The day

Memorial Day.  Yes it's the official kickoff of summer.  But it's not all hot dogs and chili sauce, burgers and fries, ice cream and sodas.  Getting together for enjoyable times with family and friends, is also the day to remember all the young souls from decades ago to present day. 

 

 

Many never came home to rest, no grave for loved ones to visit, no family to be laid at their side.  They rest among those that fought with them.  I listed the American military cemeteries in foreign lands a few years ago.  You can see the list here.

 

Whether on our soil or others, honor them all today with gratitude.
 

 

When you're having a bad day, think of them and try to imagine what they endured.

 

 

 

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Cat fight or hair ball?

I'm afraid there may be one or the other this afternoon.  I'm having family over for sliders, funeral potatoes, pasta salad, and peanut butter pie.  It's not really pie because instead of the added fat and calories of the cracker crust I just spoon the filling into dessert cups.  But there will be more than food discussed and I am in a pickle.  Too long of a story, suffice it to say I am ticked off and hesitant to give Mark's old Explorer to nephew's son as promised.  There should never be a condition when you are gifting, but this is not a small gift.  Trying to help someone financially and finding out how it will benefit someone else (in this case his human leech FIL) is making me want to rescind the offer.  We could easily sell this car and use the money to help with the house repairs.  My sister is livid that I am considering this and not giving the promised vehicle to her grandson.  I started giving her several hundred a month to help with her expenses and found out a few things I am also upset about.  But what do you do when your intention is to help?  I've decided no more cash, I will chose two utilities to pay for.  But what difference does that make?  She will still have that amount extra every month and do what she wants.  This will not be a pleasant get together. 

Anyway, speaking of cats, look how much I got off the upholstery with my Playtex living glove after vacuuming it.  This works so well. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Even the smooth back of the chair had quite a bit that didn't get into the vacuum.  It's amazing and pretty darn quick to do.

 

I am tired of going into Walmart and finding bare shelves.  This never happened before and I'm wondering if they reduced the work force since the raises were given.  So I go online and order, ship to store. 

The cat food came in a box with a ridiculous amount of packing paper.   So I uncrinkled it, rolled it up, and I have plenty for my own use. 

I like this stuff!  It's perforated to tear every foot and great for shipping instead of Styrofoam (which I also save from shipments!).  Yes, I am a recycler.

 

 

Mr. six foot level is coming back next week to finish the inside window trim and until then, what a mess.  Hopefully the painter will be out too. 

 

Yesterday, the teacher at the end of the road had his annual end of school party, lots of people.  He absolutely hates teaching and will retire at 53 in two years with his salary and full benefits.  They all got their guns out and were shooting for hours, it was quite loud!!  Their home is gorgeous and secluded on 5 acres with a fabulous in ground pool and firepit along the woods, the other houses are not very close.  Hopefully it will be quiet today and tomorrow.  His school graduated 45 kids this year, last year it was 31, one year it was 14.  Our friend teaches math and has 5 - 9 kids in his class every year.  Yet, the union and board members will not approve a merger with neighboring schools.  Such a huge waste of money for the lowest performing school in the county.

 

Hope the weekend is going well for you.  Wish me luck at the dinner!

 

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Taking her lead

Greetings folks. 

First of all, the cookies notice that blogger noted would be shown on all blogs, I don't see.  Maybe because I block most all ads, I don't know.  I also don't know what to do about it, and have found no information regarding the absence of it. 

THIS POST on Three Sheep Studio gave me the idea of how to save one of my favorite soft capris.  Rose thought her embroidery on the jeans was "back to the 70's" but I saw quite a few jeans with the stitchery last year so what was old is new again.  I used to paint florals or applique fabric stars to mom's clothing to cover the multitude of coffee stains, but this boo-boo on my hem needs Rose's fix.

Somehow, bleach must have dripped and the hem on the outside of one leg has a white area.  I used the Sharpie pens to color it in and now I will find those elusive needles and try my best at freehand embroidery to cover it.  I'm sure I could find a pattern to mimic in the old books I have or better yet, online.

Certainly will be wonky since I am not adept at hand embroidery, not even close, but it will be better than this.  Hopefully!

Enjoy your day.
 

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My hero carpenter

Couldn't be more pleased with his work.  He is meticulous, which takes time.  This took all day. 

 

 

We may do the interior window trim ourselves since he is running out of time, and that's OK.  But with only three more boards to replace, I think he may finish it all.

I read a post on FB from (can't remember who) about the school incident.  Little did I know that when scrolling I accidently hit the smiling face (reaction, emoticon, whatever) and did not know until I checked the activity on my page.  I immediately deleted the reaction but it must have been on that post for a while.  If this was your post, I'm sorry, it was certainly not intentional.  I also found other posts with emoticons that I did not intend to leave so I guess I better be damn careful when scrolling.

 

I blitzed through Walmart for a few items and spotted Dove dark chocolate bags for $3.  The bill for these few boards of cedar was much more than expected and I realized that I must pull those purse strings even tighter.  Well heck, I have to save wherever I can and the more I buy the more I save.  Right?

 

Chris posted that to burn off one M&M candy, you need to walk the length of a football field.  I should be in Utah soon.

 

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Two weeks behind

Hey.  Do you have really rough skin on your tootsies?  I drink plenty of water yet have always had dry and sometimes cracked heels, even Amope doesn't help much.  So two years ago I tried Baby Foot.  It worked great for me.  Your feet turn into ugly peeling paws for a few days but so worth it.  I should have done this two weeks ago but forgot.  There are several tips in the Amazon reviews that are helpful.  I keep the booties on for 90 minutes instead of 60, and it's important to soak your feet first to soften the skin allowing the gel to penetrate.  You can't walk on the slippery plastic booties during treatment, but I put socks over them and slip my feet into Mark's shoes to shuffle along if necessary.  I think Target carries it but you can find it easily for various prices online.  

 

About those slugs.  I haven't seen any yet and think the nights are still too cold for them.  Checked again this morning and couldn't find any.  I use Vickie's method of control, sprinkle them with salt.  I put it in a Coke bottle and drill two larger holes in the lid.  The smaller lid gives more control to cover them rather than sprinkling it everywhere.  I feel really bad about it but they destroy too much.  I also slug hunt with a flat blade edger.  They are usually in the grass early morning and evening as they move back and forth, and I drop the blade on them to make it quick and painless.  The salt is used when they are on leaves and stems (they instantly melt into a messy pool of orange).  I hunt them all the time around the house but not if they are close to the woods. It's amazing how many there are.  I found another torn leaf and wonder if the workers may have hit them with the ladder's foot as they carried it past.  He's coming tomorrow to finish and we'll let the caulk dry over the weekend before washing to stain.  There have been issues with the doors and paint, more annoying than drastic, but having the work done perfectly by this pro is way more important.  So glad we found him and although he is not taking any new jobs, he is willing to work us in for other projects. 

Chris is meeting with doctor tomorrow morning about the new pump and insurance, Carole has been having some edema so I told her to get to the doctor and have him listen to her lungs.  CHF can cause that fluid to build so quickly.  I'm getting my aunt's cast aluminum dutch oven today.  I have dad's and love using those old heavy pots.  The lids also make them perfect for baking the round artisan bread loaves.  Just what I need.  I am having such a difficult time stopping the chocolate (I start with that intention every fricking morning) and bread would not be a good substitute. 

Have a good day folks!

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Hosta help

Greetings.  I know many of you are gardeners with vast knowledge.  I don't have a green thumb, it's brown from chocolate.  Today I noticed that one of the Blue Angels is damaged and thought I might trouble you for your thoughts. 

 

The furled new growth has been chewed half way down, the leaf directly behind, and half of the leaf in front.  I thought it may be the deer, but this is only one area that is further back from the more accessible leaves.  No prints in the soggy ground either.  I did not see a caterpillar or large insect, but I didn't want to delve deeper into the plant and find a spider.   What should I look for?  This is in the middle of the row, no other damage.

 

Any thoughts?

 

We're having two good weather days at the end of the week so I called the painter and .... oh no.  He hired new people.  Another business that can't depend on employees and does not tolerate drug use.  So I am pretty damn nervous about inexperienced individuals wielding a power washer on my already brittle siding.  I will have a talk with him before they start with the understanding that any damage will need to be replaced by him.  It was understood previously that high pressure will not be used, but any pressure may be risky.  Then again, I may find them to be top notch and better than expected.  Yep, it's a crap shoot.  The trim will be stained with the house, this is just bare cedar right now.

 

Another disappointment today when we went to choose the new garage door.  If I had not mentioned that the paint will be a charcoal brown, we would have been in trouble.  The door I wanted is a barn style with cross pieces.  We have vertical grooves on the garage siding so I want something simple, not raised panels.  Well guess what?  They assume you will use a light paint or choose one of their colors, and don't mention that using a dark paint will void the warranty on any door that has added detail.  The overlay pieces (whether steel, composite or fiberglass) will warp and detach if dark and in full sun.  Good thing I asked.   Now I am limited to purchasing a base and adding material to create a door, or a completely flush plain steel door.  This should be clearly stated in any brochure, catalog, and online.  Granted, most people go with the standard light colors offered, but some of us may paint our preference.   I do not want the wood grain stained look which is a lot of maintenance with full sun exposure.

 

Worcestershire pork chops are almost ready, and I've yakked enough.  Aren't you tired of this crap I keep spilling out?  Sorry.  It will end soon.

 

Thanks for putting up with my mania and any hosta help you can offer.

 

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