Starting This Sunday.

Because my life is so routine, I've decided to only publish once a week. So, here's what's going on in my little world.

Wind chill brought daytime temperatures below zero for several days in a row. Started out at negative four this morning. Had to put booties on Bandit for our walk. Here's our daily walk distances for the week: (last) Sunday 2.16, Monday 2.15, Tuesday 1.75, Wednesday 1.71, Thursday 1.69, Friday 1.86, and Saturday 2.34.

Sue called and we chatted for about an hour. She is still recovering from that sinus infection, but sounds a lot better. After talking with her and getting her input, I'm ripping out the sewn border on the wall hanging and hand sewing a "knife edge". Should look a lot better.

Made cat food for the ferals so they can have a bit more food during this cold snap. It's a lot less expensive than store bought.  Romeo likes it, but Tigger and Henry aren't thrilled with it.

Wayne popped by for a couple minutes yesterday. He dropped off a turkey dinner for me and picked up the mortgage and some apple crisp that I made in the morning.

Friday. Christmas Eve.

Took Bandit to the paved McDowell Community Trail by the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, so we got our two miles in today. Was a nice walk even with him stopping every few feet to sniff. At least he didn't get too muddy.

Spent the bulk of the day watching The Marvelous Mrs. Maiden on Netflix. Wasting my life away.

W stopped by to wish me a Merry Christmas and to toss another $50 at me and to tell me he loves me. *sigh*

Am tired of being depressed. Not sure what to do about it.

Thursday, 23 December.

What a cold, snowy day. It did have it's bright spots though.

Just took a Benadryl and gave Bandit one too. Mine for allergies. My left eye was starting to swell up, so I took a Benadryl last night and another this morning. Winter is barely here and already my face is showing signs of chafing. Used some hydrocortisone on my left eyelid. Seems a little better today.

Bandit got a dose because his ears itch. The cats gave him ear mites. 

Nancy was one of the bright spots. She stopped by right after I woke up from my Benadryl coma to drop off treats for Bandit and I. The house was a bit sloppy. Nothing that ten minutes didn't take care of, but I was embarrassed nonetheless.

Linda called and I stopped by her place and picked up a container of goodies. So much for the diet.

Another bright spot was an episode of Star Trek Discovery. 

Used water bottles as weights for the 15 minute workout today. Remembered to take my vitamins too. 

Gonna watch some tv while these meds take effect. 

Wednesday, 22 December.

Cold and damp out today so Bandit and I only walked 1.6 miles. The wind gusts add a bone chilling effect to the cloudy, dismal day. Pellet like snow fell most of the day although there is little accumulation right now. Simply a dusting of about a half inch.

Hard to snap myself out of this sporadic blue funk. I miss Mom. And Gran. And Debbie. And Dad. Thank God I still have the friends I made in NC. And Aunt Judy and the rest of the family.

Didn't do anything really productive today, although I did manage to get through the 15 minute Senior Workout. 

Diet is going okay. Haven't given up the late snack yet, but have switched to low calorie stuff like Jello and cool whip for the !most part.

Still not feeling great. Really tired.

Tuesday. 21 December.

Yesterday I got birthday phone calls from Aunt Judy, Aunt Barbara,Wayne, Jacob and Susie. Jake and I talked for about an hour about animals and Star Wars and life in general. That boy has the gift of gab! 

Other than that it was a quiet day. The only other thing I did was balance my checkbook. 

Started free-hand  embroidering the flowers at the junctions of the sashing. Got one completed. Will be working on that today. 

Winter Solstice is today. Now the days will start getting longer. Grass is still mostly green. Doesn't feel like Christmas time, but I have been singing and listening to Christmas music at random times for the past couple weeks.

Haven't felt all that great today. Runny nose and super tired. Fell asleep on the couch after lunch. Got up and took Bandit for a walk on the trail between Browntown  Road and Custer City. Did 1.9 miles. Now it's barely 6 p.m. and I'm ready to sleep again. Guess I'll head back and change into my jammies and take a Benadryl. Put an end to this runny nose

Monday, 20 December 2021.

Happy Birthday to me! Donated to No Feline Left Behind for my birthday. They capture feral cats, neuter or spay them and then return them to the area where they were captured. Little Bit is one of the cats they've helped. 

Yesterday I finally decided on a border pattern for the crazy quilt wall hanging. Transferred it to template plastic and painstakingly cut it out with an Xacto knife. Tried to get those pens I bought to show up on the blue inner border and gave up. Am going to have to wing it - one element at a time. Either that or figure out a different transfer method other than using the sulky. Will Google it later.

Made a pork roast yesterday because it was a cold and damp day. Sliced it up and put some of the browned part on a mixed salad drizzled with roasted red pepper Italian salad dressing. It was yummy. So yummy that I toasted a Hawaiian sandwich roll and, with a spoonful of sweet baby rays bbq sauce, had a fake pulled pork sandwich. The remaining pork will be shredded and put in the small crock pot to make real pulled pork later today.

Making beef stroganoff for dinner tonight. Probably only having orange juice for breakfast to make up for the high calorie menu. Nineteen degrees Fahrenheit outside right now with a predicted high of thirty nine. Bitterly cold. Won't be walking two miles today unless the winds die down.

Perhaps I will do some baking today. Pumpkin muffins sound good.

Just took a swig of fresh coffee and noticed Bandit grooming Romeow. What a sweet puppy. No wonder everyone loves him! Now Romeow has hopped up on the couch with me and is curled up on my feet. He makes a nice furry foot warmer. 

Spoke with grandson Jacob briefly yesterday... Their telephone has charging problems. He's such a nice young man! Respectful... Intelligent... Kind... 

Guess I'll get my day started while I wait for the portable heater to warm the bathroom so I can luxurious in a warm bathroom while I shower and dress. Nothing much to say anyway.

Day 9 double D vitamin, St. Johns Wort. Have been sleeping better, not as many trips to pee.

Friday. Day 5.

Caught myself in negative self talk for not accomplishing everything I thought I needed to do yesterday and stopped short. 

Because I really did get a lot done. Besides the ADL (activities of daily living) I grocery shopped, went to the Post Office, got vaccinated, picked up a dry goods order at Wal-Mart and cut and sewed the two inch border on the wall hanging. Mitered corners, I might add, that turned out quite well with only one rip back and resew.   

But I didn't do the Senior Workout and went off the healthy diet and over ate. What can I say? I like fluffer-nutter sandwiches.

I can't change that, but I can try to do better today. PTSD has been bad lately. Wish I could stop the flashbacks.

On today's to-do list is Laundry. At least one load of lights and darks. Vacuum and mop as well. Am going to see if Nancy wants to take the pups for a walk this afternoon as well. Bandit does better if he gets to see/sniff another dog. He must get lonely too. Might jot an outline for that kids book I've been writing in my head.

Day 6 of double vitamin D and St. John's Wort. Vitamin C and B12 added yesterday.

Thursday. Day Four.

Almost two miles walked again yesterday for the third day in a row. Three days straight of exercises as well. Still can't use the hand weights the whole 15 minutes, but getting closer.

Today's the big day: Booster Shot! 

Worked on the turtle dove ornament yesterday. Still not done. 

Cut the pink sashing for the crazy quilt wall hanging and have two of the mitered corners sewn. Of course, one of them has to be ripped out and sewn again, but it's getting closer.

This morning our walk felt rather warm. Looked at the temperature and it is 52 degrees outside. Amazingly warm for December. Very similar to what January is like in the Charlotte, NC.

Wednesday. Day Three.

Spoke with both Gretchen and Billy yesterday. 

Sent Bill $50 so he could buy propane to heat the camper he's living in now while getting his house livable. 

Gretchen got her bloodwork back and is cancer free. What a relief. 

Still haven't heard from Diana about what happened with her sister. Guess I'll text her later and see if she responds.

Finally discovered how to place the pillow at night to relieve knee pain so I could actually sleep. Still tired, so I might just unmake the bed and take a quick nap....NOT!!!

The fresh coffee is ready, so it's time to grab a cup and try to accomplish something. Felt ornament is dry; time to sew and stuff it.

Gonna relax today to give my leg/knee time to heal. Almost two miles again yesterday. We went on the path and the uneven surface really did a number on my ankles. Short walk this morning so Bandit and I will walk around the yard when I put the bird feeders back up.

Day 4 double vitamin D and St. John's Wort.

Tuesday. Day Two.

Tired this morning. Woke up at 1:30 a.m. and had a hard time getting back to sleep. Didn't want to get up when the alarm rang. 

Leg felt like it was on the mend until day 2 of doing HASfit workout. Now it's propped up on pillows with ice underneath. 

Goal today is finishing the turtle dove ornament for Aunt Judy so I can ship it out Thursday. Need to paint Lena's first Christmas ornament before then as well as addressing Christmas cards.

At some point I need to get an online Wal-Mart order ready to pick up on Thursday. Almost out of bread. Used the last of the milk this morning on breakfast  cereal. Should get a list ready for TOPS too.

Henrietta is sitting on the kitchen table looking out the window at what I've come to think of as kitty tv. Bandit is sitting on the rug near me staring at me. All the animals give me such joy and laughter. 

Third day of double vitamin D and St. John's Wort.

Monday. New Week. New Life.

The first day of the week seems an appropriate day to begin the rest of my life. Started out mostly the same, feed animals, walk dog, clean litter, gather garbage and tote it to the road, play a couple computer games on AARP. 

Then I switched it up and did fifteen minutes of senior citizen exercises on YouTube with HASfit. Was a bit shocked at how much I've let myself go. I mean, the mirror was telling a sad story, but I'm very weak. Bandit is too, do he's going on a diet and exercise regimen too.

Finally took the seam ripper to the crazy quilt wall hanging and renewed the sashing. Sewed the outer part of the frame and positioned it all on the backing fabric. Not sure I like how it looks. Might have to put a solid pink between the blue and the print to bring it all together. Next step will be a template for the sashing embroidery. 

Washed a load of clothes and will fold it when we go to bed later on. Cleaned and organized that area. Nice when things look neat.

Bandit and I just came in from our evening walk and I've changed into jammies and am lounging around the rest of the night. We walked not quite two miles today.

Supper is in the oven and NCIS is streaming tonight. Time to elevate this knee again and give it some ice.

Day two of double dose of vitamin D and St. John's Wort. Fleeting headache in the afternoon.

Sunday.

Did I mention I hurt my knee/leg the other day? It's bad enough that I've actually been putting ice on it several times a day and propping it up throughout the day. Yesterday I knew W was coming over so I stupidly ran the vacuum through the house and walked way more than I should have. Hurts to bend and straighten. It's the ligament on the inner side, probably the medial collateral ligament. Was hard to sleep last night and nothing much got done yesterday after the visit.

So... Lots of good things happened yesterday. W actually hung out here for about an hour. Was nice to visit with him even though it's a double edged sword.

Susie and Lucinda both called me to chat. Those couple of hours seemed to fly by. Also texted with Onnie. She and I are birds of a feather. It's nice to have a few kindred spirits out there.

Only one real disappointment yesterday. CBS the cable channel was featuring Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman last night. Looked forward to watching it all day. Well, there were wind storms all day and reports of power lines down throughout the region. Sure enough, the power here went out at 6 p.m. - a short two hours before the shows were set to be broadcast. I asked the cosmos to please have the power restored before they came on and made the nest of my time by reading The Shell Seekers by camp light. 

Lo and behold, at 7:45 p.m. the electricity was restored. I sent a quick thanks to the heavens and to the Penelec electricians and once the internet modem had reset, quickly tuned into the Paramount plus live stream. Got myself a snack, filled the water glass, propped up the pillows and settled back to enjoy these great Christmas shows. Promptly at 8 p.m. an announcement was shown advising subscribers that the shows were not available for streaming. 

I had to laugh. 

Found out I can purchase it on Amazon for roughly three dollars, so that's what I'm gonna do. (Imagine me giving the tv a raspberry at that point.) Making lemonade with those sour lemons.

Keeping the knee propped up is the main task today. Am grateful for the vat of soup in the fridge so I don't have to cook today.

Gonna veg out on mindless tv for a bit.

Friday Fun.

After our morning walk, Bandit and I went to the shed to grab and refill the bird feeders. Little Bit, the female feral, scooted inside the shed and wouldn't come out when I called like she usually does. I shut the door so Honey Bun couldn't get in too and continued the task of filling and hanging feeders. When that was finished, she still wouldn't come out of the shed. Poor Bandit got put back in the house and I spent a good twenty minutes trying to get her out without letting Honey Bun in. Sliced open my finger in the process.

Now I'm watching a bit of Good Morning America and sipping on my second cuppa coffee. Throbbing finger cleaned, treated with Neosporin and bandaged.

Worked on the crazy quilt wall hanging and realized I'm much better at hand sewing than machine sewing. The results weren't pretty. If I work on it at all today it will be with a seam ripper to realign one of the sashing pieces. Was sad cutting off some of the sewn elements to square up the blocks. Lesson learned though. Future crazy quilt blocks will have much wider margins. Decided to embroider the sashing after backing it with heavy duty interfacing. Will use a simple repeatable flower and leaf pattern. 

The outside temperature today will reach an incredible 47 degrees. The only must do today is a trip to the spring on Taintor Road and filling the water jugs. 

Thursday Thoughts.

Yesterday on our evening walk, Bandit noticed Mishka and Sierra running in the ball field. Naturally, we joined them. Bandit ran with the pups and I visited with their owners, Tim and Julie Myers, before heading back home.

We were a little later than normal getting back to the house. Sure enough, we rounded the corner to the back yard in time to see the deer scampering away from the bird feeders. They had emptied the larger feeder and were about halfway through the smaller one. Gathered all four feeders and popped them in the shed for safekeeping. Felt bad shooing them along when I noticed two late fawns. Those doe are going to have a rough time foraging this winter. 

Yesterday I did an inventory of the meat in the freezer. Discovered a pork roast that needs cooked. Need to add the food in the refrigerator freezer as well. Looks like I won't be starving any time soon. Lucky me seeing that the extra food stamps we've been getting for the last year ends with the new year. Then the SNAP benefits go back to the minimum $39 A month. Better than nothing!

Also made an appointment to get my COVID booster at the hospital next Thursday. Not looking forward to the side effects most folks have been reporting, but will be glad for the extra protection it provides.

So far today besides regular chores I've shoveled and swept front and back sidewalks and porches. Did a bit of deep cleaning on the back porch. Have the kitty blankets in the dryer. The ferals haven't been sleeping in the new house. Am thinking of moving it under the front porch if I can figure out what to rest it on so it's not sitting on the ground. Adjusted the air flap so it covers more area. Will see if that changes anything.

The new quilt fabric is laid across the ironing board as are the crazy quilt blocks. Time to get started on the wall hanging.

Am making homemade vegetable beef soup for dinner tonight. 

Note: Diana's sister died yesterday. 

Moving Forward.

Couldn't sleep last night, so I watched an inspirational talk on YouTube by a woman who had a Near Death Experience [NDE] titled "She Died Suddenly & Met God, What He Told Her About Energy Will Shock You". Yeah. Imagine me watching something semi-religious. Anyway, the main thrust of the talk was that you have to move forward. As long as you try, you're going to prosper. But if you sit around doing nothing you'll be wasting your life.

She also talked about the importance of forgiveness and both positive and negative things.

I guess what I'm trying to say is I'm trying so hard to forgive myself and feeling like a failure. Some days I think about how my life is so empty. Not every day, but often enough that it interferes with my life. I need to stop doing that. Beating myself up is a useless pursuit.

 

Sunday, 21 November 2021

Yesterday was busy. After talking to Susie on Friday and being told why my muffins have always been tough and heavy (over mixing), I made a batch of banana nut muffins. They were the best muffins I have ever made. I saved the recipe to Pinterest. Kept three for myself and gave the other nine to the new neighbors.

For dinner I made chicken with stuffing, instant mashed potatoes, gravy and corn. After popping the chicken in the oven, Bandit and I went for a walk on Taintor Road then filled up ten gallons of water from the spring. Gave most of it to the new neighbors next door. I feel bad that they are here on their own trying to make the house livable before bringing the family here from Arizona. Ben told me he has been trying to adopt his daughter for years and that it had just been finalized. Also found out his mom lives in Turtle Point.

Went to give the feral cats a bit of the chicken, slammed my finger in the door and cut it almost down to the bone. Sat on the couch with a paper towel pressed on it for about ten minutes to stop the bleeding. Cried so hard Bandit started howling in sympathy. Was afraid to get my finger wet, so all those dishes are waiting for me to figure out how to wash them with my left hand. Bumped it this morning and it's a number 3 on the pain scale. Probably should have gotten stitches. *sigh*

Made French vanilla coffee this morning remembering Sunday mornings with Mom. She had a way of making the ordinary special. I miss her every day.

Today I'm taking Bandit for a nice hike after we get gas at the Reservation. Not sure where we'll go just yet, but probably will end up at Marilla Reservoir. Weather channel is predicting a high of 45 so I want to take advantage of the warmth. Might even make it up to Kinzua Bridge State Park this week.

Guess I'll have some breakfast and do a few chores while I wait for CBS Sunday Morning to start. Killing time until the outside temp is tolerable. 

Toodles.

Sunday, 14 November 2021

Been lazy the last few weeks. Nothing tangible completed. Need to finish Christmas ornaments for Aunt Judy and the new baby, Lena.

Seasonal depression has set in along with the weather change to cold and rainy. Had the first big snowflakes of the year yesterday. More is expected today.

Thankfully, yesterday's snow shower stopped before I took the neighbor (Linda) to the Emergency Room. She hurt her knee somehow. The physicians assistant she saw says it's water on the knee. She sees an Orthopedic doc on Wednesday. In the meantime, I've been taking her dinner for the past week because she is in so much pain it's hard for her to get around and cook, so she's reduced to eating sandwiches. 

Realized a few days ago that mom's birthday falls on Thanksgiving this year. Judy wants me to come down there. Aunt Barbara and Uncle Tom will be there and it's probably going to be my last chance to see Aunt Barbara... She's not doing well. I suppose if it's not snowing I'll get up and drive there in the morning. Dinner won't be ready until 4p.m.. Plenty of time to get there. If I do go, I'll have to come back the next morning to take care of the feral cats.

Halloween Sunday 2021.

Sitting here feeling like crap trying to decide what to do with the rest of my life. 

I've been a hermit most of my life. Mostly because I can't seem to interact with others without making huge social errors. I beat myself up a lot about what I have said or done and how I should have done so many, many things differently. 

I keep trying to change my mindset, but it's a rough row to hoe.

Finally Friday. 29 October 2021.

Yesterday was a beautiful, sunny October day. Bandit and I packed up some lunch, needlework (for me) and milkbones (for him) and drove over to Wellsboro to visit with Lucinda. 

Lucinda had brain surgery exactly one week ago for a bleeding aneurysm. It was so good to visit with her. We cleaned up her car a bit because she's trading it in on a newer car and needed pictures for the dealership with a potential new car. I gave Randy a hand stacking firewood for the winter. He only uses about two cords of wood every winter at the big house. Incredible! Then Lucinda and I had a spot of lunch.

I think Bandit got his feelings hurt. While we were cleaning the car, he climbed into the back seat and we both shoo'd him out. Twice -- because he tried getting in the front seat too. Plus I was loving on her new kitten, Coconut and her Jack Russell, Ezra. He climbed into the car and wouldn't come out.

We headed home after I washed up the dishes. Got to Galeton and, spur of the moment, drove over to Lyman Run State Park. The spillway gate was open, so we parked the car over by the beach and walked across the bridge and far embankment. Forgot how loud the coursing water could be. Am always amazed how being in nature can calm the soul.

Speaking of which... A certain fur-baby needs to go outside, as evidenced by the huge sigh and plopping down of body on the floor outside the den. Will try to get him to hold off until the sun comes up at 7ish. It's fifty three degrees outside and that's the warmest it's going to be all day. Perfect time to cook some roast beef. Guess I'll make some stew.

Sunday, 24 October 2021.

 Last night I heard my mama singin' a song...

A couple days ago Bandit and I were stopped on the return trip of our evening jaunt by the young neighbor lady who I had gifted herbs earlier in the year. She told me that the same day I had dropped off the plants was the anniversary of her grandfather's death. She had been at the graveyard earlier in the day and returned home to find the herbs waiting alongside her driveway. She spoke of how her grandfather had always loved puttering around in his garden. When she told me that she was shocked by the lily of the valley card I had left with the plants. Turns out those were his favorite flower. 

Me being me, I kinda hemmed and hawed like a total idiot. PTSD flashback of Mom making that card, et al led to a mini-panic attack that I think I masked pretty well.

What I wanted to say was that sometimes we entertain angels unaware. Sharing her story with me was very kind. Perhaps I should drop her a note later on. Leave it with some lemon-honey and maybe a jar of jam.

This past week has been weird. I was supposed to be getting my new tires on the car, but that got postponed until this week (not holding breath). 

Monday saw me taking neighbor Linda and her dog to the vet where she was told to put the dog down...she postponed it for a day in order to say her goodbyes. 

On Thursday Lucinda came through her brain surgery fine and is back home. 

I haven't heard a peep from Gretchen about her son and have been putting off calling her because I suspect he went to be with his Lord and Savior. 

Finished that crazy quilt block and decided to stick a fork in that project. (i.e., it's done for now at least). Need to look at some quilt sashing options and decide what to do to make it into a wall hanging... Or should I incorporate it into a different quilt? Planning needs to be done. Shame I'm better at planning than acting. But I'm trying to be better about it.

After thinking about what to put on a crazy-type quilt for days, I pulled out the Sulky and printed off Day Two of mmmCrafts Twelve Days of Christmas felt ornaments - the turtle dove. Cut out two and gathered supplies to finish them off. It will give me something productive to do while I decide what quilt project I want to work on next. 

The sewing machine power cord/foot pedal finally shipped and is due to be delivered Tuesday. 

Will probably work on the denim stained glass quilt until a project plan is completed. Also have the wool applique pillow to finish and may make a pillow from the bear's paw block. I only have so many more years to work on things like that, so I don't want any more false starts.

Organizing the craft supplies continues. Little by little that room is coming together.

Checked my electric account and saw I was awarded a total of $750 from LIHEAP. I might actually be warm this winter. Celebrated by running the electric space heater in the bathroom so it was warm for my shower. Luxury! Sheer luxury!

Have been trying to do ten DuoLingo lessons a day. Giving this consistency thing a shot. Worked for the first half of this year with this blog; posted more this year than I have in the past.

Looks like it might not rain today. Perhaps I'll take Bandit for a real walk. His exercise has been neglected of late. The cold and damp has these old bones aching.

I'm off to shower, eat breakfast and watch CBS Sunday Morning. Toodles.

Cold, Rainy Sunday. 17 October 2021.

Some days I'm not sure why I'm writing this blog. I guess mostly because I want to remember and my memory isn't all that great these days.

The hand work has helped change my focus from negative thinking a bit, but this last block isn't turning out quite right so it's frustrating. 

Going on Duolingo has helped memory retention a bit. Learning has always been fun.

Being alone all the time is very difficult. Luckily I have a couple folks to talk to on messenger or by phone. A few folks in the neighborhood speak when I'm out walking the dog, which is nice. W stops by every couple weeks. Sometimes he doesn't even come inside to visit. That's okay though. At least he can't be critical then.

44 degrees this morning and I finally turned the heat back on. Might put some of that beef stew I made for dinner from leftover roast on top of biscuits and pop it in the oven to warm it up. Weird breakfast but it'll warm up the house enough for me to be able to take a shower.

Rainy Saturday. October 16, 2021.

It's pouring rain. The sewing machine is broken (more on that later) and I don't feel like hand piecing a crazy quilt block or watching tv or listening to music or cleaning or really much of anything right now.

Am sitting on the couch with Henrietta next to my feet. Bandit just got up and moved to the kitchen.Tigger is laying on the back of the couch and Romeow has taken over Bandits blanket underneath the tv.

It's a bit chilly in here. Last night before going to bed I put the Winter screen in the new living room window because rain was in the weather forecast. Today is probably going to be one of the last opportunities to have fresh air circulating once Winter hits. So... I have a sweater and big fluffy socks on. Lots of blankets laying around if it cools off too much. Or... There's always the heating pad (which would feel great on my back right now, come to think of it). You can feel and smell the change in the air. The dampness is bone chilling. 

The sun is fully up now and it's peaceful sitting here watching the raindrops glittering on the window panes. There was a loud bird chirping in the pine hedge row earlier when the rain was heavier.

I've been trying to clean up the house before the snow hits. The last load of bedding is in the washer. Will need to rent a steam cleaner for the carpet. Am stocked with most of the supplies I'll need to get through the winter.

The new Atlas tires that arrived Monday are due to be put on this coming week. They look great and am hoping they perform well in snow. Cost less than $500 and the mechanic is taking the old tires in trade for mounting, balancing and installing new valve stems. I feel like I hit the lottery! So... I'm buying a book on needle painting for $30 to celebrate! 

Easy come, easy go. Right?

Most everything that needs to be in the shed has been moved there. 

Pulled up the tomato plants. Harvested most of the green peppers and the next sunny day they will be pulled. It's time to thin the bok choi; perfect opportunity to replant.

Time also to get some sour dough starter brewing.

Worked on one of the crazy quilt squares for over a week now. Not real happy with some of the elements. Yet life goes on.

Have been learning more about crazy quilts. Might use the current finished blocks for a wall hanging and start a crazy quilt from scratch. Would like to make one with birdies and flowers. Guess I need to do some planning.

Today is day 125 on Duolingo. I now know more than 500 words and the lessons are getting harder. Have been typing the lessons on the computer rather than this tablet because the keyboard is so much faster. 

Tigger is getting terribly thin. Have switched him to senior cat food and give him cat food gravy a couple times a week. He's sleeping more and more and is needy when awake. Not sure what to do for him.

Sunday Again. October 3, 2021.

W stopped by yesterday. He hauled away the metal door, can and some odds and ends for the dump. Says he'll be by to replace the box that keeps the pipe from freezing. Is also going to bring styrofoam for a cat shelter. The kitties will be warm this winter!

The new neighbors have arrived. Kinda met the husband and their French Bulldog, Dozer when we went for a walk. Silly puppy tried following us down the trail.

Baked oatmeal bread yesterday intending to give it to the neighbors, but the recipe I used turned out pretty icky, so I'm going to try another kind today. Almost time to start the sour dough.

Was a gorgeous day yesterday with temperatures in the mid 70s. Won't get many more like that until next year. Gonna rain this morning

Sorted out the buttons. Forgot how many cool buttons I have and that Mom had. Will be great to use them on blocks. One floss box isn't big enough to hold them all. Guess I need to find the other floss box or use the one I have sequins in right now.

Work continues on the crazy quilt. One more block finished. The bugle beads and fabric markers arrived earlier than scheduled. Will make good use of them.

Thursday, 30 September 2021.

Yesterday I worked on one of the crazy quilt squares. Have been trying to use a variety of new stitches and it was proceeding quite well until I was on the second round of grid work and realized a mistake. I attempted to correct the error, but the fix looked bad in my perfectionist vision. So today I'm taking the stitches back and reworking the grid. Should be pretty when it's finished. Serves me right for thinking the pattern was easy.

Finally found a purpose for those plastic floss boxes I bought from Elaine. Am going to sort out my buttons in them. One more thing for the to-do list. 

Went for a walk with Nancy and her two pups last night. Have discovered that I sleep better if I walk at least two miles a day. So does bonehead. Have woken to the alarm at 6 a.m. the last two days. Feels weird to sleep that late. Have been waiting until 7 o'clock when it's light enough to see the poop to walk Bandit. He hasn't quite adjusted yet.

Saw the deer again this morning. The fawns are almost as big as mama now. Thankfully, the deer netting is keeping them out of the garden.

Rearranged some more of the craft supplies yesterday. Still have a long way to go.

Got a call from Lucinda last night. Her aneurysm is getting bad again. She has to have brain surgery in three weeks. She'll let me know the date. She's been a good friend these last couple of years. Am praying she pulls through okay. 

Time for breakfast and to get started on chores. W is coming by tomorrow to gather the waste metal and pick up the mortgage payment. I'd like to have some sense of order here when he drops by.

My OCD kicked in and I finished the square filling stitch portion of the quilt square.

Sunday Morning, 26 September 2021.

Woke up with a bloody nose this morning. Most likely because the furnace is on. Have it set to 70 and am hoping it can remain at that temperature until Spring.

Already had to use steroid cream on my eyes because the rash and swelling were apparent. 

The animals are taken care of and I'm drinking a second cup of coffee while I wait for the CBS Sunday Morning broadcast to begin at 9 a.m.. Have a couple crazy quilt blocks on the table beside me to work on while I wait.

The cube shelving I ordered from Amazon arrived Friday. I unboxed and put it together yesterday. It's surprisingly sturdy. Filled some of the shelves and will work on filling a few more in the next week.

Moved the scale, elliptical and other items that were outside under the "circus tarp" back into the shed until the Spring town-wide yard sale. One thing to cross off the to-do list.

Henrietta has decided to grace me with her presence. She's warming my leg and purring like crazy. She's a beautiful cat with a sassy attitude. When I stop petting her she looks at me as if to say, "Hey! Human. I did not ask you to stop. Please, continue." She likes to sit on my lap when I do my Spanish lesson in the morning. I keep thinking of writing a kids book about all my sweet animals. They're such a comfort.

Friday, 24 September 2021.

It was 46 degrees when I woke this morning. Had to turn the heater on.

Fixed the second raised bed greenhouse topper yesterday and put it on the bed that has the green peppers in it. Sue says pepper plants can be over-wintered, so I'll probably research how that's done.

Mulched the asparagus bed and the weigela plant. Can't wait to eat fresh asparagus next spring. Need to look up how to care for the plants to see if I have to cut them down before snow or not. 

Been canning tomatoes this week. One batch at a time. So far I have twenty one quarts of regular tomatoes canned and four quarts of stewed tomatoes frozen. One batch remains and I can't decide whether to make stewed or regular. The regular are easier, but I surely do love stewed tomatoes.

Have also been embroidering on the crazy quilt squares I started a year or so ago. Made a peacock on one of the fan blocks. 

My back and leg are starting to feel better. Still have sore, itchy ear and sore throat. Trying to tough it out as opposed to going to the doctor.

The "batting" on the shed never happened this week. No rain in the forecast for the next several days, so I'm hoping it will get done before the weather turns too cold to paint. Have to move the gallons of paint inside before they freeze.

September 17. Friday.

Moved the furniture in the small bedroom back to the way it was before I flipped it. Also moved a bookshelf in there to set the small TV on. At some point I'll need to hook the security cameras back up.

Looked at a bunch of craft stuff in the back bedroom. Only way to organize the bulk of it is with shelving. Found some affordable metal/plastic cube shelving on Amazon and ordered it. Might have to get two of the same thing, but going to start with one set of twenty-five cubes. Praying that's enough because I need to save money for Winter needs.

Yes. Winter is just around the corner.

Added a free edX course on Buddhism to my daily tasks. Note: I reached one hundred days on Duolingo a couple days ago. Yea for me!

Am taking Linda Collins (a neighbor) to the veterinarian today. Her senior dog, Maddie, who had cancer surgery a couple months ago is ailing again. I surely hope the vet doesn't euthanize the pup. She's Linda's whole world. 

In other news, I think my apple trees are dying. They look similar to the thorn apple tree in the back yard. Leaves are spotted and falling off. The strange thing is there is also new growth on them. Will be pulling out the gardening books to see what I can do to fix.

Kiki seems to have decided to stay here for now. He doesn't really care for Honey Bun, but Honey doesn't seem to be very afraid of him. I've cleaned the heated cat house and travel crate bedding. Will be weatherizing the travel crate before the weather gets much colder.

Am off to hang laundry outside and get a shower. Gotta make a grocery list and do some shopping. 

So much to do.

September 16, 2021. Thursday.

 Went to Millers Farm Market in Olean yesterday. Went the back way through Foster Brook and past Rock City. Got to Olean and was really confused because W had shown me that way with a couple turns and apparently I missed a turn. Pulled into a parking space and plugged where I was going into the GARMIN GPS and it not only didn't audibly direct me, it gave false information. After two false turns, pulled out my phone and used Google Maps to get me there. Was pretty angry at W when I realized to get there was a straight shot from the route I take to go to Ollie's and Home Depot. He's been taking me all different ways and basically getting me lost.

Anyway...

Picked up three half bushels of canning tomatoes, a peck basket of green peppers, some onions and a small bag of potatoes. Thankfully the tomatoes aren't quite ripe, so they can sit a couple days while I do other things around the house. Did manage to get the peppers cleaned up and frozen for use in stuffed peppers, stir fry and even diced for stewed tomatoes.

Stopped at Strayer's Greenhouse on the way back home and got two gorgeous purple mums for the back entry.

Had spoken with Susan on Monday about making the little bedroom more craft-friendly; then got a message from Lucinda informing me she and a friend are stopping by next month to visit. Figured I'd better get started cleaning up the house so it's a bit more presentable when they arrive. 

With both those thoughts in mind, I grabbed the small table from the shed and set it up by the computer. Didn't like how it would look from the doorway with all the craft supplies beneath it, so decided to flip the room only to discover it really didn't look good that way. Today I'll be flipping it back.

Might try to haul the hutch out to the shed by myself. 

Dead headed the zinnias out front and the spent flowers on the butterfly bush. Transplanted some of the spinach from the red, white and blue planter into the bed with the green pepper plants and planted radish and bok choy seed there because that is will be the second Winter garden bed. Still need to mend that greenhouse topper.

Going to go through the tomatoes today to make sure there aren't any ripe ones. If there are I'll have to get them processed. 

The bananas I bought need to be made into bread so that needs to be done today too.

So much to do. So little time.

Craving bacon, so am going to thaw some and have it for breakfast. 

I miss you, Mom. 

Toodles.

September 12, 2021. Sunday Morning.

Yesterday was the twentieth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the Trade Towers in New York City and the Pentagon in Arlington, VA. It was also Dan, my son-in-law's birthday.

My day started out the same as always with tending to the fur babies. Then it was a 7 a.m. trip to Wal-Mart to pick up pet supplies, a few groceries and a hand truck for moving furniture.

After returning home and stowing perishables in their proper places, I  called Dan and wished him a him a happy and we chatted a few minutes. He had barely passed the telephone to Susie when a call waiting tone sounded and I had to say goodbye and take a call from Luke. Jacob had answered the phone initially and I'm going to have to call him back because we never really had a chance to talk.

Why did I take a call from Luke? He and his girlfriend were coming over to move the roll top desk from the little bedroom to the shed and he was calling to give me an estimated time of arrival: one o'clock.

I had purchased the supplies to make subs (meat, cheese, rolls and shredded lettuce). Offered to make some macaroni and cheese from scratch, which was accepted. So, I got busy boiling macaroni and shredding cheese.

Once they arrived I asked for help moving the picnic table and air conditioner, which they did. Felt bad that the only payment they got was my broken Nintendo and five jars of jam. Gave them another five jars for Billy.

It was my first time meeting Sasha. She seems really sweet. They are going to try to have a baby and asked for my help babysitting. I agreed. They're lucky I like babies.

Speaking of Billy...

He called to give me his new phone number and we talked for an hour. He broke up with Lindsey after three years with her. The breakup was full of drama and both physical and mental pain. But that's his story to tell. Suffice it to say, he had to go to the emergency room because she assaulted him badly enough that he needs eye surgery. 

Today Bandit and I went outside and I did yard work. Pulled out the Romas, put away most of the landscape cloth, mowed the area where the picnic table had been most of the year and raked grass from Friday's mowing.

Earlier in the week I did some serious weeding in the rear and side foundation beds. Still need to do the front and to dead head the zinnias out front.

Also moved most of the outside plants back inside after cleaning the bamboo plant stand. The cats will probably be chasing bugs around for a while because I didn't water them that well before moving them.

Yee-haw. Let the good times roll.

September 6, 2020. Labor Day Monday.

Yesterday was a relaxing day for me. Thought about what project to work on next. Had planned on making a couple prayer flag/wall hangings for personal use. Now I'm just not sure what to do. 

Looked through the embroidery projects. Pulled two out to think about. The crewel one is a go-to because I don't have all the necessary supplies. The regular embroidery needs an element removed before it gets worked on.

Truth is the weather has cooled enough the mosquitoes have died back a bit, so working outside doesn't mean a constant bombardment. It's also a reminder that Winter is right around the corner. Need to finish getting the shed switched around  so the roll top desk and, maybe, the hutch can be moved out of the house. Would like to move the sewing machine inside.

Not looking forward to the physical labor, but it's got to be done.

Miller's Farm Market has tomatoes on sale and I need to can some up soon. Was thinking about putting up some green beans too, but TOPS is having a stock up sale and I'm going to buy their brand at $0.49 a can. Worth it not to have all that work ahead of me. 

Have been waking up at 3 a.m. for the past several nights. Takes about ninety minutes to get back to sleep. Insomnia is so much fun.

September 3, 2021. Friday.

Well, tomorrow is the big party and, truth be told, I've been stressing out about going. Not the drive over and back so much. Mostly being around strangers in the midst of a pandemic. Social anxiety is so much fun.

W picked Fall strawberries yesterday and gave me three quarts for jam. Had already canned ten jars of plum jam yesterday. He's always doing sweet little things like that for me. His friendship is a blessing.

Thankfully the weather has cooled enough that the A/C doesn't have to be on while cooking. Might turn the oven on this morning for a half hour or so to take the chill off the house. Overnight temperature dropped down to 46 degrees.

Promised W fresh beef on wick for lunch. Don't have to put the roast in the oven until about 10 (it's a small two pound roast). He wants mashed potatoes and corn to go with it. 

Still have to clean out the car, gather the camp chair and fill up with gas before nightfall.

Guess I'll het started on washing and heating jars for the strawberry jam.

May your day be filled with joy.

August 30. Long Time No See.

 Been neglecting this blog/journal this month. It's been a busy one.

Has been so rainy the corn crop came in early. Millers in Postville, NY had the sugar and butter variety of sweet corn on sale for $3 a dozen. An amazing price considering the week before it sold for $7 a dozen. Bought 4 dozen and canned 18 pints for $12, plus froze a quart for quick eating.

Have made a batch of mustard relish and another of Cheery Pickles. Was given enough cucumbers to make another batch, but not sure it's worth the time and effort. Still have most of the Harvard and pickled beets from last year.  Guess I don't eat that many pickles.

There's four pounds of plums sitting in a bowl on the kitchen table waiting to be made into jam and the fixings to make apple cinnamon jelly are in the cupboard.

Have been embroidering brooches for Friday's party in spite of my arthritis. The lettering on the back takes about a half hour to complete. A real PITA (pain in the ass). Have 22 of 25 completed. Three more need the pin attached and sandwiched together. My hand and shoulder are swollen and ache. Had planned on making 30 of these, but at this point the goal is going to be missed. I can only do so much. At one point in the creative process, embroidering started to feel like work. Not good. Diarrhea ensued. (Yes, TMI...too much information.)

The weather has been so humid this arthritis has gotten so bad I went to the doctor about it. She wants me to see a Rheumatologist because she suspects it is rheumatoid psoriasis. It's going to be Spring before I see them. Appointments are backed up because of the pandemic. Plus, I don't drive in winter. At least, not a hour and a half away (Dubois)

Tomatoes and peppers are coming into fruit, but the powdery mildew finished off the squash and cucumbers. Hard to treat for disease when it rains almost every day. The milk/water 1:3 I've been spraying washes right off. Will transplant the beets to the bed I take the cucumbers out of if it ever stops raining long enough. That way it'll be ready for the greenhouse top come cold weather. 

Ordering seeds from Baker Creek as soon as I get off here. Thinking of ordering a potting shed too. That way all the tools can be in the green shed and the little shed can have the garden stuff and bird food.

Gotta get moving. We're burning daylight. 

August 14. Slip Sliding Away.

Been a busy week since last I wrote. Went to the tax office to find out why I'm getting a school tax for this property when it was paid at closing. Argued with them and the lawyers secretary. Am giving up and just paying it again.

Got up at 3 a.m. on Thursday and drove to Kinzua Bridge State Park to watch the Perseid meteor shower. A couple people said they saw several, but I only saw one (and that's not for certain). There was a lot of ambient light. Ah well. At least I tried. 

Took Bandit to the vet for his booster shots. He weighs 110 pounds. Chubby. $148 later...

Made two batches of jam. Black Forest Preserves and Blueberry Lime. Still need to make Strawberry Preserves.

Cooked up a batch of Chicken Masala last night. Froze two portions, ate one and have another ready for dinner tonight or tomorrow. 

Still working on the brooches. Printed "PIE FESTIVAL SEPTEMBER 4, 2021" on some sticky sulky paper. Have three backing completed and one brooch fully together. Not sure how I'm going to be able to finish them all in time, but I'm going to try.

Thinned out the beets in the garden. They are doing well. The lettuce is a few inches high and the radish leaves are about four inches high. The eggplants aren't doing very well. Too many times being transplanted is my guess. Have cucumbers, summer squash and zucchini aplenty. Still giving to all the neighbors around me with plenty left over for me.

Swedish Festival is this weekend. I plan on going there today. Want to get an apron for Susie and maybe one for Daniel. Going to take a couple cards over for Darlene.

Was going to mow the lawn before the festival. Had rain overnight and it's sprinkling this morning. It'll be there when I get home. 

One of the neighbors went on vacation for a week and asked me to feed their feral cat, Earl, while they are away. That adds a bit of exercise to my day. Lord knows I need more exercise. I have those nasty old lady arms. Fitting, eh?

Talked to Billy for an hour the other day. He bought a camper and was telling me all about it.

Still learning Spanish on Duolingo. It seems to be improving my short term memory. Guess I'll do a lesson while I drink my second cup of coffee. 

August 8. Busy Sunday.

Spent a lot of time embroidering brooches for the party. All week long I've felt a little off. Waking. Sleeping. Migraine headache. Body aches and pains. I managed to get the lawn mowed Friday. Took me three tries. Had to stop and rest and cool off.

Have been fairly consistent with learning Spanish via Duolingo. 66 days so far not counting all the token-saved days. Some of the syntax is starting to make sense. Repetition works well in most cases. Some of the voices are harder for me to understand. Now that I've learned some basic words the voices are speaking faster. Not nearly as fast as Marisol Negron. I wonder what happened to their family...

Luke called upset because he lost his temper with his dad. I told him not to be so hard on himself. We're only human.

If I ever finish these brooches I'm going to make myself some prayer flags to hang around the house. Gentle reminders like 'smile to greet the day'. Upbeat stuff to promote positive attitude.

Gonna sit on the porch, listen to music and embroider a while. Less than a month to complete.

August 4. Weird Wednesday.

Took Bandit out to close the garden last night. Made it as far as the porch before realizing there were three deer (actually four) in the yard eyeing my garden. Put him back inside and literally chased them off. Brought him back out and closed up the garden. Must have worked because I still have veggies today.

Not sure what's up with me. Have had the blues and blahs the last couple days. Partly because the weather has been unusually cold. Mornings in the 40s and 50s with daytime temps in the low 70s. This arthritis is pretty bad, but the show must go on.

Started a couple more brooches. Slow working.

Worked in the shed a bit sorting through yard sale items trying to get an idea of prices. Realized most of the items are new. Am going to advertise in the paper and on Facebook. 

Spent a lot of time watching the butterflies, bees and hummingbird hawk moths on the butterfly bush. Trying to put to rest this anxiety. 

August First.

Another cold morning. Fifty four and damp. There's a chill to the air that can only mean rain. Sure enough, rain by one o'clock is forecasted. 

Pulled three nice green peppers from the garden when I opened it. Was afraid to look for squash; there's so much of it I can't use it all have been giving it away to all the neighbors. Still have six or so in the fridge. I don't like the way it tastes when its frozen or I'd blanch and freeze it. Seems like a big waste.

Took some Tylenol PM last night hoping to sleep better. Still got up a couple times to answer the call of nature. Didn't want to get up today. Higher meowed at me for an hour before I crawled out of bed at 6:15. Feel like a lazy bones today. 

Bandit went back to sleep. Seeing that everyone has been fed, I'm going back to sleep too. For a few minutes anyway.

Sleep tight. Don't let the bedbugs bite. (If they bite me I'll bite them back.)

July 31. Saturday Surprise.

Woke this morning to the beep-beep-beep of the smoke detector. No smoke. Battery is almost dead. But will be checking every hour or so to make sure. 

Was 44 degrees when I fed the outside kitties and tried to walk Bandit (he didn't want to go). Pretty cold for this time of year. Came home and crawled back in bed.

Mowed the lawn yesterday. The tracker on my phone recorded three miles of walking. 

Was such a nice day I took Bandit for a hike on Hidden Valley Trail near Gilbert Reservoir. Was pretty. We'll go there again once I find out how long it is. As it was, we cut off after about a mile and took a logging road back to the main road. Not sure how far we walked because there was no cell service.

Picked up fresh corn at the Lewis Run farmers market. It was fabulous! Got a roll and whoopie  pie (which were horrible) and some sugar free peanut butter cups (which were ok). Bought a couple burgers from the firemen too.

Throat still sore. Not good.

July 30. Friday Fun.

Have been under the weather the last few days. Sore throat and ears. No fever though, so it's probably not strep. Could do without the trots. Will go to the doctor Monday if there's no improvement.

Managed brief cleaning stints in the shed. Planted more beets and green beans. Am going to have to move the eggplants. The cucumbers are crowding them out. Finally have a baby pumpkin on those vines. 

Not sure I have the energy, but the lawn has to get mowed today. Have to pick up a Wal-Mart order today too. All I want to do is sleep.

Guess I'll make a pot of coffee and do some chores.

July 27. Two-fer Tuesday.

Fifty four degrees this morning with a predicted high of 83. The grass is so full of dew I had to roll my pants up above my ankles or they would have been dripping water. 

Pulled three cucumbers from the garden yesterday and one this morning. Picked five more summer squash. Finally added some fertilizer to the zucchini and tomato beds. Probably should have put in the summer squash beds too, but really don't need more squash.

Moved the lattice board from the side of the shed to the west side of the garden behind the new cloth bed. It looks lovely there. Lettuce in the new bed has sprouted as have a couple of the beets. Have to plant more radishes and decide what to put in the left side of the planter. Probably more beets.

The asparagus is lovely.

Sorted through more stuff in the shed. One more big box to go through of my stuff. Hope to be able to throw a bunch away. Already started looking around the house at potential yard sale stuff.

July 26. Muggy Monday.

Garbage out. Garden uncovered. Animals fed. Bandit walked. Vacuum run. 

Glanced next door while opening the garden and saw their tomatoes don't have leaves anymore. Therefore I will continue covering mine at night.

Turned the motion sensor light on last night when I covered the garden. Was pleased to see it work.

Worked on the shed again yesterday. Whittled down the "save" pile considerably. Sorted through a lot of the Stampin' Up supplies. Will probably work on it some more today.

Scrubs are clean and in a bag waiting to be given away. 

Gonna have a slice of banana bread and some cantaloupe for breakfast. Feeling rather stuffed up right now. From breathing in all the dust and who knows what else while in the shed. This too shall pass, eh?

July 25. Sunday, A Typical Day of Rest.

Rest is mostly what's going to happen. No heavy chores today. Am staying out of the shed unless I go out there to listen to music. Yes, the phonograph is hooked up. Forgot to release the locks under the table, so was unable to insert the leaves. Table is too heavy for me to lift by myself without damaging it. Moved the bulletin board. Hung a couple pictures. 

Have to wash my old scrubs. Am going to ask Mary if she knows anyone who can use them.

It's a few minutes after six. The animals have been fed, garden opened and I'm sipping my first cup of coffee. Sky looks like rain again today; weatherman says only a twenty four percent chance of precipitation. You can feel the moisture in the air. (Phil Collins, can you feel it?)

Mosquitoes were rather thick and hungry over by the garden. Will have to search out standing water sources.

Gotta do some baking today. Zucchini bread, banana bread and squash casserole. Was too hot to run the oven for an hour or two when I tired of the shed yesterday afternoon. Put it off until today. Might just make banana bread and put off the zucchini bread until a cooler day.

Hooked up the new WiFi router. If I can get the desk moved I'll hook the security cameras back up. 

Coffee tastes delicious today and I'd love to have another cup, but Bandit needs his walk. 

It's gonna be a great day.

July 24. Saturday Baking.

Ahhh. That first sip of coffee in the morning sure is nice.

Worked in the shed for several hours yesterday. It's still quite messy, but I got a lot accomplished. The good news is I found two working tower fans, so I can take a fan off my need to purchase list.

Am going to have to make some banana bread and maybe zucchini bread today. Also the squash casserole I bought supplies for. Sure do hate wasting food. Not sure I want to start that this morning or wait until the afternoon. Probably the afternoon.

Splurged and bought a pulled pork sandwich from one of the Friday fire hall market vendors. Bought a bee balm plant as well.

Chatted with Nancy (beagle pups mom) for a bit on our afternoon walk. She seems really nice.

Julie and Tim were out with their pups and we went to the ball park together so the dogs could play together. Bandit loves their dogs, Mishka and Sierra. They gave him quite the workout.

It's 6:30, so I guess I better throw on some blue jeans and take Bandit for a walk. The garden is already uncovered and animals are fed. Forgot to mention that Kiki was here yesterday. He looks like he's been eating better than when he was here last. Good to see.

Later tater!

July 23. Fun Friday.

Yesterday was busy. After hanging out the wash, I worked on the shed a bit. Moved the broken vacuum, fan and freezer out to the road. Swept the floor and moved a couple things around. No rain today, so I'll be back at it as soon as I finish a couple cups of coffee.

Picked up a couple bags of chopped straw and laid most of it in the garden on top of newspaper and cardboard. Put it on the north side of the garden by where the mint is planted. The goal is to not have to mow or weed wack. Was a lot of work. 

Stopped at TOPS and picked up cheese for squash casserole and a couple things they had on sale. 

Bandit and I went to the spring and filled nine gallons of water. Our usual number  cause that's what fits on the passenger side floor. Have to unload it before it leaks all over the floor. The plastic jugs last quite a while, but do get holes in them from use. 

Burned a bunch of paper garbage also.

Warmer this morning. Fifty three with an anticipated high of seventy three. High humidity again. 90%. 

Time to put on some work clothes and get this party started.

July 22. Chilly Thursday.

Was in the mid 40s for our morning stroll. Cold enough that windows were closed and to bake a bacon, tomato, onion, cheese and green pepper Bisquick quiche. Nice thing about that is I won't have to cook breakfast for a few days.

Will be planting green beans today and placing an order for chard and bok choy for Fall planting. Nice having raised bed covers to extend the growing season.

W stopped by yesterday and was kind enough to mow the back yard for me. Now all that's left is the garden area. I have half a mind to lay cardboard and newspaper so I don't have to more again. 

No rain predicted today, so will be washing clothes today. Hanging outside vs using the dryer saves quite a bit of money. Have to burn some of the paper that's piled up. Forgot to put the gasoline back in the shed before it rained, so will be using it as fire starter. Not much in the can anyway.

Need to get water soon. Not sure if it will happen today or not. Bandit could use a good hike, so it's a possibility.

Gonna start the wash and do a Spanish lesson before eating breakfast. So much to do. So little time.

July 21. Working Wednesday.

Gathered all the recycling and clothing donations and took them where they belong. Discovered that Bradford doesn't recycle plastic, but there was another dumpster there so they went in there.

Dropped plastic bags at Wal-Mart and actually went inside to shop. Picked up a new WiFi router. Was shocked at all the bare shelves. Guess I need to stock up on non-perishables that sell out again. Like toilet paper. Walking through the store gave me a glimpse of what Russians have been dealing with for years, i.e., supply distribution problems. We Americans are so spoiled.

Global warming/climate change (that some say isn't happening) is having a big impact on air quality. Smoke from the wildfires in Canada are extensive enough the hills here look foggy in broad daylight. All that smoke in the atmosphere contributes to upper respiratory problems for sensitive folks like me. 

Flooding around the globe. Germany and China have been hit hard. Other areas are seeing food shortages caused by drought. Exceedingly high temperatures are killing the old and infirm who don't have access to A/C. 

Then there's the Delta variant of the COVID19 spreading throughout regions where vaccination percentages are low.

Anyway, planted another crop of beets and some lettuce. No Swiss chard seeds to be found. Will have to order from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. 

July 20. Tuesday Tasks.

10:30 a.m. and I'm fresh out of the shower, drinking my second cuppa and eating a healthy breakfast of fresh cantaloupe, banana, gala apple and blueberries, canned peaches and dried cherries. Made enough for tomorrow too. I really need to start eating healthier. My cholesterol is high.

Have washed one load of clothes and hung them out and have a dark load ready for after I mow the grass. Jeans get so dirty doing that. 

Read up a bit on Begonia Deliciosa. It should do very well this year; according to my research it likes humidity and damp feet, but not rain. Will move it to the interior table later to make sure it thrives. 

Been working in the garden already this morning. Pulled a lot of the mint growing around the house and have transplanted it to the side of the fence next to Gulnac's  house. Once it's established, it will act as a barrier so Trudy doesn't have to look at my long grass.

Found one Cleome while pulling the mint. Guess I'll leave it out front where it volunteered.

Am a bit worse for wear after yesterday. Carting six waterlogged 1.5 cubic feet of soil from the car to the garden with the wheelbarrow was too much like hard work. Sometimes I forget that I'm 63.

Some critter swatted Bandit's  nose a good one yesterday. I looked up from digging and he was under the blueberry bushes digging in the wet soil with his nose. I'm guessing he was trying to make it feel better. Poor puppy. I think he probably got too close to Honey Bun. But that's just a guess.

Still have chores to do. Vacuuming, sweeping and mopping. So muggy I hate to move. Really would like to nap, but will nuke and drink coffee instead.

Make the most of your day.

July 19. Monday, Monday.

First really sunny day in a week. At least it seems that way. Spent most of the day in the garden. Transplanted the three tomato plants that were in with the squash. The beef steak looks okay, but the Roma tomatoes are quite shocked. Hope they recover.

Spent money like a drunken sailor. Bought a cloth raised bed from Tractor Supply. Also got a roll of landscape cloth to use for row covers. Oh, yeah. Got more soil as well. Am not impressed with the cloth raised bed, but wood is so expensive cloth is definitely more practical.

Plan to plant it with lettuce, chard and maybe beets. Seems like beets draw in the deer. 

Also stopped by Graham's Greenhouse and bought a couple cleaned and a Begonia deliciosa. The Begonia is gorgeous. The claimed were dry as a bone. Am hoping they recover now that they're planted and can spread their roots.

Note to self: stop spending money.

July 18. Stormy Sunday Morning.

Got a call at noon saying the party was a go after all in spite of the severe storm warnings. Headed over in spite of misgivings. 

Watched an old man hit a deer on the stretch of road between hilltop and the turn to Kinzua Bridge Park. The car behind me stopped. I kept right on driving.  

Followed behind a Semi, who in turn was following a gaggle of motorcyclists from Smethport through to the Sweden Valley Inn on the far side of Coudersport. During torrential downpour that was literally flooding the roadways and causing rock slides in the usual places (near Lynne Hall).

Hazardous driving at reasonably slow speeds with lots of swearing involved.

Made a call from Port Allegheny and was assured it was blue skies and sunshine at my destination and they put a tarp up - just in case. Got to Coudersport and weather seemed better, so I continued on. 

Luckily the motorcyclists took a break. Felt real bad for them. Remembered how rain feels like nails on a bike. Had a flashback to Bill driving the BSA at full speed going around the bridge curve in Ansonia. I've blacked out so many memories.

Finally got to Lucinda's. Boy was I ever wrong about her plan intention was. She wanted hippie flowers. With no planning. Ah, well. No matter. Had fun trying to paint in the rain and high humidity. It'll be cute when it's done.

July 17. Stormy Saturday.

Continued thunderstorms combined with flash flood warnings have cancelled plans to paint Lucinda's walk in freezer that's been converted into storage. Have been looking forward to it for the past week. 

Judging by the the darkness of the sky the rain should start any minute. Humidity levels are so high I've already turned the A/C on.

Found a big yellow summer squash when we opened the garden. Wish the zucchini was growing that well. Am seriously considering moving at least one of the summer squashes out of the raised bed to make room for the tomatoes to grow. Won't plant them together ever again.

Guess I'll work on brooches again today.

July 16. Friday.

Woke cold at 4 a.m. and turned off the A/C. Had a hard time falling back to sleep. Kept repeating a conversation in my head. Told W yesterday "You don't want to marry me. You don't want to live with me. You don't want to spend time with me. But whenever I'm ready to f*** you'll be right over." Think I might have really messed up. Time will tell.

Sometimes I get tired of being his dirty little secret.

Another rainy day. Guess I'll have a cup of coffee and get it started.

July 15.

Spent most of the morning sitting on the back porch working on brooches for the Pie Festival. 

Did a couple loads of laundry and hung them out to dry. Using Final Touch has really made a big difference in their softness and scent.

Intermittent sore throat and bloody nose again. Lost count of how many days it's been. Guess I should talk to the doctor about that and cholesterol and the shingles vaccine and arthritis and IBS. Incontinence too. Guess I need to make a list.

Am trying not to "beat myself up" for being inconsistent. Have been told in the past that inconsistency is one of my faults. Have been conditioned to feel guilt in so many situations at times all progress made fades under the negative self-talk. Trying to change a lifetime of bad choices is hard.

July 13. Tuesday Blues Day.

W phoned last night to let me know that Ginny's daughter was expected to not last the night. Poor, Ginny. She's a tiny little bird of a woman and lost her other daughter a short time ago. Her husband has been dead for several years. She is ill herself and gets dialysis three times a week. She is W's sister. One of two remaining, if memory serves correctly.

7 a.m. and the A/C is already running.

Bandit is feeling poorly today. He had diarrhea yesterday and wouldn't poop for me this morning even though he's been walked twice. Will try again as soon as the rain stops.

Wore liniment covered by a sock on my hand last night in attempt to get some relief. Hand seems better, wrist still hurts. 

Guess I'll do a Spanish lesson and make a strawberry smoothie for breakfast.

Sunday, 11 July 2021.

Here's the garden scarecrow. So far it and the deer net fence are keeping the deer out of the garden. Am moving it around every couple days. Am also covering the Roma tomatoes and peppers with landscape cloth as a further deterrent. So far, so good.

Transplanted the few remaining beets and moved one of the eggplant that was under the cucumber vines. Am hoping the beets recover. 

Have put TUMS tablets in with the summer squash to provide calcium and stop the blossom end rot. Putting some tablets in with the zucchini today.

Replanting chard and beets. They still have time to mature before the snow arrives.

Waiting for the sun to dry up the dew so the mowing can get done without having to rake. Rain is in the afternoon forecast. Nice and cool right now.

Gonna heat up this coffee and get today's Duolingo  lesson out of the way. Steak and eggs for breakfast. Yummy!

July 11. Sunny Saturday.

Didn't do a whole lot today. Looked at the TOPS sale paper for next week and decided this weeks sale on meat was a better deal than next week so I went shopping. Bought two pork loins, two big packages of pork chops and two porterhouse steaks. They were all buy one/get one free. Even so the steaks were $8.50 a pound. Better than paying full price.

Also bought Fudgesickles and some sugar free Jello for snacking. Trying to break the nightly sugar habit.

Bandit and I filled up the water jugs at the spring. He guarded while I filled. Were a couple fishermen there cleaning fish when we arrived. They vacated when we pulled up. I think perhaps they were supposed to be releasing their fish instead of keeping them. Ah, well. Not my place to reprimand them.

Did a couple loads of laundry and hung them out to dry. They smell so good. That Final Touch liquid fabric softener makes the towels nice and soft. Glad Aunt Judy recommend it.

Had to run the A/C for a couple hours this afternoon. Humidity was just too high.

Felt sick most of the morning. Nausea, diarrhea and lethargic. Think maybe the melon was a bit over ripe. Live and learn.

July 9. Finally Friday.

Yesterday was a bad day garden wise. The deer once again munched on the tomatoes and cucumbers. The little bugger even chopped off the Swiss chard. 

So... I placed an order with Tractor Supply for stakes and deer net fence. Last evening Bandit supervised while I placed it around the garden perimeter, the cucumber bed,  the new and old hydrangeas and the three blueberry bushes out front. Also made a scarecrow that needs a bit more work.

Was pretty upset about the whole ordeal.

Didn't do anything constructive yesterday. Sat around and streamed tv shows and played games on the internet.

Well, that's not exactly true. I did place and picked up an order at Wal-Mart too.

Have been having thunderstorms almost every day. One had hail as big as an inch.

Today will make forty days on Duolingo. 

Gonna get a cup of coffee and start my day. Was nice of the kitties to let me sleep in until 6:00 this morning. 

July 7. Hump Day?

Was glad I left Bandit home in the A/C yesterday. At several points during the day the temperature and humidity combined to make me feel like I was melting.

Laura and I didn't go to Sand Run as I had hoped due to lack of directions. Went instead to Hills Creek and sweated our way around the 1.5 mile Tauscher trail and back again.Their trails aren't very well marked, but they aren't really known for their trails. Hills Creek is more known for fishing and swimming.  

We went to the Duncan Tavern for lunch. Had a fabulous hamburger. Paula joined us for a chat and I learned that Gordon has a three year old daughter. Guess he finally got what he wanted. 

Stopped at Lucinda's house and watched barn swallows flitting about over the field until she got there (she had to work at the laundry). Visited with her for about an hour then headed back home.

The animals were happy to see me again and it was good to be back home.

There are going to be 30-50 people at the Pie Festival and I'm going to try to make 30 brooches to give as momentos. "Try" being the operative word.

Later tater.

July 6. Tuesday Cruise Day.

Cruising to Wellsboro this morning without Bandit. Feels weird to go visiting without him.

Garbage is out. Animals fed and watered. Garden watered and uncovered. Need to grab a bite to eat, wash up the dishes and gather the pendants for Lucinda. 

Have a feeling it's going to be a long day.

July 5. Not Monday, Monday.

Mere minutes ago Tigger was going cuckoo at the window. This little stinker sitting on the A/C was the reason why. Not sure what Honey Bun wanted. I stepped out onto the porch and he seemed fine.

No trash pickup today because the Boro is on holiday. Still scooped poop and vacuumed so it's ready to go tomorrow.

Tomorrow I head over to Wellsboro to hike with Laura and drop off pendants to Lucinda. Was going to take Bandit with me, but it's going to be close to 90 degrees so I'll leave him here in the A/C. Will be weird not to have him with me.

Got a load of laundry in the washer and am going to take good boy Bandit for a hike after I hang it out.

July 4, 2021. Independence Day.

Was wondering why I am cold until I looked at the temperature: 47 degrees. Brrrrr. Downright chilly. Woke up earlier and clicked on the electric blanket. Silly me left the fan on in the window all night. Sitting here with a hoodie on and yes, the hood is up on my head. Gonna be a cold walk this morning. Henrietta is sitting on my lap getting her morning head rub and keeping me warm. Will need a blanket when she moves. I'd turn the heat on to warm the house up, but it's July.

Folks all around us were setting off fireworks last night. Bandit was nervous about all the noise. He hopped up on the bed a couple times and I comforted him as best I could. He finally settled down and went to sleep. 

Glanced out the window when I turned off the fan and a buck was strolling along the hedge row. Glad he wasn't in the garden. 

Kiki wasn't on the porch waiting for breakfast. Am guessing the fireworks folks were shooting off scared him off. Will look for him later. Little Bit and Honey Bun were out there waiting for their breakfast. They're so affectionate in the morning. Sweet little kitties.

Am tired this morning. Gonna have another cuppa and try to wake up. Luke and Sasha might stop by today. Will make either Chicken Pot Pie or Chicken Masala. Will text Luke later to confirm.

July 3. Sweet Saturday.

W stopped by today and mowed the front lawn for me. Got it way too low for my tastes, but hey - beggars can't be choosers, right? Had to rake some. Guess he's trying to tell me to mow it myself.

Ran back up to Ollie's and bought a 5 x 7 rug for the living room and a couple small rugs to catch the dirt before it gets to the new floor. Looks fabulous in here.

Took Bandit to the first oil road off Droney. Passed two big ATVs on the way back out. Hate how they tear up the roads.

Gonna kick back and watch an episode or two of Yellowstone. 

Sure hope you are having a good day.

July 2. Cool Friday.

With sore hands, arms and back there isn't much in the way of hard labor that I can do. So... I went shopping for floor register vents. Drove up to Home Depot. All the vents they had in stock were either too big or too small. As long as I was in Olean, I drove over to Ollie's. Dang! They have great prices. Spent about 20 minutes going through their sofa covers to find a color I could live with and actually got two of them. Picked up some room darkening drapes as well. Almost bought an area rug, but couldn't decide on the color.

Got groceries yesterday as well.

Came home, put the groceries away, put the sofa cover on and hung the curtains. 

Gonna be cooler today and rainy as well. Guess I'll try to get the lawn mowed before the rain starts so the neighbors don't turn me in to the township for it being over six inches.

The deer has now eaten almost all the hydrangea blossoms. Wish I could shoot and eat her, but this is too close to town.

Taking Bandit for his morning walk now. Thankful for the little things.

Happy July!

The deer continues to ravage the plants in the yard. It has eaten most of the blossoms on the hydrangea. Has been leaving the garden alone since I put the flags back up. Will put a motion detector up if the rain holds off a bit today.

Going grocery shopping today after breakfast.

That's all for today.

June 30. Heat Wave Ends.

Was so hot yesterday Bandit didn't want to go for his afternoon walk. Took him down the street at the normal time. Then took him for a longer walk at dusk. Cooled off overnight and now it's raining. He didn't want to walk this morning either. Guess we'll try again here in a little bit.

Started cutting out some brooches. Was shocked that my hands hurt so much. Not sure if it's arthritis, carpal tunnel, a sprain or some combination of all the above. Not sure when I'll be able to embroider.

Am probably heading to Wellsboro next Tuesday. Will go for a hike with Laura and maybe stop to see Lucinda. 

Started streaming Yellowstone . Always did like Kevin Costner dramas. And Westerns.

Balanced my checkbook yesterday. Yikes! Spent way too much money this past month. Still have to get baseboards and registers. Perhaps I'll measure today.

After I get another cuppa.

June 29.

No new deer damage overnight. Besides the beets, there was damage on the hydrangea, cucumbers, pumpkins, hostas,  lilacs and, of course, tomatoes. Those poor lilacs were also wilted from the heat. Drenched them a couple times yesterday and again this morning. One of them has come back. Hopefully the other will recover as well.

Drained off last year's canned green beans. They didn't taste right. Guess Bandit and I will dump them out in the woods. Perhaps something will eat them. What a waste of time, effort and food. Will freeze them this year if they ever sprout.

Ate the first zucchini from the garden last night. Gonna have some beets today. There are several small Roma tomatoes forming, two green peppers so far and both the zucchini and summer squash are loaded. Had forgotten that kohlrabi is a brassica. Might transplant it away from the peppers. My fault for planting it on the south side of the peppers.

Turned the A/C off earlier this morning, but the humidity is 92% so it's going back on in a few minutes. Supposed to reach 88 degrees this afternoon. The kind of day where you stand up and break a sweat. Guess it'll be another indoor day. Perhaps I'll embroider a while.

June 28.

Another Monday. Bandit woke me this morning by woofing. He's usually pretty quiet except when he's whining for a treat. Thought maybe there was a deer in the garden, but didn't see one out there.

Spent some time in the garden yesterday after discovering the deer had eaten the beets. Almost cried. The ones they didn't eat were pulled out of the soil. Guess I'll be eating beets this week.

Hung the garland I got at the Dollar Store. Only went about halfway around, so I hung the garden flags I made earlier. Put up a couple cow bells too. Later today if I can find the energy I'm going to put up a motion detector light. If that fails will resort to buying an electric fence.

Finished installing the flooring in the living room. At least, I thought it was done. Came in from walking Bandit and noticed some separation. Not sure what to do about it. 

Put Mom's area rug down in the living room. Sue was right - it collects dirt. Guess ill pull it back up for now.I

Got the animals fed, poop scooped, all the garbage out to the curb including the stinky carpet.

Not even 7 a.m. and it's so humid I'm turning the A/C on. So much to do, so little time. Think I'll feed the birds and get my work started. 

June 27. Sunday.

Put down a few more planks yesterday and measured for the last row. Went outside to cut one of the last boards and was dripping sweat before even starting. Then discovered that I'd cut the wrong side. Now I have to recut it. Will need to saw in the morning before the temperature gets too hot to work comfortably. 67 degrees at 5:15 so I'll have to work fast.

Would really like to finish the bulk of it today so I can put this house back in order. Rain predicted tomorrow. Gotta unload the canning shelves though and that's not a task I'm looking forward to.

My hands, arms and back are very, very painful. Been taking ibuprofen to no avail.

W stopped in yesterday. I think he was shocked that I had so much done. He said the place smelled a lot better. Thank goodness. 

Time to walk Bandit and unload some shelves. Toodles.

June 26.

Woke up at 12:30 this morning. Took an hour or so before I could get back to sleep. Went online for a bit, but that usually doesn't help. Got some jogging pants on and brought in the paper I'd forgotten about yesterday morning. Read it, but that didn't help. Finally picked up Fannie Flag's Standing in the Rainbow and was able to go back to sleep.

Yesterday was brutal as far as putting down the floor goes. The arthritis in my hands was excruciating. Back hurt as well; it still hurts. Bad enough that I took ibuprofen a couple times yesterday and already today. 

Am taking today off to do stuff around the house. Like folding laundry and ordering supplies from Wal-Mart. Am exhausted. The good news is the floor is almost done. Only the hard parts remain. You know - the intricate cuts on the last row next to the wall... And under the oven. Sigh. Then have to get some baseboard and install it. 

Sure wish I had some help.

Gonna read a while and maybe take a nap. 

June 25.

The big news today is that I have laid flooring in most of the hall and about half of the living room. It looks great so far. Hoping to finish the living room today and possibly pull some of the kitchen linoleum up. 

Am pretty tired though. Want to go back to sleep, but now is the coolest part of the day, so it's best if I get to it.

June 24.

Took the day off yesterday to finish mowing the lawn and to go for a walk. It was glorious. Bandit and I sat in a shady spot on State Game Land 62|20 to rest for a few minutes cause the Morton's Neuroma has been bothering me again. While we were resting, a young doe wandered onto the path just below us we watched each other until the wind shifted and she caught our scent. 

Was a peaceful day. 

Have had two cups of coffee today and am still sleepy. Gonna try to finish pulling staples today and paint the odor block. Not looking forward to crawling around on my hands and knees, but it's gotta be done.

Guess I'll eat some breakfast and get started.

June 23.

Brrr. Thirty seven degrees outside this morning and I don't want to take Bandit for a walk until it warms up, but that's kinda mean so I'll put on some warm clothes and make it a quick one.

********************

Back from taking Bandit for a walk. Yup. It was quick. 

Garden seems to be OK despite the cold snap. Will be picking zucchini any day now and the beets should probably be harvested soon as well.

June 21.

Not quite sure why I'm awake at  4:30 a.m. Really don't want to get up this early. Sets a bad precedent with the animals. 

Pulled the carpet out of the living room. That was a breeze compared to the linoleum. Got most of the linoleum up - what a pain that is. The builders used a lot of staples to hold it down. Am using a screwdriver, hammer and pliers to get them out.

Spent the bulk of the day crawling around on the floor with a mask on my face, gloves on my hands, long sleeved shirt, jeans and shoes. Sweat dripping off. Had to keep taking breaks to wash my hands and face and cool off. Probably have another two or three hours to finish taking up the linoleum. Then I can lacquer the particle board and lay the flooring. 

Smells better in here already. 

June 20. First day of Summer.

Close to seventy degrees already this morning with rain in the forecast by noon. Humidity level is 91%, so you know it's muggy. Had more torrential rain yesterday and showers through the night. Nice to not have to water the garden.

The garden is growing by leaps and bounds. There's several zucchini growing and the beets are close to harvest.

Looked out the bathroom window around dusk last night and there was a raccoon on the porch of the shed. He seemed to be enjoying the dry cat food. Guess all the food needs to be put up every night now until it is off to greener pastures.

Time to clean the litter and take the garbage to the curb. Might toss some bean seeds in the ground while I'm out there.