My new wand

What planet have I been living on?  Or am I under the same rock as Lauren?  Geez.  With the loss of so many stores locally, I don't browse like I used to and frankly have lost interest in doing so.  Recently I started visiting Amazon and seeing so many things new to me.  With all my brother's antiques and treasured items, dusting is a real chore for him.  So I found a microfiber duster that is specifically for delicate items, but at the same time, learned about the larger dusters.  Holy sugar cookie.  What a Godsend to arthritic hands!!  I sprayed lightly with water, and felt like I was in a commercial.   Lightweight enough to balance on my toes and skip around the room in a pale blue chiffon dress complete with matching apron while twirling my dusting wand.  I am thrilled.  This baby goes between each spindle at the seat, across the back, up and down caressing each rail while removing those dust puddles.  The extension allowed the legs and stretchers to be cleaned without much bending.  My black chairs looked black in very short order and my hand was not tortured.  The tops of my cabinets did not require stretching, and the hand shaved wood of my antique spinning wheel did not for once embed a splinter.  I don't like one time use products, this can be washed (but no dryer use) over and over and a light spray of water is all that's required to hold the dust and not release it .

  I am buying one in every color of the best quality.  Thin nubby, thick nubby, short nubby, long nubby.  Sometimes, living on another planet can bring excitement for the most mundane gadget.  Especially when it creates an easy solution for a painful chore.  Now if you'll excuse me, I need to slip out of this chiffon dress.

Mr. Pete is keeping me hopping.  After all the work I put into his shelter, he is staying by the door or looking at the kitchen window.   Had no choice but to create shelter closer.  So yesterday I did a quick second house with two plywood overhangs for protection.  I hope husband was not saving them for a project.  

We have another shelter, a wood table, that Mark enclosed on three sides and added a higher shelf inside.  A thick piece of plywood is covered in plastic and angled to shed water.  The boys like it on that shelf but Petey has made it his.  So they've decided to take up residence in his two houses.  I am constantly outside trying to diffuse a home turf war.  I need to replace ink in the printer and get his photo out to vets.  I seriously doubt anyone will claim him.  But when the ink is in, I plan to work on a small project for a giveaway.  

  Carole and Chris came for dinner this evening.  It was the postponed Christmas Eve dinner traditionally with smelts, pierogis and slaw but I made cheese pierogi filling in nalesniki instead.  The smelts were excellent and I found my aunt's marinated recipe to try along with our regular fried.  It's sort of weird.  You boil water, vinegar, and some oil the smelt were fried in with a ton of rosemary until reduced.  Strained, and then fried smelts are marinated in it with some of the rosemary.  I forgot to save 1/4 cup of the oil so we had only the floured and fried.  Maybe next time.  

We never know what tomorrow will bring.  We read about living each day as if it is our last, and we agree and nod, but do we follow that advice?  It is not easy, human nature gets in the way and we fall back on everyday life and routines without thinking how precious each day is.  I hope to remind myself daily.  Happy new year to all.  Wishing you a healthy happy 2020.

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