No Lock on the Pool Gate

 While the day has not caused me any angst, it has been a gloomy day. There has been no rain, but it sure looked like rain all day. My flowers have recovered the beating by the rain. 

I did a bit of decluttering, just a teeny bit, nothing to get excited about. 

Since I forgot bread yesterday, I had to be in Publix, so I bought Bob's Red Mill Super-Fine Natural Almond Flour. There is a recipe on the bag for Almond Pancakes. maybe I will try that. 

The label says there are 3 carbs in 2 Tbsp of the almond flour. 16 Tbsp per cup equals 32 cabs per cup. The two cups will be 64 carbs in the pancake recipe. Two bananas adds 27 grams of carbs each, so another 54 grams of carbs added to 64 carbs equals 118 grams of carbs in ten tiny pancakes. Oh, 2 cups of Bisquick has 336 grams of carbs. I have never made pancakes from Bisquick, but it is here. Well, Tommy won't eat these with bananas. So, just a thought not a plan. I did all the math in my head, so hopefully it is correct...lol. 

Well, Tommy went beyond upset at the thought of lower carbs and acted nasty. You would think I was forcing him to have pancakes for a meal at night. I shut that down! 

I was thinking about complaining to the city about the house next door. The carport is the receptacle of every piece of furniture that they removed from the house. It is a junkyard in there. Well, I just did not want to do it. But, obviously someone else did complain to the city. I saw a frequent truck over there today with furniture on it. Tommy said that truck with the very same furniture has been coming over there for two weeks. Well, I saw the truck leave piled high with furniture, broken and junky. I imagine the guy across the street was the person who complained since his house and this one are the only houses that can really see the junk up close, and those are the last two house. Or, maybe it was someone else on the street. I am quite sure they blame us. 

Of course, one of their dogs, the tiny one, was in our yard today. They let it out all the time. I am terrified of the two large dogs. When we drove around to the park and back, there was a little doggie play pen, the kind that is about 18 inches high in the front yard. I was a little surprised they were putting it in the front yard. Then, I saw a couple of chickens about two months old pecking around inside the little pen. Those chickens are perfectly capable of jumping out. They just need to look up. This should be interesting. I wonder if they know anything about chickens. I hope they are protected so predators don't devour them. Tommy has seen possums on this block. 

The other thing they have in their backyard is an above ground pool in a yard with a gate but no lock. And, there are five little children who live across the street and two doors down, all but one under four years old. These people are so annoying. 

They hung four huge baskets of flowers and they are all dead. They don't seem too responsible. 

Tommy is sitting here reading a newspaper that has nothing in it but Iron Bowl from 2007. I assume Auburn won over Alabama. I wonder what else is behind his chair. So, we know it has not been vacuumed back of his chair since 2007--16 years ago. sigh He wonders why he sneezes. 

Dinner--Tonight I cooked two burgers with mushrooms and cheese. I also cooked four sirloin filets wrapped in bacon. I hate two meats together, so Tommy ate my bacon. I baked them with potatoes, celery, carrots, and onion. Tommy had a filet and I had a burger. We both ate the vegetables. There are leftovers for tomorrow night. 

Have you ever had neighbors who had a pool that had access and no lock on the gate? 

Did anything exciting or earthshaking or interesting happen in your world?

I am off to get an apple to eat. I say that, but actually I only eat half an apple each time. 

Scrambling Eggs and a List

First, something to watch out for with the sound off. The woman is laughing softly. So, you are not missing anything.

 Shopping List so funny!

Monday morning, I decided to make scrambled eggs. Tommy brought me a baking tray, a large bowl and a small bowl. I managed to crack 8 eggs one at a time into the smaller bowl, checking for shells and then dumped one egg at a time into the larger bowl. In the kitchen I managed the beater just fine and strained the eggs. 

I dumped all 8 beaten and strained eggs into a skillet that was not quite warm enough to actually cook them. So, I turned the burner up and tried to stand leaning on the stove. When I was in so much pain, I felt I would fall, I called Tommy and asked him to help. My instructions were to keep stirring until the eggs started to clump up, then call me. Don't let them form a brown skim on the eggs. Well, he called me and I could smell browned scrambled eggs! I hate the taste of brown skin on my scrambled eggs. I could see it, too. 

Plus, the eggs were very dry and about the size of a small lima bean and smaller. Finally, he said, "Linda, I have never even seen anyone scramble eggs!" Unbelievable.

I spent a long time getting the brown off the eggs and put half away for Tuesday. He had very wisely removed the skillet from the hot eye! 

The plan is to scramble two eggs some day and let him watch. 

I was fussing about why he did not call me sooner, but he thought it was soon enough when he did call me.

Tuesday, we drove to the doctor's office and Tommy walked in and got me an appointment. I did not feel like arguing with the answering service. I feel so awful that I can barely keep my head up, so I am not sure what I will be like in two weeks. 

Tommy got me two bananas from Publix after the trip to get appointment. I had him get me a 16 oz. cup of chicken wild rice soup from Publix. I polished that off as a snack in the middle of the afternoon. I think it has been over a year since I had that soup. 

Tommy brought me everything to slice for soup--carrots, potatoes, onion, celery. He had peeled the carrots and potatoes for me. He put it all in the crockpot with two cups of water. He has the diced tomatoes, corn, and green beans on the counter with summer savory. It may be midnight before it is ready to eat. He still needs to brown the hamburger meat. 

So, that's my whole day...nothing much, still feverish. It is 7 pm right now, and I feel like I need to go to bed for the night. 

The neighbors have turned out to be a nightmare in more ways than the dog. I really don't care about the pool and trampoline and basketball goal and balls of all sorts all over the yard. I do mind the barking still. But, about two months ago, they put a 6' pool out by the road and regularly dump garbage in it. The pool is partially collapsed and has water and trash in it. Lynda was incensed when she saw it, "We are not going to allow this." Maybe she is going to call the city??? 

The smallest child next door was running and crying. One of the mothers was punishing him by making him run until he started crying. She promised to punish him further if he did not quit crying. That is called child abuse. 

Do you make a grocery list for your husband that is illustrated in any way or has extra instructions? 

Do you have junky neighbors? 

They still have all the junk parked in the carport from their moving in a year ago. The three cars cannot get near the carport. At Christmas, they moved a full bedroom of furniture out there. It is still there, getting rained on when the wind blows it in. I cannot imagine why they don't get rid of it. No one in this whole subdivision has junk around like this house. Lucky us--trash pile and barking dogs. 

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? 

Lazy Saturday

 It is almost 4:30 pm, and I am still sitting. I have read two newspapers, have read on the internet, and had a sandwich for lunch and graham crackers for a snack. Yes, it was lazy of me. I deserve it today.

For about four nights I have not gotten enough sleep and supplemented that with naps. Friday night, I went to bed at 1 am and slept well until 5:45, lay trying to go back to sleep until about 6:30, got up and went to the living room. I am very quiet and never disturb Tommy. Around 8:30 I went back to bed, went to sleep immediately and woke at 12:30 pm. So, I slept 9 hours and felt wonderful. 

No, I did not get things done while I felt well. I was luxuriating in feeling well. That may seem silly. But, since I rarely feel rested, it has been nice to feel normal. 

Now, there are things to do--Me--wash hair; with Tommy--empty dishwasher, load dishwasher; Tommy alone--water flowers, but milk for himself. Of course, I will make dinner using the rest of the cooked ground beef, corn on cob, slaw. 

Oops! My clothes need to be washed and dried by Tommy before we do anything. Well, they need to go into the washer first thing. I cannot believe it is now 5 pm and this is just being done. We both forgot. Oh well.

Tommy said when he went to get the mail that three children were lying on their beach towels on the driveway next door. A little girl about 8 came over and dragged our garbage can back to where it goes. She seems so nice. Those kids next door are gems. I am shocked they are all so quiet with seven people, seven dogs, and at least three or four extra people. The dogs still bark all the time, especially around 6 and 8 am! 

So, it is get the washing started, start dinner and go buy milk. 

Do you ever feel so good that you hate to do anything and make yourself inordinately tired once again? Make no mistake--my back still hurts and so does my knee. But, I have felt not achy at all and not tired, rested. 

This and That, Not Much

 This was another quiet day. Nothing much going on here. Today, I was feeling hung over from the Cymbalta. The day was beautiful with blue skies and fluffy white clouds. Finally, at 4 pm or so, I went to Publix. 

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Jimmy Dean Sausage Patties $4.49

*grape tomatoes $2

*Betty Crocker Brownie Mix $1.58

*Italian Salad bag $3

Red Delicious apples $2.12

Bananas $1.10

*Green Grapes $0.90

Yesterday, Tommy asked, "When are you going to cook more of those sausages? We have three more packages." LOL So, I will.  I like grape tomatoes and Tommy will get those for a salad, but he will not slice a tomato. This brownie mix is to make and freeze brownies. Yes, I will freeze them. Promise. But, just so you know, I can eat frozen brownies.

Bag of salad because we have no more salad mix. I love red delicious apples. Thankfully, I only wanted two because they were so expensive. Since I am not supposed to eat much fiber, I cut one in half and eat it on two days. Bananas are $0.69/lb. everywhere, even cheaper stores! No bargains at all on bananas. Since I only wanted a few grapes, I just bought a handful. Tommy has grapes, too. 

I had zucchini and squash on the list, but those will be cheaper at The Pig. Plus, generally they have really good produce. 

Oh, I did pay bills today before there was interest charged. In 2021 I have only paid interest once. And, it still hurts my heart because I gave away money. 

The woman with two young children across the street are moving tomorrow. I will miss seeing them and hearing them. 

Dinner Wednesday night: Chicken Italian Sausages, slaw, peas. Of course, I had no peas. And, no sausage, just meatballs.

Generally, produce prices have risen, so buying bogo or on sale is the only way to go. I need to freeze zucchini and squash for winter, just a couple of meals. 

How are produce pricess where you live?