Sunday This and That

 Rats! I forgot about the Budweiser Clydesdales in four or five different places right near me this last week! I am disappointed. I remembered in time to go to Cullman, but I have something hard to do on Monday, so I let it go. 

Saturday night, I slept about 7 hours and was ready for a looong nap four hours later. Maybe I can just sleep through the winter, hibernate. Actually, a lymph node is swollen on the side of my neck. So, I will struggle to stay well.

Tommy usually disappears into the kitchen at night. Sometimes, I cannot hear him. Other times, I hear little noises. If I go in there, he may be giving himself his night shot of insulin. I don't like to go in when he is giving himself insulin because I might bump him as he turns loose his walker and stands with both hands on the needle. So, I just sit. 

Saturday night, he was in there forever and making little noises and then long stretches of silence. Finally, during the little noises, I went in. He was sorting dishes in the sink. He told me he put all the plates in the dishwasher and all the utensils! Glory be! The man is almost tame. I felt bad he did all that. Then, later, he showed me that largest of the plates we have and asked could he mix the sizes. Well, of course. But, I pointed out that putting all the same diameters together would eventually leave a bit more room in the dishwasher. I was nearer the dishwasher, so I told him I would just put it in and not to rearrange. 

When we got the dishwasher, he did not know the baskets for the utensils would come out of the dishwasher. When he figured that out, he started removing the basket and taking it to the drawer to put them in their little nooks. Will miracles never end?

Slowly, we are figuring out more items to recycle. It occurred to me that the paper recycling could hold receipts and torn up notes we have written. Now, I need to find out where to recycle other items--dark plastic med containers from prescriptions, glass dark glass med bottles, labels that have sticky on the back, etc. 

Composting is something I need to figure out, too. For twenty or so years, I threw apple cores and such into a hole in the edge of my yard. I suppose I only drew critters. No, the raccoons only came for my chickens. But, nothing went into the landfill. Then, I built a compost pile inside a cage of building blocks. Finally, the chickens arrived, and they took care of kitchen scraps. Now, I cannot get into the backyard. So, I am stuck throwing kitchen scraps into the trash. I don't know anyone here who gardens, or I would offer scraps. So, I think about this lots. 

My red Kiss is sitting on a table nearby and is very handy for keeping coins. 

The low was predicted to be 30F last night and the same for tonight. It is past time to bring in the hummingbird feeders. So, no flowers, no hummingbirds here, just as well since we cannot leave the door open. I am against cold weather. 

Sunday night, we took a quick drive to see what was already up for Christmas decorations. There was a Thanksgiving decoration-one white, huge, turkey--inflatable, and lit. 

The Christmas movie classics are back, so that is a good thing for me. I love those. 

    BESURETODRINKYOUROVALTINE

This was a pleasant low-key Sunday. How was your day? What did you do this weekend? What are your plans for the week?

Red-Letter Day

Thursday and Friday and Saturday

Thursday was a red-letter day. I had the cleaner clean out two drawers that Tommy had emptied and the guys then removed.  She put them back in. I had bought eating utensils last month and needed to buy a tray to put in the drawer for the utensils. Well, lo and behold, there was a pink utensil tray in a drawer I have never opened. Tommy washed the tray last night. So, today, I put all the utensils into the tray and into the drawer. Today was the first time that I could reach into a drawer at my elbow and get what I need instead of having to turn and walk the table and back! It was a red-letter day for me. 

When I went in to cook meat, there was only a package with two huge bscb, so that went into the oven. I told Tommy he could wait for that or have a bag of bsc thigh. He said he wanted some of the pulled pork along with the Great Northern Beans and Collards. So, that was it. The chicken will be for tomorrow and at least two more days. The breasts are huge! 

Tommy is happy because it rained today, and he does not have to water. That's good because today is the day to take the garbage to the road. He takes a step, reaches back and pulls the can to him, takes another step and pulls the garbage to himself again, over and over. I tried to help when I first came, thinking maybe the two of us could make it more easily. Well, no. My shoulders will not allow me to pull things anymore. So, he takes the garbage by himself. Sometimes, a neighbor will bring it back to the porch. 

Tonight, Thursday, I will freeze some of the beans and the collards. Tommy will love having more single helpings of food to eat. If I die, he can eat for several weeks from the freezer, maybe longer. 

I boiled eggs so maybe I will get potato salad soon--incremental potato salad...lol.  

Added benefit of having the basil to inhale--There is always a bit of the red stuff at the back of my nose. That has entirely disappeared after almost three years. Why three years? This place is filthy!

Saturday

Another benefit to basil--I have had a gum irritation that has been really painful. When I chew the basil after having smelled it, crushed it and gotten a different aroma, I chew it. The side I chew on mostly, is the side where the two areas of gum irritation are located. The basil seems to have worked to lessen and relieve completely the gum irritation. Maybe it is just my imagination. 

I had places to go, but the no tax day on school supplies keeps me out of anyplace that might be crowded today. We went back to Publix to get things I forgot and things not on shelves, all on sale. Since all these had to be refrigerated, we had to come home immediately and put them in the refrigerator. Then,

Then, we went back to a yard sale. The stack on the side of the road was disheartening as the one thing I saw as we drove away was not there. After that. we just drove around, looking at all the burned houses being renovated. That is not what we went to see, just saw so many. 

Saturday morning, I slept until 11:30 and felt wonderful. However, I was loathe to get up from my chair and do anything because I knew I would be zapped and would no longer feel so wonderful. What an excuse to do nothing, right? So, now it is 6 pm and we have to load the dishwasher. But, at least I felt great for about six hours. 

Other than loading the dishwasher I have to do other things--cut up three peppers for Tommy to eat, cook meatloaf hamburger, cut up strawberries, cut zucchini. 

In the car we have hangers to go to thrift store, plastic to go to recycling, and shirts to give to food bank. They did put clothing in a clothes closet. I told them as far as I was concerned, the workers could have them. I heard the minister, present at the food bank found a jacket to use. There are about a dozen people working, so surely they can use these shirts. We both have books to donate. I have had my books for three years; his have been here for a couple of decades. 

Twitching in the Kitchen

 But, first.....

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

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

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

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

Okay, my twitching.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Three Things You Can Do to Live Longer and Monday Evening

 THINGS YOU CAN DO TO LIVE LONGER.

Do you do any of these three things? 

On Monday night, Tommy knocked a can of WD40 off the kitchen counter. I told him to just leave it and I would pick it up since he cannot reach it and I can.  He was waiting on his plate of chicken, potatoes, and broccoli.  I finished up serving dinner. Several times, I was on the verge of going to the kitchen and did not. Tommy went into the kitchen and came back telling me the can of WD40 had leaked all over the floor. It was in a streak from one side to the other in the kitchen. He asked what to use to clean it. I suggested paper towels to soak it up, some Dawn, and then water to get up the Dawn.

I have a Swiffer thing and showed him how to put a dish cloth in the little holes, so he did. It took a while, but he got it clean. He said there is a clean streak about two feet wide across the kitchen. 

We both were sure I would have fallen if I had gone into the kitchen. He saw the "wet" place and put his walker on the other side and managed to step over the stream of WD40.

As he opened the door to put a cardboard box soaked in WD40 in the trash outside, he exclaimed, 
"It's gone!" I thought the car was stolen. Someone took the love seat. I suppose someone is going to dry it out and use it.   

I received a call that the recliners are in. So, I need to find someone to get things out of the living room before they chairs are brought in. I cannot believe it only took from Thursday to Monday to get it in stock. 

Last night, the three-foot Christmas tree was stuffed into its tiny box and is stored away. Now, I need to cover the poinsetttia and have Tommy ride it to the room on his walker where I store it and I can carry it from there. That is the end of Christmas. 

Do you make a concerted effort to do any of these three things to live longer? What other things do you make sure you include in your life to improve mental or physical health?

Yikes! I Stepped on a Hornet!

 Okay, it was a stinging insect and huge. I stepped from sink to stove to get a dirty dish and felt something under my foot. I immediately moved my foot and saw a stinging insect that looked like a hornet to me. After gasping and moving quickly, I placed the bowl on top of it, overturned, of course. 

I placed my foot on it just right, obviously, so it did not sting. The hard outer part of my foot just in front of my heel pinned it down where it could not sting. It seems injured. I replaced the bowl with a plastic jar so I can capture it and identify it. 

There has been an insect in here about a half dozen times, the same stinging kind of insect. Remember the critter who came in the house and carried potatoes and made a pile in the corner of the floor next to cabinets? Well, one person looked said there was a hole. One day, there was a camel cricket in that corner that hopped into the middle of the kitchen floor. When I tried to hit it, the cricket hopped to the corner. I never saw it again, so I suspect it escaped through the hole it came from. 

Since it is impossible for me to get down and look for the hole, I put a large hand mirror on the floor, used a strong light and searched for it while sitting on a five-gallon bucket. When I could see nothing, I took hornet spray and sprayed it for about two feet along the baseboard/toe kick. Hopefully, this will deter entry for a few days until we can get the hole located and closed. 

I washed dishes for about 20 minutes today and Tommy dried. We quit when I found the insect. Since my back was killing me, I could not finish. Hopefully, we can get the dishes finished today. 

There is a list of things to do, not all items necessarily for today.  One thing I accomplished was figuring out why a doctor visit cost has not been paid. And, it is not my fault, just a glitch at the doctor's office. So, that is one item on the list finished.

Thinking about dinner, there is chicken, tomatoes, broccoli, carrots, onions, potatoes. Now, how to combine? I suppose it will be baked on a pan in the oven. Chicken is cooked already. 

The last sting I had was a  bumble bee inside my sandal. I thought it was a stick stuck into my sandal, so I just kept walking. I cannot imagine how this did not sting me, but it was writhing around under the bowl, so I suppose I injured it. 

As a child, I was stung often by honey bees. Have you often been stung? As a child or an adult? When was the last time? Are you allergic to insect stings?