Maybe Sold Car

 Dinner was the last of the chuck roast and black-eyed peas with a dab of catsup for me. Tommy had peas and other things, forgot what. 

My car is for sale still. I had talked to mower when he called and asked if he could bring someone by. He could not get past my phone turned off so just came by. I was napping in my chair or watching tv, not sure. So, I had to get dressed, go to bathroom and stagger to the door. When he saw me as he was at the door, he told me to get a coat that it was cold. There was a frigid wind. He had brought a couple. She was the only one to drive it and would be the driver. It appeared she was paying for it, too. 

She did mention she hoped that I could take $5500ish  instead of $6000 I am asking. I may give mower $200 for help in selling it. I did not have to advertise and have people come here that I did not know anything about. 

The med has caused me to get better. But, this is the med that makes me feel awful. At least I know I am getting better. 

Things out of the house: Okay, part way out of house. Two coats to donate, hat and gloves. Someone is coming by to pick these up. They have been here for a year. Plus, someone is picking up the plastic needle covers we both have left from using insulin. The old microwave is on the porch, ready to put on yard near road with FREE sign. I like to see things leaving or the promise of their leaving.

Halloween Decorations

 Saturday night, we started decorating for Halloween. I found the ghosts to hang from the dogwood tree. They were wadded and wrinkled, so they needed to be smoothed and rolled to help them hang better. This was part of the lot in a duffle bag for which I paid $3 three years ago. 

Stacked pumpkins are hung on the front door. A light-up jack-o-lantern on Tommy's bookcase. Jack-o-lantern with scene painted on it on my table. Huge fake pumpkin on table and pelee mums on step up part of the table. Fake leaves around the mum. Light in stemless wine glass with pumpkins painted on it. Pumpkin breadboard on stack of books by tv. Happy Halloween metal box on books on other side of tv. Spooky salt and pepper shakers in front of tv. One is a caldron. Electric candles are in front of a fake plant and sitting on fake leaves. 

Outdoors, Tommy will hang ghosts, another two decorative items, ghost and pumpkin. Plus, a bright green plastic pumpkin with handle will go on the table outdoors with a rock in it so it won't blow off. 

Only one item did I pay full price. Much of it came from the $3 duffle bag. Someday, maybe I will be able to get some 6' skeletons. A house in Cullman had two sitting at a table on the porch. They had a bottle of wine, glasses and a top hat on one and a boa on the other. I loved it. 

I need to get out my skeleton-hand earrings and my spider ring. Both were bought after Halloween on deep discount at Belk's one year. 

Most of this was in one box in the first bedroom. I was muttering about needing to find it as I was cleaning off my table next to me. Tommy was making noise somewhere. He came in with the box I needed and told me I should write "Halloween" on it. Yes, I should. But, the plan is to buy an orange Rubbermaid box.

Sunday

I found an orange plastic Rubbermaid-type box, so we can load this up in a box which I can find next year. We now have enough Fuji apples for an apple crisp, two Granny Smith to do whatever, maybe cook in a skillet, and three Red Delicious apples for me to eat. Then, Tommy told me I still have three Red Delicious for me to eat in the refrigerator. That is less tragic than running out. Then, I needed one bottle of craft paint--orange. Luckily. I found one Apple Barrel pumpkin orange. I usually wait too late to get a day planner, so I got one early. Got--red fairy lights for crystal Kiss. cows for Christmas village, cleaner/scrubber for cold grill, deodorant with no top...grrr. 

Late this evening Tommy put blackbird out and brought in bluebird and hung a nylon pumpkin with streamers. Tomorrow, we move on to items in the grab bag. It sounds like a lot, but it is really not. Most was dirt cheap or free. I will hang the cardinal closer to Christmas, well when I take down the blackbird.

We also were completely out of milk, mine and Tommy's. I would never drink milk if his was the only milk here, but he can and does drink a bit of mine. 

Dinner will be roasted chicken tenders for me with whatever vegetables are left. Tommy had chicken breast, Brussels sprouts, carrot, potato and something else. So, this will be all, and I will have to cook tomorrow. You got to do it somedays, I suppose. 

Of course, I did not sleep well with my stomach hurting, so slept from about nine until two in afternoon. Tommy was walking out of the room, and I could not help myself. I started looking at his bare stomach very concerned, reached out my hand, and said to come here in a worried voice. He struggled to get close enough to me, wondering what was wrong. I put out my hand and then took all five fingernails and sort of tickled/scritched/scratched his stomach. He was horrified and pulled back as I was dissolving in laughter. He said I was going to make him pee in his pants. I just could not help it. He will never trust me again. He is never playful, never was. 

Another day  with no drama. An excellent day.

Now, I am exhausted.  

How was your day?

Nothing New--Just Flies and Greek Festival

 This day was boring, boring, boring, and okay with me. I needed to go to Lowe's and Tractor Supply. Because I felt awful, I decided not to go. 

Since Spring I have only seen one fly in this house. Now, when one dies or whatever happens to it, another fly comes in. I sit with the electric flyswatter, and the fly stays out of the room. When I put it down, the fly comes and buzzes me, food if I have it, and various pieces of paper or whatever. These flies are crafty and perverse! 

I had a cannister of granular fly bait that worked in the big, old house. I would just put some in a lid on a windowsill and it collected flies, not many, but all that came in, I suppose. I need more from Tractor Supply. Maybe tomorrow. I never see flies on the door or outside. They are never in the outdoor garbage can, so I have no idea how this is happening. 

Saturday, we are going to the Greek Festival. I am so excited. Tommy and I both are looking forward to the food. Lamb is the only thing I can think of that I don't like in Greek offerings. 

Dinner was still delicious since this is the third night. There are enough vegetables for one more meal tomorrow. The best part was that I did not have to cook! 

I have been searching Amazon and elsewhere for a chair desk to hold the new Ken Follet book since it is massive and heavy. I found one that has a slanted portion that will hold the book at a better angle to read. Maybe that one. It sits on the arm of a chair and can be used for a bed tray, for whatever one needs a surface while in a chair or in bed. 

Do you ever have a fly or flies in your home? If you cannot swat it, how do you get rid of it?

EDIT: I only have one fly at a time and have only had three at separate times this last two months, not a fly invasion.

Do you ever use a chair desk or another means of elevating your work? 

Who likes Greek Food?

Not Much Wednesday

 The kitchen towels came in late last night. When I got up the bag was closed so did not smell anything. Then, when we came in from shopping, the sweet scent hit me. Tommy now knows he will deal with this load of wash. I suggested he lay them out over things in kitchen, dining room, and bedroom to help the scent dissipate. Maybe it won't affect me. 

Up close, I can see a dozen buds on the lemon tree. I am ecstatic. One flower is already fading. Tomorrow, a lime tree comes home from Lowe's if they still have them. 

We collected the ads from three stores today. Well, I forgot to get the Publix ad when I went in to shop. But, I did find what I do believe are this seasons Red Delicious apples. The three I picked up were the three I bought. Tommy came out the first time he bought apples for me, saying he had to examine 21 apples before he found one to suit me. 

It was annoying when I bought Bayer enteric, low-dose aspirin. I bought a bottle of three hundred. That bottle size is larger than the bottle for 200. However, I dumped all the bottle of 300 into the bottle that had held 200 and had room left over. I dumped the bottle of 90 softgel, Vitamin D tablets into a prescription bottle. It really annoys me to buy a huge bottle with few pills. Why don't they make the bottle smaller???

We had coupons for the aspirin and Vit D, but left them at home, so that will be a chore for tomorrow along with buying whatever we want to get from the ad. 

I have a very small train case that I keep present meds in. So, I want the smallest bottle to make them fit. I have a larger train case in which I keep the duplicate bottle or next doses.

Dinner: two tiny chicken tenders, slice of potato, baby carrots, slaw. All this was prepared last night and the night before. Tommy had part of a chicken breast, kale, potato, carrots. I had a bit of ice cream with blueberries in syrup. Tommy had more ice cream with strawberries over it. 

The weather has been great--not to hot in the day and not too cool at night. However, all that will change this weekend. I need to start thinking about when to bring the lemon tree indoors. Soon, it will be time to put all the plants in the utility room. 

I awoke at 2 pm today and got a moderate amount of sleep. I read that tart cherry juice from Montmercy cherries promoted sleep. Then I read another that touted pineapple. At Publix, I searched all the tart cherry juice bottles, reading the ingredients. Some were pricier than others. The cheap juice had apple juice. Just NO. I bought a 16-ounce bottle for $11,00+. It is just concentrate that has nothing else and is to be added to water or juice or milk. I will see what this does for me. Since I am allergic to pineapple, I don't want to consume it regularly. Both purportedly have massive amounts of melatonin. We will see. 

Other than milk or turkey dinner, is there anything you eat that promotes sleep? 

Sentient Towels

 

The kitchen towels came in stinky again after a regular was and were made to stay in a spare bedroom. Today, I had Tommy take them and wash them again with a Finish Laundry tab. As he left to go out, he said, "If the towels were sentient, they would say, "What did we do wrong." He can be funny!

The kitchen towels were washed four times, once with the ALL and Unstoppables, once with vinegar, once with regular wash, OxyClean and All. This last time was with the dishwasher tab, Finish. 

Edit: Towels from dryer after ALL and OxyClean still smell of the Unstoppables, but very faint. Not the best outcome, but better than earlier washings.

Monday, I found a penny. This was the first time I had been out of the car and into the store in a month. YAY! Sandals on the ground is the secret. 

I bought a Pelee mum. I have promised myself that I will NOT buy another mum this year. I kept the one I bought last year outside. I want to keep this one inside, but it needs light, so maybe I will leave it out for a bit each day. 

This last week, we bought apples, bananas, and milk for Tommy. We get the ads on Tuesday, but not this last week. That's okay because there was not much, and those two things will be purchased with a raincheck. Food Giant had bscb for $1.99/lb but Tommy went to Publix because he thought I wanted the ones that were $3.99/lb. Since the Publix bscb are trimmed better, I decided to go with that as it was getting dark, sooner than usual. 

We will need to get started sooner from now on. We were spoiled being out until 8 pm., enjoying the later sunset. I will sorely miss the light. 

When I got in the car, waiting for Tommy to lock the door and come out, I happened to look at the Meyer lemon tree on the porch. There was something white at the end of a limb. I was so excited, thinking it was a flower. Tommy confirmed that it was a flower and there were several other buds. I think I might get a lime tree now. 

I wonder if the fertilizer was the reason for this blossom and the buds. Or, was it just time? 

Today, when Tommy was doing laundry, the door was open. I saw the UPS man walk to the other side of the garbage can and toss a package. The package was shredded, not from him, but from all the abuse it had experienced. Thankfully, Godinger understands abuse of cut crystal and packed it appropriately. And, Macy's had packed that box into a Macy's box that had huge bubble wrap and lots of it around the Godinger box. 

Last night, I could not sleep. I got up about 10:30 am and watched TV with Tommy. At noon, I was ready to go to bed again. We did get the bscb for $3.99/lb from Publix. Otherwise, nothing happened. 

Tonight, I had ground beef from freezer already cooked with a thin slice of cheese on it. Cheeseburger? I stuffed myself on vegetables--leftover slaw, and green beans opened tonight and soaked. Before I ate, I cooked vegetables in the oven--four potatoes sliced in 1/2 inch slices, two pounds of baby carrots, two lbs of sliced Brussels sprouts. I put Italian Seasoning, garlic powder and onion powder on all before cooking. 

Tommy said we have enough leftover vegetables to last for more than three days. I like it that way. He is eating the strawberries and I am eating the blueberries. 

Tommy had leftovers--baked chicken, kale, brussels sprouts. 

Just now, he went out to bring in the dried towels, but had forgotten to remove them from the washer. So, maybe I won't have a verdict on the stink until tomorrow. 

Have you found money this week?

Do you have any sentient laundry? Does your laundry wonder what you are doing?

Why My Older Daughter Does NOT Like Birds on Dishes.

 Actually, birds as an element on anything causes a negative reaction for my older daughter. She and her friend were playing at our house in the summer. She and the little girl were ten, old enough to walk downtown and walk around. They went into a gift shop and the other girl broke something and fled the store while my daughter did not run away. The store owner accosted my daughter, accused her, and would not listen to her when she said she did not break the bluebird. The woman took her name and told her she had to pay for it. I had my daughter take the cost back in dribs and drabs to pay for the knick knack. Then, she just hated to have anything 'bird' around. 

So, that is the story on that. To this day, I never buy anything else with a bird image. I did carefully glue the bird and used it. Maybe if I had paid for the item and not made her go back into the store repeatedly, she would not have been so traumatized. Maybe if I had paid it for myself, she would not have been so sad and afraid. Maybe if I had not displayed it, she could have forgotten. 

I did tell her how proud I was that she did not run away. Hopefully, she understood the character she displayed by taking on the responsibility. I did spend days consoling her and never was angry. 

This was my best mothering in this situation. Maybe I could have done better. What do you think. The whole situation still makes me sad. But, I do still support her trauma and never buy her anything adorned with a bird. What do you think? She still gets angry she was accused, disappointed her friend ran, and really cannot enjoy a bird ornamentation. At any rate, I did not realize the trauma would be so deep and long-lasting. 

Last night, I slept little and took a nap today. I did not feel like grilling because it was too hot. I intended to grill early. Maybe if it had been cloudy, I would have. But, there is an abundance of vegetables and pork loin. For lunch I had the rest of the tuna salad. It was nice today not to have to prepare any food! 

A bag of kale was cooked, but it is too tough for me to eat. The first two bags were chopped smaller and more tender. My TMJ still bothers me. 

A Christmas Story is on TV tonight. This is early for this to be shown, but we love this movie.

What is your take on my daughters' bird dilemma and my handling of the situation? Tommy said his father would have said Hell No and dragged the other kid to the shop.  

It has been so long

 I have forgotten the exact order of things. However, we got up on Monday to go the Cullman to Office Max or Depot and the guy I needed to talk with was out of the store for the day. So, we planned to go on Tuesday, and I did not want to go. We went Wednesday and picked up our lunch from a church--grilled chicken with dish of bbq sauce, corn, green beans, little slice of butter bread, and two cookies. We also had the identical thing for dinner.

The guy came out to the car and took the burned laptop inside. He came back with info insurance and numbers for me to call. Then, I gave him laptop we bought two days or so after this one and decided to not even open. That went well. So, Tommy has over $1k back in his account. And, I should be getting a check for this one, actually that will go into his account, too. 

The sale on chairs interested me, but I would have to go inside. No luck with getting a new surge protector. I forgot what else I tried to buy. 

I found Miracle Whip bogo which made it $5.40 or something like that. Used the bathroom, went to PO, and came home.

The laptop had to sleep outdoors the first night. It camped out in the bathtub on a metal baking pan in a tiled showed stall for two nights. I was really afraid it would blaze to life again.

 

Unfortunately, this laptop cannot recharge, so it must stay plugged in at all time in order to use it. Plus, none of my passwords are evident. AND, it has a whine and scream and rat-tat-ing noise all the time. So, I cannot use it when Tommy is asleep. 

I got into my Yahoo account and into my blog, so all is better. 

A fly has been cruising the house, buzzing around me and any food we are trying to eat or cook. He even buzzed my hair. I could feel his wings making a breeze or something.  I resorted to running to Lowe's and getting fly strips. I hate those nasty-looking things. But, I hate the fly more. I even had Tommy stay with me in the kitchen while I was removing the pork loin and vegetables from the cooking bag. It has gotten dark and cool now, so he is sleeping, I suppose. 

My big chores for the day were replacing my electric candles' batteries and going through a tote bag of mail. The batteries in the Red Kiss were replaced and all eight batteries were put in the battery recycling Planter's Peanuts jar. Between Tommy and I, we removed pertinent information from my mail to shred and put rest in two places--paper to recycle or newsprint items to go the Animal Shelter.  

For some reason Belk's sent me a check for $8.98. And, Belk's sent me a coupon for $10 to use instore. 

Finally, I quit coughing. The guaifenesin made it a productive cough. So, it is gone. I only cough when I swallow something the wrong way. I am so relieved to be rid of the cough. 

Finally, I felt like going into Publix and shopping. When Tommy goes in, he comes out with all sorts fo chips and cookies. I have not been in a store for about a month. 

While I was in Lowe's shopping for fly strips, I noticed Christmas is going up. On the way to find the strips, I was horrified by an apparent boneyard. Someone was hanging skeletons and left them on a platform. They looked like a heap of bones, a boneyard.  It was spooky. I want a large skeleton and a stack of three pumpkins, but I will just dream about them. 

Oh, speaking of dreaming, I have been dreaming since I started taking melatonin. I was having an in-depth discussion with someone about the ceiling fans that can be screwed into a light socket in the ceiling. Tommy and I, another night, were having an equally scintillating conversation about something, forgot what. 

The humidity is incredibly low, so days, and especially evenings with low temperatures have been pleasantly not torrid or muggy. I don't rush to start the car as soon as I get into it. 

What fine chores have you accomplished? 

Has the humidity and heat become more tolerable where you live? 

Groceries, Stainless Steel, Coughing

 I need to get better so I don't send Tommy into a grocery store. He comes out with too many snack foods, all very salty. Fritos, Doritos, potato chips. I would buy one bag for him when it was bogo. No, he gets both of them. He even bought two Ruffles for me, and I am trying to avoid salt. 

Last night, I managed to make a list from all three stores. Publix had the most deals. I did find green beans for $0.39/can. I had him buy one can to see if we liked them. It is a brand I have bought before. The use by date is 22 Nov 2023. Well, pooh! That is not very good. 

We got food we needed and was bogo, nothing else:

2 Doritos 2 for $10

Organic Baby Carrots  2 1-lb bags organic $3

3 half gallons a2milk @$4.99 not on sale

2 Jello pudding 2@$1.79

Kleenex 3 boxes for $5

Hall's Mentholyptus Cough Drops 2@$2.77

Honey Nut Cheerios 2for $5.46

Red potatoes 5lb for $3.49

pork tenderloin @for $8.99

on Wednesday we stopped at the farmer's market and bought squash. It was not small like I like, but reduced to $3, so less that the usual $5 and more squash. 

Spice Island spices are in glass containers. They were bogo, and the spices I needed are sold out. We got two rainchecks, one for the Spice Island and another for moon grapes. I just want a few to try.

I try to go shop before Thursday since some people do their weekly shopping on Thursday. But, he always assures me that there will be plenty for us. 

I had to send him back since he bought two pounds of baby carrots for $3.49 and not organic, just more expensive. Well, I did not send him. He asked if he should return, so I said to go. 

Earlier in the week, we bought four bananas. When I opened the first one, there were little black nodules all over the banana. I feared it was some banana bug. Maybe it was fungus. They looked the shape and almost the size of an apple seed. ALL FOUR BANANAS had these nodule-like growths. 

I was saving one piece of banana with the black things to return. All I had left was down in the main bag still in the garbage. We did get a refund and bought more bananas. We can afford to throw away four bananas. But, I refuse to do so. 

At the Pig a can of corn or green beans is free with the purchase of $10. I forgot what we will get tomorrow.

Coughing is all I do, it seems! I take guaifenesin for the congestion which facilitates loosening my chest. I do use my inhaler. I am exhausted!

The Hall's cough drops are already stuffed into a Ball quart jar to keep them from going soft and sticking to the little paper in which they are wrapped. Someone pointed out that vacuum sealing would be better. But, how handy is that for opening a dozen times? Plus, there are plenty of Ball jars in my possession, most bought on sale. I have thrown away a small fortune in cough drops over the years, yet I have not thrown away a cough drop in the last five years. 

We still use disposable tumblers even though we never use disposable plates, saucers, bowls or forks and spoons. The tumblers are the last things we need to replace. Glass is easily broken. Tommy has a set of smoke glasses that I hate and he does not want to break. Neither of us has the balance we had. So, I settled on stainless steel for drinking milk or whatever. They are expensive but will not be tossed. I had one stainless steel "glass" but it developed an "off" taste. Has anyone ever had that happen or know why mine did?

Tommy is happy he can watch Auburn on TV now that Disney and Spectrum are playing nice. I know he enjoys Auburn and Alabama and the Iron Bowl. So, we were going to figure out how to watch the Iron Bowl, at least. 

I am limp from coughing and typing at the same time, hoping for accuracy in my keystrokes. Tommy will heat our dinners--chicken for me and sausage patty for him, potatoes, carrots, green beans. He will take it all out of the refrigerator and I will fill my plate and heat it. Actually, some times he has filled my plate, heated it, and brought it to me. 

The heat is still here but not so brutal. Plus, the humidity is lower. Good deal! 

Does anyone have a theory as to why expensive stainless drinking vessel would develop an off taste?

Did you find any good deals this week?

Thursday Happenings--not much

 I have felt a bit better tonight. I only had about 3 hours sleep last night and then 2 this afternoon. 

The Conchita pimientos will not get my seal of approval. It is bitter and nasty. I think being in a can is why it is bitter. However, once in pimiento and cheese, it was better, tolerable. Miracle Whip saved the taste. 

Today, I had a can of Diet Free Decaffeinated Coke that had been the house two days and in the refrierator for two days. It was flat. I had Tommy taste it and he declared it flat, too. This happens once in a while, not sure how a sealed can of Coke can be flat after being open for thirty seconds. 

Tommy improved the kitchen. The drawer for utensils has an holder that slides back into the drawer continually. I am not going to buy the liner to keep it where it belongs. So, I asked him to take on of the Planter's Peanut jars, tall and skinny, and place it at the back of the drawer. It works really well. So, I no longer have to keep pulling the drawer further out to get the utensil I want. I am so happy. 

Since I have been decluttering the counter between the sink and microwave. I took out two cups from the back near the microwave. My favorite hot chocolate cup had the handle broken in two pieces and in the cup. Did I forget about this? How did it get broken? Did Tommy do it? Who knows? But, it went straight into the trash. The other cup was a dish to eat soup, wide and with a handle. It is in the dishwasher. I have no idea why these were on the counter. But, they are not now. How is that for decluttering?!

Kraft Medium Cheddar Cheese Chunks were $1.80 + 10% at the Pig. So, I had Tommy go in and get two, making it $1.98 each. He came back and said that there were only 6 on the shelf, so he got all six. Why? He was already complaining that we have too much cheese. Well, we have plenty now. 

We went to Publix for his milk, my milk, bananas, and bread. 

In a few minutes, I will start freezing two slices of bread at a time, placing them in a freezer bag for the freezer. I did this years ago. Someone reminded me of this, so I will do this so as not to have bread get moldy. 

Dinner: Tommy had chicken thigh, salad, corn. I had last two hotdogs, salad, green beans. 

Did you ever keep something broken for no reason and discover it later? 

Does your utensil tray slide around in the drawer, making it difficult to reach a spoon?

Carrot Seeds?

 Reading Pillars of the Earth is challenging. It weighs over 2.5 pounds, so it is difficult to hold. I will get something to put across the arms of my chair. Then, I cannot hold it close enough. It is a slow go right now. But, I am enjoying it. 

I offered a friend a turkey from the depths of the bottom shelf of the freezer if he would unearth it. Well, there was no turkey, but I did give him a deli chicken. Maybe it is on the shelf above. I was not going to ask him to unload that. I also gave him 3 packages of hotdog buns. Maybe another day for the turkey...

Where are the carrot seeds??? I had them in my hands a few days ago. The pot is ready. 

Amazon is failing deliveries of my hair color. They keep sending me a color I cancelled along with the new color. Plus, this time, both boxes were crushed so that one would not stand up anymore. Tommy's pen needles are the wrong size, just not his preference. That is one of many items to call about fixing. I don't need replacements, just quit doing what they are doing. 

Now that I have the new, large pumpkin, I need to inventory my Halloween items. Last year, I did not use my other, smaller artificial pumpkins. I bought them for $3 in a huge duffle bag full of Halloween costumes and decorations three years ago. Most of that has been discarded or dispersed to others, including the duffle bag. I said I was buying nothing more for Halloween. Well, I do want some of the fall leaves. However, I will use points to buy those at Walgreen's. Now, Lowe's is fully stocked for Halloween. 

The day after the 4th, I went to Lowe's and heard drumming. It was a huge, lifesize monster or something, drumming away. 

Dinner: I had one bun, two hotdogs, chili, minimal cheese, slaw, baked carrot. Tommy had meatballs, steamed zucchini, squash and peppers, baked carrot. 

October was always the month I was so ill. But, last year it started in September and lasted for several months. So, I need to stay well for once! I will get my pneumonia shot this week.

Have you had anything continually mashed by Amazon?

Have you fall allergies set in yet?

Have you ever tried to read a book so heavy you could barely hold it?

BOGOs and Groceries

 All this was bought over three days but not consecutive days. I did not have my list, was tired, could not find some items, and just came home, knowing it would be there another day. Besides, it is hard on Tommy bringing all this food inside. He has a ramp, but he has to lift his walker straight up about 8 inches to the living room at the front door.

Red Delicious apples

2 pkgs. yellow squash, less $1

matchstick carrots for Tommy's salad and my tuna salad

Arnold's Keto bread

Publix raisin bran

salted butter

red potatoes

Gallon milk

Dasani 24 pack

Diet pepsi b2g2

Ruffles and Dorito b2g1

Rice Chex bogo

Martha White wildberry muffin mix bogo

Red Delicious apples

bananas

Roma tomatoes

cut watermelon bowl bogo

zucchini 

ziplock pint freezer bags

Dr Pepper b2g2

I know I bought apples after Tommy did. He told me, giving me an apple, that this was the last apple. Well, I bought more. It did not register than he said the last of the older apples, meaning that the newer ones were the ones left. Oh well, I will not waste them.

The Martha White muffin mixes are only for two muffins. I put almost a cup of blueberries into the mix that already has blueberries or apples made to taste like blueberries. Then, I put it in a brownie pan and we slice it. It works. These were $0.79 each. In the cold weather they are good on a cool and damp night. By the way, 'wildberry' is just blueberry and strawberry. 

Some items I bought had an additional $1 off. I am really tired and rushing to get this done. 

Yes, we bought a lot of drinks for Tommy. He drinks a lot, too much. 

Tonight, there was a large helping of the zucchini/tomato casserole. Tommy did not want the cheese and bread. I would have shared it with Tommy. He said he would just pick out the zucchini, tomatoes, and onions. Well, I was not having him dig out what he wanted. So, I suggested he just microwave the zucchini and onions, sliced and refrigerated. He did and his dinner was ham, zucchini, onions, applesauce. I had the rest of the zucchini casserole and a tiny chicken tender. Later, I will have an apple and something else, not sure. 

Food all the Way

 My friend died Sunday morning. I did not want to bother her daughter who is right there in her home. However, I could not bear knowing. I called and may have awakened her daughter. Our exchange was brief--29 seconds. I did not want to go into my grief, so I said, "I am so sorry." She said, "Thank you." She may have been asleep.  She may have been hoarse from crying. We hung up. That means the celebration of life is Sunday. I had mailed her a note on Monday, written on Sunday after she died...sigh.

I wonder if there will be food at the Celebration. This is the South and it will be in a church.

I told Tommy I would call the police next time he hit me. I know for a fact it was low blood sugar. But, it hurts my body, hurts my feelings and makes me feel like I am nothing. He was an a$$ when I said that hurt since he acted like I did not exist, would not speak. I know you wonder why we don't check his blood sugar. That would be too easy. He would also lose his autonomy. But, when he has tried to hurt me and men in uniform show up, he is meek as a lamb. He has allowed them to measure his blood sugar on several occasions when he was yelling at me. I don't think he is afraid of them, just will cooperate with uniforms better than with me. 

Somehow, I lost Sunday. That night, I just assumed it was Saturday because I had not seen Meet the Press or America's Funniest Videos. Well, on Monday, Tommy pointed out I was asleep during those hours. I slept about four hours and missed both, one in the morning and one in the evening. Of course, I barely slept every night of the weekend. My laptop has the date, time, and temperature displayed. However, the pertinent information I needed on Sunday, the day of the week, is not displayed. 

Janet, I received Pillars of the Earth on Monday. It was so heavy I could barely take it from Tommy and not drop it. I will have to support it for sure. This read should be interesting. I will get a tray that sits across my lap and rests on the arms of the chair. Thank you.

I ordered a book from Mayo Clinic--Mayo Clinic Book of Home Remedies, Second Edition. Hopefully, it will prove helpful. 

Decluttering was miniscule, but I did it.

Free food: 6 black plums, 7 peaches, 4 lbs of nectarines, five lbs. chicken thighs. 

We still have chicken tenderloins in the refrigerator to eat, and two frozen packages of cooked tenderloins. Last night, I wanted Tommy to go get chicken for me. Yes, I know there was plenty in the refrigerator already baked. I opened a can of the Hormel Roast Beef and Gravy, mixed package of Idahoan, and opened green beans. It was not the healthiest, but it was eaten. The can of Hormel was 11 months beyond the best by date, but it was fine as I knew it would be. 

I really want potato salad and squash casserole, so after the news goes off, we will go to Publix.  Tommy went alone and bought: milk for both of us, two packages of squash, five pounds red potatoes, two pounds of carrots, Arnold's Keto Bread,  a package of carrot shreds, 4 12-packs of Pepsi b2g2, a case of Dasani. He forgot to put my phone number in at the register. We would have gotten $2 off on a $10 purchase. I will fix it. 

We went out in the car earlier, and the ac is wonderful! I know that Heaven will be airconditioned. 

On the news today, we heard that doctors increase the intake of fruits and vegetables by 1/3 by actually prescribing fruits and vegetables. Interesting. I am not sure what the recommendations are, but I get at least three fruits, and at least three or four vegetables. I know I am short on the vegetables. Well, maybe not since I rarely count onions and celery in my vegetable list for a day. I read another site that has 4 of each as the minimum. 

Tommy went to Publix. I specifically told him to choose small squash. Not one of the packages has a small squash! They are all hefty clubs. I cut off the smaller ends for the casserole and left the larger pieces to cook with the thighs or for him to put in a salad. I need to remember to slice them, otherwise, he won't eat them in a salad. Plus, there is a package of three not so small clubs left for another day. I may slice those to cook with onions. 

Tonight, I will boil eggs for the potato salad I will make Wednesday or probably Thursday. Ooops, I forgot to have him buy celery.

Dinner: I am having baked chicken tender, squash casserole, green beans. Tommy is having a leg and thigh, squash casserole, sweet potatoes. The green beans and sweet potatoes are leftovers, so a helping each is left. Until dinner is done, I am eating a peach. It is Freestone! I have not had one of those yet this year. Okay, it is hard and not very tasty, but tomorrow they will be better.

There was a rock in the green beans, and I broke a tooth!

Do you aim for a certain number of vegetables and fruits each day?

What are you currently reading? 

At Last and AC

 I wrote this post once. Things were so screwed up, I actually abandoned the post and started anew. I will delete it later. Now, the stress of trying to fix that post has taken its toll, so I must rest my brain...lol. 

Tommy left at 8 am, sat while they diagnosed the problem and was home by 11:30. It is the radiator wearing out somehow. I forgot the details. I am so glad that we were not stranded in this heat by the radiator giving out. The horn problem is in the steering column. So, that yearlong or more problem will be solved. He would have left the car, but they said they had no one at that time who could have taken him home! So, now he has to get up even earlier to go on Friday.

Tommy emphatically states (loudly) that he does not need to drink water, that his coffee and Pepsi and chocolate milk will work to hydrate him. This is really a stressor for me since I feel he is foolishly ignoring medical advice and endangering not only himself, but me since I am in the car when he is exposing both of us to high temps. If he passes out, he could kill more people, too.

While watching the weather tonight, a visual was on the screen as the weather guy talked. "Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and sugary drinks" Tommy saw it, I read it to him. He is silent. 

Then, shortly thereafter comment slipped through my security measure from an idiot who calls herself Blog Reader--"who cares if tommy[sic] likes pepsi[sic[over water....! Yum." and it goes on. What an idiot she is! I CARE! She claims to care, yet she encourages dangerous behavior. 

Tommy's car is visually a wreck--dings, peeling paint, has not been washed in at least four years. We cannot even see through the windshield. But, it will be cool and have a horn tomorrow. I don't judge a man by his car, but it is indicative of most he does except his finances.

I slept from 3 am to 5 pm today with the help of 3mg of melatonin. I was up twice to use the bathroom and went sound asleep afterwards both times. About 9 am, I thought I would get up, called Tommy, and went back to sleep. That makes 14 hours sleep except for calling Tommy and five minutes of TV. 

When I awoke after 5 tonight, I had cookies and milk. Since I have been feeling light-headed and out of it, I had to follow my own advice and drink water. It definitely makes a difference.  Of course, I had been sleeping and not much occasion to drink water. I am not often without water in my hand or by my side. If we forget water, we pay $2 for a bottle for me. 

Tonight, we put six pounds of chicken tenderloins into the oven with a mess of green beans, one carrot, broccoli, and spices--onion powder, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. I made cole slaw. There will be chicken to freeze, to store to eat for a few days, and vegetables for at least three dinners. Right now, Tommy is cleaning up items from cooking.

Friday, Tommy will have to take the car in again for the work. They had no one to bring him home. He will pay Lyft if they still have no one tomorrow to bring him home! Tommy did make sure to remove our air compressor, and charger, the small, expensive items to get the car going. 

So, we finally had dinner--chicken tenders, green beans, broccoli, carrots, potatoes, and slaw. Delicious and satisfying. The chicken was so tender and needed little chewing. Slaw, surprisingly, needs little chewing. Of course, I could have chewed more and made the cabbage mush to swallow. Now, to freeze most of the chicken. 

I know people who pride themselves in never washing their car or fixing dings. It is funny. However, letting mechanical things get worse is not cool or funny. Do you know anyone who never washes the car? 

The one things he does is to remove every bit of trash on the floor and seats of his car...sigh. Right now, he is in the kitchen storing all the food, all the vegetables in one dish with chicken in the dish, too. The rest of the chicken I will freeze a bit later tonight. We mostly have a rhythm when we work together in the kitchen. We know what each needs and what process comes next. Good deal. 

Tonight, we were using the last of the Italian seasoning. So, I decided to just mix my own since it is so expensive. I copied down everything in the bottle with the screw metal top and holes--oregano, marjoram, thyme, basil, parsley. Then, he found a second, unopened bottle. 

I smelled each seasoning in its bottle. I was surprised that basil smells nothing like basil. Instead, it smells peppery. Is that right? I have never bought dried basil in a bottle. 

All the kitchen towels are folded. Tommy put them away for us. And, we cooked chicken. Maybe tomorrow, I will get my towels folded. We do need to cook ground beef, too. Maybe tomorrow?

Today, Tommy came into the bedroom to talk to me about 5 pm. As he left, I asked him if he thought it was hot in the bedroom. He said it was. Yet, I think the ac was set at 70F. The actual temperature in the hall where the thermostat is located was 74F because the ac unit could not run enough to lower even the hall temp to 70F. The ac struggles. I feel sorry those without ac or inadequate ac. I think the best solution to the heat in the front of the house would be several crepe myrtles. Of course, he disagrees! lol 

Today was a good day because I had lots of sleep last night, but the energy lasted only about three hours! 

Do you have anyone in your life who takes chances that could kill you both? 

Do you know anyone who neglects the cosmetics of a car? 

Do you have anyone who works with you in any capacity that anticipates what you next need?

Who is hot? I know some people are having cooler temps. 

Almost 4 Hours Sleep, Steak Butter

 This was my list of things to do on Tuesday. Some are pushed to Tuesday. Those are noted.

Tuesday--Over six pounds of bscb cook. 

Emptied food storage containers, leftovers, eaten. 

Tommy emptied dishwasher, hand washed some dishes.

I washed popsicle maker.

Some done. The rest pushed to Tuesday--Fold two loads of clothes--kitchen towels and my towels.

More books sorted in hall and living room. 

Tommy--Bought keto bread, milk for me, milk for Tommy.

All that was on four hours sleep, but I am fading fast. It was lovely and hot outdoors! I have watched the disasters unfold in Hawaii and the West where the hurricane is dropping water on the desert. All the sun streaming in the living room just shows and emphasizes all the dust in here. Ack! 

I did watch The Miracle Workers at 9 C. Next week is the last of the End Times Series of Miracle Workers. Does anyone else watch this on TBS?

Once again, Tommy got very loud and vehemently declared he would not eat something. Two days later I noticed he was eating it and ate it for several days. He said he would never eat any of the Steak Butter, that it did not sound good. I explained it was to put on a steak when cooking it. He still was loud and in denial. I told him it had no steak in it, that it was for putting on steak but it would work on bread. He is so funny. He did tell me it was not as good as what I made. Okay!

Dinner for Tommy will be leftover baked chicken, baked squash, baked carrots, sweet potatoes. All yellow/orange. 

For dinner I did not feel I could chew anything because of TMJ. I had a bowl of oatmeal, half a banana, 8 inch carrot baked, green beans, piece of keto bread. I did have half an apple, sliced thinly so the peel could be chewed a bit. I could not eat chicken. Bread crust was too hard. Not really, but it was just too hard for me to chew. Even cheese I ate earlier was too much to chew. 

I was talking to someone from England who said condensed milk was diluted over there to drink. Same with evaporated milk. Now, I know people drink Pet evaporated milk diluted. But, I have never heard of anyone drinking Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk. Have you? I know some people from England read this blog.

Usually, I take a nap when I sleep so little, but that did not happen today. 

Do you put butter on steak? 

Catch Up and Blanket

 Eventually, I catch up my sleep and have a good day afterwards. I got four hours, woke up, watched tv for a couple of hours, maybe only one. Then, I slept for a good five hours. Then, I felt like a million dollars. Feeling this way is important for several reasons. One--I can think. Two--I just really need the sleep like we all do. Three--I am assured that I am capable of feeling good and energetic, that my present state of pain and lethargy are not permanent. Of course, the fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome are always there, and I don't feel normal for long. 

Finally, I found, rather Tommy found my little Ninja smoothie maker. But, the bottom part, the electrified part is still missing. I have no idea if the cleaner moved it or it got tossed. So, I will buy another if I can find the right one. At least, I will have more of the cups to use. 

For dinner tonight, I put in a four-pack of boneless, skinless, chicken thighs, and a 3-kabob pack of chicken, peppers, onion. I had to use a turkey bag because there were sooo many vegetables--potatoes, carrots, squash. There was a six-pack of thin breasts that I put on the eye in a skillet because I knew the long cooking time might dry them out. 

Tommy has three more dinners of thighs. I will have three dinners of breasts. There at least three days of vegetables. Plus, I need to cook pumpkin and cinnamon tonight. A can of vegetables comes in handy when there are few vegetables left that are cooked. 

There are still two huge packages of chicken tenderloins thawing. It seems the planning and cooking never end. 

I need another wool blanket. The one I bought, the ETSY USMC stamped blanket is just too small. I considered buying another, but I decided against that move. The ones online that are 100% wool from manufacturers are exorbitantly priced. My next plan is still under construction in my brain. When I get it formulated, I will reveal it. Does anyone have any other ideas or recommendations for wool blanket? 

Saturday and Sunday

 Not much happened Saturday. We cooked, ate, did laundry, decluttered a tiny bit, maybe we went out to get milk and bananas. The biggie was going to phone sorted out. Somehow, I had the sound of the ring muted and the vibration on. Well, I felt silly as I was looking in the phone for control over that. All I had to do was use the toggle on the side to raise the volume and hit 'set.' I have done this dozens of times, but somehow, I was not thinking. 

Sunday was more of the same type activities. I made slaw. Tommy chopped and cooked the ground pork for taco soup. For some reason I put a Cornish hen in the crockpot, right where I was going to make the taco soup. No problem. The ground pork is in the refrigerator. 

We finished the pork loin, potatoes, and carrots. 

I did put the small box of sliced mushrooms into a skillet on low, drizzled a bit of olive oil over, and heated slowly. Then, I put some of the spaghetti sauce I made over the mushrooms in a bowl, put Parmesan over them, and ate that for a snack. I love mushrooms and Tommy hates them. No problem. I just get more.

We did not leave the house Sunday. Tommy did go out to water the flowers. It did not rain. At 11 pm it was 94F. I have been reading about wildflowers and bees. I keep forgetting to go outdoors to see a shooting star.

                                                                 The End. 

Do you decide to learn more about your plants or bees or birds or a recipe, then immerse yourself? What subjects interest you from time to time?

Rough Elbows, 106F 'Feels Like' and No AC!

 I had one elbow that looked almost normal. However, touching the arm of a chair or the console in the car was so painful that I winced and sometimes made a whimper sound at the pain. I mentioned it to the dermatologist almost as an aside the first time. The second time, same thing. Finally, the third or fourth of fifth time, he recommended something more than curing dry skin or a mild hydrocortisone cream. The elbow had a dark color, almost like it was dirty, but it was not. At least, washing did not cure that. 

The last time, he recommended something with urea, which prompted my comment of "can I just pee on my hand?" LOL...Of course, no one here thought that was funny. Oh well! 

But, when I came home to order it from the internet, I found it contained tea tree oil. I did not want to apply that, so I searched for something else on Amazon. The product I found is amazing! The first time I applied it to my elbow, the painful cracks went away within an hour. Of course, the pain came back the first time I touched it after an hour or so. I should say the first time any cloth touched it. 

Over the last two weeks, the pain and irritation relief lasted longer until now, it does not hurt for any cloth to brush my elbow. So, I can highly recommend this product. I have suffered for at least three years. No more.

Just now, as I was searching Amazon for the picture I posted, there was a notice that it was out of stock on Amazon. This problem was never about appearance. However, that has improved. My dermatologist said he puts it on his heels morning and night. The product I purchased was half the price of the one he recommended. So, that was a plus, too, but not the motivation for the purchase.

As we sat with the motor running and the ac full blast, the 'feels like' temperature was 106F. All of a sudden, the air was blasting extremely hot air. "I am going to die." Over and over, I was whining loudly. It took two minutes to get the car started and moving so I could get some relief. It seems as long as the car is running and in gear, we get cool air. But, we cannot let the car idle and still get cool air. Tommy explained something about a clutch in the ac. I don't know, but this needs to be repaired before it quits entirely. But, knowing him, he will wait until it is toast to repair. I felt in imminent danger. 

Tonight, I am having spaghetti and big salad. Tommy is having all leftovers--pork loin, carrots, potatoes, onions, Bell pepper, collards. 

Have you experienced a lack of ac that left you gasping for air and fearful? 

Do you ever use a cream for rough heels, hand cream or anything like that? Can you share what works?

Dinner, Tommy

 Since I slept only 1.5 hours Thursday night. I spent Friday trying to catch up. Of course, I still didn't get much sleep in total. 

We only went to Publix to get cooking bags and mushrooms, reduced. I will cook mushrooms and put in the spaghetti I made yesterday. 

Tonight, we cooked a pork loin, potatoes, carrots, onions, and Bell pepper in a cooking bag. That was dinner.  Tommy spent less than thirty minutes with potatoes and carrots. I trimmed them. Then, it took less than ten minutes to assemble it in the kitchen. 

Tommy and I were talking about his earlier life and his cooking. He said he was working sometimes until ten at night and he had the money, so he just ate out. He said he might have cooked more if he had not been so busy. I asked him if I died would he cook more. He said he knew more about cooking from me, so, yes. 

His father raised him and younger brother from the time they were 9 and 10.  His father tried cooking every night. But, Tommy said he sort of gave that up, and they went out to eat every night at a cafe nearby. Then, Tommy went to Auburn and had a meal plan. He gained 30 pounds. He said he was trying to get his money's worth...lol. His father died his first semester, so he was sort of on his own and both boys were emancipated. His aunts and grandparents living within blocks fed him. So, he never had a need to cook. The orphaned boys were taken care of well. He did graduate from Auburn, so I suppose not learning to cook seems inconsequential. 

So, we cooked tonight, everything in one pan! The cost of the cooking bag means nothing compared to what we save cooking at home. Neither of us must scour a pan. The dishwasher is running and the sink is scoured. Best of all, we have leftovers for several days. 

See how Tommy has progressed under my tutelage? 

Have you ever helped an adult to learn to cook?

Life is Good!

Today was such a lot of rain, widespread but not violent winds with it. When I went to the car, I grabbed a jacket with hood, stuck the hood over my head to repel rain. I would have had to fight the jacket to get it off once in the car, so I did not put my arms into the sleeves. It felt so cold outside--71F. Can you beleive it? The cool air plus raindrops that managed to get on my arms was too much for me. It felt like Fall. Thankfully, this is not true. 

We had all the leftovers for dinner--chicken, carrots, mashed potatoes, celery, green beans. There was only a smidgen of these, like 12 green beans each and two measuring tablespoons of mashed potatoes. I put on what I thought was a 2 lb. bag of chopped kale. Only, it was collards. They don't cook up tender like kale. So, it was like eating raw collards! 

Tomorrow, I will put on a pork tenderloin that is seasoned. I plan to put the bell pepper in with that. Not sure what else we will have other than the collards. 

I have been perusing online ads. There is not much there. I will buy the carrots for $0.99/lb. at Publix. I need bananas. 

Maybe I have figured out why Matt Dillon wears the same shirt and vest for ten years. We saw one episode and Tommy told me that was from a previous episode, not a part 2 deal. If they can reuse scenes where a stunt man was used for a dangerous scene, they can save on production costs. Well, that is what I think. 

I still cannot sleep over 4 hours even though I had one good day. I tried limiting naps to only 1 or 1.5 hours, that still does not help. There is a plan to get a job, but I cannot work on 4 hours sleep!

Life is good! Third Rock from the Sun is back. I love that show. We laughed for 30 minutes solid. Have you seen The Miracle Worker? The ensemble cast was in the Middle Ages the first season with jobs as funny as a Shit Shoveler. The second year, they were on the Oregon Trail or something going West in a wagon train. This year, the third, is even funnier. They live in a junk yard that has an HOA. One guy is a dog. Hilarious. 

Do you watch any of these shows? 

A Week

 Wednesday--I ordered a lanyard for my cell phone. This helps me to keep it safe from slipping out of my hand. Nine cost about $5, much cheaper than one bought in a store. 

Thursday--It pays to complain. Since I usually don't get my points from Walgreen's, I called Corporate to complain and get them. However, I ended up with a CS person who should not deal with people or talk on the phone. In the end, I was given $10.23 that I was not given in rewards or whatever their program is called. When she relinquished me to another person the good parts happened.

Friday-- I seem to remember storms. 

Saturday--I ate too much junk food. I paid for it by not sleeping all Saturday night and suffering terrible indigestion. Two greens tomato went on a plate and into a back bedroom where the sun shines every morning. The sun was not shining on the tomato.

Sunday--We cooked chicken with carrots. Tommy added two small potatoes to his, and I ate about three helpings of baby carrots that were cooked with the chicken. I also had a peach, half a banana, 1/2 cup blueberries. 

I made a tiny cobbler with the rhubarb by making enough for about two biscuits which I dropped on the rhubarb. I did not have to measure anything. However, it might have been better if I had used self-rising flour. 

Monday-- I had the rest of the rhubarb cobbler. Tommy cooked the ground beef and it is refrigerated. I really want spaghetti. I cleaned and sliced two huge Bell peppers and two Vidalia onions. One is for Tommy to put in a salad and the other bag is for me to cook. 

For dinner, we had a can of green beans, mashed potatoes from bag, baked chicken. Tommy also had a salad with half a huge tomato, chicken, mashed potatoes, and a salad. His salad had a bit of Romaine, half a huge tomato, onions, bell pepper, purple cauliflower, broccoli, and dressing. I had chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes, carrots. Later, I will have a salad and part of a Granny Smith apple. Most of the can of green beans was consumed by me. Tommy drained them and soaked them before we ate them. He only eats about a fourth of a cup of green beans...lol. I stuff myself with the rest of the can. 

The two huge tomatoes I put in the back bedroom to ripen on Saturday were ripe today. YAY! Tommy was surprised. 

Terrible thunderstorms missed us today, but we got lots of rain. At first, it was blowing sideways! 

I awoke on Monday and one foot was no longer swollen, just a tiny little, skinny foot. Really, my feet are not tiny, but they sure looked they were compared to the swollen foot lately. 

In Cullman, the library which is about four short blocks from me was hit by winds that broke out the windows, knocked over bookshelves, dumped books. It was awful.