am going to take a nap before dinner.  Since I had no nap due to Tommy's commotion, I slept little again on Friday night.

Plans on Memorial Day

On Saturday, I took a nap. Then, when I got up, it was late, but I was sleepy very early. Saturday night I slept ten hours, woke about 9 am and at 11 am, I took a nap until 5 pm. This happens when I have a uti, which I think I do.

Since I slept so long on Sunday, I saw none of the war movies. Some we saw were not actual wars, like Casablanca. It took place during a war, but there are no charges and people fighting each other. Well, not much.

When we were at the park Saturday in my town, I told Tommy we needed to find a place here in his town or surrounding towns to sit and eat lunch in a peaceful place. He immediately said we could go to the Bessemer depot. No, no trees, he said. It is not that he has no taste. His father was an engineer so he grew up immersed in trains. He said he often went to the train depot or somewhere in Irondale to sit for hours and watch trains. This is the place where the Irondale Café became the Fried Green Tomatoes café. I am quite sure this is soothing to him, as soothing as trees are to me.

Since it is going to be hot today and rainy this afternoon, I want to go early and maybe eat breakfast at the Bessemer Depot and sit to see trains. This afternoon, it is going to rain. I need to plant the tomatoes brought to me. They are double their height as when I acquired them.

Today, I am going to cook a huge pack of chicken thighs along with lots of carrots, fewer potatoes,  an onion and garlic. I will use one of the spice cake mixes with lots of apple chunks in it. So, meals today in two pans works for me. But, there is so much peeling and chopping that I dread it. There will be enough meat for about ten servings and vegetables for maybe five servings.

On Sunday night, we watched McClintock with John Wayne and two of his children. We have both seen it multiple times. The movie ended at 3 am, and I awoke hot at 6:15 am, so I will suffer today. It is now almost 8 am and I am sitting in the dark in the living room, typing.

Today, I have declutter plans. Tommy brought his tool box that belonged to his father into the house from the utility room last week to give me the drill. Now, it sits here since he cannot bend to pick it up. It is very heavy, but if I can just get it up so far, he can take it from me and put it on his walker to return it to the shelf in the utility room.

Plus, there are things just shoved into his dining room since I cannot see in there day or night. I will have to use a flashlight to see the food I have there. He refuses to get an electrician for the switch or ceiling fixture, whichever it is. One day, I am going to remove the switch plate and see if the wire is off the connection in there. I can fix that without even turning off the main breaker.

I am now getting sleepy again, but it is so hot in the bedroom. The chill of this room will not last long enough for me to sleep much.

I will let you know how these plans panned out.

When I was a child, we went to the airport to watch airplanes land and take off, mostly land. Today, I will watch trains. Have you ever gone to watch trains or airplanes or boats or anything like this? Is there a nostalgia connected with it?

Weekend Fun

This weekend, we are watching the Turner Classics or something like that--all war movies. 72 hours of war. Most I have seen but long ago. It is something different.

Today, we had an excursion but we got there and the place did not open for two hours more. I was tired from the first place, so I wanted to come home. I had only slept 1.5 hours last night. Because of a phone call, I could only sleep 2 hours when I lay down for a nap, so I still have a sleep deficit holding me back.

We did get a chocolate soft serve cone today from DQ. On Tuesday, Tommy ordered the medium cone and I did not tell him what I wanted. So, when we got it, I told him I did not need such a large cone, so today he order small. If they have a mini, we will get that next time. Soon cones will be $1 at DQ. Okay, I just looked and there is no mini. Too bad. Well, we will get the $1 cone, whatever it is.

The rotisserie chicken was used for sandwiches today, and it will be dinner tonight with vegetables and fruit later. Maybe I will have a navel orange even though I am allergic.

We are wild and crazy.