Thanksgiving Dinner, Finally

Dinner +cranberry sauce and deviled eggs

I forgot to put the deviled eggs and cranberry sauce on the plate because exbf likes neither, so I had to go back and get those for me. Starting from the corn and going clockwise: corn; dressing, gravy, and chicken; green bean casserole; sweet potato; field peas and snaps.

 

Although I had cooked a turkey and chicken breasts last week, I ended up just having the chicken. It was still uneaten and the turkey breast was frozen. I used the broth from the turkey, but our meat was chicken. Exbf was okay with that.

 

Since the chicken breast is gone now, I will thaw turkey for the leftovers of gravy and dressing. 

 

 

Patsy Cline's eggs are small

 

 

Cornbread that looked great but tasted off

 

 

 

For all my childhood and adulthood, for that matter, this same Jello salad was on our table for holidays. Mama used Black Cherry Jello and Strawberry Banana Jello. two cans of fruit cocktail, plus loads of bananas and Delicious Apples. This delicious dish was always served in her bowl shaped like an apple. The bowl was used for nothing else, and the Jello salad was never served in anything else. I have prepared this myself since the year my mother died. It is necessary to my mental health, plus it is delicious.

 

 

Steaming giblet gravy

 

My giblet gravy has no giblets. I just cannot bear to dice them up. Yuck. Besides, the chickens loved them. I do regret not putting the neck meat in because neck meat is the most delicious meat on a turkey.

 

I do dice boiled eggs for the gravy. Those are mandatory. Do you ever put diced boiled eggs in your Thanksgiving gravy? For people who are grossed out by eggs in gravy, I use a fork and mash then to smithereens. YUM!

 

 

 

dressing

 

Everything tasted off today, with nothing tasting like I had cooked it. I must be taking medicine that is causing this.

 

Usually, my mother made candied yams that were delicious. I had these sweet potatoes baked, so I ate those. She never made green bean casserole, but we had green beans. Actually, this is the first time I have had green bean casserole for Thanksgiving instead of green beans. I don't think I will make it again for Thanksgiving. I always made succotash, but today it was just corn with no Lima beans.

 

Mama never served corn. She served mashed potatoes. After all, the gravy needs potatoes! Now, I sort of wish I had made mashed potatoes, too. Mama served all our Thanksgiving desires, things we wanted her to serve, along with the traditional things.

 

Your turn

Is there anyone who did not have their Thanksgiving meal on Thursday? Is there something like the Jello salad that is really not part of most Thanksgiving meals that is necessary for your holiday meal? Who puts diced boiled eggs in giblet gravy?

 



My Coke Rewards Double Points, Today Only

Through 11/29/13 get double points on 12-packs of some Coke products. Get codes from 12-packs entered on the site on your computer: www.mycokerewards.com

That's today. Hurry.

Turkey Talk

source

*A friend was telling me of a hotline for turkey preparation. The caller was worried. He had cooked the turkey breast down instead of breast up, as is the custom, not the rule. His question:

 "Is that dangerous?"


*The first time I cooked Thanksgiving Dinner on my own, I had a four-month-old infant and a toddler who was two-and-a-half years old and a big child that my mother-in-law did not finishing rearing.  Plus, I was recovering from a serious illness after the birth.

My life was one of chaos since the big child did not think he should have to have any responsibility for kids or house because I had the kids and they were mine. So was the housework, according to him. So, Thanksgiving in a new home, with new baby, and newly jealous toddler and the big child was horrid for me.

I did not get the turkey thawed before the day and even though I got up at 5 am, tried to thaw it more by running cold water through it as I tried to wrench the bag of giblets from the cavity that was frozen solid.

Finally, out of desperation and exhaustion, despite the constant recriminations from the big child, I stuck the frozen-cavity turkey and giblets into the oven. After five hours of thawing efforts interspersed with child care and constant criticism, I just did not care. Big child followed me around demanding his noon feeding of turkey.

He did not get it. By the way, it does not hurt anything to cook the bag of giblets in with the turkey. No one died although the big child was treading dangerous ground.

*One Thanksgiving Day, my best friend called saying their oven just broke and she had the turkey ready to go in for their dinner. By this time, I was having the turkey late in the day instead at noon. So, my turkey was ready for the oven, too.

My best friend's husband was an elder in the church where my husband was minister. I reminded her she had keys to the church, just to send her husband with the turkey and have him turn on the oven and put it in.

She hoped the church would not mind. This woman worried about the silliest things.

So what?

She decided they would not, surely, mind that the family had a turkey for dinner that day. My friend and her family thanked me profusely for thinking of the church oven. 

*One Thanksgiving, this same friend was preparing the turkey while her three girls were in the kitchen watching and helping with Thanksgiving dinner. The girls were gathered around as she was removing the giblets from the cavity and she was explaining what she was doing.

As she removed the neck, she held it up with a flourish, and proclaimed, "IT'S A BOY."  You can imagine the giggling!

Your turn
So, tell me your amusing/horrifying turkey stories. I know you have them.

Frigid, Wet and Lunch

lunch today

Today is the 4th Tuesday and the lunch at Grace Café in the Grace Episcopal Church. Yes, there is a lot of butter on those potatoes. I could not finish all this, so brought it home for an encore this afternoon. Okay, I confess: I had two pieces of cake as I waited since I arrived very early. Red Velvet Cake is irresistible.

 

The visit during lunch with my author-friend, Fred, was a catchup session. I had to avoid a soul-sucking woman acquaintance since she does not know how to make small-talk and monopolizes all conversation with tales of past abuse. My friend Jean was funny as usual.  

 

I collected scraps from plates and brought home a plate with two inches of the same thing I ate. People clearing the tables figured out what I was doing and brought plates to me. That was thoughtful of them. There are about six church crews to do all the jobs. One group buses the tables. Another brings more tea around. Of course, there was music from guitars while we ate.

 

Thelma loved their meal I brought. Patsy Cline just fretted to escape the pen. As long as I watched, she tried to get through the fence. I needed a nap, so they did not get out in the rain and cold today. I only brought one roll in their plate since I don't like their eating too much white bread. Half their plate was green beans, something they love.

 

It has been very cold and wet here, inside and out! Tomorrow, snow is forecast, just a dusting. Who knows?--could be six inches.

 

The grasshopper is catatonic and still on the curtain. I forgot to take him to visit the hens.

 

My life is just so exciting--on the edge of your seat, nail-biting, heart-racing exhilarating.

 

Your turn

Are you getting wet stuff or solid white stuff now? Have you had a pre-Thanksgiving meal that is a forerunner of what's to come on Thursday?



In My Bedroom

grasshopper on sheers

 

 

After exbf left at 5 pm on Friday, I was so tired that when I found this grasshopper on the sheers, I just got into the bed and slept. Ordinarily, I would shriek and immediately take him outside.

 

Saturday and Sunday night, the grasshopper was still there. It think it is too cold to move. Tomorrow, it will be chicken fare.

 

Spiders always come inside, but this is the first grasshopper that I can remember having taken refuge in here.

 

My bedroom is frigid, but I stayed warm as fresh toast once I got settled in with a blanket for my head and three for my body, socks, pants, t-shirt, and sweatshirt. Last night, I was so comfortable that I slept from 2 am until 1:30 pm. I assume I am finally getting over the horrid Oct bronchitis that has lingered. Plus, I could never get warm, so woke up too many times. Today, I am rested...lol.

 

Your turn

Have any outdoors critters taken refuge in your house? Do you live in a very cold house?

 

 

The Way I Bake Sweet Potatoes

sweet potatoes tonight

My twenty-five-cent per pound sweet potatoes are delicious the way I cook them. Look at the "juice" in the bottom of the pan. More about that another day.

*Wash the sweet potatoes. Mine today needed little more than a rub as I rinsed them.

*Lay them on a dish towel. They need to be dry to continue. I have done this all sorts of ways, but they seem to dry faster lying on a towel. If you put them on the counter, on a plate, or in a pan, they sit just sit in puddles of draining water.

*Buying you more time for the sweet potatoes to dry, you now need to trim anything that suits your fancy--dark places, the ends, whatever. If you don't cut anything, then take a fork and stick it in three times across the top of the sweet potato as it is lying in the pan. That hurts my hand, so I just take a knife and slice across the top three times. This is to cut the skin, so you don't have to make deep cuts, just shallow cuts to break the skin. You do NOT want an exploding sweet potato in your oven.

*Put a tablespoon of olive oil or any oil in a small saucer. Pick up a sweet potato and stick your fingers  of the other hand in the olive oil. As you rub the oil on the sweet potato, you will get olive oil all over your hands. Just go with it and wipe the oil off instead of washing your hands. You just softened your hands as you cooked.

*My neighbor used bacon grease that was sitting in an iron skillet on the stove to oil her sweet potatoes. I may try that one day, using the half-pint of bacon grease sitting in the refrigerator.

*My 94-year-old neighbor taught me how to do all this. She used three iron skillets and an iron griddle to bake them in the oven. They are best in an iron skillet. However, I spent a lot of effort trying not to lift heavy things today, doctor's orders. Now, I just use an aluminum pan or a broiler pan with a piece of parchment paper in the bottom so I don't have to deal with oozed out and then cooked on sweet potato.

*Turn the oven to 350 F.

*When you choose a pan and use parchment paper, let the paper run up the sides of the pans so that the sweet potato "juice" won't run off the paper and stick to the pan.

*Put the pans of sweet potatoes in a 350 F oven. Depending on the size of the sweet potato, bake for approximately 1 hour. The way I test for doneness is to take a pot holder and sort of squeeze the sweet potato. When it yields to a gentle squeeze, it's done. The sweet potato will be very soft. If you have different sizes of sweet potatoes, you can removed from the oven the ones that are done, leaving the larger ones to cook a bit longer.

*By cooking a week's worth of sweet potatoes, I save on electricity. Besides, it is just as easy to cook a dozen as it is to cook two sweet potatoes. Of course, if you only have room in the oven for one or two sweet potatoes, that is good, too.

*Please don't microwave! The flavor is just not as good.

*I have used the baked sweet potatoes as a substitute for pumpkin in pies and pumpkin bread. Try it; it's delicious.

Varieties

Georgia Jet is the best and sweetest sweet potato around. Get these if you can. However, you must not buy them for storage. They just don't last the winter.

Beauregard is the variety I buy because they are next best after Georgia Jet. I never need sugar or butter.

At the grocery store, when I ask about the variety, even the produce manager never knows. That is why I sought the farmer. Some sweet potatoes are so pale and tasteless and stringy that I just will not eat them.

Today
I baked four chicken breasts in the oven in a large cooking bag alongside a turkey in the turkey-sized turkey bag and 12 sweet potatoes. Half the sweet potatoes and all the turkey except the breast went home with exbf. The giblets have been cooked for the hens. I thought dinner was delicious--turkey, sweet potatoes, field peas with snaps.

Your turn
Do you bake sweet potatoes like I do? Rub with oil? Are you ever aware of the variety of sweet potato that you buy?

 



 

Grocery Bargains Without Coupons

bananas $0.29/lb. x 3 lb.

Pomegranates $0.99 x 2

 

 

Campbell's creamed soups $0.65 x 4

pineapples $0.99 x 2

 

 

Dole Pineapple $0.99 x2

 

Actually, one of these is regularly that price. The other is $1.38. I don't know which is which now.

 

 

Quaker Oats 42 oz. $1.79 x 4

Folks, this is the big box!

 

 

Kraft Cheeses $1.49 x 8

 

This was a great week for bargains. If I get a small check I am expecting, I will go back and get more of everything. The hens eat my oats. I don't use many cream soups, maybe a 8 cans each year with most used during the holidays coming up. You can see I started on the cheese. The bananas are for fruit salad like we had at home, growing up. Yes, I like Jello. I love pineapple and Miracle Whip sandwiches, too. Canned pineapple is for sandwiches. Fresh is for eating minus MW.

 

Why no coupons? Because I have coupons for every one of these except bananas and pomegranates and cannot find them. Still, I got good deals.

 

Savings

Shelf price  $58.67

Sale price  $25.31

Savings  $33.36

 

58.67 - $25.31=33.36 

 

Percent saved 57%

 

My personal best is 86% of regular price.

 

Your turn

Have you found that this week was a good week for bargains? What did you get? What is your personal best for percentage saved?

 

 

Surgery Over

planted this afternoon
right is yellow, left is pink

 

from these sale bulbs

 

I awoke at 4:45 to be ready by 5:45 to get the surgery center by 7:00 to have surgery at 8:00. I took a leisurely bath in my claw foot tub, using so much water that when I lay in the tub water flowed out of the overflow. Since I could not eat, why rush a bath?

 

It was still dark when I took food to the hens. Patsy Cline jumped down and ran around. There were low clouds that reflected the city lights, so there was some light, but I doubted it was enough for chickens.

 

My friend, Tina, a nurse, picked me up and brought me a walker. Yay. A stool was necessary for me to get into her tall truck.

 

 

All  the regular things were done to me. An IV in my hand really hurt, and the nurse kept fiddling with it, finally saying it was swelling and she would get an anaesthesiologist  who could give me the pain shot I was whining about wanting. He had been in to talk to me, and was a very nice guy. He put the IV in my hand by crossing over my little wrist bend. However, thanks to the little bit of pain medication he injected at the intended site, I was happy.

 

So, I had a D an C to determine if my intermittent and slight bleeding is uterine cancer.

 

Have you ever seen stirrups in an operating room? They are NOT like the diabolical, cold metal ones like the ob/gyn has in his office. I am not being sexist; my doctor is a male.

 

I was so concerned about having to be in "doctor office stirrups" that someone came in to discuss it with me yesterday.

 

Today, the nurses assured me that I would feel no pain because I would be out. sigh  Finally, I got it across to them that the aftermath of losing feeling might be long lasting.

 

Because my last vertebrae is sitting on bone and I have two herniated disks and the L5 is way out of place, certain moves or positions cause my feet or legs to go numb and my back hurts so. I do not want to deal with a problem and have to have emergency surgery on my back even though I really need to have back surgery.

 

Because of this, I asked to put myself in stirrups before I was put to sleep. They said this was not what they did. I asked could they do it for me because of my concern for my back health after I left there not pain while I was there, just numbness. They agreed.

 

Operating room:There was a tall pole sitting about eight inches from the table they put me on, but curved to meet the table. At the top, the metal pole curved inward and had two soft straps hanging down. I put my foot way up and they slipped the loops over my foot. I asked why there was only one. Because we cannot slide you onto the table.

 

 

Oh

 

After both feet were in the stirrups and they asked me if it was okay, they just started rushing around doing things. I don't know what. Finally, one nurse grabbed the sheet that was all above my waist in dragged it between my legs.

 

I think someone put something in the IV because my hand hurt. At the same time the nurse anesthetist put a mask with air near my mouth, touching the edge of the mask to the corner of my mouth and told me to breath deeply. I did breathe deeply, about five times, stopped and said, "So, this is it? It's time?"

 

Yes, this is it.

 

I opened my eyes and started talking. I had only been back in recovery about five minutes. They would not give me Coke and would not let me sit up. pooh.

 

When I got back to my room, Tina was still there, reading. Before and after the OR, I was coughing long and hard. That drove up my blood pressure. Of course, the caffeine in the 4 Cokes, hard coughing while they took my blood pressure had some effect on how high my blood pressure went--198/115. It gradually came down.

 

I got dressed and left, finally.

 

Oh, Tina is very mouthy and sarcastic. This I say in the nicest way, because she had me laughing the whole time. Now, she would say I am mouthy and sarcastic. She says I make her laugh, too. She would say something about me to the nurses or criticize me to my face, being very funny about the whole thing. I know the other people in the rooms that only had curtains across the front wall, wondered what was going on. About a dozen times, I screeched, "Shut up, Tina." That made her laugh loudly and I was laughing, too, even as I said it.

 

She would not take money for the gas for the 80 mile round trip. She offered to buy me something. Surprisingly, I was not very hungry. When we got back in town, I offered to buy her a Chick-fil-A sandwich with a coupon. She agreed to that.

 

We took my prescription for Percocet to Walmart pharmacy and bought bananas. We sat and waited and talked.

 

When we went to Chick-fil-A, I gave her the card and said she would have to redeem her own. I thought she wanted to go in. She wanted to sit in line, get me a sandwich. It seems she ate breakfast at home and just wanted to take me home.

 

I demanded the card back, she refused as she laughed, and I demanded it back several more times, complaining and laughing the whole time. I really did not want it back. When I offered her some sweet potatoes, she readily agreed. So, when we came back her, I gave her a bag and told her to get a dozen.

 

I have had no pain and not much bleeding. The pain I have is more like pressure and nothing to compare to monthly cramps.

 

About 4 pm, I went out to get the chickens up and protect them fro the 4:15 raccoon. While outside, I potted up the two bulbs. The Garden Amaryllis Pink will survive, but the Bearded Iris Gold Galore (yellow iris) may not. Those are vinegar jugs I cut off, made a hole in the bottom, painted green, and put a coffee filter in the bottom and called it excellent. 

Now, I need to bake chicken breasts and sweet potatoes. It's almost 7 pm.

Your turn
Do you have a good friend that is so much fun to be around? Have you seen the OR stirrups, hanging like nooses? Some people say a D and C is very painful. Have you had a bad experience? This was my third.

It was a good idea

easily mounted scales

This baby was not cheap, I am sure. However, it is broken or the batteries need to be changed. This was in the lobby of the surgery center I went to on Wednesday for pre-surgery tests for Thursday surgery.

 

I like the wide base for standing. I love the grab bars Getting onto scales in the hallway of the doctor's office is very difficult for me. One doctor's office had the grab bars attached to the wall. That's not scary at all.

 

The scales above even figure your BMI. Neat.

 

Your turn

Is this type of scales common in your area? 

Completed Project; Another Started

For Spring 2014

left planted a month ago

right planted today

 

The bulbs on the right were deprived of soil and sunshine. But, spider lily bulbs must be hardy.

two more pots planted today

 with spider lilies

 

 

I decided the  dying Hosta could play host to the little bulb on the left.

 

 

 

The four on the right emerged while closed in a plastic bag.

It seems I must have buried one....hmmm.

There were five in the last picture.

 

Somewhere, there is another Hosta playing host to another spider lily bulb. There is no picture, somehow. Altogether, I have four full pots of spider lilies plus two tucked into two different Hosta pots. I will remove those two in the spring, maybe.

 

Operation Christmas Child 2014

 

Yes, I have started on next year's boxes.

 

I bought two packages.

six activity books x 2 = 12 books

 



It appears I bought these this season. Or, maybe last year. But, I would not buy full-price things. Whatever. At any rate, these are $0.16/each. Little grandchildren will get four, one of each style for each child. That leaves 8 for next OCC.

 

 

 

I purchased three Monster High Cups. Two are for my little grandchildren. One is for Operation Christmas Child.

 

 

 



Someone gave me about a dozen of these bags. I have nine left for OCC. Making tote bags would be better, but these will work if I don't get around to it. If I fill a dozen shoe boxes again, I will only need three more tote bags.

 

Why do I think these will be okay for a Shoebox? Every child loves to have something to contain his or her things. These won't take up much room. We all like to be able to contain our things to carry or keep safe.

 

Then, I ate too many chocolate covered cherries...groan.  In a few minutes, I am going to get my free chicken sandwich.

 

Today was the first day I have had energy and breath to do anything even though I have done things other days. I got more of the dishwasher emptied and will put chicken in the oven along with sweet potatoes.

 

Your turn

Is anyone still planting bulbs? How far have you gotten with OCC?

 

 

 

Good Friends Are Like Bras

Good friends are like bras,

Supportive, never

leave you

hanging, make

you look good

and are always

close to your heart.

 

I bought six note cards reduced, the whole pack, for 10 cents. This is how I can afford to do the things I do. Since I bought several packages of this style and several other styles, I can include these for daughters and dil in their birthday gifts.



Christmas Boxes

8 AA and 8 AAA

 

 

Peelie for $10 Walmart gift card

 

 

$13.69-$10.00=$3.69 for 16 batteries

 

If I had kept the Energizer coupon I gave away to a friend who buys for a food bank, I would have paid even less than $3.69 for 16 batteries. Okay, I paid $13.69 today, but I will get $10 of that back as a gift card. That is three gallons of milk. Can I say 6 weeks of free milk? Sure, I can.

 

This deal is only at Walmart. But, each address can get four (4) gift cards. I may know what I will give older grandchildren for birthdays this year--batteries. Yes, I would do that--socks and batteries.

 

Find your Energizer coupons, figure out what sizes you need, and roll on down to Walmart for a money saving deal. Peelies are good on C, D, and others that I cannot remember. I've tossed the peelies. Sorry.

 

Hurry,  because this may end on December 31, 2013. Not true. look below. Sorry, I tossed the peelie. Even without a coupon, this is still an awesome deal.

 

Update on Deadline  and size batteries:

The deadline for entering codes is 8/14/14. Sizes eligible are "AA/AAA--8, C/D--4, 9V--2 or any combination of the above sizes." You must buy two packs.

 

I did see the peelie on packages of AAA-16, so I suppose it is eligible, too. If the peelie is there, I would think the peelie code would work. This deal is for people 18, (19+  in AL and NE residents.) It appears this deal is also in Sam's Club.

 

Your turn

Do you have a Walmart near you? Would you shop Walmart to get this deal? Do you, children, grandchildren or family use lots of batteries? Come on back here and tell me what your batteries cost using this deal. 



We Have a Winner!

Congratulations, Rachel!

I got your address. But, email me about school supplies you want.

Going to Where on a Bike?

bikeman
click on the picture to embiggen

This cool rig caught my attention, so I turned around to take a picture of frugal travel. I took his picture without his permission because he was turned away. He turned as I took the picture. Oh, that embarrassed me!

 

I tried to recover. "I like that rig you have."

 

"It seemed about right to me."

 

"Where are you headed?"

 

"I am going to Florida. It's getting too cold up here."

 

"It is cold. Good luck on your travels."

 

And, I left, just like that. Looking at his picture tonight, I think I missed a good story or missed getting killed by a crazy person. At any rate, there was no place for us to talk since he was on the side of the road and it was a ways to anywhere!

 

When I saw him, he was pushing the bike uphill with one hand pushing on the seat. When I left him, he was pushing the bike uphill with one hand pushing on the seat. He was struggling and old. That bothered me.I wonder if he knows the hills that await him for fifty miles toward Birmingham. It is all gently rolling hills, beautiful scenery but not pushing a bike.

 

Maybe someone with a truck will give him, his bike, and rig a lift.

Giveaway
Go HERE to see the camera and paracord bracelet I am giving away. I am adding a battery charger!
 

Your turn

Someone look over his rig and give me some insight on what he has, please. What kind of tires? The wagons? The bike? Why does he have those pool noodles? Is there a tent in there? The kitchen sink?

Camera Giveaway

 

 

Need a camera? Need a gift for someone for Christmas? Need a backup digital camera for your really good one?

I AM EXTENDING THE DEADLINE TO SATURDAY NIGHT 10 p.m.. You must send me your mailing address by 10 pm Saturday, . If you want to email your mailing address now, you may. But, I will draw three names on Saturday night, so I can move on to the next person if the winner does not respond or did not send me the address ahead of the drawing.

Remember, you can enter once each day. That means that you can respond twice more. However, this is only for the lower 48 states.

Well, I have a camera ready for a new home along with the Bear Grylls paracord bracelet. Go HERE to enter.

Camera and bracelet. How is that for enticement? Oh, not much. Okay, I will throw in a battery charger and school supplies until I reach the weight limit I am allowed.  If I have no winner, I will never post a giveaway again! Remember, you can give this for Christmas or to any charity you like.

I won a giveaway and asked the blogger to just send it to my daughter. I did not have to turn around and spend postage to send it to my daughter. So, there is that option. I must mail this Monday!

Your turn
Go back to the link in this post to enter.

 

 

 

Sealing A Window Draft

 

Best on the market

 

Wednesday, As the temperature was again plummeting below freezing in my house with no heat, I remembered I had a window pane coming lose over the kitchen window. I looked again and the top, right side, and bottom of the window was completely loose with frigid air pouring in.

After the mess Charlie made on the huge window on the back of the house on the larger kitchen window, I was stymied as to what to do. Neither I nor exbf can climb up to the window that is about ten feet from the ground. I can climb it but will just fall off the ladder. Exbf cannot climb it due to his hips needing replacing.

What to do?

What to do?

I am always looking for alternative ways of doing things, either because I cannot do something, cannot afford the "correct" way, or I want to find an alternative. So, after thinking while looking at the window pane, thinking in the car, thinking that it needed to be tight, thinking what I had, thinking how the window pane might just fall out, and thinking about the properties the fix needed to have, I came up with a solution.

Anyone who is crafty, has repaired earrings by regluing a stone or regluing the earring back knows what to use--E-6000. It may have a slightly newer version with an extra letter or number, but E6000 is what I went to the store to buy.

I went to the craft section in Walmart and asked about E-6000. Nope. Out. As I sat in the electric scooter, I spotted something I thought would work. Exbf grabbed it and when he read that the product was impervious to weather and moisture, he said that was the thing to use. So, we got it. Now, I cannot find the tube to show you what I used.

However, the specs were the same as for E-6000.

 Industrial strength, non-flammable adhesive that provides versatility not found in silicones and rubber cements

Safe for applications exposed to dilute acids and dilute caustics

Maintains a flexible bond in cold temperatures and may be used to bond items subject to vibration

Exceptional adhesion to wood, metal, glass, fiberglass, ceramics, masonry and concrete

Made in the USA

Dries clear

Flexible hold

• Industrial strength adhesive and sealant
• Non-Flammable
• Water proof

The plan, which worked, was to apply from the inside of the house the E-6000 in the open spaces where the window was not in place, then apply pressure from the outside. It was easy to run a bead along the bottom of the wood holding the pane, right along where the window pane should sit. When I got to the side, I started at the top and watched the bead of glue run down like cold sorghum, slow and thick.

Before all this started, I explained my plan to exbf. I had him find the longest tool I had and use the tool to apply pressure. He declared the garden rake to be the longest. Not breaking the pane was also part of the plan that I emphasized!

He stood outside the window on the ground as I stood on a stool to be able to really see as I squirted the glue/adhesive. The first place he pushed after I applied the glue on the upper right side of the window actually moved 1/4 of an inch. Nothing else ever moved when he pushed. However, that quarter of an inch also brought the rest closer.

After he pushed the pane into the glue, I filled the bottom area that was not in right with the tacky glue and tried to fill in the side. Only one little open place that is the diameter of a pencil lead remained open. I will put some glue on waxed paper and use a toothpick to fill that hole.

So, the pane will not be sucked out by the wind, fall, and break. I will not have a leaky window for tonight when the temperature will again be 23 F. Yesterday, I put packing tape across the window in many strips, so the glue is tighter and better! (It went down to 20F)

When this can be repaired properly, the glue I used is of the type that can be peeled right off. I know this is NOT the way this is supposed to be repaired, but I cannot get up on the ladder! I own all the supplies a person should use. Charlie did not know how to use the points and had just had surgery on arm, shoulder and needed carpal tunnel surgery.

So, I will be in a little less drafty home tonight. I am sitting here with a thermometer on the table beside me and a lamp is on. The thermometer reads 43 F at about elbow height!

Your turn
Have you ever used E-6000? Probably more women than men have used this. Maybe I would be surprised. Do you have another tacky glue/adhesive that you use? Guys, do you use a thick glue with all the properties of E06000?

Fish?

electric fish?

 

Okay, I am a cheap date, easily amused, distracted by shiny objects. Going out to the country to get sweet potatoes, I noticed a dull, unassuming  fish. I forgot to stop on the way home or to show exbf.

 

I have no idea why I was out that way, but I stopped to take a picture. I had no trouble finding the dull, little fish in the camera screen since the barely light of dusk made it stand out.

 

Dull? Yes!

 

As I pressed the button to capture the fish forever, I gasped at all the light I captured. 

the other side

 



Since the fish was outside a tobacco shop, I was curious as to why. You don't just put a fish outside of a tobacco shop without a reason.
He decided to sell fishing supplies, so he made a fish.

He explained the "light" for me. All the light is reflective tape. I think it is amazing. The eyes( I knew what those were), one on each side are LED spot lights. I've seen these in Lowe's. There is only one light in one "spot." So, one on each side works.

Don't ask me what the thing sticking out the front is called. Or, maybe you know.

Your turn
Do you feel compelled to stop and further study items that are so different? Or, do you think he is not a cool fish?

Victor Did the Job: Update

 This picture of the electric rat trap is only here because the next picture is gross. If you are

squeamish, don't look.

 



avert your eyes

 

avert your eyes

 

I mean it

 

this is gross

 

then, I had to clean it, ugh

It looks like his behind exploded. I have no idea how long he has been there. It is gross. It stinks, but only when it is picked up. I have a sensitive nose, but did not smell the dead rat. Well, I did after I thought I heard a pop. But, only one day was stinky. The trap was behind the door, but I had looked all over and could not figure where I put it.

I hate this part of my life!

May I borrow a mouser?

UPDATE:
I moved the sticky trap to the place the electric trap had been. I caught another rat on that sticky trap. Now, the other sticky trap is behind the door, and I am on my way to buy more sticky traps. Plus, I bought poison today. Exbf is coming tomorrow and we will plug holes and such.  fun fun fun

1000th Post; Daughter, Brother, A Giveaway

 

My daughter

the baby

born in 1975

 

Before anything else, who does this look like, someone on a blog? This is not the best likeness of the other person, but the only one I have on the computer. She looks like me, sort of, but I am not sure how I had a blonde. The longer hair is obviously been colored. She has been coloring her hair since she was thirteen. At least now it is not purple or red. She was living in a family of extreme blondes and dark chestnut brunettes and she was a dishwater blonde, so she adapted with the help of CVS. Usually, it is redder than this.

 

 

My Brother's Birthday

born November 11, 1947; died December 12, 2001

 

Gary was exactly 14 months younger than I.

 

1000th Post

 

That is a lot of posts! I have been blogging for 3 years and 3 months. We can celebrate with a giveaway.

 

It's time to gather Christmas presents. So, I will give something that will be great for a present. Or, you can keep it for yourself. I have been debating as to how to work this. I can go two ways. First, I can do like Sluggy at Don't Read This; It's Boring and add something each week and make the drawing weeks away. Or, I can make several drawings, each with a short life.

 

I think I will go with many drawings so more than one person can win. Plus, I don't know how my chances for free mailing will work out. We will see. When I am told to mail, I mail! I will never shorten the time limit, and if I extend the limit, I will add one or more items to the giveaway. How will that work for you?

 

Remember, I received this for hosting a giveaway and blogging about Bear Grylls.

 

First drawing:

 

Bear Grylls paracord bracelet

$24.95 value



 

You must be a follower to enter. If you get someone else to follow me, you get an extra entry. But, that person must tell me or you must. You can enter once each day. If you blog about the giveaway, you will get three more entries. Leave an entry with a link of your blog where you announce this giveaway. Okay, that is one entry per day with the possibility of three extra ones one day, and as many more entries as you get people to follow my blog. Clear?

 

Entry chances:

1 entry if you are or become a follower.

1 entry for each person you convince to follow my blog.

3 entries if put the giveaway on your blog.

 

This will run through November 18th at midnight. If there are not at least ten entries, I will not draw. Oh, I might add something else and extend the deadline. But, hurry to enter now.

 

There is no one that I give Christmas gifts to that would care at all about this bracelet or even appreciate it!

 

Is this confusing? Just ask me in a comment.

 

Your turn

In your entry today, tell me what else would you like to see as a prize--box full of soap, shampoo, toothbrush and toothpaste? School supplies?

 

How long have you been blogging?

 

Have you figured out who might look like my daughter?