Sleep, Tomato, Reading, Limb, Neighbors

 I am up at 4:30! I awoke just before 4 am. Why? I listened to my body and went to bed at 9:30 pm n Tuesday night. I am shocked at my decision. But, I had a busy day. Doing nothing, it appears. I want to go to bed at midnight and awake around 8 am.

Yesterday, we had a tree guy come to give an estimate for taking the tree limb hanging over the yard. The last estimate and only other estimate was for $1350. One limb. 

This guy gave us two estimates per my request. One for taking it down and carrying it. One for putting it on the ground. The plan was to defray our cost by allowing someone to take it for firewood. The tree is oak. The cost for cutting, removing, cleaning the yard was $300. The cost for putting it on ground. $200. 

When I was handed to two costs, I was shocked and read it twice, read it aloud. I told Tommy we should not get the other estimate, just let him get the limb. 

Can you believe the discrepancy in the two bills? The guy appeared to be lucid. 

I never see the neighbors with the dogs. I just report what Tommy tells me. However, today, I saw one of the mothers getting out of the car. The dogs were barking like mad. I suppose they miss the family and were hungry. I wonder what happened to the other dogs and the cat, though. I told Tommy I think they have no electricity. He didn't think so. Well, he came in after me and said she went in and turned on no lights. He saw her go in and on another trip to the car saw her exit the house. Since she turned no lights on, he does think they lost electricity. 

I just hope the children are okay since at least one of these women are cruel. This seems to be a family in crisis. In times of stress more abuse occurs. 

Weeds are two feet deep and toys are still strewn all over the yard. The liner for the swimming pool is lying out in the front yard, killing all the grass. The sides of the pool are falling down in back yard. Of course, all this is on our side of their house next to ours. 

When I went to Lowe's on Sunday and bought the Stella de Oro, I was looking for cayenne peppers and something else in the vegetables/herbs. For some reason, the staff had made a raised bed and put it right on the pavement. Inside the square, there were lots of tomato plants, more than need be in that small space and none were staked. So, you can imagine the jumble. There were many green tomatoes. In the midst and below the tomato jungle, I could see one reddish tomato. I reached down and picked it up. The stem had been split, either from someone pulling it or from the stress of not being staked. The length of the torn tomato stem was healed. 

I finished picking it up since it was detached and put it in my cart. When I got to the register, the woman came around to scan the two things I had. I showed her the tomato and asked if I could have it. She very cheerfully said I could. So, it is on the counter ripening. 

The alarm is set for 9 am when I need to get up, wash my hair and leave by 9:30 am. I really hate that is four hours away, and I am up. However, I doubt I will be able to go back to sleep. I slept my seven hours I require. Still, this is why I never go to bed early. Even if I evolve into an early bird, I will be ready to go back for a nap before noon. There is not much to do this time of the day without disturbing Tommy. I cannot read a book until I get new glasses. 

I 'lost' my debit card. It has been two weeks. My cc does not work. I am even out of the bank's system. I did not use it enough. HA! On Monday, I called the bank to replace my debit card. On, Tuesday night, I found it. Isn't that the way it always happens? 

Today, I have an appointment for an emergency eye exam. It has been almost a year since the tech for the stress test popped my mask into my eye and refused to remove it so the edge of the mask was not hurting. The eye in the outer corner is still giving me problems, hurting and crusting. Today, I will see about that. The reason I have waited so long is that I kept thinking it would get better. 

Alabama is screwing up educational progress once again. I am just furious. When I was in first grade, I was astute enough to know that the reading groups were not just chosen at random. I realized everyone in my group were the best readers. My son was removed from his classroom and taken to a 'special' room. He tested very low at the end of first grade. So, I sat my pregnant self down and we read all summer, despite his objections. (He learned to love reading and is now a high school English teacher.) They put him in group wrongly based on six-month old scores. He was humiliated and complained every day for a month that all the other people in the class were stupid and could not read. I had a baby the end of September, so was not even aware of what was happening. They illegally put my son in some sort of program with numbers. I trusted a very good system and it failed us. How much failure is happening in other schools without stellar records? 

I suppose I need to go and at least lie down to keep my feet from swelling ahead of a busy day in the car. I am not going to edit this post at all. 

Do you ever find random tomatoes? Or, any normally cultivated food? 

Do you have neighbor children or families you worry about? 

Have you lost a cc or debit card, only to find it as soon as you find it?

Can you think of any reason in the wide range of cost for limb removal?

Have schools failed your child? 

Valentine Gnome and Frustration

 

                                                               Valentine Gnome  

How about another cute dessert? I would make this. 

TV's Funniest Phrases Seinfeld had #1, #21, and #50. "No soup for you." Did you find your favorite in the list? 

This amazon box had a cell phone battery in it and bubble for cushioning. Is that wasteful? I received an order yesterday that had three items, one in a breakable bottle. Each item was in a plastic bag, no box.  I wonder who makes the decision on which method of packing to use. 

I am not sure why I did not post this above on Sunday. I looked at the post up and saw Sunday, so I thought I had already posted. 

I am not sure what the alignment above is doing, so I will ignore it.  I had little sleep Saturday and Sunday night. Dogs next door sounded like we were being invaded by wolves or something dangerous on Sunday night/Monday morning.  

This afternoon I wasted a beautiful day in Lowe's getting no help. I had definite things in mind. Nothing panned out. I left empty-handed and disappointed and exhausted. 

1-I wanted something to seal cold air coming in around the bathroom window. Well, I was shown something to shut in the window, something to squirt in the crack, and told to get a piece of plastic and tape over the window. Then, get a window sealing kit. 

The space leaking is between the frame of window and tile. There is no way to raise the window unless I take it out. They were confused and could not figure out why the window frame would not raise. The draft stuff to squirt never works for me. I am either too stupid or clumsy to get it where it goes and how it goes. It would look so lumpy and nasty. I was told there is nothing to roll in a string to put in cracks.

I know I have seen something that looks like play doh that can be rolled into a long piece like a snake and then it can be pressed into the space. 

They tell me to just squish the foam into the space of 1/8 inch. 

2--No one could show me the Kohler commode that was installed. It is not round in front and elongated. It sort of is triangular with a bit of rounding in the front. So, need to find out about that. There is nothing about my bottom that fits this commode I have newly installed!

3--I want a new light to go beside the front door. I would like one that had an outlet for plugging in electrical things since Tommy has no outdoor electrical outlet. The guy did not even investigate, just told me that nothing like that is made. 

4--I wanted weed killer for St. Augustine Grass. It was up too high, so I just left it and did not ask for help. I would have had to have driven halfway across the store. I may just order it. 

5--I passed a display of new seeds. I asked the guy if he could get me some short carrots. He pulled off the top of the case where the carrots were and spilled about a hundred packages of seeds or more. He picked them up and put them willy-nilly back into the case and declared they did not carry short carrots. I know better, but I went on. 

6--floor cabinets--nothing there that was metal. Guy only muttered a bit. 

7--Security door glass and metal type for front door. Guy pointed in their direction. There was no one to talk with and there were no prices. 

Before I actually got to talk with anyone and had been on the cart five minutes, the cart died. Someone brought me a cart. The guy dragged the dead cart out of the way, and an hour later it still sat, not being charged. 

Can you see why I am frustrated and exhausted after not getting much sleep all weekend? 

A few minutes ago, I tried to walk to the kitchen and could barely stand to get dinner on my plate. I struggled back to my chair and Tommy heated it and brought to me. I have no idea what is wrong with my flank, maybe my kidney. Plus, there is a knot under my ribs in front on the same side. Whatever is happening, I at least need to be able to get to the bathroom. Last night, I was very wobbly getting up to go. 

Today was beautiful, a deep blue sky with some clouds that did not dim the brilliance of the sun. 

We are watching Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman, so I need to get back.

Do you find that people working in some home improvement stores have no idea about the business in which they work?

Rainchecks, The Ads and Saban Resigns

Tommy had a doctor appointment at the other end of the county. I only slept 1.5 hours, so the trip was rough. We did nothing else that we could have down there. The only thing we did was go to our three stores around here and collect the ads. At The Pig he was charged $1.70 or something for the 10% and did not pay $0.85 for being 'over 60.' This is a small economy.

This week, there was very little to tempt us to grocery shop. Instead, I pulled out three rain checks to redeem. This chore was harder than grocery shopping. I did stock up on 'no salt' cream of soups. The foil I needed was still out. I now have some Eagle Brand Condensed Milk. I rarely use it. But, I have two cans now. 

To make matters worse, everything but the foil was out of reach on the bottom shelf. Then, I needed help to get Tommy's Diet Pepsi. I spent a lot of time at the service desk talking about the foil rain check. 

When we came home, I decided to work on soups, sorting, that is. I won't use the sodium-laden kind. Tommy said he would leave it alone, too. Now, I have more than a dozen cans of soup, all late 2023, to give away. It makes me sad, but it has to be done. Really, one of these days, I will make it myself, so I do not have to eat soy or the oils in them. 

Christmas is still out in living room and ready to be boxed. 

Tommy and I are both using unused pages in our 2023 day planners for notes--a small economy. 

Dinner: I had chicken with bbq saucenand potato salad. Tommy had chicken tenders, green bean casserole, baked potatoes, carrots. 

I asked Tommy if his mother ever made cookies. He said occasionally she did, using the rolls of cookie dough from the store. I was wondering if she ever made cut out cookies. I laughed inside. She made pies. 

Tonight, after dinner I was typing. I noticed bbq sauce on the back of my left hand. It hurt to lick it, and I could not wipe it off. Somehow, I whacked the back of my hand, cutting it 1/4 inch and leaving a bruise! I don't bruise easily nor do I scrape myself. Skin is not thin. It is a mystery. 

I forgot. I did have Tommy take me to Lowe's. I still cannot light the grill. I went for long matches to stick through the hole in the front to light it. Well, I finally found the long matches, but saw the long lighters and decided that would work, too. So, I can try that. If it still won't light, I will get rid of the grill. Of course, Christmas decorations were 75% off, but I was charged 50% off, so I need to rectify that. I bought two strings of lights to put on the other two tomato cages. 

The wind was up again today, but less than the last few days. Tonight, it is 35F. I am so cold I have on my summer nightgown and the long-sleeved fleece nightgown. My hands are cold typing. I also have a heavy fleece throw over me as I sit in my chair. When I napped here, I used my jacket lying nearby to put over chest and around shoulders. I am still cold! I won't sleep in both nightgowns as I will remove the winter, long-sleeved nightgown. 

My hair is finally long like it was before Tommy whacked it! So, I suppose I can get a haircut to even it all. It has grown over 8 inches in a year. 

EDIT: Coach Nick Saban of University of Alabama and Roll Tide resigned. While I must be loyal to Auburn, I am a big fan of Saban. It is all over the news. Tonight, Channel 13 had a brief weather report, and the remainder of the news cast was devoted to the Saban development. 

It was a busy day, probably boring, but we accomplished things that needed to be done. I had my nap and small economies. 

How was your day? 

Any small economies?

Large ones?

Good food?

Are you an Alabama fan?