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?

 

Sentient Towels

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Have you found money this week?

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

Don't Toss the Dead Mum...Decorate It

 On Friday I got from the freezer a package of strawberries. Digging around in the freezer the day before I had pulled out shortcakes for strawberry shortcakes. Then, on Saturday, I decided to make the Hershey's Chocolate Mousse. Then, we barely ate either which is a good thing. Well, Tommy did have the cake with ice cream on top and then half the strawberries. That was huge, but he did not go back for seconds. 

All day Saturday, I felt ill. Just before my antibiotic, I started feeling like myself. Of course, taking the med makes me feel worse!

I saw something on tiktok I am going to make. I have no idea where it was. But, you know how a spent mum looks? Well, this woman sprayed hers silver and attached ornaments, just sort of sticking there, not hanging. It was stunning. She said gold would look good. I suppose red or green or any other color spray paint would look very pretty.   With the shelves almost bare of spray paint, I do hope I can find silver spray paint. On the porch I think white flocking would be striking. But, flocking might not hold up to rain and wind.

I have a planter that must be identical to this one. Well, it is the same shape and size. 

Just now, I took a huge hen from the freezer.  I will put a couple of pounds of carrots, bell pepper, celery, and onion and the hen in a cooking bag. This will be the basis for at least a dozen meals. It is huge!!! Since I only have one onion, unless I buy more, only one onion will go into the bag with the chicken. 

In a bit, we need to go back to the freezer to find a cooked meat for tonight. There is frozen chicken and beef, but I want chicken.

I am excited about the extended life my mum will have! Are you planning your Christmas decorations yet? What are you planning? 

TMJ

 Thursday,  at 5 pm I decided that I wanted to get a mum. I am not crazy about the yellow, orange or red. I wanted a pink mum, but this looks like it will be pale pinkish purple. That will work. Friday, I will put it in my huge wire chicken. The chicken needs a coat of paint, maybe later. I forgot to get a small plant for my concrete rabbit. Hopefully, I can get a pumpkin or pumpkins this weekend.

Okay, my ear problem is TMJ, according to my diagnosis. I thought and thought about what could be the matter. Then, I read lots. 

My new nose drop has loosened up the ear congestion, and swelling, and kept the pain away. Wednesday night, when I was barely in the bed, I heard grasshoppers, thousands of them. I heard Tommy in the hall and asked him about the grasshopper sound in my bedroom. He came to my door, listened, assured me there were no grasshoppers to be heard in my room. I thought they were outside my window. Nope! However, Thursday morning I was awakened by a horn sound in my ear and a momentary rushing sound of air. Weird, but I could not get back to sleep. My ear or TMJ induced ear problems are driving me nuts. 

I now have an appointment with my oral surgeon. We will see. It is not until November, so I hope I can hold on with the tinnitus. Tinnitus has been constant for years, but it was white noise and soothing at night. Maybe it is time to stop it. 

Today, Friday is a beautiful day. The skies are so blue and the ruby-throated hummingbirds are enjoying the feeders. We do have a few things to do outdoors and one place to go. this will be a good day for doing outdoors or driving anywhere. 

Of course, I took a nap. I didn't want to get up because of the nasty crowded kitchen counters. I have about a 12" square place to mix, cut, or whatever. Dishes were in both sides of the sink and on that little space. Tommy just procrastinates about helping me with the dishes. Next time when dishes need emptying from the dishwasher, we will do it during Jeopardy, the show he will not miss. If he complains, I will tell him this will be dish time from now on if he cannot do it earlier. Okay, that would be mean, so I will warn him--now or during Jeopardy. That will get him on his feet. It took us less than 15 minutes! 

I had a meal kit--$16.99! I did not pay that. It was chicken, frozen, had asparagus, basmati rice, apricots, onions, yellow squash, harissa sauce.  I am making it my way instead of by directions. It should be good when finished. It was not thawed or cooked. I thought I should heat it, but it was raw. So, it will be good. I think the harissa sauce will be too hot, so I will use something else to season it.

I left out the harissa sauce. We tasted it and I thought it was too hot and Tommy said it did not taste good. I also left out the apricots and we ate those out of hand. I did put in the squash and onions. Leftover green beans went into the mix along with Campbell's low sodium Cream of Mushroom soup. It was delicious and eventually had enough vegetables for two servings even though this was supposed to be two servings of vegetables, too.

Since I must be out early Saturday morning, I need to dig out a sweater. I won't be needing a sweater any other day for at least the next two weeks, so it will be sleeveless tops for me. 

Have you ever had tinnitus? What did it sound like? This has been going on for years but just now got bothersome. Do you have grasshoppers, sirens, white noise. Is it bothersome?

Now, there is light!

Wednesday morning, I awoke about 10 am very tired, exhausted. I was back in the bed by 1 pm, feeling a little less exhausted. By now, 10 pm, the antibiotic and decongestant are working.

However, the vertigo is still a problem. Last week, I fell, or maybe I told about that. I did everything I could to overcome the dizziness. I almost hit the 50 inch TV then almost fell on Tommy in his recliner. I repeated that move tonight but recovered and did not fall.

Tonight, I felt like I could trust myself to replace the starter and fluorescent tube over the sink. I stood on a stool and had to use pliers to get the starter in correctly. Then, I put the bulb in wrong and corrected it. Thank goodness I have light. I washed the stainless steel sink several weeks ago, but it was filthy, not even halfway clean when I had light on it. ugh

Tommy has a new job. He dries the crockpot and the canner and lid. He very willingly does it.

When I first came here, he took all the dirty plates out of the refrigerator. He complained I used one skillet and did not wash it immediately. I told him I would wash all his dishes on the counter when I had light. I washed that skillet the next ay. Well, now I have light but a filthy sink. He uses dishpans, so that will work when I get one clean! He is not entirely lazy, just cannot manage lots of things. And, then they pile up!

I don't know what was said on Tuesday, but he said to someone, "We take care of each other." I almost cried. `

The yellow mum has no intention of blooming, so the store gave me another, saying I did not have to bring back the first. I chose pink in full bloom. Just now, Tommy took out the garbage and offered to water both mums. I took him up on that as I don't want to fall off the porch!

Tomorrow is the day I will make the taco casserole. I would do it tonight, but Tommy goes to bed by midnight.

The plastic containers from cottage cheese are disappearing daily. He has not noticed.

Today's high was 84F. I am getting a little panicky about not having a light coat and sweaters for everyday. The one I wore yesterday is not enough coverage. AND, I do not have scarves. Bare arms are better than bare neck and upper chest. I was once very ill and since then, my neck and chest need covering. I usually just wear a one layer nylon coat just to keep the wind off. Everything I have found has been too warm for my nature.

I am loving the Halloween decorations across the street. Do you have any Halloween decorations up? Do you love Halloween?

Mums

Because of lack of sleep for several nights, I slept Sunday after church for way too many hours. My body hurt like I had been beat when I finally did awake. It was worse than normal. I was extra tired.

Another victory--threw away a light. I thought it was a hand mixer, so I asked rather than picking it up. I told him that adapting it to LED would cost as much as a new flashlight. He said he had been meaning to throw it away for years. So, a few minutes later, I gathered up things in need of bagging and tossing and took it to the garbage and dropped it in. WOW! WIN for both of us.

Before I came to bed, I sprinkled borax around his stovetop. I told him to stay out of it, just so he would know. He said "Okay." Good sign. I brought two sprays, but I think this will work without polluting the air with poison.

I hate the sound machine. The white noise is too grating, not smooth. The little light that shows it is plugged in shines up through the lamp shade and onto the ceiling, making a huge light shape like a spaceship. I will order the kind I had before and return this one. Around 3 am, I switched it to "rain" sound. I was so sleepy, I went to sleep after an hour of that.

He reacted badly to my suggestion that I put my wire chicken in his yard. A week later, I took it out while he was out there and said it was taking up too much room. I put it on the ground. Another day while he was watching or present, I hoisted it onto his porch. Another day, I pushed it further onto his porch. Today, I bought a mum for less that $5 while we were out. When I put it in the chicken, I asked him how it looked. "Nice." The chicken is almost three feet long, maybe two feet, made of heavy wire and is a rusted white. His yard and porch is the most bare in the neighborhood. I lost all my Halloween decorations. Even though I had few, they were mine.

I think it has been a month since we have had rain and the humidity is low, so I will water the mums twice a day. We are still in the 90s!

Do you decorate at Halloween? How much?

Gotta go. Sleepy.