No Pepper Place

 Tommy and I both got up to go to the bathroom at the same time--6:45. He asked if I wanted to cancel Pepper Place. So, I finally went to sleep and slept until 1:30. I have been lethargic, sleepy since then. 

We got an Arby sandwich and sat in the park while we ate. After that, we drove around two neighborhoods to see decorations. I know, boring. The weather was perfect, 74F, not much breeze, brilliant sunshine. 

Best part of the day was when I had three scrambled eggs for dinner, two sausage patties, and milk. Salad was later. Blueberries, green grapes, yogurt were later.

It was a low-key day. I told Tommy not to allow me to sleep in my chair, to wake me. He harassed me to keep me from sleeping. If I napped so late, I knew I would not sleep tonight. 

Oops, I forgot that I decluttered just a bit. A bit each day will soon be a big decluttering.

My laptop now tries to carry on a conversation with me. I told CoPilot to go away, finally to shut up. That experience unnerved me. Does AI try to verbally interact with you?

I Just Could Not Help It

 Tommy knew I was joking. But, I hoped the doctor would appreciate my humor. I was in the dermatologist's exam room. I have complained about my left elbow that does not look too bad. However, it feels raw when I put it down on anything, especially the console in Tommy's car. The doctor has prescribed two things. Nothing has worked. I even keep a cloth to put on the console. That helps immensely. The point of my elbow looks a little scruffy, but not hardened or red or dark. However, it feels raw, like it might be bloody. 

This was the third time I had complained. And, no, this was an aside from my main reason for the appointment. He was looking on his laptop for a product he wished me to try for my elbow and another issue on my hand. As he was looking, he was talking and writing it down. He offhandedly mentioned it contained 'urea.'  My mind was turning as he was talking. I said with trepidation, worried he would think I was serious, "Can I just pee on my hand?" 

He replied with the fact that when he first heard of urea in med school, he was concerned about it. "It's not the same thing. But, I didn't know that." Well, I quickly told him I was joking. Tommy said he, too, knew I was not serious. It was just too good a line for me to pass up!

I joke like this with a straight face. People think I am funny or just dumb. I just had to share this with you. Have I embarrassed myself? 

Today, we had just enough gentle rain that Tommy only watered the plants on the porch. We had a chore and came home. I let him go in first so he could unlock the door. I got out of the car when he was inside. He went out to water a bit later, after I decided to take a nap. When I awoke, he told me I left the car running for 2.5 hours! Thankfully, I did not run all the gas out of the car.

The rain was just very local and light, no thunder or winds, so very nice for gardens. I think the blackberries are done for the year. Nothing seems to be happening on the blackberry plants. That will make maybe eight strawberries for the total harvest. I hope they do better next year. Five of the six canes look alive still. Maybe I will have seven blackberry plants next year. 

Dinner: Tommy had ham, corn, collards. I had a bit of Caprese Penne Pasta, couple of bites of roast beef, 1/4 cup mashed potatoes, 2 Tbsp gravy, and green beans and half a banana. There is enough of the roast beef and rest of that meal for Tommy. He won't eat the Caprese anything. It had pesto instead of whole basil leaves, so yummy. The grape tomatoes were delicious heated with the rest of the dish. I will have strawberries later.

I quit buying Red Delicious Apples at Publix. I bought a bag of Fuji, ate them without pleasure. I ate them for nutrients and fiber. Now, I have one large Granny Smith apple. It is tangy and tart! 

The list we made for Thursday, did not finish, added to for Friday, will now have additions for Saturday. It is all done eventually. 

Last night, when I could not sleep, I did a bit of decluttering and a bit of putting things in their place. I am the only one who can tell...lol. 

Tommy's favorite coffee mug says "I stole this cup from the desk of Matt Gentry."  There is a badge on the opposite side. Matt is the County Sheriff. He won this cup at a Christmas Party Dinner for seniors. I think it is cute he likes it. It helps me to convince him he does not need so many coffee cups. It's a decluttering tool. 

Do you ever say something so ridiculous in jest like peeing on your hand in lieu of urea? To your doctor? 

Monk Fruit and More Decluttering

 

Two weeks ago when I did not feel like going into Publix, Tommy went in. I gave him a mission--buy monk fruit. He found it and read the labels to me. I chose Truvia. It does have erythritol. I tried it tonight in oats and like it. It does not have the aftertaste of other erythritol products. I only put one Tbsp in the oats and did not get a sugary dish like I like. I just ate it. 

The one thing I did notice was that when I took a sip of milk, there was an extreme sweet taste in my mouth. It was not at all unpleasant. The extreme sweet taste was in contrast to the taste of the sweetener in the oats. The extreme sweetness only lasted for a second as I drank milk. The aftertaste was short-lived and not at all like Stevia aftertaste.

I am happy with this product. However, if you have found one you like, I am open to suggestions, especially if it is pure monk fruit, if that even exists. I have not searched for that.

When I buy strawberries next, I will sprinkle a little on them cut up. Monk fruit sweeteners are very expensive! 

                                                             monk fruit

Decluttering the counter

I found three other items to take off the counter. I save glass and plastic containers and the peanut containers--tall, clear, and hard plastic containers from Planter's Peanuts. However, I do not hoard them, just a few of each kind. Three are off the counter. Now, I will decide their fate before they are saved unnecessarily. 

If there were light under the cabinets and if I could stand very long without pain, this would be a thirty-minute task.

One Planter's container sits with recycling to hold batteries we will recycle. 

Do you save plastic or glass to reuse later or recycle? 

Do you use monkfruit? 

What brand?

Do you like it or another sweetener? 

I Did It Again!

I slept for another 7.5 hours on Friday night. I am amazed. Two nights in a row.  I don't think this has happened for years. And, I think I only went to the bathroom once. That has to be a record.

Saturday was a low-key day, little work, blue skies, dry, warm and pleasant.  

I started a new book, another long one, but not as long as the last. The print is larger, so reading won't be such a strain. So, in actuality, it is not so long. I forgot to get it out of the box until I was on the way to bed. That was annoying.  

Friday evening, Tommy cleaned off three boxes of mushrooms for me. I decided to slice them and make mushroom sauce or mushroom soup. I really have enough for both. Around 11 pm, I got them into a huge pot, put in about three Tablespoons of olive oil, and put on simmer so I would not have to stand over them. Tommy checked them once for me and reported there was less than half an inch of liquid. He thought this was too low, but since it only had a bit of olive oil, it was a lot. I ended up with about six cups of sliced mushrooms and lots of liquid. At least, he knows to sound the alarm for me.

Tommy realizes I could not accomplish so much cooking if he were not so supportive, helping me with washing dishes and finding things in the refrigerator. I am grateful and thank him many times a day. 

Saturday afternoon, I wanted to just get out of the house for a bit and go to Piggly Wiggly to get the water for $0.98/24-pack with $10 purchase. I had the $10 worked out and, in the end, got nothing at the store. The deal starts next Wednesday. Tommy forgot to give me his cc. Then, I decided two bananas would do until the next grocery ad with the water deal. THEN, all three lines open had at least three buggies with groceries to the top. If I had stayed longer, the Auburn game would be on. So, frustrated, I left the store. ugh

Auburn lost. Tommy did not even finish watching the game. I had gone to nap halfway through the game. 

Every time I go into the kitchen, I pick up something from another box and put it where it should go or toss it. This is all stuff he had stored in the kitchen cabinets. 

I have four 12-ounce boxes of vegetable pasta that I am putting into Ball quart jars so it will stay fresher. Once I shake it down in the jar, the whole box just fits. We don't eat enough pasta to eat this soon enough to just leave it in the boxes. Plus, the pasta is less vulnerable to air, pests, and moisture. Then, I have only need to protect the jars from light. 

Today, we finished the container of orange chicken, meatloaf, and carrot/potatoes, and sweet potatoes. Good. There was too much in the refrigerator. 

Today was a good, quiet, relaxing day, no-drama, nothing exciting, maybe boring to you. A little decluttering happened. I feel much better. 

How did your day go? 

Wednesday Continued Through Thursday

 When the guys emptied all the cabinets in order to have them clean inside the cabinets, there were boxes of stuff just stacked in the floor filled with items. Well, Tommy was upset that I was going to throw out his stuff. I was not. So, Wednesday night, I tired of having the top of the box that sticks out scrape my leg when I tried to walk in the kitchen. He was adamant that it was all junk and needed to go in the trash. Eventually, he was raising his voice. I could see one of my Tupperware lids and did not know what else below was mine. He did not want to put FREE on the box and place it on the side of the road. He insisted either trash or thrift store. I was having neither. He did not even want me to go through it, saving him the effort. I insisted I had to look at the contents. 

So, he begrudgingly brought the box in for me to empty and go through. There was another one of my T lids. AND, all his good glasses, here from forty-years ago as housewarming gifts. He calmed down a bit when he saw those. They are now in the dishwasher. I did toss a lid lid from a pitcher he wanted tossed this summer. And, there were stored deli containers and tops, none of which matched--trash. I found two of the Kraft Parmesan shakers I washed and a sandwich box that I kept. 

We tossed the carafe from a long-gone coffeemaker. He has the carafe from the last old coffeemaker in the cabinet to use to put water in the new coffeemaker. So, that third one was definitely redundant. He wanted to toss it, so I did. I kept two decent pieces of plastic for gardening. Three of my Ball jars, lids, and rings were in the box, so they were rescued. I imagine this is the last box he will want to toss without looking in it first. So, one box decluttered. That ordeal with the arguing and taking things from the box exhausted me. He had insisted all the boxes were junk. Now, we know. Don't we? 

Drinking tea the last two days has kept me from drinking diet Coke. I just love unsweetened iced tea. Tommy actually got a bottle of water to drink instead of coffee or a diet Pepsi. 

In the Publix ads this week, Miracle Whip is on sale for something like $5.49! I am shocked. By buying at this price, I can save $2.50. Really? How lucky for me. $7.99 will never leave my cc for MW. So, now the hunt will be on for sales on Miracle Whip. I remember when I would cringe when the full price was $4.99. On sale, MW would be $2.50. sigh

I looked through the Publix ad this week and found nothing to circle. I gave it to Tommy. Later, I looked at the ad to see what he circled, and nothing was circled. He said he found nothing. So, back to bummer ads so far this week. I will check the others later.

At The Pig I got a six-pack of Cokes free with $10 groceries--vinegar, zucchini, and something else. When I look over the ads at home and think what I need and is not exorbitantly priced, we will get the 24-pack of water for $.98 by buying another $10 worth of groceries. 

Tommy was driving in front of Publix. People were pulling out of parking places while others were waiting and creeping along, as were we. All of a sudden a woman sort of bounced off the front of our car, putting her hand on Tommy's hood as if to shield herself. I thought he had hit her. No. She was just bouncing off with her hand, not hit, though. She had walked toward us, and then she immediately stepped in front of the car. Tommy slammed on his brake. If she had not been involved with her phone, she would have seen us. The event frightened me even after I realized she was not hit. When she could walk in front of us and was not hit, she immediately went back to her phone. Some days I wonder about people! 

There is a Knorr's Spanish Rice Mix that I believe I got free from The Pig sitting here. I will put a package of thighs in the crockpot to cook on Friday. In about an hour I will put the mix and one of the bell peppers into the crockpot. Tommy loves bell pepper in Spanish rice, so this is for him on other nights.

Maybe we will go through another box! I love decluttering, especially now that I know Tommy is agreeable to going through this junk that was in his cabinets. 

Do you ever have to urge someone you know to declutter or at least watch while you declutter. Take note, I am not trying to get him to get rid of anything. He would have lost his good glasses if I had given in to his wish to be rid of it all and drop the box into the garbage can outdoors.  

Tonight, I am putting carrots, potatoes, another bell pepper, and an onion in the oven. The chicken I cooked last night will be served tonight, too. It was delicious, but I had no onions. I put garlic powder and celery seeds and olive oil in the bag to cook. 

Thursday night, I am somewhat better but tire easily when I think I can work a bit.

Have you had a close call that scared you when you or driver almost hit someone talking on a phone? What have you decluttered lately?

Beautiful Day and Problems Solved

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Twitching in the Kitchen

 But, first.....

Saturday night, I decided to finish loading the dishwasher. I had loaded all the dirty dishes before the guys came, but it was only half full. I wanted to wash a load Saturday night so we could start another load Sunday morning. I don't know why I told Tommy to come help. I had loaded a very nasty cup into the dishwasher and he saw me do it. It had a measuring spoon in it. I could tell it was coffee and figured he used the spoon to measure coffee. The underside and outside of the cup was nastier than the inside. 

Well, he threw a fit, snatched it out and said he did not want it washed, that no one had drunk out of it and no one would. I told him the bottom was filthy. He said it did not matter--"It don't matter." I tried to explain that we had the shelves clean and should only put clean things on them. The bottom of the cup, the part that touches the shelf was absolutely filthy with great gobs of dirt of some sort on it. He was talking about the inside of the cup!

He grabbed the cup and told me to smash it into his face and come on and do it. Do it. Well, I told him I was not going to do any such thing. He just turned around and rolled off. ??? I finished emptying one box and took the box to him to throw outside after I started the dishwasher. I asked him why he had the tsp measure in the cup. He said he used it to measure coffee, that it took six teaspoons of coffee for the coffeemaker. That is bizarre. No wonder there is so much coffee all over the counter around the coffeemaker. I bought a coffee measure for my own use, so I will put that in his cup to measure. 

He said this was his stuff and if we were not going to be using it, we did not need to wash it. The plates felt like they had sat in the carport and gathered grime. He screams the most bizarre things at me and then sits down like he has done or said nothing mean or crazy. Then, he talks first and is so mild mannered that I am baffled. He bullies. I don't give in to his bullying. Then, he just ignores what he has said and done.

Okay, my twitching.

I have this great urge to close the cabinet doors when I see one open! They are all open to let the cabinets dry. I just end up walking along twitching when I remember not to close them when I am reaching for the doors. I laugh at myself. Most of the time, I never actually reach, just twitch as I think of closing a door and barely move and then don't. Tommy said the title of this post sounds weird.

Sunday night, I cooked the two bacon, onion and cheese burgers. I had one squash that I needed to cook. I ended up losing part of it by waiting one night! I sliced rounds about 3/4 inch and laying them down in the skillet with the burgers. The result was delicious. We drained the burgers and squash on paper towels and mashed them with the towel to removed some of the grease. Tommy put his in sourdough bread for a burger. I ate mine plain. He had Romaine salad and I had butter lettuce salad. We both had about a dozen grapes, but Tommy had more.  We forgot the tomato, but I ate it alone.

We cannot put the shelf paper on any but the bottom shelves, so hopefully, the guys can come back to do those. Monday, I will call them. Neither of us can get on a ladder. On Sunday, we got the dishes from the dishwasher. It has taken all day, with time off for other things, to get another load ready, stuff from the cabinets and our own dishes. 

Things are still pretty crowded and hectic, but getting more organized. It is like most decluttering, I suppose. But, the last time I took everything out of my kitchen cabinets was in 1977 when I moved to my house. Then, all was clean to put things up--shelves and dishes.

It is Sunday night. I asked Tommy to wipe of the counters from the stove to sink. I pointed out the roach poop and told him to clean out the bowls there and anything, including the crockpot. These are things I did not cover when the guys cleaned, all my fault. So, he has been in there for almost an hour. I thought it would take 15 minutes at the most. He is using Lysol Wipe on everything! 

What do you think of his bizarre behavior? His nastiness, lack of cleanliness? (You can see why this house is so nasty!) Do you ever take absolutely everything off all the kitchen shelves other than to move? How arduous is that task?