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?

Sunday Easy Cooking and Plant ID

 Sunday slept over 8 hours.

Did nothing. 

Went looking for a food truck. 

I had a 9 gram carb lunch.

Made up for it when I made and ate chicken and dumplings and followed that by baked bread and butter. 

I boiled bought, frozen dumplings in broth and water, seasoned with salt, pepper, and rubbed sage. Since cooking the hen in the crockpot was done Friday and the dumplings were done. This was simple. 

The dumplings were thin and looked like pie crust. Mine are thicker, soft, and flour-y. So, I put these into flour. That way, the broth on the chicken and dumplings was white and thicker with flour. This dish tasted almost like my mother made.

I ate these by dipping cooked dumplings and broth into a bowl and then putting in the amount of chicken I wanted. So did Tommy. I suppose there is enough chicken left for 2 more meals for him. I have two more meals from the breasts. So, he had three meals, and I had four. That is 7 meals from one hen. I think he had another meal, really, so 8 meals. 

We also have a bit of meatloaf from what we thawed. It will be eaten tomorrow. That means I have to cook on Tuesday! Rats!

One of the blue pots of wildflowers is about two feet tall, maybe shorter. The flowers are tiny clusters. One day, a flower that looked like a red poppy bloomed, too, on the same stalk as the little purple clusters of flowers. Today, the wind blew off the red flower that looked like a poppy. Does anyone know what this flower can be?

The bachelor buttons should be blooming by tomorrow as they are opening and showing color. It should storm here in a bit. I just hope it blows none of my pots off the ramp or table.

How are your flowers? Hosta? Vegetables?

Calm Wednesday

 Today has been neither a good or bad day, just a blah day. That's okay with me. I don't have to have drama. Of course, winning the lottery would be fun or even having my cleaner come again. 

Like Tommy said, "We don't even know if she got back from California. 

So. we are in limbo since she never answers the phone and has no voice mail set up. Never mind.

It rained much of the day, often just a gently rain, sometimes hard, but nothing was like the torrents of yesterday. 

We did go out to the pharmacy and Publix. At the pharmacy I was given the same wrong prescription as the last three times I got it. I needed milk and an ad at Publix. 

I did have a really good experience when I talked to a friend. Her husband died last summer. One shoulder with a torn rotator cuff had four surgeries and it is still not right. She fell last year backward into the bathtub and broke several ribs. Somehow a few weeks ago, she fell on the hardwood floor. After five x-rays, she was declared whole. Well, then a week later, they found out she cracked a rib. So, she said they put bondo in the crack. It failed and they used bondo again. Whew. These are only a few of her problems. She is 86 but hanging in there. Her son quit his job and moved in with her the first time she fell after her husband died, plus she has two granddaughters, their husbands and half-grown great grandchildren to help out. For the first time ever, she has someone come in to clean. 

We had a many good laughs today, mostly talking about our health problems. It is not funny, but you have to laugh. Crying does not help. I have known her for 43 years. She is the cousin of my best friend of twenty years who died from hoarding if anyone remembers that incident. Just search for hoarding on my old blog. 

She is one of my friends with whom I laughed. We both have a self-deprecating sense of humor. And, we can allow other friends to laugh at us. 

Tonight, Tommy had a fake burger patty, rest of the slaw, baked potato and carrots. I had scrambled eggs and later an ear of corn. There are still enough leftovers for one more meal. 

Tommy has been very mellow today! 

Do you have friends that you know when they call that the call will dissolve in gales of laughter on both sides? Of course, there are serious moments, even tragic moments. But, really getting bondo in your rib is certainly funny. I really don't know if it was bondo used on cars and seriously doubt it, but that is what she called it. 

Yuck, Gag, Truly Awful

 I have not had Cream of Wheat in years. I love it but it is not something I should eat since I love it with milk, butter, and sugar. But, once in a while, I succumb to buying Cream of Wheat. 

First off, when I opened it, I realized I had bought the expensive stuff in little packets. Well, too late. When I am sitting on a cart, I cannot see high and find what I want. When the guy put his hand on it and asked if it were what I wanted, I said "yes" in order not to waste his time. Well, I wasted money.

I put a packet and the right amount of water in a bowl, microwaved it and prepared it to eat. Since I was trying to make it healthy, I did not use salt and only one spoon of sugar instead of my preferred three spoons of sugar. As I stirred it around to mix it all, I put a dab of butter, probably two teaspoons of butter. Then, before it was stirred well, I had a taste. Oh, YUCK. I needed to spit it out. Sitting in my chair, I found nothing into which to spit! Tommy could not figure out my anguish. I had put a spoon of salt into the COW and had a good portion of it in my mouth! It took me hours to get over that horror. Actually, I could have spit it into the bowl since it was all inedible, anyway. 

Why I had salt in a quart canning jar is anyone's guess. At this point, I decided I need a better labeling system! 

Today was another low-key day and nothing spent. Lynda gave us a tray of vegetables and dip. We saved the tomatoes, threw out the dip, and cooked the rest. (below)

Dinner: hamburger patty cooked in oven with onion soup mix over it, carrots, sugar peas, broccoli cooked in oven on another pan. Tommy had half a leftover oven baked potato that was cooked with chicken. This was all truly delicious. But, I should have used only a sprinkle of the onion soup mix. There are leftover baked vegetables. 

Have you ever gotten a spoon of salt in your mouth, thinking it was something else and sweet? Or, have you oversalted or seasoned and made something truly awful?

Red Stapler

 Wednesday, I wanted to go to a body shop in Cullman since I know them. It had not yet been 24 hours since Tommy had anesthesia, so I drove. It was grueling for me to get from his house to 65, a half hour trip! The sky was overcast, which was good since I did not have to deal with sun in my eyes.

Even though it was in the 50s when we left and all day long, I think, it was chilly. Tommy even thought so and wore a jacket. A storm is coming tomorrow, so I hope his tree in the back yard is secure! It would fall right on my bedroom and I cannot bear to lose all I have again! Hopefully, we won't lose all the food in the freezer, either. 

We dropped my laptop off at Office Max/Depot. Then, we got lunch at Chicken Salad Chick so we could eat at the body shop. I told Tommy we could only do this once a month. Once every three months was his response. So, I cannot wait for April. 

He drove back since his 24 hours was up. We both got a rest from driving today. Well, I never drive to Cullman. But, if he got me to the interstate, I would gladly drive. 

When we got near the body shop, I called, I thought. It was the father. The shop was closed. He told us to come back next week. When I reminded him where we lived and the tire might start scrubbing again, he told us one of the guys could fix the scrubbing. 

The guy worked on the underside of the car with us sitting in it. We mentioned eating the delicious lunch. He commented all the fast food was so expensive. Then, he said sometimes he brings his lunch. This led us to talking about cooking bags. This very young man cooks! He was reared by his grandmother and she talked to him in the kitchen about cooking and what she was doing when he was a little boy.

When she died, no one wanted her kitchen stuff, so he got it all and knows how to use it! He even uses her roasting pan and casseroles. He says cooking is relaxing. Nice guy. I told him about Reynolds Cooking Bags. He was surprised when I described the ease. Tommy volunteered how carrots and potatoes could be cooked with the chicken. "Pot roast in a bag!" was the young guy's exclamation. 

I suppose I have another convert to cooking bags.

We left and the tire was scrubbing before we got out of the parking lot. So, we went back. I asked him if he could cut off the offending part. He did so and we went on our way. 

We got the mail, collected my laptop, and bought a stapler with staples and staple remover. The guy at OM brought to the car several staplers, one was red. It seems there was a movie, Office Space, that had a guy who was enamored of his red stapler. I had never heard of the movie, and I was not spending $30 on a stapler color! I have missed having a stapler and remover since living here. Tommy likes it, too. 

We also went to Publix where I bought apples and bananas and some other things that I don't recall. When we arrived home, I was sure I would never walk normally again. 

I gave our favorite fast-food worker a generous Christmas gift. She came to the front of the store and asked us if we knew what was in the envelope Tommy handed her. She could hardly breathe. She needs it. 

After I took a short nap, Tommy washed clothes for me and I hung them to dry. We had what was in the refrigerator for dinner. 

Dinner: Tommy--chicken cutlet, frozen mixed vegetables, fresh pineapple. Me: chicken breast, slaw, last tablespoon of cranberry sauce, Romaine. All of this was leftovers except for the new container of frozen vegetables Tommy opened. I put the other half of the chicken breast into the container that held cranberry sauce so I could get rid of the huge container that had held four cooked chicken breasts. Space is at a premium in the refrigerator.

I decluttered a tiny bit, just enough to say I did...lol.

So, now we have to make an appointment to have the car repaired. This shop is good about getting things out and not letting them sit. It pays to help to know the reputation of body shops, don't you think? We know none here. 

So, that was my very exhausting day! I even got some more important phone calls done. Of course, just my luck, I received mail with fires to put out. 

Have you heard of the movie "Office Space?" Have you heard of the movie? 

Wednesday Night and Thursday

 Wednesday night, we had a different dinner. I had two pounds of fresh green beans that needed to be eaten. Plus, I had a few potatoes left and a dish of the juices of the applewood pork loin. Then, I had a meat that felt all frozen from the freezer. It was pork rib tips. I could not figure that out. But, when we were eating, I figured that is was the end pieces of a rack of ribs, little strips of meat with 1/2 inch tiny, round bones. 

So, frozen pork rib tips, green beans, potatoes went into a cooking bag along with the juices of the seasoned pork loin. It was one of the best dinners we have had in a long time. The skinny strips of meat with rib bones were the strangest cut of meat I ever saw. Have you bought or eaten this? 

I finally calmed down after finding a stranger had given my telephone number to another stranger to me and to her. And, she had posted my number on fb.

Wednesday night, Tommy started digging around in one of the spare bedrooms in order to put his crap he keeps in the floor in the living room into that room and out of the living room floor. Well, that will jumble things I know the locations. Plus, he took boxes out to throw away. Nope, those are for books. He found the box for the air fryer and got the fryer from the kitchen to put in the box. I give up! It will go on the curb for free. I spent a lot of money on it, and he broke the latch after the second use, so the door won't close. 

I tried the keto bread twice today. It is awful with pbj as the bread seems gummy and hard to chew. With cheese the bread was great. I will go back to using Smucker's  Natural pb and use half as much jelly, just a smear. I eat my potatoes almost cold in order to accommodate diabetes. 

Tommy is destroying the vac I bought for him. He will not empty the HEPA filter. He said it does not matter. Now, the huge wads of dust sit outside the filter cup. The HEPA filter serves a purpose--to keep the air exiting the vac from having particles that will bother me. I have no idea how long it will take the extra wads of dirt to kill the motor. He uses his reacher to pick up particles from the carpet, says the carpet is clean so no need to run the vacuum. Heaven help me! He did not change the furnace filter for over a year to save on filters. 

The only thing I need to buy for the tiny party is grapes and cherries. I will make the dip, put out goat cheese and crackers, make sausage balls. The rest is just arranging food. 

As I explained how he will mix sausage balls, Tommy looked appalled. He will have gloves on to squeeze sausage...lol. He did not realize how this was done. And, I would put gloves on, too. I never had rubber gloves to wear when I made these years ago.

I bought another basil plant. The leaves from the other were not as fragrant as they were when I bought it. I need to breathe the fragrance as ears and sinuses are becoming congested. 

Wednesday night, I ordered a tiny vacuum, about the size of a curling iron to get up bits, tiny particles. I hope it does what I need it to do. Surprisingly, it has a HEPA filter if I read correctly. It is very lightweight.

Wednesday night, at 7:30, the temperature was 59F, nice. 

The Christmas Party for seniors is coming up, but I think I am too tired! Last year, there were 800 seniors in attendance. 

You know I love bologna. I do and eat little. The last time I bought it, last week, the texture was off, and this was my favorite brand. I called and complained, inquiring as to the problem. As I tried to describe the texture, the guy said, "I know exactly what you mean." I asked if others had complained. "A few."  I took that terse, flat answer to mean quite a few. He said that the problem has been solved at the plant and he would give me a refund check. Okay. Good deal. 

Then, I called my favorite bakery about my favorite bread being scorched tasting. The young woman was rude, like I was lying, raising her voice. So, I raised my voice, too which hurt her feelings. I asked for her supervisor, and she had her call me back. I explained I did get loud but only after she insinuated I was lying, got loud with me, and continued her accusation over and over. Gee! Now, I will get a coupon for two loaves of bread. No, I did not go off into a lengthy maniacal rant. But, I do not suffer fools lightly! Her tone, phrasing, and voice insulted me and implied she did not believe me. The first thing I said was that I bought two loaves of bread. She then said repeatedly I only said one in the beginning. They have the conversation taped, so the supervisor can hear it all. 

That three-minute phone call turned sour quickly. I am getting coupons for bread! It was not so much getting another loaf of bread, just her yelling at me, calling me a liar, and being so obnoxious. Have you ever seen anyone argue by repeating the same phrase over and over like--I told you so, I told you so, I told you so! ??? Their intent is to drown out anything you say so that you give up and give in. ???

Tommy put the air fryer in its original box on the lawn and we left for about an hour and fifteen minutes. It was gone when we returned. I hated to give it away. I really wanted an airfryer, and it worked well but the door would not stay closed. But, it was on the counter, using real estate and not working! Plus, it was a constant disappointment and longing for me. I really want an Emeril Lagasse air fryer, but I want him too, to put food in there. 

We gave away a box of food we cannot use, won't eat, or whatever. I love dried beans, but we had too many. 

Gas is $2.62 here in Alabama. 

I took six D batteries to a battery store to recycle.

The Singer treadle machine is class model #66, quantity manufactured-- 35,000, Jan. 2, 1929. So, now we know. I wish I knew the story of the woman who bought it and all the women who sewed on it. 

Wednesday and Thursday, we watched A Christmal Carol with Jim Carrey and tonight with Patrick Stewart. I hope the one with Kelsey Grammer is shown soon. 

Thursday Dinner is leftovers--roast chicken, slaw, potatoes, green beans. 

There is not much happening here...lol. The house is rid of the clutter of six batteries, one air fryer, and 20lbs of beans. I count that a good declutter day. And, it was a sunny day in the 50s. 

How has your day gone? Do you enjoy watching different iterations of The Christmas Carol?

Saturday Recovery

 We went to bed at 12:30 after a hard day on Friday. I got up at 1:45 to get something from my table in the living room. Tommy was sound asleep, holding the remote and tv on. I spoke loudly twice and told him to turn off the tv. He acted confused, and rightly so. Then, he just closed his eyes. I hate to yell at him, so I just went back to the bedroom. Just now, he said he turned it off. 

I got up once more in the night to go to bathroom. The next time I woke was 11:15 am. I felt bruised all over. It is 8 pm and I still feel bruised all over. I had a sandwich for lunch and ate peanuts a few minutes ago. 

There are leftovers--baked chicken breast and vegetables to eat, but I made something else. Chicken in soup, rice, cheese, 12 ounce package of broccoli, and pimientos. There is still taco soup, so I will freeze the rest of that tonight. There is still the other package of chicken thawing. I will cook it and have many packages of frozen breasts for other meals. 

Tommy had to help me with this dinner, heavy help. It was also too heavy for me to try to put it in the oven. Dinner is late because I didn't realize how long it would take me. 

Today, I started decluttering by cleaning out a bin of paper. Tomorrow, Tommy will go through the paper and get my name and person information off. I usually just rip my name off and put it in something gooey and wet. He cuts it off and takes scissors and gives it a good shredding. He will do this for hours each time. I remembered the other thing I wanted to get him for his birthday--a shredder. His birthday is on Dec 9th. When I have mentioned this before, he has yelled mightily and objected. I see this paper as a detriment to decluttering paper. So, we need this. It will help with decluttering. 

Saturday, I went to visit the Tupperware lady who told me she would be there on this date. She has a tent in a parking lot and brought things to my car. 

I went into Publix to get one thing on bogo and they did not have it out. I bought $43 worth of stuff that looked good and they finally found the item in the back--$5 more. In my defense, the pork loins were a good price and delicious. I will only buy this one quart of eggnog. 

The Christmas cards for the exchange finally got stamps. I forgot where I put the Christmas stamps, so these got winter flowers in the snow. 

That's it. Nothing else was done. I am in my snuggly nightgown with pockets. Dinner will be done soon. A Christmas Story is on TV. I love this movie! I asked Tommy if he ever wanted a BB gun when he was a kid. No. However, his father did buy him a shotgun for Christmas when he was about twelve-years-old. !!! His eleven-year-old brother received a shotgun the same Christmas. They lived in the city of Birmingham! 

Dinner had an off taste, not sure why. 

When you were little did you want a BB gun or get a shotgun? 

How about your husband? 

Your brothers or sisters? 

Children? 

Do you love A Christmas Story, also? 

Sweet Potatoes and a Yard Sale

 Saturday, we went to Cullman to the Festhalle Farmer's Market. There were few vendors left when we got there about 11 am. But, my sweet potato farmer was there. His 40 lb boxes of sweet potatoes were not there, just 32 lb boxes. I got the last one. Maybe I will go out to his farm for another box. This won't be enough. 

He also had a $5 container of really tiny squash, bred for their thin skins and smaller seeds. Good. The squash I bought at the grocery store were tough as leather and had huge seeds. 

The whole day was warm and downright bright! The blue skies were so bright! I must get prescription sunglasses. I was blinded all day. The day was very warm, so I decided I should get out something summery and wore my striped outfit, the one with a floral print, too. The red t-shirt I was going to wear will be appropriate all winter long, but the summery one won't. 

We drove another 15 miles out in the country for a sandwich from the Mennonite store, Dutch Oven Bakery. We shared a sandwich that had turkey breast slices 1/2 inch thick. The slices were thin but stacked high. It was delicious and plenty. We both had a peach fried pie, hand-pie. It was awful. First of all, there was dribbled over it an icing of powdered sugar. Plus, the pastry was flaky like store bought goods. The filling was thickened, very thick, lacked peaches but had too much sugar. I never did find peaches, so quit eating. 

They sell wrapped candy by the piece. I had pecan in caramel dipped in chocolate. I chose peanut butter filling dripped in chocolate for Tommy. These went up from 3/$1 to 60 cents/each. We sat under a tree and ate in the car. We could get out and eat at a picnic table, but the wind was very rough. 

The store where I bought Double Luck green beans for $0.69 still had plenty. Five cans came home with me. I should have bought another 10 cans. 

At the PO I had a huge package, dishes I ordered from Belks at a great sale price. I hate them, so they are still in the car to return them. They are they type dishes that have the scuff marks on the pieces like they are old and scuffed. Nasty looking. 

On the way back from the bakery, I wanted to go to the orchard to get apples. But, Tommy passed it. Usually, I would have him turn around and go back. But, today, I told him we could go there next time. I had assured him he should stop at a yard sale we passed on the way out and told him not to stop. But, at the first yard sale I spotted on the way in, on the way out we did stop. 

I found books for a quarter apiece. I purchased a workbook, the kind with pages to copy for children. The activities were all early childhood lessons and the first part was reading readiness. If my back had not been hurting so, I would have shopped more. As I was digging around in my purse and came up with only three fivers, she said to just forget it. Okay. 

This is just the type book I would have bought to use at the daycare. Many of the pages were ripped out, but still stuffed into the book. Okay, I am ready to go. Oh, this table also had about a dozen tiny, blunt scissors. This sale would be great for a mother, home-school teacher, or a teacher. I didn't ask the woman what the setting of the teaching was. Now, I wish I had looked for manipulatives.

The best part of the day was getting home to a nap. Well, having a meal ready for after the nap sure helped my happiness. 

Decluttering--I found the top to one of Tommy's Tupperware canisters. He says he bought these at a five and dime. No! I also salvaged and put into the dishwasher another one of my Tupperware bowls and lid, something I sent home with food. One lid from a cheap container is in the trash. I will probably work on this box intermittently for the rest of the evening and tomorrow. Hopefully, the box is empty by Sunday night. We will have even more walking room in the kitchen when I finish. Yay for decluttering! 

We had leftovers: pork roast with bbq sauce, rest of squash and zucchini for Tommy, salad with grape tomatoes for me. 

After dinner the microwaved peach fried pie was better, sort of. At least there were peaches in this half but not many. Still, the pastry part was like a fresh glazed doughnut, not what I was hoping. It was still too sweet. And, strangely, the gelled part did not get softer when heated. 

How did your Saturday play out? What is on the agenda for Sunday? Do you like fried pies?

Great Saturday Shopping, Price Drop

 We went to the Festhalle Farmer's Market and I found homegrown tomatoes. The market only allows farmers within the county to sell their produce and products. There was everything to imagine. I found tomatoes and squash to bring home for $5 each, so $10 spent on produce. We bought apple fried pies, also known in some parts of the country as hand pies. We both wanted peach but by the time I went to the car for cash, peach was gone. So, apple fried pies were delicious. 

Tommy loves fast food. We got burgers and sat in my driveway. It was so peaceful! I offer to make a sandwich from chicken, bologna, anything he wants, but he says he wants something hot. And, I am not averse to having a Whopper with cheese, lettuce, and tomato! 

For the last year or so, I have been struggling with plastic bags that tear up before I can even put anything in them. So, I finally called customer service. The woman sent me three coupons for $4 each with an expiration date of today! So, I had to work fast, considering I only got these coupons a week ago. I bought a box using one coupon and still had to contribute $1+ tax to the purchase even using the coupon. 

Today, I decided I needed to spend the other two coupons in Cullman or go to the store once we got back home. We only want to get into the house and relax when we drive so far. So, I went into Publix and found what I wanted had been on sale. I got two boxes of bags for $7.50 and had two coupons for $4 each for a $3.50 product. I spent $0.63 for tax on two boxes of storage bags, 180 in total. I spent $0.63 cents for tax. Good deal! 

We dropped off the dozen shirts, so that is gone. 

Gas has gone down again to $3.43. 

Tommy saw a large hawk flying along with two mocking birds chasing it. Mocking birds are vicious and fearless. I have seen them terrorize cats and crows, now hawks. 

I had a nap when we got home. Tommy never wants a nap, he just does...lol. Friday night, I slept about an hour, if that, so I needed a nap. 

Tommy is out watering flowers. Next spring, we will have an irrigation system that goes from pot to pot. I saw one on someone's porch. So, they do exist. I had no idea, just wished it existed. 

Believe it or not! I put out a package of woody chicken to thaw! I am so disgusted and irritated. I will cook it, but only because it is thawing. 

Tommy spends hours using a reacher picking up bits of trash from the carpet around the house. Right now, he is putting together a cordless, stick vacuum cleaner that has a hepa filter. This won't be for the whole house and dust that has been here for about 16 years, but he can at least get up what he sees and wants to get up. In four hours the battery will be charged and I suppose he will be using it all over the house. Of course, the cleaner will use the corded, more powerful one. So, YAY for a vacuum he can use instead of a reacher. 

About the hepa filter, I need it. Regular vacuums just push out dust into the air. With almost twenty years of dust, I suffer. It would be worse having it pushed back out into the air up where I breathe. 

Tonight, for dinner I am combining stuff already cooked and leftover--half a jar of spaghetti sauce, spaghetti noodles in the refrigerator, and ground beef we cooked last night. I will probably add some zucchini to the sauce. No, I sliced zucchini and squash, he got slices of red and orange peppers, and some grape tomatoes to a huge bed of salad greens. So, he had a hearty and healthy dinner. 

Around midnight, he tried out the little stick vacuum using his walker with one hand and the vacuum with the other. After three minutes on a "clean" carpet, the dust bin was full. This was in front of his chair, in front of the front door, and toward the hall. 

Do you have a full-sized vacuum or a stick? Does the stick seem to do a really good job? 

Are you going to markets that limit vendors to farmers in your county? 

Have you ever observed a mockingbird terrorizing crows, hawks, and large birds? This happened daily at my house, but I cannot see out well here. 

Monday This and That

 The paperwhites I planted are growing every day. Forsythia are blooming all over. A pink magnolia is in full bloom. Daffodils are blooming. Spring is here and winter just won't let go!  Of course, the dandelions were only absent for about a month this winter. They have been in bloom here for weeks. ugh

Over the last three weeks when we have been in Cullman, Tommy compares gas prices. It seems they do not creep up or slowly go down in price, as is usual. There are jumps of 5 to 10 cents. Then, when we get back here, the same thing happens in one day. I don't think I have ever seen these kinds of changes in gas prices. 

My friend, L, down the street, said she heard barking, yelling, and growling as she was going to her car. She looked around and saw a dog and man rolling around in the street, getting all dirty. There was another man running away. She thought the dog was hers since it looked almost identical to hers. She was terrified and ran to see if her dog was in her yard. It was, but she thought the dog fighting a man could break down a little dog gate she has, so she put her dog inside.

Then, she tried to get in her car and the bad dog saw her. The man was yelling, telling her to hurry and get into the car. She was more terrified and could not get in before the dog came near. The man finally got the dog away from her and took it away. She said the man had a heavy chain wrapped around his arm several times.

She is of the opinion that the man beats the dog and that he raises bait dogs. The other man who ran away in fear, finally came back out in the street after the dog was on a chain. I feel very unsafe now. She also feels unsafe. A neighbor of hers who lives behind the guy said that several mean dogs are in the back yard. Every few days, guys in several cars come and take dogs away. Maybe we should carry bear spray to get into the car? 

THEN, when I told Tommy, he said a teen neighbor boy came by the house with his dog on a very large chain! I don't know what to think.

It's raining and the radar map is covered with rain, over the whole area, Mississippi to Georgia. I suppose we won't be going out today.  When I went to Verizon on Saturday, I had to leave because I became so tired. Sunday, I went back and finished getting the phone set up. Tomorrow, 3G goes away. 

There are phone calls to make, so I had better go and get those done. Plus, I have misplaced my Guaifenesin and my chest is getting more congested by the day. Plus, there is laundry to put and even though it is not even noon, I suppose I ought to think about dinner. There are no leftovers! Booo! Tommy threw out the rest of the cabbage after he ate most of it for dinner. I am not sure why he did that. He washed the pot it was in, so maybe he wanted to get the pot clean. But, I did not question him. 

Okay, I am thinking about having salmon croquettes for dinner tonight. Those call for mashed potatoes. I won't be peeling, slicing, or dicing. My hand would not survive without severe pain for days. 

What are you having for dinner on Monday night? Will it yield leftovers? Leftovers are the highlight of my life. How important are leftovers to you? Do you complain about leftovers, or do you rejoice like I do?

Quiet Day After

 Friday was quiet here, and we did not leave the house. Well, Tommy washed and dried clothes for me and got the mail. But, we went nowhere. And, it's okay. Now, I need to fold them. 

We ate leftovers and I napped. He ate leftovers and watched TV. After the news we had leftovers again. And, I wanted to watch Christmas shows--How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer, Five More Sleeps Til Christmas. Jimmy Kimmel wrote the book and was involved heavily in the movie. I won't ever watch a Hallmark Christmas story. 

Tommy helped me by handing the dirty dishes to me to load in the dishwasher. Now, he is washing out two bowls that would not fit and the knives, and cleaning the sink. He usually wipes off the stove, too. Good man.

I checked Amazon and there are no cheap green beans. I can get them cheaper at the store and on sale of some sort. I also wanted Margaret Holmes collards or kale, the kind with nothing but water and the vegetable. No luck. The Margaret Holmes items in the store are Southern Seasoned, too strong, too salty tasting, too much sodium, and too much artificial ham taste. 

It was a good day, no shopping, nothing but relief that there was no cooking to be done to get the meal we wanted. 

What did you purchase on Black Friday, online or in stores? Was it crazy busy in the stores? I will live vicariously through you. Any good bargains?

So Tired

 Azithromycin always makes me tired. The prednisone has made me hurt all over. Yet, I can only sleep about four hours every 24 hours. It takes a nap to get to four hours after two hours each night. 

I immediately became less ill after the last pill, so did not go to the doctor. I no longer believe I have covid, but I am being tested. 

Tommy is having leftovers--chopped chicken with bbq sauce, salad, green beans. I am having a can of tuna with lots of celery in it and salad. 

Tulips and Snow

 When I awoke about noon, Tommy said there was snow on the ground at 8 am but not falling. By the time I looked out, there was just a little deep in the grass around a small tree. So, I missed that. 

I put the vase of tulips near my lamp beside me, sort of under the shade. I suppose they like that light because they grew taller so that I could not scoot the lamp over. One tulip started blooming then another last night. This morning, four are in the process of blooming. Of course, I check on them every ten minutes! 

There is no bread, so I just had cheese and a diet Coke for breakfast and then banana and milk. I won't die without bread! I might make pancakes or biscuits or something bready. I need something hot. Hot chocolate?

I think every dish in the kitchen that I use is dirty. I just did not feel like washing anything as long as I had something else to use, I suppose...lol.  At any rate, they will be easy to wash with the dishwasher. 

Amazingly, the temperature is still below freezing--26F. Tommy took my laundry out and now must go out again to retrieve it. 

Yesterday, I received an email informing me that my delivery of the pedal thing was delayed. Okay. Then, about 8 pm, I received an email saying an assistive device was in the mailbox. I decided it was too late and cold to go out. 

Tommy went out about 2 pm, and there was nothing in the mailbox. So, I called and the assistive devices are somewhere according to the cs person at Amazon. They may have been stolen or be in someone's mailbox, just not ours. I really wanted those. But, I was assured that if they were not here at 7:01 pm, that they would automatically be reordered and redelivered. 

The sun is shining brilliantly, so the cold does not matter at all to me. Of course, if I had no heat or food or means of surviving, the sunshine would not thrill me. 

What yummy foods are you cooking up to keep the cold at bay and your tummy warm? I think we will have leftover roast, share the one potato left, green beans and Suddenly Salad Ranch and Bacon with grape tomatoes. Temperature at your house? 

He Is Catching On

 Written on Monday

After I had made the taco casserole that is more like soup, we had a bowl. The next day, we had another. I was trying to decide whether to freeze it or just eat it. Tommy said, "Well, it would be good to have a meal fixed and ready to eat, wouldn't it?" I was proud of him. I froze it.

About that casserole/soup--it needs to be fixed and will last more meals. I used a package of ground pork that was 1.6 pounds, enough for two recipes, really. Then, I put in a can of black beans and one of corn. That was good, but then, I put in a whole cup un uncooked brown rice. That was twice as much as the dish needed. So, I have a dish with mostly rice but beans and corn are not abundant in it. 

My plan is to thaw the meal and put half a can of corn and half a can of black beans in it and a 15 oz. can of tomatoes. That way the proportions will be right. Of course, it needs more taco seasoning and a bit more cheese. This will make another three meals for both of us, six portions. 

I will freeze the other half cans of corn and beans in the same bag and save it for the next time I prepare this for us. Maybe we will just eat them with another meal. 

Tommy seems really interested in the fixing of food. I have no delusions that he will ever do it on his own. I treat him like I would a child (not in a demeaning way) , talking to him about why I do things while he is standing still, watching. And this is not my idea for him to watch as I don't call him in. I showed him how I put holes in the cooking bags when he was in the kitchen. Hopefully, if he needed or we needed food, he could do things. 

But, if it were left to him, he would buy frozen, prepared chicken strips and prepared vegetables and heat them in the oven like he did when I met him. But, with his walker, he can barely get to the stove and sink and anything. 

Speaking of Tommy, he ate cottage cheese after swearing he hated it and would never eat it. I made a salad with cottage cheese, Jello, Cool Whip, and pineapple, the same food he had rejected loudly just two weeks before. ??? LOUDLY! I had not even made it, yet!

Monday night--I put frozen carrots in a pint bag from the freezer; five or six thawed, boneless, skinless chicken thighs; and one small potato, quartered into the oven. The carrots were on the bottom, thighs on top, and the quarters of potatoes in cracks. I sprinkled garlic, herb seasoning over all and they are baking in the oven. 

Tuesday night--leftovers. turkey breast for me and chicken thigh for him; BEPs for both; slaw; carrots.

When I awoke on Tuesday, I made three turkey sandwiches--one for my breakfast, and one each for our lunches.  So, we spent nothing for lunch on our trip to Cullman. 

We had only one-half potato each on Monday since I am trying to lose weight. He had the rest of peas in refrigerator, and I had romaine and some of the last of the turkey breast. I had four scrambled eggs at about 1 pm today. I still have not apple or banana yet, so there is still that. I am not supposed to have  much fiber, so the reason I eat little fiber. 

Half the thighs will go in the freezer for meals for him.

My Thumb, Leftovers, Dresser, Patterns

If you are eating and are squeamish, you might want to read this later.

It must have been Friday night when I sliced my thumb open, and it appears it will be okay. I thought it looked funny the other day. It does because I actually sliced it three separate times jumping when I cut it deeply. 

Later that night, I changed from a darker colored dress I was wearing around the house into a nightgown. I had two strawberry patches on my upper thigh. No, it was two huge spots of blood. Then, I wondered what was on my pink tote bag--large drips and runs of blood. There is no telling where I have spread the red stuff. If it won't come off, I will press another tote bag into service and not carry this one out. 

Tuesday night, we ate a bit of three foodstuffs--two hotdogs and a bit of chili sauce, less than a helping of a casserole of chicken and Stove Top. We halved those and had a salad with tomato and dressing. I think we had something else. At least we cleaned out containers that were in the way and did not toss food. I did put the rest of the hotdogs in the freezer. 

It is so humid here that opening the door for the last few days involved having hot, humid air slap me in the face. It was almost like running into a wall. I feel like I am being suffocated by the heavy air. LOL...summer in Alabama. 

When I came here, I looked into one of Tommy's other bedrooms he has closed off. In there was a very heavy dresser with the upright things that hold a mirror. It is dark wood and solid wood.  I was oohing and aahing over it and he said I could have it. I am so happy since I lost several case pieces.

Plus, there were about a half dozen boxes about 12"x14" that are marked "patterns." I was emptying my sewing room and wanted to put the patterns and everything into one place, so he has kept them for me. I emptied my Butterick Pattern cabinet by just taking things out and quickly packing boxes. So, nothing is sorted or tossed. I just now thought that maybe there is elastic in one of the other boxes. 

In the morning, I will look for elastic. 

Recovery

It takes a couple of days for me to recover from a busy day. So, that is what I did most of today, watched TV and used computer. Then, I took clothes to washing machine and had Tommy get them in since wet clothes hurt my back to carry so far or at all.

Dinner is leftovers almost. The patties are freshly cooked, broccoli and sweet potatoes left over. And, a halo for dessert. Tommy is really good to eat leftovers. He never complains. He dislikes wasting food.

I bought a gallon and a half gallon of vinegar several weeks ago. Now that the half-gallon is empty, I had Tommy refill it from the gallon so I can lift without so much pain the half gallon that is now in two jugs.

Then, I had him cut the top off the gallon. Voila! A pot for a plant was born!  I did that one year with about a dozen jugs and planted tulips...remember the almost daily pictures and reports of tulip doings? Well, I had him cut the jug along a line in the jug.

The day started off dreary and cold. Happily the sun came out. It is still cold but sunny! So, my spirits are still high from the sun.

It is about 8 pm and I have to serve up the heated dinner. Later, I need to wash my hair...maybe I won't. Plus, I need to hang clothes to dry.

I remember when recovery was just a good night's sleep. It takes a bit more now. How about you and your recovery?

Friday and Garden Plans

Friday night dinner was leftovers--chicken, steamed broccoli, sweet potato, and strawberries. After a busy afternoon and then a nap about 4:30 till 7 pm, it was good to have dinner done already.

Today, I had to go to a meet and greet for the research project where I get all plants, seeds, earth boxes, dirt, just everything I need to raise plants. . .all for free. Everybody gets the same products, plants, and tools.

This research projects is to measure all the benefits of raising a garden--eating more vegetables, happier, lab tests better, etc. Remember a few weeks ago i donated toenails, poop, blood, and saliva to the research project?

I do not have the information out, but one thing I have to do is keep a journal of things I do, think, and questions for my mentor. All mentors are Master Gardeners. We need to take lots of pictures and send then in.

Tommy has a tiny patio where I think I will put the earth boxes. We will see. Somehow, i have to get a seat to sit on out there. If Tommy comes out, he will have no place to sit except his walker.

I don't like to use commercial pesticides. They are supplying all sorts of plant products from a brand called Safer. Have you ever used these? Know anything about them?

A MG told me assuredly that they were organic. I assured him arsenic was organic. He assured me they would never give me arsenic. He missed the whole point.

I will have all products I need and someone to do the heavy work. So, gardening will be possible once again.

The meeting was at 1 pm, so we ate lunch before we left. They had refreshments. We both took water and various little snacks. So, we spent nothing for food out today.

A stop by Piggly Wiggly and I have bananas and chicken bouillon. I think that makes about $15 spent this week.

I meant to say that my oncologist gave the research group my name so they could contact me.

Sunday Church Breakfast and Found a Penny and Thrift Store

Saturday night I did not want to cook...period! There were two baked potatoes in the refrigerator that I baked about three days ago. A small portion of English peas were waiting since I forgot to give them to Tommy. I gave him a chicken thigh from the freezer and half of another. So, there will be another portion for dinner on Sunday night. And, I will bake sweet potatoes. Two days done! Just the way I like it...lol. It was all leftovers. Oh, and a salad.

This Sunday morning is the Birthday Breakfast for all the people who have birthdays in January. I cooked twelve eggs, six at a time. His tiny skillet will not hold more. I spilled about one egg and ate another when they were done. So, I suppose I took ten eggs. I ate them at the breakfast, too, maybe three. Someone brought eggs, but I could not eat them, ever. The white was showing all over. I had eggs three times, a raisin oatmeal cookie, a flat biscuit, and pineapple chunks. I did wait until the end to get more eggs. I suppose we had two dozen eggs scrambled for 8 people. There was other food to eat, but it was all processed little weenies in a sauce and some sort of one bite of a smoked sausage.

After I scramble my eggs with a beater, I strain them. Somehow, I spilled about one egg. I cleaned up the counter before I left. Some got on a dish towel with clean dishes on it. At any rate, I got to church before the woman who made me move from "Her place." The preacher had the flu, so his wife read Psalms 25, and we came home. YAY!

We went to return stuff. I got a new pair of pants in the place of the one with pills all over it. The jacket I kept as I would lose money getting back what they would give me. This was all sweat suit type stuff. Then, he brought me home to pee and took me back to a thrift store.

I wanted a 10x 13 casserole but, of course, none was to be had in the thrift store. I did get a very pink, floral plate perfect for a cake or cookies or whatever. I found a diamond-shaped little dish that looks like something from Japan. But, I believe it is hand-painted by an individual here and then put in a kiln here. There is a tiny flaw, but I have nail polish sitting in it instead or falling over and being shoved around.

I decided to go further into the store. I got to electronics and found nothing to resell. When I rounded the corner, I found a carrom board with the little stick. I sold these all the time thirty years ago. I can make money from the board. It still has bright paint on it, not faded, not scratched! I just don't know where I will sell it. The board has provenance in the form of where it was made and the date 1970. Maybe it is not provenance, but it is more than the ones I found years ago.

We worked the neighborhood, picking up pink bags with coupons in them. These are thrown on Monday night or Tuesday morning. Some people get them in, some throw them in the trash on Thursday night. I figure the rest are fair play. So, I got five packages of coupons and store ads. I cut out coupons I wanted, threw away the ads, and have saved the rest for my friend who used them for the food bank items. I feel very successful at couponing today.

As I cut/tore coupons, I got to thinking about the Carrom board, There are parts that go with it. I have never found any, but I was hopeful. I sat here explaining all this to Tommy and wishing aloud I could that I could go back and see if there were any. There were two pieces of tape on the board. I went into the store and looked where the board was located. Sure enough, there was a sandwich bag of parts. I took it up front and explained how I had bought the board and how the parts were separated from it. The woman told me to take them. I was trying to show her the receipt, but she believed me and did not treat me like a thief.

I looked at dishtowels that looked new. They were $1.49, too much for me to pay.

And, I found a penny! Watch out Sluggy, I am overtaking you. Tonight, we will have ham or chicken and baked sweet potatoes and salad. There should be enough ham here for three days.

Have you ever heard or seen or used a Carrom Board?