Pot Bellied Stove / Water Cooler
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Good morning ladies,
Wow, what a whirlwind day it was for us last Saturday! We had a Debora kind of day, so I never did get a chance to come visit.
Let me back track a bit - There was a note on everyone's mailbox Monday the 6th from a neighbor on a nearby street stating that she was planning a neighborhood garage sale on Saturday the 9th from 7am to 12pm. She advertised in the paper and on Craig's list and all we had to do to participate was open our garage doors at 7am. My first reaction was "hey, some people work for a living!" How can I possibly be ready with 5 days notice. Well, the more I thought about it I realized I was working on decluttering any way and she had advertised in 2 places so lots of people would be coming. I decided I could do it. I worked on it mornings before work and after work and managed to declutter the rest of my house by Friday. Yes, the decluttering is DONE! Yay!
The garage sale went very well. I made $80 and Dan sold some antique cameras and made $50. We were pretty much sold out by 9am and shut down at about 10:30am. I had 1 box of stuff left and took it to our church re-sale shop. And we had fun hanging out and chatting with each other while we waited for customers.
Just as we were cleaning up the garage sale stuff the electrician arrived. I don't remember if I've mentioned that we've been having electrical problems. Dan finally called an electrician who charged $175 just to come out! After 3 days the problem was back. Jami's husband recommended an electrician he uses and really trusts so we called him. He came on Saturday, charged $75 to come out and for a total of $110 fixed our problem and even did a few other electrical things Dan wanted done. He is awesome!
The electrician finished just in time for us to rush off to our free library concert. After the concert we went to dinner on our garage sale earnings. Went to a new place called Brewskis. You can imagine what type of restaurant it is (craft beers, etc.). The sandwiches and burgers were really good. Dan said it was the best club sandwich he has had in years. I had a southwest burger which was tasty and messy. After that we came home, watched an old Alfred Hitchcock movie called Suspicion then went to bed.
Now this Saturday we are preparing to go with a realtor to look at a couple of condos. We are a bit angry though because one of them is in an area that we have been waiting for a place to come up for several months. The type of unit we want has a 2 car garage and typically sells for $429,000. A unit hit the market Thursday for $410,000. We were very excited and made an appointment to see it today at 11:30am. Well, I went on line to look at it again this morning and it is now $449,000. An increase of $39,000 in 1 day!!!! We are still going to go and look at it but no way will we buy it. That is bait and switch if you ask me. Post a lower price just to get people to want to see it then jack up the price. We are also going to see another older condo going for about $345,000. It only has a 1 car garage but for that price difference we may be willing to settle. We shall see what God has in mind. Well, enough about me!
Sheryl, Such a blessing to hear about your "grossly normal" CT scan!!! Glory to God! He is SO good! Glad you got your roof repair done and it held up. Sounds like you were wise to make your septic tank more accessible too. Jami put flagstone over hers and now they have to cut a couple of holes in it so they can have the inspection done. Too funny about John and his new friend. I think Cookie came along at the perfect time. A match made in heaven. Sounds like you guys are going to have to be firm and let her get used to hanging out with the other girls if the weather ever allows. The visits with Norma sound like they were wonderful. No surprise there. Too short I'm sure! Sad about Norma and Simeon but if it is God's will things may turn around in the end. I really enjoy hearing about your blue apron meals. It will be fun to compare notes with Norma now that she also signed up.
Debra, You asked about the rest of my week. Yes, week days pretty much consist of work, dinner, about 1 hour of TV time with hubby, then bed. I usually go to bible study on Wednesdays but we are on summer break until Sept. Your crockpot pork tenderloin sounds wonderful. I'm guessing the pork is much nicer there. I'm in the mood to use my crockpot more. My lid is hinged and the hinge broke (and the handle broke off years ago). I contacted the Crockpot company on line and they replaced the lid for free even though it is at least 5 yrs old. It was a generic lid but it works. Very happy to hear that your bone density test was good. I'm not surprised considering how active you are.
Marcie, sorry to hear that the meds are still making you sick. Hopefully they can get it tweaked for you or find an alternative. The slurry seal is finally over after 2 days of having to leave for work early. No real hardship there. I got lots done. It isn't the best job in the world but nothing seems to be these days. That movie Martian sounds interesting. Glad you liked it. I'll have to rent it one of these days. So sad about your co-worker. It was very wise of your supervisor to have everyone go out and be able to talk about him and release their grief and anxiety instead of it being kind of hushed and pent up. I'm sure it went a long way to helping everyone to process it and move on.
Well, this is so long you probably won't want to read it! I'd better go get ready for our little excursion. Have a great weekend everyone!
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Good morning!
Well, the condo excursion did not end in a purchase but we got a better idea of what is out there so it wasn't a waste of time. There were several things we didn't like about the $449,000 condo so the price really didn't matter. The big surprise was the $345,000 condo. I really liked it. Dan not so much. It actually didn't have a garage at all. It had an assigned carport but you could "stack" 2 cars in it. What he couldn't seem to get past was that the 2 little patios had been completely enclosed and turned into sunrooms. He didn't like the fact that he would not be able to go outside and putter or sit and read. I do get his point there. No place to be outside is a pretty big draw back. Too bad they didn't enclose one and leave the other. We are going to see another one that is going for $345,000 this evening. Stay tuned for further developments.
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Good Morning. So much to say, but no time, John and Cookie are both up. I have appointments today so I hope to spend more time with you tomorrow.0
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Saturday morning went ok. I got the cake decorated. Green for grass, some blue for water with little fish. Two suckers for the two fishermen and pretzels for fishing poles. And it was all eaten at the meal. We were glad we went to the wedding reception cause not many did and had fun visiting there. Went to the game and stopped for another pair of overalls (quite sure I donated the first pair, accidentally) Still haven't met the young man staying with Derek and Lindsey but have watched him play and his team won. I didn't help watch the grands much since I really wanted to see the game so hope they understood. We were home by 10. The evening cooled down nicely so it was a good night to be outside.
Sunday was a good day. I got to take half of our class for bathroom use and 50 of percent of them went. We have a bathroom right off our classroom so that's nice. I could tell the one is in the training stage. Pastor gave a good message and we had 4 more testimonies and then had 11 join the church. Had hamburgers for dinner - enjoyed watching the birthday boys open their gifts and got a nap in before going to church in the evening were the speaker was good.
Today my friend and I "walked". She has her granddaughter as her daughter-in-law had had a seizure an needed to rest so she rode on my lap and sat so nicely. I am home for the rest of the day so just working on my list. Not doing anything great but plugging away. Dinner was leftover hamburgers and tonight is our second night of pizza. I tried a new salad recipe for Sunday. It's really good tasting but has orange sherbet in it so not lacking in calories.
Tomorrow is the 4-Hers in foods doing the birthday party at the Manor and then a foods meeting. We'll see if I carry out my silly idea with muffins.
Isabella, wow, to say the words I'm done decluttering. I can't imagine but am very happy for you and with short notice, you didn't dwell on it for weeks. Doing it as a neighborhood was great too. Ouch on all the electrician costs but glad the problem is taken care of. Glad you made it to the concert and got a meal out. That's a real bummer on the price jumping up on the condo. They should check the going price to start with. But you have learned from your watching. Curious to hear about the third one. It's nice to be able to look without any pressure. Your weeks are full. Your weekends are too but more with fun things. Crockpots are great to use. You could even have something ready for Dan to stick in at noon to have ready for supper if all day was too long.
Sheryl, sorry Cookie doesn't sleep in either. Have fun at your appointments. Did John go along with you?
My noon break will soon be one so we'll see what I can get done this afternoon. So far this week is not too full so we'll how things go on the home front.
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Good Morning. John did not go with me yesterday, but I was glad because I had so many errands and stops to make, it went so much quicker without him.
Saturday was an adventure. Quite some time back, Jack and Gayla asked us if we saw the sheep walking down the road. At that time, I hadn't, but apparently we have some neighbors to the south that have 2 full grown sheep and don't keep them fenced properly and they are always getting out and nibbling on other neighbors' yards and gardens. Maybe I didn't notice because we are completely fenced in and the sheep couldn't get into our yard. Well, Saturday morning, something caught my eye out the living room window and there they were, walking down the center of the road. I called Animal Control, but of course, it's the weekend and I got a recorded message. So, I left a detailed message, not knowing if they would get it soon or Monday morning. John was beside himself and went out to follow them and make sure they stayed safe. I looked out the kitchen window and saw all the llamas with fixed stares at our next door neighbor's backyard, so I stepped outside and there they were. John hadn't seen them and kept walking down the road looking. I had to go get him and bring him back. I called Animal Control again to update the message and say they were in Roger's backyard and gave them the address. Also, I decided to get in my car and drive down to the owner's house and let them know, but as soon as I started driving out, the sheep were on the move. And, so was John, he said that he'd keep an eye on them and make sure a car doesn't hit them. I got nowhere with the owner, huge brand new house, just recently built, but no fencing for their animals. The woman had a very thick accent, Russian, (Vancouver has become a big Russian/Ukrainian community), and she said "bad sheep, we going to kill". I don't know if she meant they'd kill them because they keep getting out or they have been raised to slaughter for food. Anyway, I told her where they are and that John is watching them. She said she can do nothing til she talks to her husband. I didn't know if that meant a few minutes or hours, so I asked if she wanted John to continue following them and she said No. I came back and saw John at Terry and Debby's driveway, further down the road and the sheep were in their yard. (Gorgeous yard by the way, I was scared they could do some real damage). Debby came out and I told her the situation. As soon as I told John that the owners don't want him to look after them, they were on the move again and I couldn't get John to come home. So, I spent a lot of time keeping track of John as he tracked the sheep. I told him not to go onto anybody's property, he could watch them from the road and then I could see him on the road, but there's a danger of standing in the road too. OK, I'll wrap this up, another neighbor, Michelle, put the sheep in her backyard so they would be safe from the cars, but she had an appointment in an hour and didn't want to leave with them locked up on her property. She and other neighbor's called Animal Control, so there were lots of messages, but when Gayla called 911, they patched her through to the truck and she talked to an officer on duty. There are 2 officers for the weekend and they check their messages every 2 hours. The officer said to let the sheep out. As long as they were on private property, and safe, they would not come out. If the sheep were in the road, causing a hazard, it bumped it up in priority and they would take care of it. It took me a long time to convince John that it's out of our hands now and we have to let the sheep go. The officer later returned my call and told me the same info and I told her what the Russian woman had told me. Never heard an accident down the road, so I trust no one got hurt, but also never heard a follow-up from Animal Control, so I don't know if the owners got cited or got their sheep back.
That filled up Saturday. Sunday was totally uneventful, but still busy with John. In the afternoon, I saw John getting the ladder out again. Oh No, I thought I had convinced him, no more getting on a ladder. He wanted to check the gutters after the roof was put on and we had heavy rains. I couldn't stop him and stayed out there and continued to tell him that he CAN NOT get on a ladder unless I'm right there with him. Fortunately, the gutters looked OK and from just that one climb, he said he was finished, Yay, I hate moving the ladder, climbing up then down and moving the ladder again, just a few feet, and climbing again.
Tomorrow afternoon, we get the septic tank pumped out, then I'll cover it up again and that job is done. I'm getting estimates on the front deck and that's a mind blower, a lot more money than I expected. But, it's a safety hazard, so I must do it. I may change my mind about the ramp. Turns out that the drop MUST be only 1" for every foot, since the front door is 36" off the ground, that ramp has to be 36 feet long. No room for that and I don't know if I want a zig zag ramp. Going up so far to a landing and then change direction for the next part of the ramp. Then added expense for additional handrails. I'll have to do a lot of measuring and thinking on this one.
Today will be a quieter day at home. Good weather, so I hope to get outside.0 -
Had a chance to browse back to your comments and remember what I what to comment on...
Marcie, getting together for lunch after your co-worker's death is such a great idea. So glad your boss did that. I'm sure that helped in voicing all your feelings and finding out what other people felt too.
Love the photo of Dad in his NM cap again eating dinner. He always looks so serious though. I picture him as a very serious man.
Hope you get your meds figured out soon, no more stomach problems and the best benefit from the meds as you can get.
Debora, Yes, moving someone with dementia out of familiar surroundings is devastating. We learned that when we moved John's Mom, she went downhill fast, it was traumatic for all of us. I want to keep John here, at home, for as long as possible.
Your activity level is like my sister's, you guys can get so much packed into one day, it's unbelievable to a couch potato like me. I "keep busy" at home, but not like the two of you, I don't go out as often and I can always take a break in my big comfy chair.
Speaking of my sister, we had a great talk yesterday and I got more info on how things are not working out for her and Simeon. She got so much personal information on this last trip. A long talk with his sister-in-law, in Montana, shed light on the family dynamics. And, a long talk with his sister and also his oldest daughter in Bakersfield, really showed Norma the problems this family is having. Not that our family is "perfect", we all have issues, but Norma doesn't need this added emotional dynamic in her life. The siblings/in laws do not get along. Simeon showed more of his blow-hard blustering on this trip and Norma called him on it. He's been telling his family things about Norma's family that are totally exaggerated. Simeon is one to embellish a story every time he tells it and it eventually takes on a whole new meaning. She cares for him and enjoys his company, but is not in love with him and can easily live without him. She is so active and he will say he'll do something with her, like a walk or a hike, and then drive them to the destination and say he'll wait for her in the car. She wants to do these things WITH a companion. As one of her friends pointed out, because Norma doesn't think of him when he's gone and yearn for his return...not in love. She is happier now than she's been in many years, but I think she's just hit a happy time in her life, not because of Simeon, but because things are going well and she's passed through that grieving time for Don. Although, I know she still misses him, Don was her life partner.
Isabella, so glad you and Dan are in no hurry for the condo, when you are patient, just the right thing will come along. And, I was going to say regarding the price going up, if the condo had been to your liking, give them the offer for the lower price, you just may get it.
Congratulations on your decluttering. Wow, I didn't think that could possibly be a job that ever gets completed. I need to get started, the closets in the guest bedrooms have stuff in there that we've not looked at for years. If we haven't even looked at it, why keep it?
Christina had to postpone her aqua therapy. The insurance doesn't cover it and now they have car problems again, so money will go for that. She's very disappointed.
Well, on Friday, Mom said lunch was terrific. The kitchen is back open and the wait staff got back into their routine. They had salmon which is Mom's favorite, she really likes all their fish entrees, which is served on Tuesdays and Fridays. But, Saturday's lunch was a huge disappointment, she said "everybody complained". Only took 2 days for the complaining to start up again. I thought they said they would never complain again. Norma and I both knew that wasn't really true.
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Hi everyone.
Well, the heat has returned. We're back in triple digit weather, but it's a dry heat and isn't bothering me much. The A/C indoors bothers me more! I go outside every chance I get just to warm up.
I took Dad out for his Father's Day dinner on Saturday. We decided to jump the gun and go a day earlier. I gave him the choice to go wherever he wanted, and he chose Marie Calendars. He likes their salmon dinner there. Sheryl, you're sure right about him always looking serious. I have a picture of him as a baby and he even looked serious there too. Ha! I tried to get him to smile in that pic I posted on the NM Facebook page, but he said I didn't take the picture quick enough. Such a brat.
About 10,000 of us in our city lost electricity for about four hours last week and we were sure scrambling around trying to find alternative lighting. We have tons of flashlights, but most needed batteries (luckily we have tons of batteries), and no candles. Talk about unprepared. I'm going to make sure we are better prepared for the next time this happens. We lose power so seldom that I guess I just think of it.
My friend at work, who was very close with the co-worker who committed suicide last week, took Thursday off, but came in on Friday. She was just a mess. Crying all day and thinking there was something she could have done. She was blaming herself for not trying to contact him or his family when he left work early the day before. The State office I work in provided grief counseling sessions throughout the day. I wasn't going to go, but seeing how upset she was, I went to one of the sessions with her. I think it helped greatly. She's doing a lot better this week. In the session I went to there were about twenty people, and most of them didn't realize he took his own life (our division chief just told everyone in the group email that he passed away). It was tough on them to hear that.
I have to be "business-as-normal" and take over a bunch of his work. I spent sometime on Friday at his desk looking for files and folders I needed to transfer to my desk and trying to figure out where he put stuff. I may need to request access to his computer files to make sure I'm not missing anything. Just sad all around.
Yesterday I had two doctors appointments in the afternoon back to back. The first was with the foot doctor. My feet are swollen and she wants to put me on a diuretic, but will wait for the next round of blood test results before moving forward with that. The second was with the eye doctor, and other than being very near-sighted (which I've always been), he said my eyes look perfect.
Since we're getting close to the Fourth of July, we are going to start putting Cisco in his "Thunder Shirt" for periods of time each day. Hopefully it will help him when the loud explosions start in, which in my neighborhood is usually the week before through the week after the Fourth. If this doesn't work, next year we may have to have the vet give us some drugs (we tried Benadryl last year and that didn't work). I just hate the thought of drugging my boy.
Isabella, good luck with the Condo hunt. I was curious about the increased price that you mentioned. This Q & A post from agents have some explanations that may (or may not) apply. It does sound a bit bait-and-switchy though! Good job on the garage sale and on completing your decluttering. Being fully decluttered is a dream of mine!
Debora, glad you got the "Normal" diagnosis on the bone density. I hope you get some rain soon! Is it still hot there? Did you get the cabinet up?
Sheryl, yay on the "grossly normal" results. You must have felt so good hearing that!! Wow on that sheep situation, and the owner was just unbelievable! I hope it all turned out ok. That's great that the kitchen is up and running again for your Mom. Salmon is one of my favorites too. The ladder thing is scary. I hope John stays away from them from now on! My Dad finally listened to me and will only use his ladder if I'm there to spot him. I didn't think I would ever win that battle.
Well all, I think I will get back to work and finish this day. Have a nice evening.
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Hi Ladies! Just popping in to check in I'm doing well but have been having MFP logging in problems. I had over 200 days of using the site and I couldn't log on last week and it booted me back to only 5 day streak
I know it's a silly thing but it irritates me when I try to use it and can't!
Nothing new happening with us although it's been really hot! UGH with my menopause and the heat, I feel like I'm always sweaty I don't like it to get this hot until at least July--the water at the pool is not cool anymore, it's just wet It's been so hot here that my front flowers died--ugh, first they were water logged and now dead My hip is better, not normal (i'm not sure what normal is anymore!) but better. The boys are bored with staying home but seem to enjoy doing not much of anything.
Oh, have any of you ordered blinds/shades off the internet? I had 'Love is Blinds' come out but the cost of the blinds was WAY too much! I've measured them and found them for at least 1/4 of the price. Hopefully, I'll take the plunge and just order them and then get my brother to help put them up I need to replace the front window blinds (2 small windows and 1 giant window) and then get DJ's bedroom windows. It's been 3 years (wow time flies!) since he's had anything over his windows!
Marcie--so sad about your coworker! Suicide seems to be more and more common these days although maybe people just wouldn't mention it before?! Also, I'm sorry your medicine is making you not feel well! Your dad looks good too Hoping the thunder shirts help Cisco! Kringle doesn't mind the fireworks at all but my first dog did! Poor guy wouldn't leave from under the bed
Sheryl--I laughed about John walking by you with the shovel and bucket and not having a clue why he was doing it! Your stories are very entertaining The Russian sheep story also had me chuckling! Glad your test results were so good!
Ivanek-- Glad you got to see the condos and are getting a feeling what you and Dan want! I agree with Dan that you need some outdoor space. Although not having to take care of the space would be the best part! I've been decluttering too but still have so much more to do. Seeing everything going out is the best feeling for me!!!!
Aero-- the cake sounds cute and right up DJ's alley! He has fished at least 4-5 days each week since school has been out. Glad to hear your bones are good! Keep up the walking, they say that is a big help for your bones
Hope to check in again soon!0 -
Hi Ladies! Just popping in to check in I'm doing well but have been having MFP logging in problems. I had over 200 days of using the site and I couldn't log on last week and it booted me back to only 5 day streak I know it's a silly thing but it irritates me when I try to use it and can't!
Jannie, if you want, you should be able to reset your loggin-in streak here.
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Thanks Marcie! I'm going to try it 0
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Good Very Early Morning. I woke up at 3:45 am, not unusual, but couldn't get back to sleep this time. Came out to the computer and had an email from one of my Dad's cousins that she just got diagnosed with acute leukemia and has very little time left. She says that she feels great, no symptoms, this came up after a routine blood test. She has a daughter and son that moved in with her to care for her until the end. She has had a very full life and sounds like she's still in a great place, good attitude. She said that she wished she had visited my mom sometime this past year, at this point, she won't be able to travel to get over there.
Septic tank got pump late afternoon yesterday and John talked me into letting it go and planned to put the dirt back and cover it up today...it's raining now, should have done it last night as I had planned. Oh well, it won't rain forever.
Marcie, Dad may look serious, but he sounds like he has a great sense of humor, you just have to be quicker with that camera. Those smiles are here and gone in a flash.
Cookie got outside 2 days in a row for quite a few hours. She's like no other chicken we've had, even friendlier and wants more handling than Robin. She just wants to be wherever John and I are, extremely happy to just sit in our lap or on our shoulder. Soon, she'll be too big for the shoulder, but chickens like to be high, as high up as possible. John thinks she's a banty and will not get any bigger, I think she's still growing. She still has her little chick voice, once she has a hen cackle, then I'll be convinced she's done growing. If, by chance, "she" starts crowing, she's out of here. There's always a slight chance that they didn't "sex" her correctly even though she was sold as a pullet. I won't put up with roosters ever again. But, all indications so far is that she's a she.
I'm back, I went out to feed the birds in the backyard since the rain let up a little. The sun is coming up and only a drizzle right now. I called yesterday about the front deck to have the deck guy come out and make the final arrangements to get this project started. He will call me back today to set up an appointment. I'm sure the rain won't postpone this meeting, if it does, I don't know how they get any work done, it rains off and on so much, they must work through it. I decided to go with the cedar and will have to put in a little maintenance of my own to keep it nice. As I said before, going with the product other than wood is more than twice the price. And, I'll have stairs on both ends, if and when I need a ramp, I'll rig something up temporarily. Harbor Freight has some nice aluminum ramps that I wouldn't mind buying.
I nuked left over coffee and now am ready for a fresh pot.
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Another hot day - over 100 - being inside is a good place to be. The birthday party went well. The kids did a good job of serving the residents the cakes. We don't tell them what kind to make (except for making sure one is an angel food cake) and there was a nice variety. It does surprise me when I say cake and they show up with a bar cookies but no one complained. From there we went to the church for the foods meeting. I started it off with my pumpkin muffins. I had purposely made one two small, one two big and one of the three didn't have chocolate chips in it so I asked them when they would not be a good plate to take as a fair project and they gave good answers. Then one of the foods leaders acted as the judge. There were some okay items and some really good-looking ones and we discussed the pros and cons of each one and after we were all done, we could sample whichever things we wanted.
Ralph had gone in to town to look for some things and then went to an egg grading meeting for fun so I rode home with Lori and he picked me up when he was done and we went to Wendy's to eat. He had gotten a gift card - he also had a old one he told me to use first. It had $.02 on it. I got the sour cream and chives baked potato. It wasn't as good as I remember them being but I didn't have to cook. He had driven the car that got hit by a deer last fall and our son has about finished fixing it up. The hood is a different color than the rest of the car but my DH is loving driving it again. He can work on getting up to his 300,000 miles now.
Today I got started on finally working on finishing a project that should have been done 3 or 4 years ago. After our church burned down, I took on gathering and laminating our church's newsletter. Some people had ones in their homes, some were at the Historical Library in Newton and I made copies of the library ones. Then we got them all laminated again. Then they have just kind of sat while I tried to figure out what to do with them next. And I talked with people and got it figured out but kept saying I'd do it when things slowed down and when does that happen. So today I took one of the notebooks, dividers and the first 10 years (this was started in 1951). And I don't have them all but a good amount. We discussed what we still need. I will order some clear labels cause with putting them in a notebook, we don't want them stapled together so need them labeled in case anyone takes them out of the notebook. Some of them were not cut out nicely so have to straighten that out and it's more fun working with the church secretary than by myself. So we're going to work an hour or two a week and get it done. It will take awhile I can tell after seeing how far we got today. From there I met a friend for lunch - had a very good turkey panini, and then she brought me a cone at Braum's - soft serve and have been home since then. Jeremiah has an 8:30 ball game that we're going to go to - hopefully, it will be okay for sitting outside by then.
Tomorrow I'm home until Bible study so have a list made for the day.
Sheryl, I finally read Nancy's story in BDBL. I don't think I've finished the book so have that as something to do.
Had to stop writing to go to Jeremiah's baseball game. Turned out to be a very nice evening for sitting out. His team didn't win but he got two hits (and got out) and pitched three innings and I've never watched him pitch before. One of the boys on the other team is in our 4-H Club and they were just together on Tuesday so that was fun to watch him too.
Haven't done any exciting today. Have been at home except when I went to pick up Ralph from the car shop. We left one car there and fixed a bit nicer lunch since Derek and Thomas came by again. We're having leftover hamburgers for supper and then I'll head off for Bible study - have done my list for tomorrow so won't have too much to do when I get home.
And, drum roll, we got rain this afternoon. It rained pretty hard and there are good puddles. Cooled down from 88 to 67 in a short amount of time. Hopefully all the fields got it and there might be more. Time will tell. Still drizzly.
Oh my Sheryl, what an adventure with the sheep. Your days are not boring. Glad it all worked out - surprised the owner was not more concerned. Glad one check of the gutters was enough. A zig zag ramp would look okay but probably not good for the llamas. Lots of decisions on a project.
Sounds like the trip with Simeon just solidified what Norma was thinking. Did she break up with him before he left? It sounds like she has lots of good friends.
Yay on getting Cookie outside. Yay on the septic tank being pumped. You'll get it covered back up.
Rain has stopped and it's almost time to leave so I'll send this off and drop in another time.
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Happy Happy Friday. I'm back on track. Today IS Friday and I'm thinking it's Friday. I had Friday on my mind again all day yesterday, so for two days I was off one day, but today feels right.
The deck guy called me at 8:30 am yesterday and said he could come by at 9:30am, wow that was fast service. When all is said and done, I decided to replace the deck exactly as is, no ramp and no extra steps on the north end. I'll do something else in the back for the llamas to play on. After discussing all the maintenance the cedar needs to keep it nice, I realized that I would never do it and asked for a price again with the plastic/PVC, and, without the ramp and extra stairs, it came to less than what he had originally quoted me, so I went with it. I got on their calendar for late July for installation. The cedar needed to be stained and then sealed annually, I would like to say that I would do that, but I know myself, it would not get done. Also, I could have saved almost $900.00 by doing a "partial install", they pour the footings and frame it in, do the stairs, but John and I would lay and screw in the flat deck boards to the frame. But, after thinking about that, I decided to have them do a "complete install". Everything will get done in a couple days and I won't have to try to explain to John what we need to do and probably take a month. The handrails will be vinyl and the code requires that they have vertical bars every so many inches for safety. That will be new for us when we bring in firewood. Our existing handrails are all open and we can fill a wood box and set it on the deck from the ground level, then walk up the stairs and pick it up to bring it into the house. Now, we'll have to carry the wood box up the stairs. We'll adjust. I'll post before and after photos when it's done and you'll see what I mean. I'm excited, the deck will be safe to walk on again, Yay!!
OK, next project to hire out is new garage doors...more to come. (I'm spending all of John's money, ha ha ha)
I got an email from Tammy, so good to hear from her. I hope she'll pop in here again when she can. Here's a copy:
Hello Ladies,
It is so good to hear from you. This is for all to read.
Sylvia, you would be proud of me, I have been drinking between 8 to 20 ounces of water almost every day, sometimes I drink more. Just depending on if I've been working outside. How is the hubby, your son and daughter doing? I hope all is going well with them.
Leona, how has life been going for you since you moved back home. That was the last update that I had on you, since your job in Boston was fixing to end.
I've been doing okay, my jobs is on shaky ground. I know I'll have a job at least until September at least that is what we are being told right now but after that who knows.
I have been praying that God will place it on the hearts of our investors to continue to support us until we can get our product to market. So whatever does happen I know that GOD is in control.
I sure do miss chatting with you, but life goes on.
Sheryl you are a thread that seems to hold us together, I'm just so glad that you are doing much better.
Talk with you all another day, GOD Bless,
Tammy
I called Mom yesterday at 2 pm and she didn't answer. Yay!!! She's out of her apartment actually doing something. Norma called me close to 4 pm, while on her afternoon break, and she said Mom was still not home when she had called a few minutes earlier. Can't wait to find out what she was doing.
Debora, our weather would be perfect for you right now, light rain and sun breaks off and on all day. We did have a heavy downpour in the afternoon, but it didn't last long. Temps in the 70's. Although, I wouldn't want to be out watching the kids play ball in the drizzle. But, it's good for farming. I'm glad it cooled off for you for Jeremiah's game. Interesting about making the muffins variable and having the kids tell which are better. You are a great teacher. Teaching by visual aids instead of just telling them what they should do.
Glad you found Nancy's story in BDBL. She's a fascinating creature! Right? I had to throw that in because I share my comments with her. Have a good laugh.
Norma got her Blue Apron box and already loves it as much as I do. She shared info with her co-workers and I put in two of their names to get the free week of meals. One friend is a vegetarian and I'm anxious to see what her meals are like. I hope she shares details with Norma.
I guess that's it for now, my mug needs a refill. ☕️
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I'm back, I thought John was getting up, but he went back to bed.
As I mentioned before, Norma got quite a bit of info from Simeon's family members and they did have a really great, long talk. She said they stayed up until 2:30 am talking. Great news is that they CAN talk reasonable and sensibly, like adults. (We get the impression that his previous wife was a screamer and threw tantrums). Long story short, Norma said that they "broke up for about 2 hours" and then came up with a "battle plan" and some "bench marks", and she's giving him until September to show he can deal with his body in a healthy way. She knows he can't drop the weight overnight, but he at least has to show effort and trying. He's 320 pounds and it's affecting his heart and kidneys, plus his activity level is nil. He said that he has an exercise machine, but it needs a replacement part. I'm thinking, all he has to do is walk a little...like I said before, he'll drive Norma to a destination, the park or a lake, and then sit in the car while she walks around alone. Crazy.
Remember when Simeon was at Norma's house for New Years and ended up in the hospital? Well, Norma was concerned about his daughters not coming down and caring for him. Seemed strange. Annette told Norma last week that her husband wouldn't allow her to go. Apparently, this is not a new thing and Simeon had doctors orders, long ago, for this problem and didn't follow through. He could have had this kidney problem healed and fixed and dealt with, if he had taken care of himself. Annette said that she and Cindy decided they were done "running to his rescue". Norma has a whole new perspective on the matter. Annette also said that Simeon will make doctor appointments, but if something better comes along, at the same time, he'll do the fun thing instead. Wow, what an eye opener. He just doesn't follow through on anything and that's so NOT like Norma. I don't see how this relationship can last. In fact, after this trip to Montana and Norma's 2 week vacation, Simeon told Norma he was staying over til Tuesday for a doctor's appointment. When I asked how the appointment went, she laughed and said it turned out that it had been cancelled but Simeon didn't write it down and forgot. That sort of thing will drive Norma crazy very quickly. So, I pray for both of them and let God handle this.
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Good Morning, well, I did it again, woke up today thinking it's Sunday. I wonder why I insist on losing a day this week?
John slept in very late yesterday, so I got paperwork done. Paid for the new roof and credit card bills and utility bill. I usually pay cash for all shopping and restaurants, but lately have made more purchases over the internet, so there's when MasterCard comes in, and now my weekly Blue Apron goes on the card. I spread out extra newspaper and Cookie was on the table "helping". She is so content to be very close to us. We've created a monster, well, a shadow anyway.
Had more rain yesterday, but it's going to be dry and sunny and beautiful today. I should get more done outside. I put Cookie outside yesterday for a few hours and she went through the rain quite well. The big tree in the back yard gives her a lot of protection, it has to rain a long time and fairly hard to get the ground wet under that tree.
The fresh pot of coffee has finished, I'll go pour a mug. Fresh beats out the cloudy leftover microwaved stuff every time.
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Hi ladies,
Well, the second condo we saw for $345,000 was awful! We've seen a couple more condos and even a couple of houses. We were able to rule out the houses completely. If we're going to live in a house then we should stay right here. We saw another condo like the one with the 2 patios that were completely enclosed but this one was on more of a greenbelt and had 1 patio open. Once again I really liked it but Dan thinks it would be too risky on whether we would always be able to find parking for the second car because this carport was too short to stack 2 cars. If I remember correctly it was going for $305,000. We're going to keep it in mind. Dan just got notice for jury duty in July so he doesn't want to look at any more places until after it is over because if we found a place, he would have to deal with the stress of moving, plus getting the house ready for sale, all while dealing with jury duty. I can understand and that is fine with me.
Not much going on today. I am going to visit my friend with the emotional problems in about an hour. I told her not to call and cancel because I am coming no matter what. I'll stay for a couple of hours then be home in time to make dinner and relax.
Debora, the crockpot worked well. I'll have to think of more things to make in it or go on line and look up some recipes. Your food meeting sounds like it went well and what a great idea you had to bring the different types of muffins to give the kids a visual of what to look for and make. Nice that hubby got his favorite car back.
Marcie, thanks for the link about housing prices. I couldn't get it to work but I went to the Trulia site and I think I found the same article. We're going to keep an eye on this place but I don't think we'd be interested in it unless it goes way down. It has a renter in it right now and needs a lot of work. It was very kind of you to go to the grief counseling meeting with your co-worker. I'm sure it helped. It is smart to start putting Cisco's thundershirt on now so he can get used to it. Let us know how it goes on 4th of July. Are you feeling any better with the meds?
Sheryl & Marcie, I've told Dan several times not to go up on a ladder unless someone else is there but he won't listen. Fortunately since we got rid of the taller tree he doesn't have many reasons to be up on a ladder these days.
Sheryl, what a crazy story with the sheep and the uncaring owners. Why would you have farm animals and not pen them in some how?! Glad to hear that Cookie is getting used to being outside even though she prefers hanging out with mom and dad. I think you made a wise choice on vinyl for the decking. We are very happy that we chose vinyl for the fences and will definitely go with vinyl if we ever have to replace the patio covers again. Even when it is more expensive it pays off in the long run. It is so nice that Norma likes her blue apron and even got her co-workers into it. I guess we'll stay tuned for further developments on her relationship with Simeon. Hopefully he will take the necessary steps to get healthier and heal their relationship. As you said, it is in God's hands.
Jannie, so nice to hear from you! Sorry to hear it is so hot where you are. Sounds like the boys are enjoying their time off. Also good to hear that your hip is getting better. I have not ordered blinds on line nor do I know anyone who has. If you are confident that your measurements are correct then you should be OK. Otherwise, perhaps you can check into getting the window coverings at a place like JC Penney instead of getting them custom made?
OK, I'm going to go and get ready for my visit to my friend. Have a great rest of your day everyone.0 -
Ivanek, Thanks for the info about the blinds! Since the other ladies never mentioned it, I figured they hadn't ordered on line either. I decided to go with the 'Love is Blinds' guy for the front window and will just do cheapy mini blinds for the boys rooms. My front window is a weird size and needs a 2 on 1 setup (not really sure what that means but that's what everyone says! ) I went to Lowe's and Home Depot and they were actually more than the guy I had come out so that made me feel better about going with him. Hope you find a condo soon or just decide to stay for a while in your current location!
Not much new here, still hot and muggy which made me determined to get my hair cut again. I was to the point of being able to make a (very) small ponytail I got it cut this morning and hope it looks ok tomorrow. My hair never looks like it does after I leave the shop, it does it's own thing and I don't care enough to try and make it do anything else 
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Marcie that link worked and I was able to reset my counter! That made me happy because I haven't not tried to log. How are you feeling?
Going to the pool and work out my hip, the scissoring exercise seems to really be strengthening the muscle! Hope you all have a great weekend
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Hi, enjoyed Bible study. We're 4 weeks from finishing the study we're doing. Then it's deciding what to do next. Friday Ralph went along to town. Got home, unloaded and put away and then fixed something to eat. I had the rest of the day at home. After fixing our pizza for supper, I did brownies for tomorrow and baked a package of bacon so made good use of the oven.
Today my sister and I went in and did 4 hours of garage sales with Lori and her girls. Everyone got something. Fortunately I didn't get much - a couple of things to use for gifts, a bathroom rug and a couple other small things. But it was just fun to go together even though it was hot. We went and got hamburgers and then Carol and I watched the last 2/3 of Jeremiah's baseball game. He didn't pitch this time. We found some shade to sit in and with the breeze it wasn't bad. Then it was home and finish getting ready for tomorrow but not having to push.
Tomorrow is church. Then Alan's family (since they came home Friday instead of tomorrow), my sister and another couple will be here for dinner. Then in the evening we go to Fellowship meals so I did 2 fruit salads. It will be a full but fun day.
Marcie, glad you had flashlights. Always throws us a bit when the power goes off too although my sister gave us a rechargeable lantern that we keep ready now. Guess we should all have a power out kit set up. Nice that you went with your friend to the grief counseling. It is sad.
Hope the thunder shirt does the job for Cisco. We got rain and the cabinet is up but Ralph did not take my hints and start filling it up. He did conduct an experiment with all of his thermoses and double-walled glasses that he has. Filled them all up with ice and watched how long it lasted. He's willing to let 2 of them go now.
Glad your eyes are good. I don't know if you're the kind that takes a multi-vitamin just in case, but I just learned that my sister takes a multivitamin for diabetics and things it has been a good help. She gets hers at Walmart but other places probably have them too.
Jannie, sorry you had logging problems. Neat that Marcie showed you how to fix it. I didn't like it when we were on a trip and I kept track of what I ate and could log it but it still showed that I started over. Glad you can tell the water exercise is helping your hip - makes it much easier to keep doing the exercise. Glad you figured out the blind thing. I've ordered before but my son helped me with it, so... Cool that your boys can enjoy fishing. Do you eat what they catch?
Sheryl, sorry to hear about your dad's cousin. Acute leukemia is what my mother had although we learned there are lots of different kinds of it. Cool on getting the deck project going. You'll make good use of it. Letting them do all the work is a good play - gets in use sooner. Thanks for sharing the note from Tammy - good to hear how she's doing.
Sounds like Norma and Simeon had a good talk. We'll see how well Simeon follows through.
Cookie and the bills is cute. Glad she's liking the outside but I'm sure she misses John while she's out there.
Isabella, yuck on the third condo. You're learning a lot and some time off while Dan is on jury duty sounds like a good plan. The right place will come in the right time. Did you have a good visit with your friend?
Jannie, I know exactly what you mean when you say your hair looks best when you leave the beauty shop. I'm the same way. I'm trying to hold off until mid-July for my next one. That will be three months but that spreads the cost then.
Hope all of you have a good rest of the weekend.
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Good morning, I know it's been a long while since I checked in here so I thought it was time to get back into the groove.
I have been reading and trying to keep up with everyone but there is no way I will be able to go over everything so I thought important points would be a good start.
Mygnsac-I am so sorry to hear of your diagnosis and I hope you can get things under control and begin feeling much better soon.
Isyanek-I see you are taking on some house hunting trips, I am glad you are moving forward with it.
Sanferris-I love the story of John's new friend, how cute I can imagine it having a chicken on your shoulder. I am glad you got your deck and roof done, another job down and time for more.
Jlhawki-I hope your hip is getting better and therapy is working well for you.
Arobed53-Your church newsletter job sounds like a huge undertaking and I am happy to hear you will have some help.
I hope I haven't missed anyone and if I did I apologize. As for me, things have been so mentally tiring I had to step away because I was becoming such a downer. The bugs are gone and I haven't had a bite since April 10th. I am afraid to put things back in the room and still haven't figured out what to use to treat those things that can't be heat treated or chemically treated so it's all still in bags. I need to find something reasonably priced that I can put one of those huge clear bags into and seal it up to use the Nuvan strips in. I just haven't found anything that is priced reasonably so I might just go ahead and buy a trash can with a lid and use that. Then I can use the can for my garden dirt. I might just go ahead and make that trip today because I would like to get my house put back together. We had to buy all new clothes and bedding because everything is ruined from high heat dryer treatments.
My truck is finally running, it has cost us right around $3,500 with hubby doing all the work just to get it running. Unfortunately we went through what a lot of people go through with my era of truck. If you all remember my truck acted like it couldn't get enough fuel and would die once in a while. It got so bad that it would die just by applying the brakes and the engine rpm would slow below 500 making it unsafe to drive at all. After replacing some parts it got to the point of running great until we put it into gear and it would shut down. Then it got to the point that it would run great until it warmed up and then it would shut down.
All the while trying to fix this truck with numerous new parts, and it wouldn't throw any codes to tell us what was wrong with it, we finally got it running. We just did what everyone else has to do, replace parts until you can make it run. Electrical, fuel related, etc. Now my truck runs like its brand new but I still need the u joints done, aye aye aye. I keep telling myself and hubby "It's still cheaper than a new truck, even the down payment, taxes, etc!" I think I can get another 15 years out of this one, lol. We bought it with 45,000 miles on it and it has around 103,000 miles on it and some of the problems I have is it sits too much, I don't drive enough to get it used like it should.
Update on the coffee bar, it's perfect and has been enjoyed quite a bit by hubby. I like it too and although I can't drink hot coffee, I do drink hot tea and it's all stored in the coffee bar too. I have also discovered cold brew coffee and I can drink that because cold brew is at least 64% less acidic than hot brewed coffee. I am not having any tummy problems with cold brew, yay.
I also wanted to update on my self trigger point therapy using the Theracane and the Trigger point therapy book by Claire Davies, I am getting great results and can actually hear better in my right ear. There is less ringing in my ear and I can turn my head more now too. I am currently working on my feet, my shoulders and my neck. My feet still hurt a lot but it is getting better.
I hope you all have a great day today!
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Good morning all, I think I should clarify that when I say that I finished decluttering my house that does not mean that I got rid of everything I don't use. I'm sure I can still get rid of some things if we don't have enough room in our new place. Things like serving bowls and one of those big tupperware sectioned containers that everyone bought to put cut up veggies for pot lucks.
My visit with my friend went OK. She was still in bed when I got there (I found out later that afternoon that she had left a message to cancel on my cell in the early morning but I didn't check it before I went). The front door was unlocked so I went in. Had to knock on the bedroom door and wake her. She was out of sorts for a while but we chatted and after a while she asked me to take her to the store for a carton of cigarettes and some grocery items. I cannot believe a carton of cigarettes is now $62.00! She is pretty much a chain smoker now too so that can't be cheap. That was the one part I didn't like - being enclosed in that little apartment with the second hand smoke and my clothes now smelling like cigarettes. But that is what friends do I guess. I brought her some clothes I cleaned out of my closet. I hope she can use some of them. She is very depressed but I can completely understand that. Wish she could get some help financially and emotionally. I left around 5pm. When I got home hubby wanted to play some old tunes for me on youtube that he had been listening to. A very nostalgic afternoon for him. Then I made dinner using the left over chicken I made in the crockpot and mixing it with rice to make a skillet dish. It came out very good. He loves rice. We watched a 60's movie we had recorded called 5 easy pieces. It had a very young Jack Nicholson in it and it was very strange. It was a waste of time in my opinion and Dan agreed. I really do not like movies from the 60s it seems like they tried really hard to make them weird and they VERY seldom have a happy ending.
Jannie, sounds like you made the right choice to have the Love is Blinds guy do the front window - you'll be happy you did - then you can do something cheaper in the boy's rooms.
Jannie and Debora, too funny what you both said about your hair not being the same after you leave the hair dresser. I have always told all my hair dressers "you know my hair will not look like this again until the next time you cut it right?" I would tell them not to bother trying to style it. My current hair dresser seems to get it and really doesn't do much beside dry it. Of course, it is so short she really can't do much! My friend Jami has told me that I could learn to style it but I don't put in the time and effort. And she is right!! I just don't care enough to work at it like she does. I have decided to try and let it grow out a tad and be fuller but still keep it above the knap of my neck. We'll see how long I last this time.
Debora, the power in our old house used to go out fairly frequently. Usually not for very long but it was annoying when you had to reset the answering machine, etc. We don't have a power outage kit but we keep little LED flashlights in almost every drawer in the house and even on my dresser. We also have a flashlight in a charger plugged into the hallway that will automatically come on if the power goes out. It only cost us $10 and has come in handy. I also have a crank radio in a box in my closet in case there is ever a major emergency. I hope I never have to find out how to use it.
Not much going on today. My usual - church then grocery shopping. Then I'll cook my greens for the week. I found a new recipe for a home made mac and cheese and broccoli casserole. All fresh ingredients. The recipe also calls for a red bell pepper but it does not sound like it would go well with the rest of the ingredients so I am going to leave it out.
I'm going to go and finish getting ready for church. Have a great week everyone!0
