Alana and Bunny

The picture above was taken on a cold, drizzly March day. We went to a Craft Show here in town just before Easter. She was dressed in warmly in shoes, socks, jeans, and a shirt and sweater. When I saw this cute picture-taking event, I remembered the new outfit I had just bought her, one of her few ever bought pieces of clothing.

I went out in the rain, got the bag, and changed her for the photo. All the other kids were told by the parents to stand beside the giant bunny and the photo was snapped. It was a one-shot deal. I thought I could do better, so I said, "Alana, hug the bunny." She did as she was told and this was the precious photo. You know what I love the best?....her precious, curled little toes as she stood on tippy toes to hug. Ah, and the slight smile is so cute to me. Other mothers were wishing they had changed their children's clothes.

The way she followed directions impressed me. She did not try to wrestle the gigantic bunny  into  a bear hug and obviously was not capable of giving it a full-on hug. She just put her hands around the bunny only as far as she could and kept her face visible. When I took her picture, she always seemed very natural, not forcing a smile.

What are your favorite pictures of your child?

Could this be the Easter Bunny? Flowers!

I loved writing this blog post one day in the Fall. Maybe you will enjoy it this Easter. After the poem is flower news on my front.

Strictly Germ-proof

by Arthur Guiterman

The Antiseptic Baby and the Prophylactic Pup

Were playing in the garden when the Bunny gamboled up;
They looked upon the Creature with a loathing undisguised;—
It wasn't Disinfected and it wasn't Sterilized.

They said it was a Microbe and a Hotbed of Disease;
They steamed it in a vapor of a thousand-odd degrees;
They froze it in a freezer that was cold as Banished Hope
And washed it in permanganate with carbolated soap.

In sulphurated hydrogen they steeped its wiggly ears;
They trimmed its frisky whiskers with a pair of hard-boiled shears;
They donned their rubber mittens and they took it by the hand

And elected it a member of the Fumigated Band.
There's not a Micrococcus in the garden where they play;
They bathe in pure iodoform a dozen times a day;

And each imbibes his rations from a Hygienic Cup—
The Bunny and the Baby and the Prophylactic Pup.

Notes:

1] Prophylactic: disease-preventing.
8] permanganate: a salt of permanganic acid. carbolated soap: a salt of carbolic acid.
13] Micrococcus: spherical bacterium, usually found on the skin of mammals.
14] iodoform: compound of iodine used as a disinfectant.

Since I did not know the meaning of the middle two words, I decided to leave definitions intact. 

Finally, the dogwood and azalea have bloomed. Plus, what lavender wisteria left in my yard is blooming. It is so fragrant. The white wisteria is blooming near the Yoshino Cherry. Little purple blooms are in the vinca.  Only the tulips and daffodils have faded. Well, some daffodils are still in the back yard, but the ones left are white, not yellow. The iris are the only thing left to bloom later. I love flowers. I suppose I will have dandelions soon!

Oh, in the long bed that was filled with nothing but Hosta, I finally found a tiny bit of Hosta trying to live after the chipmunk massacre. Then, in the inappropriate dirt of the front yard, the Hosta I planted there is peeping through. However, the one in the upended pot is about a foot high and eighteen-inches across.

How much is that bunny in the window? And, why I usually answer the phone

bunny in the kitchen window with clover from the yard

And the window needs cleaning in the corner!

Do you remember these planters that were also an animal figurine? This one was very old and free. You know I love the price. It sits in my kitchen window. It makes the place feel homey to me. I love these little figurine vases. I don't ever remember anything like this sitting on my mother's kitchen window sill. Maybe I saw these in the homes of aunts or grandmothers when I was young. It feels familiar.

Above picture and text were a photo from a spring and published here long ago.  I have since cleaned that dusty window that looks horrible when it was just dust that did not show up as so nasty.

I have been complaining about harassing calls and people remark in the comments that they do not answer those calls. Well, there is a compelling reason why I do answer unknown numbers. 

Too many times to count, those calls are from a doctor's office. I have all my doctors' office numbers in my phone which means I know if one returns a call. WRONG! A nurse calls on a different line in the office and I miss the call because I did not recognize the number and often cannot get another call until the next day which is an annoyance and inconvenience for both parties. These are huge offices with dozens of lines for multiple nurses and multiple doctors.

So, I answer the phone unless I remember the number as just a sales pitch. That does not work either. These people have the ability to use a local prefix to call me which makes me think it is a local call. If I have advertised something for sale or given my number to someone, it all falls back on me when I answer these calls of scammers or salespeople. 

I have filled the reject/block list on my phone and cannot figure out how to get rid of these numbers. I filled this list long ago, and I figure those numbers are no longer used by the scammers. I thought a person at a phone store got rid of these so I could block more. Obviously not. So, I will try again. 

Granted, I only answer about three of these calls each day, but it is still a great pain. I do have reasons I answer the phone. However, I have to listen to the phone ringing about ten times a day when I know it is a person to whom I do not wish to speak. 

So, I do know not to answer the phone most of the time. Just before I started this paragraph, the phone rang, I checked it and recognized it as a number that I don't want. So, I let it ring. I can do this, but too often I cannot take the chance it is a number where I really want to talk to the caller. 

Do you ever miss a call because you ignored it, not knowing it was someone you did want to talk with? 

Harrassment by "Hail Chasers"

Two people called me over the weekend telling me they would be on my street and would assess my roof damage. I told them to leave me alone or something trying to discourage them. One seemed to be a white woman and the other seemed to be an Hispanic male.

Today, an Hispanic male was on the phone, saying, "Linda! Linda!" His voice was loud, aggressive and demanding. I asked him what he wanted. He told me he was going to be by here tomorrow to look at my roof. I told him I did not need help. He kept talking non-stop. Since I could not get in a word sideways, I told him I would call the police if he stepped one foot on my property because I was telling him to stay away. He then asked me if I was sure my roof was okay. I told him to shut up as I hung up the phone.

Stupid me. I should be saying my husband is fixing it. Or, that my husband takes care of those things. Or, that someone is working on it right now. I usually say those kinds of things. And, from now on, I certainly will.

If I can figure out which number it was today, I will call the police.

When I went to Lowe's today, I cruised around the large State Farm tent in the Lowe's parking lot. I stopped to take a picture of it and a man and woman came out to talk to me, asking me if I had an appointment. I explained that I wanted a picture and asked how large was the tent--66'x66'. It had three lanes in it with room for about three cars in each lane, maybe two. This is where people drove their cars in for damage estimates. I am impressed. Two sides mostly were open and two sides were closed. I hope they can lash that huge tent down before the storm arrives in the morning.

Along one side were tables with agents. State Farm has a setup in a truck with a satellite dish. It was pulling a SF trailer. There were the bump out sides on the truck/camper thing like campers have. I was quite impressed.  Outside the tent were two or three porta-potties.

Exbf told me to get pictures, but I forgot. Well, I had to charge my camera. WM and Starbucks had huge pock marks from the hail that he wanted me to capture. On TV were smart phone videos showing hail coming through the roof and ceiling of WM. When I was in there tonight, a guy was in the store that had been working on the roof.

Aldi's looks like it is replacing the whole roof. Yesterday, they were putting wood all over the roof before the roofing. Hopefully, they got the roofing on today because tomorrow morning is another storm, but just rain.

With all the hail in my yard, on the windows, and on the siding, I had few trees or limbs that looked damaged. Even the many daffodils in all parts of my yard did not look beaten down. Hosta survived whole as did other things I figured would be damaged. The hail did not strip the cherry tree, either.

This is all quite interesting. Last Tuesday, exbf was all for sightseeing. But, we did not get in anyone's way. I was in Lowe's today but forgot to look inside or out to see if all the plants had been replaced.

Have you ever had storm damage and had people harass you about coming to assess the damage at your house? I did not have this kind of problem with the tornado damage in this town in 2011 which was much worse than this damage.

Healthiest Easter Candy; Easter; Potato Salad

I have #3 and #4 in the last two weeks. Actually, all these candies are delicious. Well, I have not eaten the first two. Healthiest Easter Candy

This is being written on Sunday as exbf is coming tomorrow. He has a doctor visit for his disability on Tuesday, a free lunch day. This meal on Monday won't be really an Easter meal like I wanted. Carrots, potatoes, and cabbage and onions will be cooked in the oven. Garlic, celery, bell pepper, salt and pepper will season the oven cooked vegetables. I will put in four turkey thighs because they are thawed and need to be cooked.

I also took out a frozen boneless ham because I do not want turkey thighs. It should have been taken from the freezer at least on Saturday for it to be thawed. So, I will put it in crock pot or oven to thaw. We can have ham sandwiches for lunch with leaf lettuce. Maybe I will get a tomato. He can have turkey thighs and I will have ham again for dinner.

I was going to make Easter fare before Easter, but I am waiting until the week after Easter for that. If it doesn't happen on Easter or Easter weekend, what's the difference?

Since it is going to be coldish on Monday, the food will be okay and the oven won't heat up the house.

When he comes after Easter, I will have Spring fare. I have to have my Jello eggs.

This man hates potato salad, so I never make it. I don't think I have had potato salad since I met him in 2006. He becomes loud and adamant about his loathing of potato salad. So, the other day I told him I was not trying to persuade him to eat it, but just tell me calmly what he hated about it.

He hates cold crunchy potatoes. I think he has eaten too much church food. Some of those potato salads have half-cooked potatoes, and I cannot eat those either. He cannot stand cold potatoes. ??? I told him that when potato salad is first made, it is usually hot. He sort of conceded he might eat hot potatoes, just not cold. What else? What about eggs that he hates, too. Nope. He does not want to get those big chunks in his mouth. ???

He has obviously eaten some horrid potato salad and cannot get past it. I also have seen church ladies' potato salad where it looks like they quartered the egg, threw it in the potato salad, and it was not cooked well in the middle of the yolk. Those gross me out! My plan is to take boiled eggs and mush them with a fork until he cannot discern them. The yellow mustard will disguise the egg yolks.

I need to question him about how he feels about eating crunch celery. I may have to whir it up in the blender or just leave the celery out of his portion.

Monday night

And, don't tell me ladies at church or potlucks have never made disgusting potato salad. It is the one thing, in my book, that is not reliable. However, most potato salad is delicious. All the potatoes are gone, so I must buy more. Most of the carrots have been cooked and sent home for him. He got the
majority of the ham. Since I gave him most of the cabbage, I may cook the rest tonight.

This meal was definitely not a spring meal. But, it was chilly today, so it was just great.

He is gone with gallon bag containing everything I mentioned except for the turkey thighs. It is so cold here. I still will not wear socks and shoes. Summer is coming. I just know it is summer despite the cold.

How about the crunchy potatoes in potato salad and raw eggs? Grossed out like me?

App for Car Diagnostics; Tulip Questions

I found this article about an app for a smart phone that does the same diagnostic tests a dealer or mechanic does. Does anyone or their brother have an opinion on this APP?

State Farm has a tent about 50x50 ft in Lowe's parking lot./ Business must be brisk.

Sunday, I awoke feeling great, almost like I was eighteen until I moved. This has been a beautiful day, full of bumble bees and wisteriaand sunshine with temps in 70s..

Last Tuesday, before the hail I brought in the two tulips I knew would be battered. I was able to enjoy their beauty until today when the petals fell off. I appears they have a structure like rose hips underneath where the petals were. It is a huge bulge and I wonder what will happen with that part. The stems are in water, still.

And, I am sneezing my head off.

Nevertheless, I am getting more done than I have the whole week. And, that is not much.

How about the efficacy of the app?

Storm Damage Scammers? Sales? Mandarin Oranges, Dole Pineapple

Saturday

I received two calls from two different companies saying they were going to be on my street tomorrow, Sunday, and would be inspecting my roof for damage. They did not ask. They told me as though I had contacted them. I told both callers that I did not need their services and not to come to my home or bother me again. I did not use my nice voice, either.

I suppose if there were anyone else living with me, I might have thought the other person had previously talked to them and made arrangements to inspect my roof. These people are probably scammers.

I wonder if I could con them into mowing my yard while I think about it and just be a dingy old lady.  ??? Just kidding.

I feel so much better, not so sluggish. The only thing that has changed is I am not taking prednisone or the second antibiotic. I have not slept since Friday morning and it is Saturday night. Well, I got almost an hour's sleep about 10 am. Then, a lawn mower woke me. 

Chic-fil-A has shredded canopies from the hail. Five Guys is closed for repairs, along with Aldi's. This is all one the same route I travel to WM. 

Hopefully, Dole Pineapple will be on sale somewhere this week. There was none on sale this past week. It was $0.88 at Christmas.  There are still the Wednesday sales. Have you seen a good deal on Dole Pineapple in the can?

My last purchase of canned Mandarin Oranges sits on the counter. Why is this my last purchase you ask? It is from China. Maybe there is another brand from somewhere else. Oh, I found one from the Philippines, so maybe I can have them canned again. I wonder if the Philippines gets them from China. 

Potatoes and onions were a great price this last week. I bought them but forgot the price. So, shoot me. Bananas are $0.44/lb. Apples are $0.99/lb, so Red Delicious is my goal. MMMM, sounds like a Jello salad to me. 

I have no ambitions to cook an Easter meal. I will cook what is easiest or needs to be cooked. I will boil and dye a few eggs. Plus, I will make Jello eggs in my little egg molds. 

I bought one Whitman's $1 chocolate bunny for exbf which I will put in a little nest of grass purchased on sale last year. I will be on the lookout in the kitchen for something to put the nest into. 

Okay, I need to go hang six pair of black pants in doorways. I wore a pair last night with worn out thighs, so I suppose I have exposed myself to the world. Only four of these are decent to wear out, and only two of those are still very black. 

Have you ever had a scammer contact you about storm damage? Do you have Jello egg molds? What are you having for Easter dinner?

Just a few things

As of Wednesday afternoon, Walmart had thrown out over $700K in merchandise according to a manager. Today, an employee said they still had thrown out more and had even more to throw away. Of course, insurance pays for all this.

Exbf got his first ss check deposited to his account. He was elated it was done. Tuesday, he goes for disability hearing. He is glad things are moving along. I imagine he has too many assets to collect anything. But, there is other help for people with disability.

He won't make it to the lunch on Tuesday. He may come Monday for our Easter. Or, I might go down there if his church is having anything. I checked with him. They are not.

I slept from 9 pm on Thursday night until 2:15 Friday afternoon. I awoke for an hour at midnight and an hour or so about 7 am. This is always a sign I am ill. Since I finished the two meds for ear that I suspect are making me feel so awful, maybe I will feel better. I am not one to lounge about in bed and sleep. I might lie down because of my back and watch tv, but not just sleep for hours.

I had a box in my trunk that J put in there. When I looked in the box, I was shocked at the contents. When I pack anything, the contents are similar. I had a guy at Lowe's move it to the front seat so he could put things in the trunk. This box had gardening stuff and about four or five disparate categories. I cannot remember them right now. But, there were my grass shears, pack of gloves, about a dozen seed packets, root hormone, and needed garden items. I have no idea who packed this box and called it good.

There is still junk on the car on the passenger side floor that needs to be examined, sorted and bagged. I may need one of the receipts on the floor...lol. At any rate the bottles need to go into recycling and cans in a bag to take to recycling place.  This should all be a five-minute job, but these things take hours over many days for me to do.

Today, I was walking to the house from the car, taking things inside and had an armload because I had no plastic bag in the car. I was talking to exbf on my cell phone. About half way to the house, I panicked. "Oh, no, where is my phone. Oh, I cannot find my phone. Oh no, oh no! I hope I did not lock it in the car. Oh no!"

"Oh, it's right here in my hand." He started laughing so loud. He said that was funnier than someone losing their glasses on the person's head.  This a man who rarely chuckles and definitely does not laugh aloud.

I am so accustomed to a panic when I cannot find my phone. I forgot I now had the key safe on the door. That thing is so difficult to get open. At least, it was for me the first time I did it.

Today, I got my first glimpse of neighbor down the street taking his newborn twins for a walk. He stopped at the end of my driveway. So cute. Three months old preemies (boy and girl), so fat and cute. There was a plastic sign strapped to each of their car seats--DO NOT TOUCH ME UNTIL YOU HAVE WASHED YOUR HANDS. I thought this was a good idea, having a sign to put up right near the baby's face on the side of the carrying handle.

Blood Pressure and More Hail Damage

I got the doctor's office at 2:18, three minutes late. The woman made a great show of flipping her arm around, looking at her watch, grimacing and sighing...all over 3 minutes.

She told me the doctor could not see me because I needed a Medicaid referral from my primary physician. (I was seeing a specialist.)  I told her at least one dozen times that I did not get a referral from my primary physician, that another specialist sent me here. She absolutely refused and told me that was their policy and that it had always been their policy and I should know that.

She made sure she said "MEDICAID referral" as loudly as she could as I stood at the open window with people all around. I think it is not her place to announce to the office that I am on Medicaid. She finally shut the window and called people over to look at her screen. None of them looked like they knew what was happening, just shaking their heads.

This went on for about 30 minutes, with me standing and exhausted from no sleep. I kept repeating my story about the other specialist referring me. Finally, I said I would call them. The person who answered the phone at the doctor's office of the other specialist had no idea what I was talking about, and the person who might was on the phone. So, I held for about five minutes, all the time occupying her window space.

I finally got the right person and passed my cell phone to the receptionist in front of me. There was discussion. Finally, she told me she would let me see him today. But, her screen instructed her that I needed the Medicaid referral. She was just following directions.

Instead of putting me right back in line, I had to sit for another 45 minutes while people who signed in after me were called back. I drank all my water and felt terrible wanting more water.

Finally, I went back and had a bp of 190/96. I was alarmed and asked nurse if that was correct. At the end of her visit with me, doing a test and taking notes, she took my bp again--183/80 or something like that. She told me it was going down, so it was okay, that it was probably lack of sleep, ear infection, and problem at front desk.

The doctor said he was not worried about the bp, that it was probably just the confusion at sign in. I told him about her attitude and saying "Medicare" so many times and so loudly. I told him she did her job with a lack of grace, and that no one else in the office or at other doctor's office knew what she was talking about. I dropped it because he obviously had heard about it and I really, really like him.

When I called the office of primary physician today, the other doctor said I would have to see primary. I told woman since doctor had moved 40 miles away, the office was my primary. At any rate, I was told to keep checking my bp. GAH...I told her I did not have a bp machine. She told me to come by and they could take my bp. That conversation probably drove my bp up again.

My BP is always low, sometimes alarmingly low. 88/53, 120/68, 110/70...things like those numbers. A week before the delivery of my last child, I had been arguing with an upholsterer, rushed to car, drove to husband's office and ran up the steps, over 12 of them, and immediately went to ob appointment. My blood pressure was 90/60. Yesterday, Tuesday, I think that the prednisone and pseudoephedrine and receptionist on top of only 45 minutes of sleep is the problem. However, I did not feel well today, WEdnesday, sort of foggy.

I refuse to really worry about the bp. I only have one more prednisone. But, I really must take the pseudoephedrine. I never take the pseudoephedrine before going to any doctor because I have found that my bp will be just a bit higher, but not dangerously or even disturbingly high.

By the way, people who need to know, some friends, and others know I have Medicaid. But, I prefer to be the person who tells strangers with no need-to-know.

All this time in the doctor office, exbf was sitting in the car with water bottle and a Reader's Digest. I didn't bring snacks since he had just had lunch. However, it was dinnertime by the time I got out of there. Give him a RD and snacks, and he will sit anywhere happily.  Plus, he naps in the car. He is a gem except when I am ready to kill him!

When I went out Wednesday to get my free DQ, I had to pass Aldi's, which was closed as was Arby's. So, I suppose there was hail damage. I saw even more businesses than we had seen yesterday and on the same stretch of road. Exbf said that when he went home yesterday, one car dealer had an empty front lot, that all vehicles were jammed together behind the dealership. Wednesday, there were new vehicles with intact bodies and windows.

My utility bill I just received was exactly half of last month's. I told you it had been warm! However, for a week solid, I ran the ac, so it will probably go up next month, but not to the level when using heat.

Thursday
I still feel tired from earache and meds. But have not gone to have bp checked. I saw more businesses closed that I did not see were closed yesterday. Every other car in town seems to be an insurance vehicle.

I had food from food bank, stuff that I will not eat. The person who gets them south of town could not leave her register because she was only one there. I saw three guys on corners begging, so I gave the whole box to a homeless guy. He was really grateful and had a huge bag from McD and another bag of something. Yay, my car front seat in cleaned out of big stuff.

Read the comments from yesterday, post before this for interesting other information.

Do you have normal blood pressure until meds or problems make it go up?

Hail, BP

While we did not have a tornado here, we had excitement. Monday night, I tried to get some plastic drop cloths but at Lowe's we were told to get in the back of the store. Nothing was happening except on the siren front. Before I left home, I had heard the tornado warnings were 20 miles to the north. I was not going into the back of the store, so I tried to leave. A woman was locking the door and told me I had to go to the back of the store.

In a loud voice I told her to let me out NOW. She did. I would have called 911 and told them I was being held captive.  There is nothing that annoys me more than being forced to do something "for my own good."

Wm had closed, too. And, it was not even Christmas.

I came home very annoyed. The only two times a tornado had damaged my house, a bit of roofing was snatched off and rain came in, so plastic drop cloths seem like a very necessary bit of tornado insurance.

Finally, about 2:30 or so, all Hell broke loose here. I was just paralyzed listening to the hail. It was as large as pingpong balls about 30 minutes later when I decided to look out the back door. The kitchen window was intact and I am not sure how it held up because the noise and number of hail strikes was alarming.

Earlier, I had parked my car where that if a limb fell, hopefully it would not hit my car or at least break a window. Now, I worried about hail damage. I rushed out to see if my car was okay. It was about 5 am and three cars passed as I was trying to see with my flashlight if the windows were damaged.

All well okay with my car, although it appears there is one dimple on the hood. No problem.

I still wanted to go to WM, so I went out. All the cars in several car lots on the way looked like the windows were icy. No, that was multiple hail strikes. One window on a car in a parking lot looked like a bowling ball had been dropped through it. Some cars had not front or rear windows, just gaping holes. This all must have happened earlier because exbf was up and I told him about the car lots.

When he came to pick me up on Tuesday morning, I had had 45 minutes sleep. We went to bank, tried to go to WM, and I went to Lowe's. WM was still closed and it was still not Christmas Day.

When I went into Lowe's, there was barely room to get into the front door. There was a table set up for people to sign up for repair work estimates. There was a huge display of brooms, mops, paper towels, gloves, hammers, and boxes of plastic. The plastic was in boxes about 12x12 inches x 4 ft, massive boxes. Back in the broom aisle, a guy was wrestling the big and wide brooms. Employees were dismantling shelves to get things to the front. AMAZING.

People were buying massive tarps and little strips of stuff that I think is called furring, maybe wrong name. She said those went on top of tarps on the roof, nailed down to keep the tarps on.

Manager of BK lost three cars to hail. No windshields. He said the dining room was destroyed even though the drive-through was open. Hail came through the roof and through the ceiling.

A strip mall near the theater had no lights on in any of the stores. Insurance adjustors were out snapping photos, measuring, and making notes while managers from the stores stood out front. Yes, we did a bit of sight-seeing and rubber-necking.

Men were on tops of most stores in town. If you could see no one on the roof, there was a 20ft+ ladder leaning against the store.

WM just opened today, Wednesday, at noon. I was told all the skylights blew out and much merchandise was ruined. They were spending Tuesday examining and removing the damaged merchandise. That was what I was told on Tuesday.

When I got out of Lowe's, I noticed flowers in the roadway. So, I told exbf I was going to look. In the greenhouse, it was a disaster. So many flowers were in the aisles in broken pots with most of the dirt spilled out. The hail took a toll. Employees were scooping up whole areas and tossing into garbage cans. No, they would not let me have anything!

All this was on the road from my house to WM. We did not branch out around town. I have never before witnessed hail damage. When I was talking with a friend from the country, miles from here, she said her daughter only had the kitchen left without damage and that is where they were living since she could see the sky from every room and all was damp. Her cousin in town had same hail damage but no room left dry and she could see the sky, too.

Talking in passing with those at church, it seems many people suffered from this. Maybe that is why there was about 1/4 as many people at the lunch.

We went to a church lunch: baked boneless, skinless, chicken breasts; green beans; piece of buttered bread; huge salad with tomatoes. A bar of items like shredded cheese, dressings, eggs, and croutons were set out. I chose carrot cake and he chose white cake with white frosting. I had ordered two to-go-boxes before we arrived.

A guy brought a wheel chair for exbf and even got his lunch for him. I parked the car and got my lunch. It was delicious. A new friend from a few months ago sat with us and we had good conversation. Someone wheeled him out.

I felt so ill and mostly exhausted that I came back home to rest after I put food in the oven. Well, I got the appointment time wrong and only lay down for 30 minutes. I had carrots, onions, potatoes in a pan and in oven. Garlic, salt, and pepper and olive oil were for taste. I turned the oven off and went to doctor awhich was a disaster, so I will tell it later...lol.

The doctor's visit was long and grueling, so I packed up the half-cooked vegetables and got his boxed lunch from the refrigerator. I gave him bread, box of cereal, 1/2 Dutch Apple Pie,  and gallon of milk and sent him on his way. He said he did not mind having the same thing for lunch and dinner. So, today, Wednesday, he still has not cooked the vegetables.

The BP report was not good at all, but I am going back to bed.

Easter Recipes Taste Testing

Before I went to the doctor on Sunday, I decided I was very hungry. Earlier in the week, I had planned to go to the Easter Tasting at Publix or whatever they called it. I felt so horrid I changed my mind. But, I was hungry and had not had breakfast or lunch. So, it seemed like I could taste test my hunger away. I went.

Everything was delicious. All the recipes are Publix Aprons recipes.  Here is the SITE.    I suppose you will have to search for each recipe. I did not look for each one.

They serve generous portions at Publix:

Bowtie Feta Pasta Bowl
Peach Gorgonzola Phyllo Cups
Strawberry Spring Salad
Carrot Cake (sold in Publix)
Cold Brew Mocha
something with strawberries, pineapple, whipped cream and a cake in cubes
Bourbon Honey Ham

I passed on the iced coffee. The carrot cake portion was tiny, and I only ate the frosting with a bit of the cake. The phyllo cups were a two bite portion.  My favorite was the Strawberry Spring Salad.

Everything else was at least a 1/2 cup serving. As I was going into the store, a friend coming out said, "You can have lunch in there." So true.

Then, I was off to the doctor. I do know how to have a good time.

I was too tired to write anything today, so you can browse recipes. Look for the deviled egg Easter Egg recipe. They are so cute!

Do you ever go to Publix when they have these tasting events? Or, do you ever happen upon or plan to taste new foods? Is there any one item that piques your interest and makes you drool like the pineapple recipe?

Baby Bananas or Bananitos and Free Thursday Dinner

Written last Thursday night. I did get worse and published that on Sunday.

For years, it seems, I have seen baby bananas and thought nothing except that they were cute, a novelty. Finally, one day last week I became consumed with finding out about them. One produce employee assured me they were edible when green as grass because they never turn yellow. Well, I doubted that, and I was correct. 

For my first experiment, I bought one tiny banana about three inches long and paid ten-cents, including tax. Two days later, I bought one that did not look so battered and paid twelve-cents, including tax, for this one. Then, I waited and waited. 

Finally, the first one ripened some. So, I decided to eat it. The description says baby bananas are thing-skinned. I had to use a thumb nail to peel the skin from the flesh. Next time, I will use a dinner knife or the bowl of a spoon. Yes, the skin is very thin. The baby bananas don't really look like a banana inside even though the flesh is pale yellow. 

The taste is banana-y, but not so delicious. The mouth feel is the worst part. I cannot say they are slimy, but they are incredibly smooth, smoother than large bananas. 

I still have the last one I bought. This one will be allowed to become very yellow to see if that will improve the taste and texture.  Oh, these are $3.99/lb. The cost will assure I never buy these again. 

Thursday night, I went to the free dinner: spaghetti, roll, salad of greens and dressing and a piece of chocolate bundt cake. There was little meat but the taste was superb. The "meat" may have been soy. I hope not. I really appreciated not having to cook dinner. 

A group from south Alabama had a skit for us or a group of skits. It was all interesting and not too preachy. I laughed lots and shushed two women talking within six inches of my back as they leaned toward each other. I was not subtle the last time I shushed them loudly. They immediately started talking again. So, I turned to look right in the face of one woman. That woman said, "Well, we are still going to talk."  And, they did!  Amazingly, there were people all over the back of the dining room talking, not even whispering. 

A woman (39) sat down and asked me if she could share her addiction story. She did. It was tragic (involving the accidental death of her only son), but hopefully she will have a good outcome. I gave her the bunny for her youngest daughter. Remember the bunny I was given in WM? 

In telling her story, she said Bradford, a business for treating drug addicts, a residential program, allowed her to go there for free! 

She wants to get her GED. I told her that once she got her GED that Wallace Community College would allow her to take one class tuition-free. She was happy about that. I then told her she could get a grant to pay for her tuition and not have to pay that back. She seemed truly happy about the news. 

She may not use the information immediately, but I planted the seed. She might even pass that information along to others living in the women's facility for drug addicts. 

I did little today, but it was more than I can usually accomplish.  I cannot stay outside long because of the allergens in the air. I have an earache and a fever. (Thursday) It is enough that I am pleased with myself. 

Tuesday No, today is Monday! 3/19/18

This week. I ate the other banana when it was more ripe. Yuck is all I have to say. It is sweet and creamy like the internet says, just not for me. Little kids would love it. I still feel ill and am not wanting to type much. I will spend my energy watching for tornadoes.

Your turn

Have you ever eaten baby bananas? Can you give me a clue about how yellow they need to be? What is your opinion of baby bananas taste or texture? 

Things I Find When I Clean the House

Well, I did not actually clean anything yet. Just picking up this plastic bag and that plastic bag, I find things I actually need and things I forgot I had. Yeah, this is more like digging out than actually cleaning.

In one bag, I found the receipt for my TV, dated 11/30/2017. Since I plan to return the TV on Tuesday, this will be handy. Neither of us remembered which of his credit cards I used. I use one of his credit cards for high price items or any electronics so the item can be disputed more easily. Once, he used his credit card and I handed him $110 in cash. The clerk did a double take. "Security," I told him. The clerk did not understand the appearance of a cc and cash at the same time.

The loud pops emanating from the TV are concerning me. I think it might explode or catch on fire.. A guy who knows said it is probably the speaker and not dangerous, as I fear. At any rate, I am returning it. Being without sound is not what I want.

I was concerned with the 30-day return policy. From the receipt I see I bought a 2-year replacement policy. It is the first warranty I have ever purchased and it appears it is a good thing.

In another bag was a half bag of Christmas Kisses. Yay me! I knew I bought Kisses I did not eat, but never could find them. Then, I figured I ate them and did not remember.

A pair of Halloween tights bought for $.75 for older g-daughter have now made an appearance at almost Easter.

A bag of almost expired coupons from 4 papers surfaced, too. These need to be clipped soon. Okay, the coupons are clipped and the rest can go to a woman who uses them for food bank items.

I uncovered a box of birthday cards. I buy the box of 12 for $2.98. I need those soon.

So many expired coupons and old magazines go right into the trash right along with the AARP magazines I intended to read.

The white onions and garlic I never planted due to being ill smell funky after months of being in a plastic bag. I wonder if they are still good. ???

This is like an archaeological dig.

 I wrote the above several days ago and then lost my oomph and quit the dig.

My oomph stealer was an earache of epic proportions. The gland below ear is swollen, The ear itself hurts to touch it. My eyebrow hurt and the area in front of the ear. Today, I got an injection and three prescriptions.

When I lie on the left side, the side with ear doing poorly, it hurts. When I lie on the left side, I can hear fluid running and gurgling. I cannot lie on my back.

Formerly, the sinus congestion of a few days ago would have rapidly have progressed to my ears, throat, and lungs. I feel incredibly lucky this is only an earache, although she said my throat was very red on that side. This is all bad but so much better than it has been in the past with pollen problems.

Oh, yes, I forgot the fever for days. I thought I could beat this all back but could not.

The house is neither clean nor shoveled out!

Has the pollen gotten to you? Do you "find" things when you clean or look into places?

Recycling Frustration

The city gives us a container for recyclables. It's about the size of a clothes basket. Since I recycle, it is well-used and always has something in it.

That is, unless something has been dragging things out. Tuna/salmon, corn cans are prime targets. I put the plastic cups I use into a plastic bag and tie the bag. Usually, there is a food can in with the cups. Sometimes, the food can is in the recycle bin, loose, without a bag. The whole bag gets dragged out and strewn all over the yard!

When I found the dead possum, there was a plastic bag with plastic cups inside and food cans. Whatever animal is was had dragged the bag all the way around the house to the opposite side. The bag had been ripped open and cups shredded. There is milk residue in most of the cups and sometimes orange juice. I don't want to go near the smelly place, but I will because I have to.

There are animals all over the neighborhood--at least one possum, raccoons, dogs, and cats and coyotes if I am to believe neighbors. I have to go all over the yard and collect debris that animals have strewn.

The neighbors behind me put out bags of trash that are not in a can. I have never seen the bags torn. I feel like I am a target yard over here. Neighbors that put out recycling swear nothing ever happens to their recycling even when it has attractive contents.

We have leash laws that no one bothers to follow. We cannot shot raccoons because it is illegal to shoot a gun in the city limits. Poison would kill dogs and cats. Live traps could not trap dogs or neighbor cats, all of which would have to be released.

I even found a can under the house, visible from the outside since I did not go under there. No, I left the can under there. This opening under the house had a window with a screen until a cat burst right through it trying to escape another cat. I replaced it once and it happened again. No, these are not my cats.

I cannot confront anyone if I have not seen their cat or dog. So, there is no use even thinking of that. Wild animals would not listen, understand, or care.

As of this afternoon, there are five bags of things or individual cans I must pick up with my back that does not like bending over.

Other than stop recycling, there are no choices. What would you do? And, I am not washing disposable cups that I use because of the problem with washing dishes! Do you have this problem in your neighborhood?

Such Depression

This is weighing me down so that I can barely think or move. I cannot afford the lenses for my glasses. So, I will not be reading or sewing.

The doctor I went to out of town before this new doctor caused me some problems. I just discovered he charged Medicare for plastic frames in 2012, so that seems like Medicare fraud. Plus, when I went for an eye exam and new lens, he did the exam and I got the new lens. When I told the tech who gave me the glasses with new lens that I cannot see, she checked with doctor. He said that was because I had cataracts.

I changed doctors.

It seems he should have told me before I had new lens made! So, since I got those lens that were worthless due to cataracts, I cannot get new lens until next year. So, it appears one more year with only one lens and a scratched one at that.

I know I can report him for Medicare fraud, but that won't get me new lens today like I anticipated.

I know I will get over this depression which is situational. So, don't any of you reactionary types start worrying for my life or suggest a psychiatrist.

The Ides of March

When I was in high school, we members of the Latin Club wore black arm bands in mourning and remembrance of the assassination of Julius Caesar. The Latin Club also had toga parties. I still study my Latin to this day.

In the past, I have found people who did not believe that each months has an "ides." Of course, when three people say I am wrong, according to them, I am wrong. GAH!

So, here it is straight from the internet...lol. You know the internet is never wrong.

ENJOY.

I thought I would get more funny dog stories from the last post, but I suppose not.

Did you study Latin? Did you enjoy  Julius Caesar, Shakespeare's play?

Dogs and Pi(e) Day

My sister’s dogs were always very excited about the prospect of a walk.

One day, I was visiting my sister and doing some sewing for her. Suddenly the dogs were all over me. I was screeching in fear and the dogs were yelping and barking and running around me.  My sister had told me that my screeching made the dogs think I was playing and made them excited, so I tried to remain calm even though I was frighetened. But, not this time. My sister came flying down the stairs, cursing and demanding to know what I was "doing" to her dogs. Then she started laughing as she saw the tape measure I was carrying. She said they thought we were going for a walk and I had brought a leash. From then on, if I came down the stairs with a tape measure, I stuffed it under my shirt.

Today, I managed unload stuff from the front seat of the car. Well, someone came and took things I had put things in there.

The font color changes all on its own! ugh 

Thursday, friend had just come from lunch with a friend, celebrating with an St. Patrick's Day meal of corned beef and cabbage. She asked if I wanted her leftovers. I took them, a to-go box with corned beef, cabbage, three tiny new potatoes, and a corn muffin. I left most of the meat and muffin until later. So, that was late lunch/early dinner for me. 

It may seem yucky to eat a friend's leftovers. Whatever. Would you? The beef, muffin, and potatoes are fine. Only the cabbage off her plate might be seen as disgusting. Would eat it? 

Each day, I do just a bit more in the yard, maybe five minutes worth. It is not much, but it is all I can do. 

I showed her my "garden," a collection of buckets and containers. She has a full-sized tractors with all the equipment to do a real garden and lots of land. She crawls along planting, something I could never do. She is saving the garlic and onions I gave her to plant later. The tulips I gave her, two bulbs, are already in the ground. 

She lives in the country and has neighbors with huge commercial farms and gets lots of produce. Lucky her. 

I had to search to find Thin Mints. Now, I am off to get them. Okay, I got the Thin Mints and ate the whole box. 

In Publix I found a treat. They were giving away samples of pie for Pi day.

It is not too cold and sunny today. I found someone to mow my yard! I count this as a good day, if not productive. Hopefully, he will come soon.

Your turn
Did you observe Pi day? Would you eat your friend's leftovers? Do your dogs or friend's dogs misunderstand things? Give me a good dog story.

My New Bunny...free

While I was in Walmart, riding along in the electric cart and minding my own business, a woman approached me. She seemed very excited, almost hyper. Why does the text change colors??? Is it black now? Oh, good.

"Do you like stuffed animals?" Actually, that depends on what you mean. So, I said, "Yes." Who can be mean enough to say she does not like stuffed animals to a person who has an unknown agenda? She held out a stuffed bunny and told me her son and husband had gotten her lots of stuffed animals and she was trying to give them away. "Do you want this one? ''

"Is it paid for?"

I was so stunned and wondered if it had poison powder on it, or if I were going to be smuggling something out of the store. So, I have a bunny.

This is only the fourth stuffed animal I have ever had in my life. The first I received from Santa when I was eight-years-old. I still have it. My son wore it out playing with it. I still have it, minus an eye and some fur. Well, I may have had others before that, but I have no memory of them. 

When I was about twelve, I really wanted a Shaggy Dog and got it from Santa. 

My younger daughter gave me a white bear when she was about eight and I loved it. It was a white and fuzzy, but eventually was given away. 

The new bunny is multi-colored, sitting about a foot tall with floppy ears not included in the measurement. It is sitting down with feet out like a little child. So, actually it is quite large. There is a yellow carrot and an orange carrot embroidered on the front.

It's a little weird looking but some child will love it. Now, I am on a quest to find the perfect child to receive the bunny. 

I would be horrified if anyone gave me a stuffed animal as a gift. They are such a waste of money and space. I know a woman whose husband gives her several stuffed animals several times a year for gift-giving occasions. 

Besides, I have allergies. So did my children. 

I washed a soft, cloth doll of my daughter's, and the doll fell to pieces. Ooops! the inside was the floor droppings from a sewing factory. It was so gross that my asthmatic child had played with this doll. No, I did not buy it. So, beware, factories all over do the same thing.

How about you? Do you love stuffed animals as gifts from family and friends? Do you think the woman giving me a bunny in WM was bizarre as I do? 

New Tick Species and Meat Allergy

I already have a mammal product allergy. This is even scarier.

Monday
Today. I ran all day with no sleep Sunday night. At 5:30 pm I finally got to sleep and slept until 11:30 pm/ I feel so much better.

My tires were wobbling and exbf said a tire was low. None were over 2 lbs low, so I am not sure why the tires felt wobbly. They feel like they are falling off.

I got my free haircut at Sportsclips. The girl was so nice and patient with me. I was so nervous about a new person cutting my hair. I assured her I did not want her to make my cut perfect, just less awful. She spent a lot of time showing me what had happened to my hair--where it was cut so wrong. She assured me I had done a great job on the right side of my hair, but the left was so bad she said she could not fix it. I am happy with my bangs, so she knew all this and did not offer to fix the bangs.

I really like her. That is a high compliment from me for a beautician who gives me a first-time cut.

While there, I saw the Honduran wife of a friend who was killed in a car wreck. He went to Honduras, found her, paid for English lessons, spent a small fortune making her a citizen. Yet, she still has to endure being called "Mexican," She was dirt poor and now is a wealthy woman. We all miss him. There is no shame in being a Mexican, but the name is used as a pejorative.

My a2milk was on sale. I only took enough money in to get one half-gallon. Now, I must get more before it goes off sale tomorrow. Publix is very close.

My one remaining Hosta is flourishing. I do believe I can divide it into three more plants and have really large ones this year. None will be in the ground! Hopefully, the ground squirrels will not find them on a table. I need a little greenhouse!

For many years when I was a child, I played in the woods and tall grass. When I was eight, Mama found a tick in the top of my head and removed it. As far as I know, that is the only time I ever had a tick attach itself to me. I will ask the allergist if that caused my allergy to mammal products. I have an appointment in two weeks.

I still feel very well and cannot believe my good fortune in probably not getting so ill again. Now, for mosquito season...sigh.

Some of you have the same fear of beauticians. Oh, I put hair color on my hair and feel human and like hair is not so awful.

Flowers, My Chin, Bunching, and Other Things

camellia from the internet

I forgot to say that my Yoshino Cherry and Redbud trees are in full bloom and have been for about a week. More tulips are blooming. The forsythia is all dead! I have not looked for the azalea. It may have died. It was a Mother's Day gift in about 1990. The dogwood does not bloom except for one branch. I bought a pink dogwood and now what is left is white. ugh! The grass//weeds need to be mowed!

Plus, on Friday, I bought more twenty-cent seed packets: zinnia, white Shasta Daisy, Chives, and White Lisbon bunching onions. What does "bunching onions" mean? They look like green onions, so I hope that is what I bought.

I have staked out a Camellia in the universe to root a few stems of new growth. Yes, that means I am appropriating a few stems or branch tips. The liberated stems will live at my house. Camellia bloom only in the winter, making it a rare delight. I took a picture of my elderly neighbor's camellia covered in snow. She was pleased to have the picture since she had never gotten a photo of the camellia in bloom and covered in snow.

Remember the hour and a half I sat in the cold, sun, and wind? Well, my chin looks like it has permanent sun damage. The skin is thick looking and feeling. Hopefully, this condition will go away. Since I had my back to the sun and the wind, hopefully this is just a horrid wind burn. Since I have never had such a thing happen to me, I am puzzled.

When I search for a tv station or program, I see a digital clock on the screen. Since it was 1:59 am Sunday morning, I wondered if the digital clock would click over to 3:00 am. It did,  making a magical moment. Silly me.

For the first time I used Roku. I still am fuzzy on how to do things, but I suppose I will learn. Basic Instinct was the first movie I watched since I had never seen it. I really hated that movie.  The murder story would have been just as powerful or maybe more so without the graphic scenes. You know the ones I mean and not the murders. And, I cannot stand Sharon Stone. There, it is in print. People think I am crazy for disliking her.

My intentions are to watch from five to seven movies each week. I pay $5.99/month, so these will be really cheap to view. Do they ever have newish movies? The Greatest Show on Earth is one I really want to see. There are plenty to watch and ones I will enjoy.

When I was in Walmart, a young woman of twenty said to me as a preface to something she was about to tell me, "I don't know, maybe you don't, but, do you happen to know who Kendall Jenner is?" How old does she think I am? How does one escape knowing who these people are? She knows I own a TV and she knows I own a laptop. You do not even have to be interested to know who they are. I wonder if she realizes who Bruce Jenner is.

Remember the succulents I was given, the three fingers. Well, I waited 48 hours before they touched dirt, which is all I did was touch them to dirt and press down a bit. One "finger" deflated from the top. It looks like a flat balloon. So, I cut off a bit of the tip and put it in a cup with a smidgen of water. It does not seem to be helping. I still had two in dirt. One is losing its green and is turning white. The third looks fat and sassy, more fat than when I put it in the dirt. It is getting greener than ever, and the little soft spines are once again prominent. Is there any hope for the deflated "finger" or the one turning white?

Friday, I was looking for something in a store and saw a clerk who is friendly but was not on the clock. She helped me and somehow mentioned her bf knew me. He was there with her, the son of a friend who died. The guy is exactly one week older than my oldest grandchild. I had not seen him since he was about twelve. He said he saw me all the time in the store and wondered when I was going to speak to him.  He is 6'5" and a body like Hugh Jackman only slimmer. He was about 5' tall and chubby the last time I saw him. I am so amazed that young people are not aware they change more than we do. I probably felt the same way.

Do you remember when last week I was complaining bitterly and whining about my feet freezing? Well, I had cracked a window about a quarter of an inch on a day near 80 F degrees. I did not close it and thought my toes would freeze off. I am happily wearing sandals and my toes are okay even though snow flurries are predicted for tonight. Writing this on Sunday night.

I am thrilled that DST has arrived so I will have more sun at the end of the day.

That pretty much ties it all up for me. Bunching onions? Windburn? Roku? Succulents?

Recipe: Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball~Be Still My Heart

Great Balls of Cheese

I am so in love with this recipe, Chocolate Chip Cheese Balls. Or, am I in love with the idea of this recipe?  I think I want this book!


Ingredients

1. 8 ounces semisweet chocolate
2. 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
3. 1/2 cup sugar
4. 16 ounces cream cheese, softened
5. 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
6. 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
7. 1 teaspoon espresso powder, optional
8. 1 cup mixed chocolate and white chocolate chips, for coating
9. Chocolate cookies or vanilla wafer cookies, for serving

Directions

1. In a double boiler or a glass bowl set over simmering water, melt the semisweet chocolate and unsweetened chocolate, stirring occasionally. When it's smooth, remove it from the water, and add the sugar. Stir until combined, and let cool, about 15 minutes.
2. Using a stand mixer or a bowl and a spatula, blend the chocolate mixture, cream cheese, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and espresso powder, if using. Form the mixture into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight.
3. Before serving, roll the cheese ball in the chocolate chips to coat. Serve with chocolate cookies or vanilla wafers. Yield 15-29 servings.
4. No, I have not made this. I will have to wait for an occasion
5. when I will not have this all to myself.
6. Has anyone ever enjoyed anything like this, 
   a dessert cheese ball? Wouldn't this look cute in an egg shape for Easter?