Commotion Friday

 Friday morning, I lay down for one hour, just to rest my back. Then, Friday afternoon, I was tired after only getting four hours sleep Thursday night. I lay down a little after 5 pm and told him to wake me at 7 pm. I fully expected to sleep. 

Well, less than an hour later, I heard a big noise. I ran out and he said he dropped what he was holding--a paper plate with the leavings of three oranges he had eaten. So, I still have not asked him what made the big noise.  I just went back to bed! 

About 30 minutes later, I heard lots of noises, seemingly coming from the kitchen. I went in there and he had knocked a coke off the refrigerator shelf and it rolled about and something else. He had all the little crates (3) of cheese and such on the counter and was sorting them. Well, I got the coke from the floor and whatever else fell. 

He had emptied and sorted the whole refrigerator! It looked really good! But, I never got a nap or any more rest. So, that leaves me now, at 9 pm, reeling from exhaustion. At least dinner was easy. 

I took two deli rolls and halved them. I had thawed leftover pizza sauce still in the jar, almost. I thawed meatballs in the microwave. I put pizza sauce on the rolls rather heavily, sliced the meatballs in three pieces each, put those on the pizza sauce and topped it with mozarella cheese, sliced, not grated. Then, it went under the broiler. A salad of Italian blend greens and tomatoes and Italian dressing topped off the meal. I only ate one half of my roll and ate the toppings off the other half.  Ah, easy dinner. There is enough pizza sauce for another meal. 

He was really helpful but I needed sleep! Of course, I am not irritated, just exhausted. I don't think he did it on purpose. 

About a month ago, I spotted  a new rake in a tree on city property. I doubt anyone was coming back for it. And, it certainly was not city property. So, I struggled and extracted it from the tree. I doubt I was stealing or I would have left it. 

The children across the street liked the Easter eggs in the tree in front of Tommy's house, as I have said. Now, I am planning what to hang in the tree for May. Maybe I will hang blue stars and red and white ribbons. If we put it up the middle of May for Memorial Day, it can last until the 4th of July. 

Saturday, we went for my two things on the list--look for the Food Truck Corner activity and see if the church is having a yard sale. Nothing was happening on the corner and the church was having a yard sale. I could barely walk, so stayed about three minutes. I found another large purse for my Pink Purse Project and only paid $1. 

I managed to wash a few more dishes and Tommy dried. The lamp I bought to illuminate the dining room a bit was finally plugged in. It took both of us. And, I finally found one of the hundreds of bulbs, 60 watt, that I bought before the production was banned. I am not sure why the old bulbs were on sale, but I purchased them cheaply,  Westinghouse, 130V. 

Now, I am going to take a nap before dinner.  Since I had no nap due to Tommy's commotion, I slept little again on Friday night.

National Napping Day

 Today is National Napping Day. However, today, Monday, I did not do my part, just rested. How about you? Did you nap today? Like me, did you skip the nap? 

Yes, my ear is causing hiccups. Touching the inside is like a trigger for hiccups! Thanks, Kim.  Thanks to my allergist. 

Sunday dinner: salad and chicken. He had chopped chicken and I had a piece of a chicken breast. I love the freezer for proteins! 

The day included a rest and a nap, as usual. I spent a lot of time just picking up and putting things where they belong. I did not finish, so that will continue. 

Tommy does a really good job keeping things organized in the refrigerator. Then, he tells me where things are that I have searched high and low to find. He also makes sure the older stuff is on top or in front. Today, he found the other package of grape tomatoes and told me he put them on top of the two new ones. How great is that kind of help? 

Tomorrow, he is going to do laundry for me, and will probably do it before I get up. So, I made sure everything is in the laundry hamper. 

Monday--laundry done. I still am off-balance. It comes and goes. Plus, I cannot get up the slope to the carport from the driveway without severe pain in my back. So, he does it. 

The rain and lack of sun has me feeling nappy, but it did not come. What did you get accomplished today? 

Frugal Outdoor Decorations, Cleaner Came Today

 One summer day about 20 years ago, I was at a yard sale in Decatur, AL. I found a hairy creature that sort of resembled a reindeer. I inquired as to the nature of the beast and the price. It was a reindeer for $1. At that price, why not?

I got it home and started looking at it. It had a plug, so I plugged it in. Under the hairy stuff were lights. When I started trying to pull the hair off, it came off easily. It appeared someone had taken a Christmas reindeer and hot glued strips of fake hair. 

When I got the stuff pulled off, I had a reindeer without antlers. When I started dating the guy before Tommy, one day during Christmas holidays his daughter came with him to my house. I gave him several wire coathangers and asked him to make antlers. He was stymied even after I explained. His 14-year-old daughter was listening and watching as I explained. Finally, I asked her if she understood how to make antlers. She assured me she did, so I told her to help him. 

I had bought a string of lights for the antlers. The deer was gold and the light strings on him were goldish or beige, not white. So, I took foil and covered every light and sprayed the whole string gold, turning it over and over in the grass until I had covered the whole wire string of lights. Plus, I sprayed the coat hanger antlers. This Christmas light spraying was a fun thing to do on a hot summer day. 

A bit later, I had them make the antlers! They put the lights I bought on the antlers and it was perfect, moving his head up and down. 

That summer I bought a six-foot tree for $3 or so at a yard sale. It was not an outdoor tree, but I put outdoor lights on it and put it outdoors with my reindeer. I put it in the side yard so it could be seen from the street and from my picture window. My whole outdoor display cost me less than $10 and I had a tree and reindeer. 

I really want a reindeer!!! The tiny ones are not right and the huge ones are not right. I want one in the mid-size, just right. 

Wednesday, I put our Christmas candy in a cheap, covered, plastic, Christmas-decorated container. I don't dare put it in a candy dish where is easily and unobtrusively gotten. 

Thursday, today, the cleaning woman is coming. So, I will have to tell you about how it goes in another post. 

Cleaner just left. It took her 3 3/4 hours to clean refrigerator and the freezer above it and the front and a bit of one side of the refrigerator. She did not clean the top because she is short, older, and has fallen. It cost $80. There are dishes with food still to be emptied and washed. 

Neither she nor I could get the shelf in that holds the crisper drawers. Tommy had to lie on the floor to get it all together! 

There is a tall kitchen garbage can full of food and bits of bottles of stuff thrown out. I would have kept some of it, but it was out of the refrigerator, so I let her toss it. I sat in the kitchen the whole time, talking to her and and saying what goes and then what goes back in and where. 

The two crispers are now in use. And, the shelf he took out 20 years ago is back inside. I may have to take it out if he cannot get milk out. I don't want him to have to lie in the floor to get his breakfast. I have three of the Dollar Tree bins like milk cartons, really small. I did not have her even look in those because it is just cheese. Yes, in all three. and cream cheese and goat cheese. 

She wanted to throw out my out-of-date cottage cheese that I know I will eat soon! She would not have like the dates on the milk and eggs. The milk had been frozen, so it was "out" of date by weeks. 

We hope she will at least come back to clean the two baths, well, 1.5 baths. And, the guys installing the installing the dishwasher want her to clean under the sink...lol. 

Do you shop yard sales for Christmas decorations or Christmas houses like I do? What have you found? 

Rearranging the Refrigerator and Inventory

I needed help so asked Tommy who was very willing. I cannot keep bending, raising up, putting things on counter or stove. So, I stayed bent the whole time and directed him where to place things. After we finished, he said he could tell I was hurting. Yep!

Remember the four small crates I bought at Dollar Tree? Well, one now holds his bag of apples and the bag of Halos. This way they are not just shoved and rolled around the refrigerator.  My red Delicious Apples are in a bag of their own and way in the back.

The second little crate holds 4 lbs. butter, two brands of cream cheese, 6 8-oz. chunks of Cheddar cheese, four slices of American cheese (his favorite cheese), and a qt baggie of grated cheese for pizza, I hope. The cheese was in all corners of the refrigerator as was butter and cream cheese.

His refrigerator was and is so nasty, I leave everything in the grocery plastic bags. The crates have solved many organization problems. I still have two more crates that may help to clean off the door. There are plastic bags of little packs of jelly and fast food condiments on the door and in the way.

Then, the maple syrup and extra cooking oil can go on the door instead of falling all around the refrigerator. And, all the baggies of fast food condiments can go in a crate in the refrigerator.

There is a whole cabbage, bag of Cole slaw mix, 8 lbs. of carrots, head of celery, one Roma tomato, and part of a Beef Steak tomato.  The two pieces of lettuce will be eaten today. As long as I have lettuce in my garden, I will not buy more lettuce. Oh, yes, 6 quarts of strawberries.

There is a gallon and a half-gallon of his milk and 6 half-gallons of mine.

Bananas and a bag or oranges are on the table. Two bags of potatoes are on the floor in the kitchen along with about 20 pounds of sweet potatoes. I have two quarts of pecans and four pounds of pistachio. And, there is garlic.

He bought a huge, expensive  package of the pre-cooked bacon about two months ago at Sam's. We have been sensible and not devoured it. So, that is huge, flimsy, and mostly goes where it can.

Remember, his refrigerator is missing the crispers, so this is difficult. They are filthy under the table. Maybe, some day, oh well. . . .  The refrigerator is filthy, too. That is why I leave things in the grocery bags and then lose stuff.

We had BLT tonight with the last of the bought lettuce. Next meal, I will use lettuce from my garden. Okay, one crate left.

I bought four little crates and have used three.  They were so worth $1 each. He paid for those and did not say a word. And, now, he is pleased with the refrigerator.  He will not have to wonder what we have or rummage around leaving it a mystery for me.

I suppose this served as a refrigerator inventory. We need to clean out the freezer as a Coke exploded in there. I can actually clean in there since it is high enough. Tommy can wipe the gunky Coke from stuff when we get it all onto the stove and counter. I do cover the stove and counter to place food on there.

I suppose I will inventory the freezer when we clean it. Plus another inventory will be taken of boxed and canned food.

Now, I know what is in the refrigerator! I have food!

Remember?

Last Fall my last post was about having no heat. I knew I needed a new 220 outlet since it had made huge black place on the outlet cover and had a burning smell. Before I left to go to Lowe's, I checked the cord to the heater. Well, the plug was melting.  I think it cost $30 for the heater plug, 220 outlet, and outlet cover.

So, I averted a crisis by not using the heat and checking the plug as well as the outlet and cover. I gave the neighbor $30. He said the amount was fine. I saved $100 by NOT using the $140 electrician.

It was cold but not unbearable since I knew exactly which day I would have heat. I did not hesitate to use the dryer or oven during these few days.

The milk in the refrigerator was not cold as usual. Several items in the freezer started to soften. Sooo, I planned to get a refrigerator. The delivery people, well, one of them was an idiot. I told them to put the refrigerator back and take the new one back to the store. It was still on the truck. I was going to pay someone with a brain to deliver the refrigerator. As it turned out, the milk once again became almost icy cold.

The only thing I can figure is that dirt on the underside of the refrigerator was loosened as they put it on the dolly. I found a large mat of dirt that looked like thick felt on the floor. The floor was clean and the filter had been cleaned. I am still not sure, but it appears that the underside of a refrigerator can become very dirty.

Who can clean the underside of the refrigerator? It rolls out to clean under the refrigerator.

When Tommy was here, I gave him a bit of milk to show him how it was barely cold. He said his milk was always that temperature. That temp is not safe.

This is only my second refrigerator since 1966. I am not ready to buy another.