Midnight Kiss

 It has been over two weeks since the dishwasher has been loaded and run. However, Tommy keeps washing just enough dishes. He just wanders off and stays gone in the kitchen. When I stagger in, the kitchen looks pretty good. It is not perfect, but he keeps enough dishes washed so I can cook.

All decorations are still up, although I did bring the wreath in. It lies here, ready to be put away.  Tommy washed three loads of laundry and offered to do more. He washed his fuzzy blanket I gave him years ago and four of the throws. I had to hang all four of the small throws, and he dried his in the dryer. The dryer has only one setting--hot--so I never put anything in it except kitchen linen and bedclothes. I don't feel like hanging things, especially since the last are not dry. 

The temp reached 80F today, so this gives us the opportunity for bad weather. 

Since we received the filters from Amazon and Tommy replaced the old one, the furnace no longer roars and strains. It is a smooth-running machine now. 

New Year's Eve, we wanted to watch one of the musical specials. But, that was not to be. So, I think we watched Gunsmoke. The fireworks were far away, so we saw nothing. There no special snacky things here. But, all in all, since I felt so horrible, it was a pleasant evening. 

After I "jumped" off the stool, Tommy was coming into the living room past me. I turned and started to kiss him. He lowered his head like I intended to kiss him on his head. I said, "We have lips." We then shared a peckity kiss. 

Filters and Frozen Turkey

 We went right past KFC today, but Tommy left the receipt at home. No biscuit today! 

For the last two weeks, there has been a sound of something like "sheet metal" being bent/popped. You know the sound. Well, Tommy denied it was happening. I pointed out it was from the furnace area. He said I was wrong. Then, he heard it and said it might stop. So, the guy came and confirmed it was the sheet metal in furnace. The filthy filter is the problem according to the serviceman. 

The filter was over 1/2 inch thick with dust. Tommy said it is okay, according to some furnace official he heard on tv, to change the filter only once a year. Today, this guy said buy the cheapest filter and change it monthly. Tommy objected, saying the filters are sometimes advertised as okay for 3-6 months. The guy held up both hands and said, "It is your house, do what you want." Tommy brought up the filters advertised for 6 months. The guy said "they want you to buy their filter." 

The filter sucked way down when the guy put it back in and the furnace was on. It is SO clogged. We spent the afternoon searching for the size his takes. Two grocery stores and home improvement stores had none. We came home and I ordered 6 for something like $61. Now, to twist his arm each month to change these. 

Tommy ended up buying a plan to go over the whole system and change some sort of filter outside. Tommy's heat is a gas furnace under the house and a system outside for ac. I do not understand. 

The guy said that not changing the filter often enough will shorten the life of the furnace. Tommy disagrees. He fixes nothing!  Things have to be replaced here. 

How often do you change furnace filters? Or, any filters?

I went in to put the blankety blank turkey in the oven. It weighed about 9 lbs. and after a week, it still was frozen solid except in one place where Tommy poked it. The bottom is solid and the behind part is solid. I put it in at 7:30 pm. A thawed turkey should take up to 2 hours. I suppose I will leave this one in for at least 3 hours, maybe more. Maybe we will have turkey some day. We have had dinner tonight. 

Almost Finished

The last three cards went to PO today. I only need to wrap one gift to send. Of course, it will be late arriving to the recipient. So will the card overseas. I had the addresses of other bloggers so I could send cards. Some went into the dump. Some are just lost around here.

After I got Tommy a new doorknob for his birthday, he did not install it. Finally, he said it would have been better to get one with deadbolt and a doorknob and both used one key. I may have said that. Today, I have been so ill, getting the same sinus infection as last week that cleared up with antibiotics. Allergies do this to me. I awoke from a long, long nap, feeling awful. He asked anxiously if I wanted to go to the doctor. That will come after I have the blood tests done that two doctors want done.

I told him I wanted to go to Lowe's. We did as soon as I could get ready. He did not realize he was going to go in and get the lock set. He found what he wanted and paid for it, bemoaning the fact we did not bring the other to exchange. As it turns out, the deadbolt lock does not use a key on the inside. It has a twist thing to lock it.

Then, we went to get another baking pan. The one I have has a small lip, about one inch. I figured the huge turkey would flip out of that since both of us would have trouble handling the pan with a turkey in it. I also got a coffee scoop since I like to have a scoop of some sort in the flour and sugar. I had bunches of them, but they are in the dump! Even a small plastic coffee-type scoop is good to use.

I did get Tootsie Rolls to pull out fillings! I keep it in my pocket prior to eating to soften it some. And, I forgot Vicks Vaporub for my head congestion. Two jars of Vicks is in the dump.

After ruining my stick-on light switch when it fell off the brick next to the front door and landed in water, tonight I bought a 4-pack of the tap lights. One is for the front door and one for the laundry room. So far, Tommy is not kicking about lights or locks. I have simple needs, so far. And, I did not buy batteries for the lights! Yes, my batteries are in the dump!

Today, he finally changed the filter for the furnace. He had to lower himself to the floor and lie down flat to lift the heavy grate and place the new filter in the space. It hurt me to see the way he had to work. He would not let him help because the grate was too heavy and the filter too dusty. I doubt this will have a great affect on the dirty air blowing around, but it should help a bit.

Tomorrow, I may get up the pumpkins from the porch and throw them in the garbage can. I wish I knew someone with animals that would eat pumpkins. Tommy might hurt himself bending that far and falling off the porch. I think I feel to awful to try to decorate at all outdoors.

We are watching "A Charlie Brown Christmas". This is so much fun from 1965. Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and whole Peanuts crew were my son's favorite. He slept with a Snoopy dog. I just love Snoopy dressed as Santa and the little boy confronting him because he did not bring the right things for Christmas last year. So funny!

Another Plumber Visit, a Death, and Other Things

Tuesday, the volume of water coming from the sink in kitchen and bathroom suddenly decreased. I told Tommy and he called the plumber back. I thought it was the aerator stopped up. Of course, it could have been a water leak. Anyway, it was both aerators failing at once. I could not unscrew them and Tommy didn't seem interested. So, over $200 later, we have two new aerators!

I finally got a lampshade for the lamp I brought to put next to the loveseat where I perch. Maybe I need a lampshade two inches longer. The harp shows. Maybe if I sit up, it will look better.

Speaking of lamps, when the light in the ceiling in his bedroom blew out shortly after I arrived here, he went into another room to get a lamp. It was one of my lamps! When I was recovering lampshades and selling them to antique shops, I had about 20+ extra lamps in the basement and sewing room. One day when he was at my house putting the mower back in the basement, he came in and asked me if he could have/borrow one of the lamps as his had died. He either took two lamps at once or took one, needed another and took a second one. Either way, I was shocked when he brought out 'my" two lamps. So, I am using a familiar lamp. It is not one I would choose to use, but it is not bad.

He is annoyed I bought Fire Ant Bait since everyone in this neighborhood has fire ants and cannot get rid of them since they just move elsewhere. Yes, they do since fire ant killer just kills the ones who get into it. Amdro Bait or another bait is made to be carried back to the nest, killing all the fire ants. Fire ants got on my leg up to my panties and up to my knee on the other leg. I jumped off the bank and into the ditch by the road and ran toward our house, screaming and crying. My little brother chased me down, grabbed me, got me down in the road and took his hands and scraped them off me. Fire ants bite down with mouth and sting with rear end. So, they don't just fall off. We had gone through the bushes to pick plums on our ten acres. I was the one of the four children who stood in a fire ant bed.

Now, I am terrified of any ant. Several years after this incident, Daddy told me to get in the kitchen and wash the dishes. There were dishes all over because Mama was ill. I protested because there were ants all over the dishes and counters. I cried and bawled and refused. Daddy was livid and threatened me. I told him there was nothing he could do to me that would make me get into the ants. My little brother, one year younger, came into the kitchen and killed every last ant for me. I was forever grateful. I am not afraid of snakes, but I am terrified of ants.

In a few minutes, I will be applying Amdro Bait to the yard, about two feet from the ant mound and all around it. There are about a dozen in the yard, but I will treat one today unless my back is not hurting me too much. Okay, I waited too late today.

It is only in the high 60s and maybe in 70s and the humidity is low. The skies are blue, so it is a good day....lol. When it was 62 degrees, the sun shone so hot on my bare arm that I had to use my cloth I got to cover my arms--the one that is satin-backed crepe. Shorts and tank top are still very appropriate for the weather now.

I finally asked him if I could use garbage bags in his kitchen garbage and he agreed. Before, I said there was not one waste paper basket in the house. Well, I just could not see them in the dark! He still uses a bag hung onto the living room door. Having a kitchen waste basket means I don't have to walk to the living room with trimmings from squash or sweet potatoes or tiny pieces of anything. The stack of lids and plastic containers is slowly disappearing. I wonder where?

There is another waste basket sitting on his little table in the kitchen. I have plans for it as he said "it is just sitting there" when I asked him if there was a reason it was on the table.

I hadto have the Burger King tater tots with cheese inside. But, a serving of four was $1. I loved them but will never purchase them again. Have you tried these?

Today, I heard the name of a long time friend. He was one of the victims of a triple shooting in Cullman. He was 75, former principal. Tragic and another friend gone too soon.