Yard Sale Purchase

 Thursday was a very good day. Finally, I feel much better. We bought groceries today. Tommy made a return for me. 

We bought the largest pot of mums, tall and very full, lavender. I have a huge pot that I will fill with small pots and sit the mums in their original pot on top. It needs to be raised.

Coming from Publix, I saw a yard sale. Well, the guy was putting things out. We went back and there were two iron beds. Tommy purchased the queen-sized one for me. The guy only wanted $60! Someone will deliver it tomorrow. The design is beautiful. It is finished to look rusty, not my favorite finish. But, it can be painted. 

We stayed out until almost dark. Of course, dark comes earlier now. He suggested having KFC for me and for him Captain D's. They are next door to each other, so we shopped at both for dinner. 

I have bought my own pt equipment, small things. In addition to the three things I bought, they gave me the elastic bands for strength. I will have my own little gym soon. I suppose Tommy will use all this after his hip replacement.

Since the guy across the street was buried, his family is preparing for a yard sale tomorrow. I left a note, saying I needed a queen-sized bed frame and a bookcase. I suppose I will go over with my walker and see how long I can look, rather stand. I left the note before I found the iron bed. We may keep and use both if they even have one. 

After almost a month of no rain, we finally had a whole day of rain, almost 2.5 inches. We needed it. And, the temperatures are a little less hot and humid. How has rain and temperature been where you live?

 

Nissan Service

 Tommy took the car in early Friday morning. He asked if they could get it done by 1 pm so we could use it for an appointment. "maybe"

Someone came to get him about 5pm. He was standing in the living when I awoke and came in here about 5:15. He was dripping in sweat and cursing. It appears they did nothing to the car, did not fix horn or radiator problem, so he drove home in 98F temp. At 6 pm it feels like 105F. So, I am sure the "feels like" temperature was a bit higher an hour and a half ago. 

Why would a dealership give a car back that had nothing done to it? Tommy asked that, cursing a bit. The guy said lots of people want the car back no matter what, that they want to drive it. They did tell Tommy they had worked on it. He started the story with Friday evening. I was trying to tell him to start with Thursday morning, so he threw the phone at me, hitting my toe that is not well. He said it was my fault because I make him so mad. Well, I screamed bloody murder! That hurt and still hurts up my foot and leg. My toe is throbbing. 

I know his blood sugar was off. I can tell. His shirt was soaked and sweat was dripping from his face. But, that is no excuse for his behavior. His throwing things is a habit from childhood.

We cannot go out in this heat for groceries we need. My car is too difficult to get into for both of use. I don't feel like driving and he is dangerous in it. Nissan service is horrible!

Two hours later, he has never said he was sorry, just mopes. I am still shaking. 

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. 

A Nickel and Heat

When Tommy was in Publix this last week, he spied a nickel. Since he would be in the position to do a plank if he were to pick it up, he did not hope to get it. He said there was a little boy about 3 or 4 standing near. He told the kid about the nickel. The child picked it up and was handing it to Tommy. Tommy said, "No. That's yours." The child looked confused and then smiled. The mother smiled, too. 

I did not sleep at all Tuesday night. At about 1 pm, I went to bed, sleeping until 5 pm. Since I was famished, I had to eat before sleeping. There were 8 eggs in a carton. I boiled two and scrambled six. The idea was that I would eat three scrambled eggs today, and have the boiled ones and scrambled ones another day. 

It seemed the three scrambled eggs made me hungrier, so I ate the other three in a few minutes. I did sleep well and was no longer famished. I had left the two eggs on the stove in the hot water. Well, around 6 pm, I realized they had been in hot water and had been sitting out for about 8 hours. Finally, I made egg salad and at those two. 

I think I could live off eggs and not eat meat. However, it is not my habit to eat so many in one day. It had been a month since I had an egg. We have three dozen in the refrigerator. 

Today, I was hotter than I have been in years. We were in the car for over an hour with hot air blowing on us. We went to market, three stores for ads, and Walgreen's. The ac blew a bit of cool, not cold for one or two minutes. And, it was rush hour, so not fun. At one point, we were parked in the shade and a hot breeze, but a tiny bit cooler than the car air blew into the car. It was actually not much relief for the heat, just for my mind hoping it would blow cooler outside. Still, I hate the impending cooler weather. 

I was struggling as we came home. Sweat was pouring from me. I sweat real good...lol. The rayon dress was soaked. Fighting it was the only way I got it over my head! It is soaked! I still love rayon on a hot day. My back was stinging like fire ants were covering it and biting me. I had to get my back washed off with a soapy cloth. Luckily, Dove does not need to be rinsed or wiped off. 

The ac is set on 73 and runs continuously. 

Because of my continuing problems sleeping, I decided to try melatonin again. I was taking too much out of desperation for sleep. Now, I will start low and never up it or take more during the night. 

Tommy refuses to drink water, says Pepsi is fine. Dinner--Tommy had chicken, squash, sweet potatoes. I had an egg salad sandwich and half a banana so far. Later, I will have a salad, half an apple and grapes.

In a bit, I will cook two packs of chicken tenderloins and potatoes. Plus, I will make slaw.

I just heard that the heat index was 112F when were out. 

Were you out in the heat today? 

Recipe: Garlic Herb Butter

 Tommy has always loved the garlic herb butter pat that comes with some vegetables. So, I decided to make some for him. I read the label to see what was in the butter concoction. I had no idea the measures or proportions, so I guessed. 

I was in no mood to dice garlic, so I used garlic powder. Next time, I will use both. Of course, you may put in herbs you prefer. 

Garlic Herb Butter

1/2 cup salted butter

 1/2 tsp Garlic

1/2 tsp parsley

1/2 tsp basil

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp chive

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

3 shakes black pepper

I placed all this in a bowl and mixed with a spoon, using the back of the spoon. I kept the concoction on the counter in a covered bowl. He eats it on cold bread. I would toast a roll or bread spread with the butter mix. Of course, any herb or spice can be added or eliminated.

Saturday was hard. First, I had not had enough sleep. So, what else is new. Second, it was so hot. We went to Publix for cereal bogo, a2milk, and the participate in their tasting event. Tommy kept turning down different items. I had to remind him to take it and give it to me...lol. We had a taste of ice cream I certainly loved. It was Publix ice cream, lemon and blueberry. 

We brought the milk and something else back to the house. He brought us a sandwich back to the car. I devoured my half immediately. I have no idea why I left home without eating anything! 

Then, at Lowe's no one knew anything. All I wanted was the right fertilizer for blueberries. A customer told me loudly that I needed to google that, and she started to do it. I told here the guys were my google. Eventually, I had to leave the greenhouse because it was too hot for me. I was feeling sick from the heat. A manager never came for something else I needed. I had Tommy drive close so I could get right into the car, not drive across the parking lot to him. 

Then, we changed phones to another service. The guy got my photos from this present phone. That has been holding up this change of phone service. In all this, I searched for a bicycle cable lock for the grill, tank to attached it to the house. No luck. 

We went to the house in Bessemer that has the wonderful tomatoes--$4 for two tomatoes. Great price. 

Finally, we came home and I managed to cool off. The heat was brutal. I took a nap from 6-8 pm. Of course, this is just a Southern summer, nothing more than usual. It is just my age and health, I know. I reveled in the extreme heat all my life, and now??? 

THE END

How is the heat affecting you? 

Were you out in the heat today? Even in and out of ac?

Thoughts? Do you make a similar spread? 

Death Valley and Cutting Hair

 These two topics have absolutely nothing to do with each other. 

I absolutely want to go to Death Valley to feel the record-breaking heat. Neither of us can drive that far. Tommy would fund it. I am ready to go, just need a driver. At least, there would be no humidity. Right? Have you ever been to Death Valley? Experienced heat so high? I/We would leave tomorrow. I want to take my picture by the thermometer...really, I want to experience the heat. 

Today, I managed to do one more thing on my 8-item list I made on Sunday. I cut Tommy's hair. He was worse than a two-year-old! We are laughing now, but it was bedlam earlier. But, I can no longer stomp around in frustration...lol. 

Since I am not going outside the cut his hair and no one is going to sweep hair from the kitchen floor, we worked on carpet. He got a sheet from the car and spread it out. Most of the sheet is back near his chair and not out front in a more open area to work. He assures me it will be okay. Okay, we will start.

Then, he got a towel to put around his shoulders, the thickest towel he has. Last time, he used the same towel and pulled it up around his neck where I could not see the bottom of his hair, much less get electric clippers in place to cut. AAAGH!!! He got all ready with a roll of towel around his hair. I told him to feel how his hair was covered up. So, he flipped his neck hair out like a woman or person with longer hair... but straight out. He thinks i can cut that way because his lady barber did. NOOOO!

So, this led to much screaming by both of us. He refused to use anything thinner. He swears that the barber uses a towel up close, yes, a thick, big towel. He says none of them use a drape like they use on women. I do not believe a word of this. And, he refused to just keep wearing the tshirt he was wearing. 

Then, he just threw the towel down and let the hair fall on him. Fine. So, I cut it, almost falling, almost passing out. It was easy but hard. He is fine with the length, one length all over. I put the trimmer too high on his neck and hate the way it looks but he says it is okay. Whew. He said it is too short on top. It is always too long or too short somewhere. He really likes the length of the sideburns. One time, I forgot to cut one side. I am not a professional, but I pretend to be one when I get scissors in my hand. 

Any haircut is better than him going back to his lady barber. Tommy is no way balding, just thinning hair. Yet, she makes a low part about a half inch above his ear with long hair combed up. He looks ridiculous when he makes a part, gets it wrong and he had three-inch hair hanging over his ear. He thought it looked fine and would not let me redo it. 

I asked him how it felt when I first finished. He said it was not so heavy. Then, later, he said he could "feel air blowing through my ears." His scalp and ears would burn now with no hair to protect them. 

He is in the kitchen making white sauce on his own. Usually, I get out the skillet, spatula, butter, flour, and milk, measuring it all. Today, I just sent him in. I am making a familiar casserole with new recipe I am making in my head. I just found him stirring in a skillet with a metal spoon...all this time. It is a pot that cannot take metal spoon stirring.

Both our casseroles have 1/2 cup of white sauce, 1/2 can of sodium free chicken soup, less than 1/2 cup of brown rice, onions, green beans, broccoli, dried parsley, and water. Mine will have cheese. These are two servings in each square, glass SnapLock dishes. I am using the whole package of frozen broccoli. It could be healthier, I suppose, but don't bother telling me. 

Well, he went rogue and put one of the casseroles is a glass dish with no Pam! Plus, it needed more water for the rice. So, that was sort of a redo for the one casserole that was mine. Plus, I needed to put cheese in before it was stirred. 

The reason I mixed these separately and baked in separate dishes is because he hates cheese in this and I want it.  The green beans I put in were left from two nights ago, the French Cut ones. 

He is a great help with cooking, but sometimes.....

I have never seen John Wick and I love Keanu Reeves. So, we are watching that tonight. 

Have you ever seen a large, thick bath towel in a barber shop? 

Don't they use the capes hairdressers use? 

Funeral

 Sunday night as I went to bed, I wished I could see the Queen's funeral service that would come on at 4:30 am Monday morning. I thought Tommy would not like it at all. However, he seemed not against it. So, I told him if he awoke around then, would he wake me? He said he would. I read for a long time and turned off the light. I could not sleep. So, I was surprised when he woke me. 

We watched the funeral from 4:30 until almost 11:30. During this whole time, I only had half a banana and some water. I became teary-eyed many times during the processions and all the pomp. I don't think I have ever seen so many people assembled. It seemed the world became very quiet, mankind had paused. The drum that kept time for the march was the only thing that existed. 

My burning question was why the march was sort of a sway. Even the royals, women and all, swayed as they marched or walked. I actually was a bit seasick as all mankind rocked from side to side. 

Charlotte was so cute and precious. I loved her helping George to get the bowing right. Those children certainly had a long day. It was a beautiful, dry, and sunny day. 

I know there are bad things one can say about Monday, the monarchy and such. But, this is not the time for that criticism. Someone's mother and grandmother and great-grandmother has died. 

Speaking of death, I actually cried out as I read another friend had died! The funny thing is that I had told myself I was going to call her for the last few weeks. Sometimes, we wait until it is too late. We were not close friends, but long-time friends. 

Today, it was mid-nineties, very hot. My hands were burned on the railing, on the car, and the seat belt lock! I had forgotten about such heat...lol. But, I won't wish it away. 

I had to get up too early to go with Tommy to his doctor this Tuesday morning. I took a nap before noon and another after 3 pm. We had leftovers for dinner-chicken, rice and salad. Tonight, at 9 pm, I will put two packages of breasts and a package of chicken drumsticks into the oven. There is about a pound or more of carrots ready to go into the cooking bag, too. It will be late cooking, but that is okay as there will be plenty of chicken for a couple of weeks. 

Did you watch the coverage from England? Did you notice the sway to the columns of people? Was it disconcerting to you as it was for me? 

Tommy Finally Felt It!

 I awoke hot and came into the living room at about 7 am. Then, I went back at 8 am and stayed there until 10 am, I think...lol. When I got up it was freezing in the living room, so I check the thermostat, set on 67F, I exclaimed to Tommy. 

He said when he went to the bathroom, he could feel the heat as he got to the bathroom. So, he bumped the thermostat down to 67F. When I tell him I can feel heat in the bedroom, he always poo poos it because he cannot feel it down the hall. So, he felt it! Of course, he sleeps in front of an ac vent and often in a hoodie with two blankets. 

I wish I could sleep under an ac vent! My room ac could be aimed anywhere I pleased. If I had my way, he could set the thermostat high and I would have an ac in the room with me. 

Not only can I not stand the heat, it is stifling in the bedroom.

So, at least he can feel it. Or, just now admitted it. I feel vindicated or at least hot with reason. 

The grass needs mowing, but St. Augustine Grass looks so lush and does not look so shaggy. I like the mower blade at 4 ". Weeds are the only thing that spoil its look and there are not many of those. 

I am still sick about the decision that will cost women's lives. 

Right now, my treat for lunch will be a grilled cheese sandwich. I say "treat" because I rarely have one as it is so hard to stand for that long! 

What do you have seldom, so call it a treat? Oh, I have fancier, more complicated treats, depending on the occasion. 

I will be back tomorrow night

Lunch and Dinner and Seminar and a Plant Question

 We had to leave too early for Cullman this morning to go to Aldi to get fresh grapes. So be it. 

We went to the pick-up lunch and offered to bring one to 90-yr-old friends. They said they would get their own since we could not come to their house and eat. We had other plans.

There was an event to attend with food from a food truck. But, since the event and meal was indoors, we decided not to eat since we cannot eat with masks on our faces! We took the free lunch and ate outside the venue and went in for the lecture.

Lunch was a hotdog and a hamburger, two of the largest slices of tomato and some lettuce, 6 packages of condiments--catsup, mustard, mayo, pickles (we picked off and discarded), package of chips, two cookies, one oatmeal cookies with icky white stuff inside. We drank water. 

Tommy's burger was pink inside. Mine was red-raw. It is in the oven right now with a second burger in a second plate we both got. I never cook when we go to Cullman because I am soooo tired. He gave me his tomato for lunch and the other slice of his dinner meal. So, he had hotdog and last bit of slaw for his dinner. I will have a burger, two huge tomato sliced and four huge pieces of iceberg lettuce. He is saving his other burger and my hotdog for tomorrow. 

Then, we went inside the agri-plex, a center that is all things agriculture. There was a table of free things--hardback books, sweet potato sprouts, okra seeds. I took one book and three sweet potato sprouts. We love these events. This is where we heard the professor from Auburn University speak about Alabama rivers and bought his book. 

The book I took was written by Thalasso Cruso, Making Vegetables Grow, 1975. This read will be interesting. Have you heard of this woman or read any of her books? She was on Johnny Carson Show. 

We checked on my lot and found my friend had finally mowed. My other friend, his bil, could not meet me there, so we must go back another day. sigh

At one grocery store, I bought one package of Ronco spaghetti, my favorite. Price has gone up about 25%. But, I pick up a package of spaghetti just about every week. This store had stacks of pasta. The store is small, but are never out of anything! I know they sell their food because it is a popular store. 

Before we left town, we visited the PO and delivered cans to our elderly friends to give to a mutual friend. She collects them for selling. 

My next-door neighbors put up a huge flag at the beginning of Pride Week, a Progressive Pride flag. I cannot keep up with the more than 30 different pride flags. It certainly adds color to the street along with my flowers. I saw it was a pride flag, but Tommy pointed out it was different, so I took a closer look and investigated on the internet. 

On the way home today, the car kept making a funny noise for about ten seconds and then the noise quit. I think it is cooling system. I was suffering from the heat riding in the car with ac. After getting so sick I thought I was going to throw up, and complaining of the heat and how I felt woozy and faint, I finally figured out Tommy did not have fan or cooling on highest it would go. And, the choice of where it came in the car was not enough to keep me cool. So, after three adjustments, I finally felt a bit better. 

I was in the bed and in my nightgown before Tommy could get in the house, and I had put the food in the refrigerator first and changed into a nightgown! I talked on the phone an hour, cooled off, got up and then went back for a nap. This was a long day, but the sun and sky was glorious. 

From now on, we will carry two bottles of water for each of us. Tommy usually says the two inches in his bottle will be enough. This week will be in high 90s, so we cannot take chances, especially Tommy. He thinks he is invincible...lol. He thinks I worry too much. 

Don't get me wrong. I love the heat and I love this weather. But, luckily I don't have to work in the heat. Plus, we have ac and we do not hesitate to crank it up. Tommy said he only watered each plant just a little bit to cut down his time outdoors. Me? I got under a quilt and wool blanket for my nap. 

Last month, I received a Better Homes and Gardens that I did not buy. Today, I received a Cosmopolitan. I wonder why. 

My long list only has one item: buy a spray bottle. Maybe I will add bake capon and sweet potatoes.

My Stella de Oro has not bloomed in a week despite watering it, deadheading, and a bit of Miracle Gro. Did it get too much fertilizer? There are swollen buds that never blossom. Does anyone know what is happening with these flowers in a pot in FULL SUN?

It is after 9 pm, and I suppose my hamburger is about done. I hope so since I am hungry.

Does your community have free lectures and events to learn? What precautions are you taking for the higher heat? 

Sleep, Dinner, Neutrogena, File Cabinet, Sugar, Heat

 It unbelievable that I slept well two nights in a row. This afternoon, I lay down because I was tired and my back hurt. I told Tommy to get me up in two hours if I went to sleep. I don't remember lying down, but I awoke feeling okay, only to discover I had slept less than thirty minutes. I lay there for another hour just to rest. 

When I lay down, all of a sudden the wind picked up and the rain was horrendous. Later, I saw little tufts of leaves were all over the yard from Tommy's huge maple in the back yard. 

I think the lack of reading has been affecting me in many ways. I am only reading about 4-10 pages since I can work through tiredness and read until dawn. Or, at least that is what I have done in the past. So, Now, I know what I have to do. I have gathered together books to spur me on.  

I made a big mistake in only getting one package of the bscb priced at $1.99/lb.! Next time, I will get at least 5 packages. 

My a2milk was 3 half-gallons for $10. Since that price goes off today, I got 6 half-gallons. The last time I bought milk at this price, it actually lasted until now. When Tommy put them away, he said I have four half-gallons from a previous shopping trip. That makes ten half-gallons! Yikes. I need to drink milk and lots of it. Since I was ill, I did not drink much milk. But, this brand lasts two or three weeks past its best buy date. 

We are having baked chicken tonight. Tommy will have the rest of the bell peppers/onions/zucchini I made last night and the leftover English peas. I will have a salad of diced tomatoes/basil/feta cheese with a drizzle of dressing. This means all leftovers will be finished. I don't count the salad greens or blueberries as leftovers. There is nothing cooked, prepared, or mixed to be eaten. Okay, I figured out we have another small helping of potatoes and green peas. So, there is that. 

The baked chicken will last for three more days but I will have to prepare vegetables. I have two pounds of carrots, tomatoes, and frozen vegetables. I have spent all my allotted grocery money, but if a really good deal comes along between now and next Monday, I will break down and buy. There are enough fresh vegetables and fruit and frozen vegetables. We won't suffer for balanced meals. 

Tuesday was spent in cleaning up a mess of papers and other stuff. It wore me out and looks no better as it seems the mess just was moved to another place! I need a file cabinet, so searching for that on Wednesday. In my file cabinet I used one drawer for office supplies. I did have things organized on a six-foot table where my computer and printer were located, but moved them to the file cabinet when I had a laptop and smaller printer. Here, with no drawers or closets to call my own, things are just stacked out in the open....sigh. 

Did you have any of the Neutrogena sunscreen that had benzene it it? There is a recall.  I have two containers to turn in for a refund. 

All these hummingbirds are certainly sucking up the nectar! I have had a wide-mouth quart jar full of sugar for ages. Now, I am going to have to buy more sugar. I use about a teaspoon every two days or so, and now I am using it by the half-cup. I need more feeders and really cannot afford more! 

Today, the temperature in the shade felt like 103 according to the weather man. That is hot. How hot is it at your town?

4th of July

 I "only" had four things to do and it almost killed me. Nothing seemed to go right. 

Saturday night, I cut up the hotdogs and put canned baked beans and hotdogs in a glass dish. Sunday morning, I baked the brownies and let them cool in the pan. I painted toe nails after feet were clean...lol. I wet my hair and put shampoo on a small section and remembered I decided my hair needed color, so I rinsed it off and just let it dry. I cut the brownies and put them on a blue plate with white stars. Then, I was too late putting on the color. I was going to use a curling iron, so I just went crazy with the hair dryer after I combed out the tangles. 

I got really frazzled! Tommy tried to help. Every time I asked him to find something, he brought it to me in the bedroom. I just wanted to make sure I had it--like my makeup bag I carry in the big blue bag we carry to the car, the Vaseline I needed for my ashy arms, and my camera that was not in my purse anymore. 

Well, then I could not find the curling iron and I had this wild covid cut that needed cutting again. So, that is how I arrived, looking like a wild woman. I put nail polish on at stop lights once we got near UAB and stoplights. I was so exhausted.

Instructions were--ring the bell at the gate and someone will come out and open the door in the gate. Okay, the whole place was surrounded by wrought iron fence about eight feet high. We were on a street four lanes wide. Everything in sight was asphalt or concrete or bricks. A few pieces of grass did nothing to mitigate the heat. We rang and rang and rang and rang again. I called two friends I knew were there. After 30 minutes of standing in the heat and sweltering 3 pm sun, I could feel my scalp sweating and the sweat running toward my forehead. UGH 

Finally, a very nice woman just walking by told us how to get it and it was not at the gate with the button we were supposed to push! So, we got in the gate and had no idea where was a habitation. This looked all commercial. It was wonderful to finally get indoors and get a glass of unsweetened tea. 

There was an abundance of food including baked beans with brisket or something in them. It sounded better than mine. The brownies were the only chocolate and very popular. So, we brought home most of the beans and franks. I will freeze enough for a meal for Tommy. 

I am not a baked bean fan, although these were pretty good. I read the can and found out they were made with Navy beans which I love. So, I tasted them.  I hate all the other beans used in baked beans. So, if I can get past all the carbs, maybe I will taste a bit of these baked beans. I know I was going to make the baked beans myself, but the can worked. 

My friend's "house" was full of art all over walls, covered to the ceiling. Even the tables were art. I went into her husbands "garage." It seems he used to fix cars and now he fixes watches. He had a couple of thousand square feet of art in his part of the house. It is not garage dirty, very clean and full of art. He called it a garage, but it was not very garage-y. My friend is an attorney--mitigation specialist. They lived in Vestavia until his kids graduated and then moved to his business. They eliminated a mortgage. They are so smart. Vestavia Hills is a very ritzy place to live, but money saved is better. 

We finally got into the house about 4 pm and left at 6 pm, plenty long for me after being exhausted by heat radiating off everything around. By the time we arrived home, I was ready to lie down. I did and might have gone to sleep except the fireworks started, the noisy ones that are not pretty.

Okay, after an hour I got up, no sleep, no nap. We are listening/watching the Boston Pops and seeing fireworks from the park behind the houses across the street. This was a tame 4th with about 20 people. Quiet.

I love the heat, but too much sun drains me as I have grown older. Does sun drain you? How was your 4th of July? 

Yes, I am posting twice today.

Accomplished

 I think I slept until 11 am today, and I am sure I could have slept longer. But, I got up with a mission in mind--hummingbird feeder. It is done the hard way. 

Ordering it on Amazon was so easy, but they sent it to the wrong station so I cancelled. Today, we spent 4 hours buying one. 

First, we went to the Most Hated Big Box. I found the feeder but not an ant moat. Tommy stood in line and made three returns for me, so that is almost $30 back in my pocket. When he saw the hummingbird feeder he seemed very please and picked it up to look at it. 

I went off to find Miracle Whip. I found store brand Cheerios for Tommy, a small package of sugar-free candy-Werther's. I also bought a hand towel. Don't ask. 

Then, I went to Lowe's to see what kind of what kind of feeder was there, My plan is to use a shepherd's crook to hang the hummingbird feeder. I also needed some wire for another project. I looked for wave petunias but they had none. 

Sooo, the electric cart quit before I even got started. I managed to corral a guy to push me...lol. This has always been the idea of Lowe's, so I asked someone. I bought another hummingbird feeder so I can take the one back that I don't want.  Then, life became very difficult when I wanted wire. They wanted me to buy insulated stuff and buy it from a roll, having it cut. They swore they have never seen a little roll of wire on cardboard with the clear bubble enclosing the wire! And, they mocked me for even thinking anything like that existed. 

So, I left with my shepherd's crook with two hanging places and another hummingbird feeder. All this took four hours! We were exhausted. 

I took an hour and a half nap and awoke to heat chicken and some cooked zucchini for Tommy, plus he had uncooked baby carrots. I just ate two bites of his chicken and zucchini. He loved the zucchini from Ruby Tuesday, so I cook it for him. There was no garlic that I could find, so I put onion flakes in the zucchini that I cooked last night for today's dinner. 

And, I forgot to buy loppers! And, it was so hot today. I love the heat, but inside Lowe' s garden center and in full sun is not fun. 

Tonight, I really am going to get the hummingbird's nectar ready to get this all up tomorrow. I think Tommy will love it. I may have to change the nectar every afternoon since the front yard is sooo hot here. 

All in all, Wednesday was a happy day due to bringing home the hummingbird feeders and something on which to hang them. 

Have you ever seen wire in a bubble pack? They swear it does not exist. Have you spent an inordinate amount of time for a small chore that left you exhausted and disgusted? 

Watermelon with Mustard on It

 The ribs were better on Wednesday than on Memorial Day. The sauce sort of slid off. But, on Wednesday I used a different sauce that stuck, soaked in for better taste when I recooked the ribs. So, they are gone. I had corn on the cob and Tommy had coc and peas. I got those ribs all over me! 

Somehow, somewhere, I got the idea we were having a streak of 90F+ days. It has been anything but. I must have remembered that from last week. It is in 70s and 80s and mostly damp. The temps are okay but I can do without the rain. Yes, I know we need it. 

Thursday night, we are having a salad with tomatoes, carrots, Romaine, celery, and other things in it. I will cook turkey tenders to go on the salad or just to eat with the salad. 

UPDATE: I put the very thin pieces of tender is a skillet on the stove. A few minutes later I came back and there were no tenders! I stirred and stirred and poked and found nothing but liquid. What on earth could have happened to the turkey??? I opened a large can, 10 ounces of turkey breast and put that in each salad. There are 9 g of protein in the can, so we each had 4.5 g protein, plus I had protein from the cheese. Good enough. But, can you imagine what happened to the turkey tenders? I baked half of them last week, froze these. 

Did you see Hoda and Jenna trying watermelon with mustard on it on the Today Third Hour? They both said it was delicious and kept eating it. We are going to try that. The experiment won't waste much if we hate it. The watermelon chunks did not look good, so we skipped that for today. Tomorrow, I will go early when the choices of watermelon are better.

So, are you going to try watermelon with mustard on it? 

Cancel the Insurance and See What Happens

 I canceled my dental insurance since it was worthless and the next day, I got a terrific toothache, the kind that is here to stay. That's okay about the insurance, though. 

This insurance was $38/month. Then, I was supposed to let them know if I wanted the $42 insurance with better benefits. I could not find the papers after my house was gone, so I called. The guy told me I could not renew or get better benefits until they had it in writing. He was so rude. He left me with the impression if I did not get in touch with them in writing, they could not cover me. 

Well, I canceled the cleaning at my dentist just before this conversation. So, I assumed I was not covered after talking to him. Since all the covid mess, I did not want to take my mask off. Then, I had to cancel the next one due to coughing so much and sneezing. The dental office was probably glad I canceled. Then, the next one I scheduled, I had a fever.  So, for several months I made a lot of appointments and canceled. 

Finally, two weeks ago, I think, I had my teeth cleaned and learned I was still covered at the $42 rate. I was furious. For 14 months I had paid $42/month and never used it, paying $588 and got nothing! After having my teeth cleaned and paying nothing, I then canceled. 

The next day, I was hurting. But, I am not sorry I canceled the dental insurance. 

We have not used the heat at all except to take the chill off of the air for thirty minutes and turn it back off. Last night, the thermostat read 61F at 2:30 am, so Tommy turned the heat to 63F because his face was freezing. I just pull the cover over my head! 

Today, I had a doctor appointment out of town. When I awoke, I was so happy I was going to be gone and have other things to think about besides the voting today. It helped to keep me from fretting. 

Now, I have to go fix something for dinner! 

How has this election day been for you?

No Sleep and Doctor Appointment

I slept two hours last night. Then, I was disturbed by a call I had to make and was returned. Tommy is going to have dinner earlier than he likes. Or, he can let it sit and reheat it...lol. It is 5:30 and he should have dinner by 6 pm.

Today, he had to go to his six-month checkup. I drove since he could not have anything. The car was so hot. We arrived ten minutes before his appointment and we sat for another 30 minutes. Then, i had to sit there for another 45 minutes. I ran the ac because it was very hot at 9 am! And, they refused to allow me to come inside to use the bathroom.

My garden is dying. Never grow food in front of solid brick house with brick porch that is about 3 ft. high and is brick, too, and where the sun sets on the front porch. Of course, the eggplant are thriving! gag.

When the mail arrived. there was a beautiful floral package. My friend from CA sent me three packages of foam rollers. Remember, the ones she sent earlier did not make it out of the house and the ones i bought fall apart! Now, I can have a bit of fluff, bend, or curl instead of stick straight hair. I love getting things in the mail.

I made a ten-minute shopping trip for two stock up items. Of course, both were chocolate. I will hide this.

Dinner tonight is pasta and canned spaghetti sauce, garlic bread, and cucumber/tomato salad.

I have Cherokee Purple tomatoes that Tommy says he will not eat. Yes, he will. He was freaked out by the yellow tomatoes and ate them.

Okay, too tired to type.

So, You Think It's Hot? Stock Up Trip

On Friday evening it was 90F at 8 pm...yes, at night. Okay, if you want to be tedious, at 7:55 the temp went down to 89F.

I waited here all Friday afternoon for the new Bringer of Oxygen. He never came, so I called the original company and told them the problems. They gave me the name of two other suppliers.

Dinner Friday night: bbq chicken breast, baked potato, cucumber/tomato with salad dressing. Tommy had watermelon. I ate my watermelon last night.  I have cucumbers that he needs to eat and I will put some in the refrigerator with vinegar. He said I slice his salad cucumbers too thick, so he gets to slice the cucumbers for his salad now! I have trouble slicing things thinly. 

Entertainment on Friday night: How Green was my Valley and The Grapes of Wrath. I have read the last.  The ending of the book is soooo different than the movie. Did you read the GOW? 

I have to go to Publix early Saturday morning since I ran out of milk tonight. Bummer! Yes, I am writing on Friday night.

Okay, it was after 2 pm before I went to the grocery. I did a bit of stocking up, too. Tommy spent over $100, and I still did not get all I need or want. 

 stock-up items

* ALL

* Northern Bath Tissue

* Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup

* Reynold's Wrap

* 4 Smucker's Natural Peanut Butter

*1 lb. Ronco Spaghetti

* 2 Betty Crocker brownie pouches

* 1 lb black beans

* 1 lb. blackeyed peas

* 2  bottles Kraft Italian salad dressing

* 1 bottle Kraft Ranch salad dressing

* 8 gallons of vinegar

non stock-up

* 4 1/2 gallons a2milk

* 1 qt strawberries

*  Swerve

2 Kellogg's Red Berries Special K

This is not all I had on my list of needed items for stocking up. I went to two stores, and decided to get more another day. The soups are for holiday dishes.  We don't eat a lot of salad dressing and both of us can switch to mayo or Miracle Whip. The vinegar is for laundry, cleaning, dish washing. The guy loading it into the vehicle asked how I used so much vinegar.  

Meat is not a problem right now. I bought the bottle of Dawn last September. So, I need more. Although they are not necessary, I do want several boxes of Suddenly Salad and Stovetop Stuffing. However, those will have to be on sale for me to buy them, I think. 

AHHH, I forgot bananas! 

This and that

I write this as I watch The Great American Light Fight because I love Christmas lights. One year, I entered the Christmas light and decorating in the town where we lived. I spent hours making elves, sewing and stuffing them and covering my son's swing set with foil, put up lights. The man who won had money and put the backside of Santa sticking out an upstairs window. So many people in town were upset I had not won. I was very disappointed with the unfairness of it all. However, I was greeted by practically everyone in town who told me how good mine was, and that I should have won.

Last week, I had to buy a set of cheap plastic measuring cups after I had bought a two-cup glass measuring cups. Do you know how difficult it is to measure 1/4 cup in a two-cup measure?

When I went to stores looking for None Such mincemeat, no one had it. Last year, I found it at Publix, but this year they said they were not going to carry it anymore. Well, I went in after Thanksgiving and accidentally found the boxes, AND on sale. Usually, the box is almost $5. It was on sale 2 for $6. YAY! Tommy cannot wait to eat mincemeat pit. I can eat pie without the crust. But, Tommy has to have the crust.

After staying in bed for almost all of three days, and Tommy wondering aloud why I am so sick and why I cannot hear, he finally bought 3 filters for his furnace. Do you think he can install them in a timely manner? No! So, I may start getting ill again.

Today, it was 72F. At 5 pm it was 70F in the house. HE thought it was stuffy, so he turned the thermostat to cool and 67F and cooled the place. Since he had the heat on 64F all day, no air was blowing all day. At least my two-hour nap was pleasant. We are paying for the nice weather in the state with predicted tornadoes. At this point, there is no rain or bad weather where I am now. However, the radar shows the storms coming closer. How is it at your house? Storms?

I have two cards to mail to my kids, one card for overseas, and one gift to wrap and mail. I have been feeling so ill that standing in line at the PO is not something I am looking forward to doing. But, tomorrow I will even though rain is predicted all day. There was not one drop of rain today, but he insisted it was going to rain, so we got nothing done.

Today, I watched The Age of Innocence, the original and the remake. I had read the book years ago, studied it at UAB, and saw the remake when it came out. So, I was very happy for a few hours. The original was not as good as the remake. That is highly unusual.

The 15 lb turkey is waiting for Tuesday night to go in the oven. I told Tommy he would have to help me since I cannot put it in the oven. That should be fun...lol. NOT But, I can freeze most of it and have the next Turkey ready/thawed to put it in the oven. I am glad I figured out that the oven heats 50F over where it is set. All the baking bags were bursting for the first time ever. The sweet potatoes really burned when the insides melted a bit and ran out. Since I oil the sweet potatoes, all the oil was burning. I thought I was leaving things in too long. It took me too long to realize it was the heat being wrong. I wrongly blamed it on me.

The last time we went to the store, I bought a string of 100 lights. I was going to put it around the kitchen window. Since Tommy has no outlets outside, I cannot put it outside. So, when we go into the kitchen, we will be greeted by Christmas lights in the window. At home I had lights around my picture window. AND, I had a small leg lamp, bought for $1 and never used. It was about 18" tall if I remember correctly.

His dinner--baked potato, two deli chicken legs I had frozen, Romaine and tomato salad.

Do you enjoy the Christmas lights?

I don't know why, but you will have to scroll down a mile to see comments.

Nothing much today

Once again, I awoke drenched because the bedroom is so hot. I walk into the living room where he is under a blanket because he is cold. Yes, the ac in living room and kitchen work just fine. It feels great. I think his closing off the ac vents in the two bedrooms on either side of me are part of the cause. I read on the internet that closing off rooms and vents will harm the unit.

Today was a busy day as far as solving a few of my problems. The telephone and computer are great tools. However, I could not hear. For some reason I keep accidentally turning down the volume on the phone. I have never had this problem except for the last few months. I have two meetings tomorrow.

The lack of humidity or the low humidity has made the 90F+ weather seem almost balmy. Since I have no sweaters or coats, I am getting nervous that a cool day will catch me lacking.

Sadly, we threw away the cans I save. There is no recycling here for cans. Publix has recycling bins for plastic bags, Styrofoam, and something else. With the cans, my huge chicken, and a sewing machine out of the back of the Rogue, we have only one small can of food left. That goes, too, tomorrow. There must be a place to recycle cans somewhere around here.

Okay, MODERN FAMILY now.

First Shopping Trip

We have gone out for this and that since I came here, buying more or less on some trips or just one thing. Today, we set out deliberately for a few things. Between the two of us, we spent $100 today. He did not know what we were buying. Before, I would tell him I needed to go buy panties or whatever and we got other needed things.

Today, I got Glad Wrap, cooking bags, two soft soaps, and stuff like that. Zucchini was at the top of my list. They must have weighed five pounds each, so I left them behind. Piggly Wiggly had two nice-sized ones, but one was starting. to shrivel at one end. The produce manager reduced both to $0.99 for the two, still a bargain. The man is deficient in so many things around here. I had him buy the kind of tp that does not come off in pieces of fuzz and lint. He buys the cheapest stuff he can find. He will still use that.

The only food I bought was zucchini, onion and tomatoes.

When I want to salt anything, I have to walk from the kitchen to the other side of the recliner in the living room, get the salt shaker, take it to the kitchen and use it, and then bring it right back. But, I don't blame him for keeping it there. I am quite sure single people with disabilities keep the salt next to where they eat. Mine rarely the stove or the cabinet next to the stove.

I had no coupons and found no specials or reduced items except for the zucchini. I have to work on that.

Tonight, I am finally cooking the thighs with onion and garlic. In a few minutes, I will put on the zucchini with garlic and heat the sweet potato for Tommy and call it dinner. The thighs will be frozen two to a bag with BBQ sauce on some. Rats! I forgot to put the dying red pepper (Bell type) in with the chicken.

It looks like high 80s and low 90s is our forecast for the next week. Personally, I cannot tell much difference from the high 90s. I love there is no rain forecast.

Someone rolled a yard nearby, and there is tp all over Tommy's yard up against his fence. I picked up trash one day--milk bottle cap, and junk like that. I suppose it flew off the garbage truck. Even though I am pretty sure the tp is clean, I will still use a plastic bag to pick it up. The whole neighborhood is littered. This event made the local news. An elderly lady thought it was foolish to make a fuss. YES!

sigh...sigh...sigh

About ten minutes before dinner was ready, Tommy went off to the kitchen pushing his rollator. He was going to eat a pb sandwich and an apple for dinner. So, dinner sits on the stove until I freeze all the chicken thighs. He does not want dinner at 5 or so, just around 7 pm. I was ten minutes late. He is so insulting and a pain. I was ten minutes late with his dinner, so he just ate something else. We will have a discussion, more like a come to Jesus meeting. I could barely stand and he knew how bad I was hurting!

I feel insulted. Am I right?

Saturday Nothings

It was 96F by Tommy's car thermometer. It really was hot out. When I bought tomatoes and greens, I let them ride up front between my feet. It seemed still too hot in the back seat.

When I asked Tommy about any Farmer's Markets, he said there was one right near his house or at lest on the path to other places. He showed me too late, so I did not get to see it. Besides, it was closed. Next time I saw it, we had other things on our minds. THEN, when I saw "oranges and bananas" listed along with fruits grown locally, I knew it was not the market for me. We go to Cullman about once a week for whatever, so I will still buy there.

I cancelled my colonoscopy in Cullman that would have been around 12 noon. When I scheduled it for Birmingham, the time to show up was 6:30 am. Boy, did I make a mistake! I hate to change it back but for another date in Cullman, but I am tempted.

At a place I frequent and spend money, they were giving tshirts with their advertisement. I asked for one, then dared to ask for one for Tommy. She gave me two tshirts and one for Tommy because, "I just want them off my shelves." . New clothes for free! We wear anything like this in yard or house. Besides, I need a new shirt for using when I color my hair.

I heated the rotisserie chicken from the foodbank for use to eat tonight. Salad with it was perfect.

I have had a huge package of frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts that I bought on sale last spring in the refrigerator, thawing. These are some I bought, knowing they would not fit in my freezer and sent home with Tommy to keep until I had room. I was just to the point I was going to have him bring them to me. Luckily, they were still here instead of at my house. Hopefully, they will be thawed by Sunday night.

Since all this happened, I am having to gather clothes for all occasions. I passed a rack with leopard print knit skirts, found my size, found it had been reduced to $7 and paid $5 for it. YAY! I rarely wore the one I had, but really wanted another. It's a size too large...sigh...so I can get the smaller size if it is still on the rack after the markdown. If not, I will just cinch in the waist a bit. Actually, it does not fit like it is too big, but I can feel the waistband moving.

I suppose if I have to buy clothes, this is the best time of the year for a sale. I buy anything I need for the next winter in the spring since I cannot stand 3/4 or long sleeves.
at one store, the clerk was nice enough to get me a chair and bring clothes to me. I will probably never get that lucky again.

Well, it is bedtime according to Tommy, so I will get out of his way.