A Haircut

 Wednesday night, I went to sleep at 8 pm and woke at 2 am. Of course, I could not go back to sleep until about 7 am and slept until 9 am. I wish I could develop a better schedule, but at least I am getting seven or eight hours sleep. And, I am not awake all night, necessitating sleeping in the day.

Tommy is funny. I told him the other day that I would cook the small cabbage and to get the larger cabbage out of the plastic bag and don't put it in the refrigerator. He incredulously asked, "And, let it sit out for days out of the refrigerator." I suppose he thought it would rot in three or four days. I always store cabbage in the crisper, but the refrigerator was full. Two days on the table where it is cool was not going to make it rot. I forgot to cook it today! 

He said he liked the way I cooked cabbage. Some people, he said, cooked cabbage to mush and he likes cabbage with a bite. 

I have an appointment to get a haircut on Tuesday, but the weather will be bad. I have not had a professional haircut since 2018! It is too long, scraggly, and cut wrong. I just hope the roads are not frozen. I am so excited!

Tonight, I had chili, hotdogs, shredded cheese, and half a hotdog bun. Tommy had two hotdogs, catsup, mustard, and relish. 

The ot who was scheduled for 3:30 to 4--arrival came at 5 pm. The nurse called, expecting to come here tomorrow morning. She told me most people never went anywhere, so I told her most of the time I went out and sat in the car while Tommy went into stores. So, she misses seeing me this week. 

I tried once again to contact the cleaner the doctor recommended. No contact. 

The table to my left desperately needed cleaning of bits. This has been done. It has been an uneventful/boring day.

We are expecting rain for two days, then freezing weather. If snow is forecast, I will make the milk concoction for snow ice cream. YUM

Do you have snow forecast for next week?

Time Well-spent

 Jan 3, 2005-- 10499 steps

The nurse came, the one Tommy described as 'rough.' The visit went well. She put lotion on my lower legs and feet. I cannot reach that far. Vitals were good. 

I saw cleaner. She approached me and wanted to know what was up. She said I never answer or call her back. She said she left messages. My inbox is full, so, NO. I told her so. She swears I never ever called her or left a message. YES, I did. So, with her failure to admit she did not get calls from me, it is over for me. 

With her excessive texting and her daughter and boyfriend here all the time, sitting outside and texting her, I am definitely over her 'help.' They were out in driveway cleaning out boyfriend's car. The daughter (19) ends up in house talking to mother when mother is supposed to be cleaning. The bf ended up at door, but I did not invite him in!

I am slowly filling all dates preordained. Tommy and I both keep a day planner, but we keep the other's information. 

My neighbor has had bronchitis and RSV. She brought home four prescriptions and had been banned from going to children's houses to see grandchildren's Christmas toys. I was asking her to come over where I was in car, but told her for my sake and hers to stay home. 

Since I slept almost three hours on Thursday night, I was desperate today for a nap-three hours. 

We cannot get out the red boxes for Christmas decorations. We have one she left out, so it will all go into that. Of course, we will start next Christmas very disorganized, I think when I get someone to help me, I will  make organizing Christmas a task I will pay to have done when it is finished. 

Now, it is time to do the lymphedema therapy. 

Robins have acted like it is spring. There are thousands of dandelions all about. There are none is our yard, though. Today, we saw a bluebird in the yard. Nature does not know there will be very cold weather this next week. 

When we do lymphedema therapy and I use the pedal machine, I spend 5 hours in therapy/exercise! So far, it is paying off. Tommy can see torso is slimmer and my face. Even my double chins are getting fewer and smaller. Of course, the weight loss happened earlier.

Okay, apple pie is on its way. 

How many hours do any of you spend in exercise or physical therapy? If you don't want to say, no problem. 

Have you seen many robins and bluebirds this year? Are dandelions in bloom where you live?

I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas"

 As luck would have it, on Friday we were offered a free plate of food. We took it, parked and ate most of it. Then, there was enough for dinner. There was enough turkey on one plate for a meal. Then, there was beef and rice enough for two people. Vegetables--broccoli, brussels sprouts, fresh uncut green beans, zucchini, butternut squash. There was a massive amount of food. 

As we accepted the plates of food, two rolls of wrapping paper were pressed on us as we assured the people we had plenty. They were desperate to give it all away. So, we took the two rolls.

I never buy birthday wrapping paper. One roll could be used for a man's birthday gift. It was a black and green plaid. Stripes and polka dots work well for women's gifts. So, sales or giveaways of women papers happens often, but not for men. 

So, several wins for me. 

We woke early to get things done away from house to be back for cleaner at 3pm. Her daughter called after 2:30 to say her mother was sick, throwing up since early this morning. Someone prompted her to say "diarrhea" too. She said she could come Monday probably. I wished her well. No, she will not be coming. This was the last large bit to do to get the living room ready and for it to be entirely empty before Christmas. She knew this. If I have to do this, there will be nothing cooked and I will be too tired to even enjoy Christmas. I knew she would do this and still want to come back only to get her cash Christmas gift. 

She texts the whole time she is here. If I ask her to take something to the bedroom, she walks very slowly down and back, texting all the time. If I ask Tommy something and he is answering me, she sits and texts the whole time. She holds her phone almost all the time she is here. 

Other than her refusal to come and lying, this day has been sunny and pleasant. I took a few catnaps during the day. 

I did something good for me. Special K with Red Berries will be my breakfast this week. It is too expensive to eat all the time! It is rarely on sale. I almost had a bowl after dinner but showed a bit of restraint. 

We have been listening to Christmas songs and watching Christmas movies nonstop. I have not yet heard "I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas."

Bing Videos Click and Enjoy

Monday Nothing

 

I have a new Amaryllis, not this one. 

Today, we both spent over two hours on the phone, trying to rent a car. No such luck. At midnight, I asked him when he was going to get a car. What car? He said if I wanted to rent one, get it. So, no doctor trips this week and no Christmas party.

PT person was an hour late because she forgot the time to come. That meant she and cleaner were both here, and Tommy was paying cleaner. So, I tended to Tommy, cleaner and pt person. It was a wild, to me, occasion. Tommy and cleaner hooked up lights to deer and electricity. 

There are four candles on a gold deer antler, but I only had two batteries, just enough for one candle. Oh well. We will buy more. 

Four people with two lift chairs and one chair not available (stacked too high) made this room so crowded.

PT hurt lots, but they were easy exercises...like raising leg 20 times. She did not tell me to do them every day, but I will. 

I lost another 4 pounds today. That makes 32 lbs in last three months or so.  I don't think I have noted the four pound loss yet

PT person was trying to hold onto me. I had a time making her stop touching me! It makes me feel off balance! I do not want to fall. She was about five feet tall, not enough to keep me from falling. She put together my Ellipse. I tried it a bit. It seems very fast even though it is slow. And, I had it on the slowest speed. 

I did have cleaner dust in living room, shake bathroom rugs, and vacuum hall, my bedroom, and kitchen. I told her to vacuum, not move things, so this was a middle of floor vacuum. She did little, but it was not her fault there was someone here. I told her to leave rugs outside for Tommy to wash, but she did not, and he did not. I was too distracted by PT. 

It was 67F degrees today. I finally had to turn on AC. It has been so hot at night I may turn it on tonight.

The coughing and sneezing are somewhat less. I find it hard to believe I will be well by Christmas. However, I am making progress. Since I cannot find all decorations since last cleaner moved them somewhere, the three tomato cage trees will be te last of decorations.

News of lollipops is upcoming.

Are your Christmas plans coming along? 

I have not gotten any cards mailed. How about you?

Reindeer Munching in the Front Yard

 This will be short. I am about to go to sleep. 

Therapist or someone came. Cleaner came and put together the three reindeer and changed my bed among other things. 

See, I told you that it would be short. I am so sleepy. 

I think I have the three cutest deer in my yard. No, they are not munching. That was just click-bait thought up by Tommy. By the way, Jan, Tommy loved the birthday card.

Anyone baking for Christmas yet?

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

 Cleaner came today. She put away Halloween and Thanksgiving decorations. She started bringing out red boxes of decorations. Took 3 ft tree out and fluffed it nicely. Tommy and I have a royal discussion about this, and it takes him days to do it. She did it in 3 minutes. I had her do something else. She asked if I wanted her to put the ornaments on. YES! The tree has lights. Now, it has an abundance of red, round ornaments. 

She had come and left to go to a doctor appointment, then came back. The ornaments were the last thing she did for me. 

She took all the boxes off the air return in that room, thankfully. 

As I took out decorations, I gave her some--four Santa hats (has three children), set of Christmas cupcake papers picks and tags, and other things. She left with a bagful of things for her kids who were waiting in the car. She got out the wreath and hung it. 

She said she now has to learn to bake. At 43, she has never baked one cake! 

When she left, Tommy cut up about 10 boxes and put in trash. The room is more spacious. 

Daughter failed Algebra at UAB, so I volunteered to tutor her. 

Cleaner will return tomorrow. Then, she can change my bed and put together the reindeer. 

Coughing is still wearing me out. Tommy is recovering nicely. 

The Christmas season is better for me.

How is your holiday going?

She left to go to doctor and physical therapist came for an hour. When he left, she returned. 

Not My Choice

 " Happy Birthday" to Tommy. I may try to find some of his presents for him to open. I am not much better; he is steadily getting worse. Today, I asked him if he could get some Kleenex stock. 

Last night, I thought I broke a rib coughing. Today, I think I pulled a muscle. It really hurts! 

I am exhausted from coughing. I caught this first. It appears that he is not going to be as ill as I was and still am. 

Luckily, we had chicken, salad, and baked potatoes from Sunday. We have one more breast which is largest of the three and 'plenty' of potatoes, according to Tommy. 

My vibration mat came today. It is so heavy; it needs a permanent position. We cannot move it about each day.

New cleaner comes Wednesday and until last one recovers and comes back, she will help me. 

I have not had a banana since last Friday. That adds to my misery. There is plenty of fruit, but it not a banana!

Halloween Decorating

 

Me?

This must be me above, my sentiments, anyway. Carpets, too, are a problem.

Today, I slept until 12:30 pm, mainly because I did not sleep until about 6 am. Cleaner was going to come and called an hour ahead. Well, I realized I only had about 20 minutes to rest, so went to bed. I got to sleep about two hours because she did not come when she said. No problem. I was in my gown and stayed in my gown while she was here. 

I had her dust surfaces where I was going to decorate for Halloween. I mostly have pumpkins with which to decorate in here. So, I sat and she decorated as I told her. I have an orange watering can with black and orange fake flowers in it. Flowers have gold on them. Very festive. 

Since I made the decision not to have real pumpkins, it is so much easier. Plus, we don't have to buy and discard. I had many years of real pumpkins. I am done. All of the pumpkins are devoid of decoration except for two. One has a haunted house with big moon and bats flying around. The other is the only light pumpkin. It is carved with a light inside that has a cord to plug into the wall. 

I have fake fall leaves all about the room, strands of them. There is one very large pumpkin, round and tall. There are about two dozen small pumpkins of all sorts of autumn colors. 

On the front door is a plywood stack of three pumpkins. There is a safety green pumpkin for Trick or Treating sitting on the table. Tommy put a heavy rock in it to anchor it. He hung lots of ghosts of different sizes in the only tree without leaves, a dogwood. He put out a Halloween flag on the wire yard hanger. We hung my black bird and a pumpkin from the shepherd's hooks. 

I sat! She also put away some clothing in my bedroom, some to hang and some to store. In the kitchen she took out Tommy's old smoky glasses I hate, and we never use, he boxed them up and stored. I put in my pink glasses that we will use and my red glass salt and pepper shakers. There is much less on the counter between microwave and sink. 

I bought some glass looking plastic storage containers. They have never been used because I could never get the top off. Today, I sat with one in my lap and figured it out. Now, the oats from a small container are stored there. I taped the cooking method and measurements on the top. I remember, but Tommy may not. 

While I was sleeping before she came, Tommy completely cleaned off the very messy top of his bookcase and even dusted it! I had asked him once about three days ago. Good job. 

All the batteries in the tapers, and other candles had to be replaced. Now, I have the three on the bookcase set to come on for six hours each evening. I think I will reset them for four hours to save batteries. 

We must have ten pounds of batteries to recycle at a place that only sells batteries. They are accommodating and come to the car to pick them up from us. 

Lastly, she painted the mailbox stand with black paint. Then, she painted the mailbox with red paint. This is part of the Christmas decorating. Now, we must get new numbers for the mailbox. Tommy says the mailbox looks really nice. I didn't think he would allow me to paint it. Now we can tell people our house is the house with the red mailbox.

For dinner I had salad from lunch last week. It was amazingly fresh. A can of tuna with a bit of Miracle Whip was eaten with the salad with no dressing. Tommy ate some sort of soft taco type thing with lots of cheese and few vegetables, much less than was on the box it came in frozen. 

Halloween decorating is done. Dinner is done. 

I will mail my first Christmas card since it has to go halfway around the earth! It never gets there before Christmas. This year it will. This is the earliest I have ever mailed a Christmas card. 

Have you put out any Halloween or Fall decorations, even a pumpkin or Jack o' Lantern?

Do you only use fake pumpkins? Or, can you still manage heavy pumpkins?

I need the tshirt at the head of this post? Anyone else relate?

I have never painted a mailbox before. Have you? The post and box were in dire need of paint or replacing. This was cheaper!

What is the soonest you have ever mailed a Christmas card?

Fruitful Monday

 No, I did not call to report sexual harasser. Something happened. I think cleaner arrived. Tuesday, I promise. 

Today we got up early, about 10 am and were out the door in an hour. We first went to get my driver's license. Then, we both ordered title to sell the cars, mine and his. He suggested we eat at CFA, and I am weak. I only had cereal and milk. CFA is so delicious. 

Since we were practically across the street from where we bought the car, we dropped by to show them the lost trim and disaster of scratches on the car. I told them we did not want it buffed out because the scratch was too deep. The obnoxious came out and interrupted my talking with the man who would coordinate with repair people. 

I told him to go away because I did not want to see him or talk to him. He kept on and I raised my voice, yelling at him to go away. He persevered in trying to be Mr. Personality. I screamed at him to go away and get out of my face because I did not like him and what he had to say. 

When he first came up, he told me it was only aftermarket trim and my car was actually okay. I saw red and his smirking face. When I turned toward Tommy, about four salesmen with their mouths open. Tommy did not care.  Another four and the guy in charge of getting the repair done were very quiet outside my side of the car. 

I was sort of embarrassed then realized he was the instigator. I was too hot to have any regret. The guy I yelled at finally lost his smile and said, "You are serious, aren't you?" Stupid man!

We were near Jared's, so Tommy stopped and bought me a necklace for my birthday that was over a month ago.

Cleaner called, so we went home. She was here for two hours--brought out Halloween decorations, made my bed, cleaned up clutter behind and to the side of my chair, helped me clean up my room a bit, and put color on my hair. I use Guarnier 40 but had her put 415 over that. It gives sort of a reddish hue, so it does not look solid black. 

Tommy changed out my blue bird for a black bird. These are all the same bird, just spray-painted a different color. I have a red bird with a cardinal crest, painted red for Christmas. The Halloween stemless wine glass has an orange, battery-operated tealight in it. Halloween decorating will be slow this year. But, it is happening. 

Overall, it was a very good Monday, except for the guy in my face. Don't bother defending him or feeling sorry for him. I won't publish your comment. 

Because of cleaner coming, I did not get a chance to make calls I needed to make...tomorrow. 

There is a drive for books happening. I had bought a book but gave it to cleaner for her niece. 

My photo for driver's license is horrid! How did I get so old and saggy? 

MIA Cleaner

Today was a gorgeous day. There was not one cloud in the sky and the sun was sooo bright. It was quite hot even though the temperatures were in mid 80s. 

Tommy has totally been ignoring me or just not responding to my asking for help with these legs to treat the lymphedema. Finally, I asked him to move the box back into the living room from my bedroom. It is quite a large box. He put it where it was impossible to completely open the front door. Finally, I asked him to move it in front of his bookcase right in his way to get to his chair. 

He is telling me that I never ask. Yes, at least once a day. He says I never remind him. Yes, once a day. Then, he said I was nagging him. Which is it?

Finally, tonight at 11 pm, he asked if I wanted him to do it, put on the legs for me. So, against my best judgment, we did. 

I cannot for the life of me pull these heavy plastic type legs on me. He hurt my toes! But, between the two of use, we got it all situated. Then, he asked if I wanted him to stay. I did but hated to be a baby about being alone. So, we talked, and time passed. Plus, this procedure was painful. 

Has anyone ever used these compression garments? 

I had to have my body raised this hour. So, the bed that lifts head came in handy. 

When I had extricated myself from these stiff, bulky, heavy legs off myself, I was surprised that my legs and feet felt 'looser.' I could walk better. Tommy said as he followed me into the living room that my legs and feet looked skinnier. YES, they did!

This is supposed to happen twice a day, with at least four hours in between. At least, something is happening with this. I will utilize all the forms of therapy and try to completely reverse this problem. There is no cure. 

I had a puppy print fleece blanket that I used in bed up near my face as a place I could rest my arms and hands. I knew Tommy like it and decided to share it with him. It is so cute, and he thought so, too. So, I let him have it. He was covered with the puppy throw, a blanket, and sheet the next morning. Then, tonight, I spotted another puppy throw in my room. So, now I have it back. He looked cute with puppies all over him. He said it was larger, warmer, and felt better. He had a thinner, and obviously smaller throw that he was using. 

Cleaner has not been here since Sept. 17th. I am annoyed, but she works full-time, and has a second, part-time job. She cannot come this week either. There are things I need her to do. I don't want to replace her, but I may need to get someone else along with her on different days. 

I made a pimiento and cheese sandwich to take with us tomorrow. I suppose we will go out car shopping. We both become inordinately excited when we think about having a button to open the back door. 

Nothing exciting happened today, so this is it. 

Squirrel in the Road

 Monday evening, I was starting to feel low. I barely made it to the bed at 8 pm and slept until 10:30 am on Tuesday. The room and bed was too hot to sleep, so I sat up for an hour. I went to bed again at 3:30. There was a huge outdoor roach in the middle of the bathroom. I screamed for Tommy. In the meantime, I sprayed it with Lysol spray. It did not move. Tommy brought the Roach Spray and took the reacher and caught it and threw it in the commode. It moved a bit and he flushed it. He said it took him 3 hours to get back to sleep. 

Cleaner came at 4 pm. I did not move from my chair the two hours she was here! She brought bins for me to look in and for her to hand me things. Unfortunately, Tommy saw a pair of 38 pants he had been ready to donate. Now, he has rescued them even though he needs a 42. Where is the wisdom in that? I stuffed some socks back in that he does not want so he would not rescue them. He was the one who told me to take pants and socks!

I cancelled a medical test because I was not able to go. I hate that. 

As the day has gone on, I feel worse. I don't know if this is allergies or what. Last night, my body hurt like I was beaten. I ached all over. Now, I intend to go to a doctor the see what this is or is not. 

While sorting items, I put lots of things in their place, and I tossed many things. I found the Nordstrom gift card Tommy gave me one Christmas--$50. That was a good find. 

She looked for Halloween items, I told her they were in an orange storage box. She said there were no orange boxes. It is hard to tell the red from the orange ones. I forgot how many fake pumpkins I had, all bought on sale so I never have to buy another fresh pumpkin for decorating. It will certainly save money over the years. Most importantly, it will be easier. 

Next time, I told her we were going to paint the mailbox red. That is part of my early Christmas plans. I have a Christmas wreath that I cut in half. I will wire it together, take some decorations off, add some, and I have a free decoration to put on the red mailbox. I think his boarder left the wreath here 20 years ago. The red paint is from another project. 

In my yard, there were squirrels everywhere. But, today, when I saw a squirrel walk down the middle of the street, I was excited. I see maybe one squirrel a month here, if that. There are lots of trees, so I wonder why the dearth of squirrels. 

Okay, in the last hour, I have started feeling better!   ???

Do you have someone who rescues clothes that don't fit even when he gave them up freely? 

Do you have an abundance or dearth of squirrels?

Are you getting things ready for Christmas? Things like making this wreath for mailbox? 

Have you heard that Birmingham, AL has had eleven homicides in one week? The shooting Saturday night killed 4 and put 17 in the hospital. That made national news.

From Sunday to Now

 Sunday night, I put the brown rice into 6 pint jars and 3/4 of a quart jar. I will freeze each of these for three days, then store in a cool, dark place. Contrary to what is published, brown rice does not have a short storage life at all. One-quarter (1/4) cup makes 1 cup of cooked rice which is one serving. I don't think I have ever eaten one cup of rice!

Tommy could barely find room for one pint in the freezer. I won't be able to store all the rice in the freezer. I may put a couple in the refrigerator. Then, I can put some near the ac vent until we turn on the heat. One time, years ago, I kept brown rice in the boxes in a room that was not climate controlled. That meant that six months out of the year, the rice was heated by the sun. Then, I decided to store it in the freezer. I was eating this rice for four years. This time, I will be more careful. Brown rice does not have the purported short storage.

Of course, I slept little Monday night, just enough to barely keep me sane! However, we had an errand today, and I lived through it. I have been surprised. I did want to nap but managed without. Cleaner was coming at 4 pm after work. 

Yesterday, I wanted tuna salad for dinner. I ate one sandwich. That meant today there was enough for another sandwich. I decided that I needed to quit eating a whole can of tuna for a meal. Silly. Ridiculous. 

She helped me look for some shoes. I did not find the shoeboxes, but I did find two other pair I wanted to wear. She went out to the back door, opened the storm door, sprayed with roach spray, came back in and locked storm door and back door. There was an outside roach inside last night. Se moved my reindeer to a better place, a closet. 

She was vacuuming when I noticed the little place/container for dirt had nothing in it. So, we took the thing apart. She had to use scissors to remove the baseball sized wad of hair from the brush on the bottom and up the hose. After her cleaning it in here and outside, she could not get it together. Neither could Tommy. He never can, so I took it and put it back together. She re-vacuumed living room, hall, bedroom, and dining room. She had done all this and there was nothing in the little visible plastic cannister!!! After the cleaning and vacuuming all over again, the cannister was full. It is a wonder that the vacuum motor did not burn out. 

We planned it. Just before time to leave, I had her put color on my hair. It appeared she was doing a very good job. Then, half hour later, I washed it out. Of course, Tommy comes into the kitchen to spot for me...lol. 

Just after she came, I put the pork loin roast into the bag. Tommy got it into the oven. As soon as I washed the color off my hair, we had food! I had pork roast and mixed greens from a can. He had that and other vegetables. 

We are watching a 70s Zorro movie. Zorro is kissing a girl. I never knew he did that. I watched the half-hour episodes. Tommy tells me in the original Zorro movie, Zorro kissed girls. I am so shocked. 

I suppose I will have her color my hair from now on if she will. No one has ever done that. But, she is rough on my scalp. I can handle it. Well, I lie. A friend colored my hair and ruined my yellow kitchen floor. She let two huge spots drip and did not tell me. AND, she was a hairdresser. No, I did not twist her arm. She offered. 

She moved the huge box with three deer in it from one room to the closet of another room. She called me to see what she found. The ceiling of the closet was falling in and all black moldy. I told Tommy, panicked. He said it had been that way for forty years. He looked at it and shrugged. Yes, it had been that way for forty years. He looked and confirmed he knew it was there. So, he is going to live with mold. This is certainly hard on me trying to get this place fixed up! When I told him we were getting it fixed, he said Okay. Just now, he said it was only stained at first. There is also a water stain in the hall ceiling that he said has been there for forty years. There is a watermark over his chair, too, that I saw when I came here. He thinks he saves money. 

The beautiful weather today helped me relax in the car, put something over my eyes and rest. I think I did eat too many cookies today. When I want a Diet Coke Caffeine Free, I only drink what I want and give the rest to Tommy or toss it. I no longer drink it all because I opened it.

We are having a week of nice weather. For me, that means no rain. So, I can get appointments done instead of having to reschedule. Or, we can go shop for a car. 

I will leave another dinner of pork in the refrigerator and freeze the rest. Tomorrow, I will probably cook all the bscb. I forgot to cook the Brussels sprouts! Someone, remind me.

The carpet even looks better!

Do you become happy when the carpet is vacuumed? Or, when things in general look cleaner or less cluttered? 

Looking briefly at all the Halloween decorations has gotten me thinking about the holiday coming up. Are you thinking at all about Halloween yet?

Did you watch Zorro when it was a 30-minute show on TV? I never thought the mask hid his identity. 

False Information and Decluttering Again

 

From the CDC:

“You cannot see, smell, or taste the toxin that causes botulism. But taking even a small taste of food containing the toxin can be deadly.”

I know one blogger lately has said she trusts her nose and taste. Not good advice. 

This morning, I rose early and made four doctors' appointments.  Then, I was stymied because some offices are closed on Friday. That schedule does not work for me. 

Today, we had an appointment. Tommy moved about, getting things and himself ready to go. Finally, he asked me when I wanted to leave. I listened to him, hurried about and we left almost 30 minutes past the time we should have. Or, so we thought. No, we were an hour early! So, we sat in the car. It was pleasant watching the clouds move about and some change to dark, ominous looking clouds. We listened to our bird songs/calls CD.

Cleaner came and helped declutter room and all of table next to me. Things are more organized. Still, she did not do all I wanted done. She wanted to leave because of the weather, but she had been here for 3 hours. 

I received another eBay item of clothing, identical to one I bought five years ago. Now, I have a blouse to wear and not worry about ruining the older one which has matching black pants. My everyday going out clothing has been elevated. A blouse that originally cost $50+ was now $7. As I looked it over carefully, I could not tell it had been worn. It was not shabby at all, no picks and no deodorant stains. 

As you may have suspected, I went in for a nap. Five hours later, I feel only a little rested, not much. 

Tommy put some meat into refrigerator to thaw for cooking this next week: bscb, pork roast, two other meals cooked and stored, two hamburgers. The pork roast will be cut into meal portions once it is cooked, and it will be refrozen for future meals. 

Saturday should be another rainy day, so no grocery shopping even though we made a list from the three stores. I do hope we can hit one of two stores where we need to make returns. Those are the only plans. 

Do you have plans for this weekend? 

Even though the decluttering of paper is not complete, I feel better? Are your decluttering bouts take longer than you think they will? 

Do you ever buy clothing from eBay?

Do you depend on taste and smell to find botulism?

Just Tuesday

 This day did not happen as I planned. I only slept 2 hours. However, I needed a nap if cleaner was coming. She could not tell me if or when until she got off work. Okay, I can work with that. I had two things to do, but I cancelled those to nap before she came. As I went to bed, I handed Tommy my phone so he could answer. I did not tell him explicitly, but I wanted to do as he always does, answer and say okay and then tell me when she gets here. She rarely shows up right when she says, so I wanted ever bit of sleep I could get. 

I asked him to make two calls. The first would be to mower who wants to buy car. Well, Tommy starts leaving some off-the-wall message; I had to stop him and redirect. Then, he calls cleaner for me to leave her a message and gets it wrong, too. I was so angry and called her myself. Called mower, too. I was exhausted and getting drowsy, so did not want to rouse myself talking or even dialing. 

When she called back while I was in bed, what did he do? He told her I needed sleep and was in bed!!! I was up at 4 when I could have slept. So, I missed the whole day of opportunities of having cleaner.  I wanted her for specific things and before my birthday. I was furious at him! 

Then, there were specific things I wanted to do before debate. He just drifts off to sleep. I refused to wake him since I would not like that. He kept putting things off all day. I wanted to color my hair and need his help to make sure I don't fall. I wanted to get boneless chicken thighs and bscb cooked before the debate. Nope, did not get that done either. There were other things. 

I wanted to go to Farmer's Market. Finally, at 6:15 we arrived. They were packing up! She said no one was there, so they packed up. When I pointed out vendors should stay until time was up, she said, "But, we have an hour drive home." I wanted to tell her not to take the job! I wanted to tell her a lot of things but did not. She just was right and that was it. 

Maybe I can find another market that assures the sellers grew their own produce. I have coupons for those. 

Tommy went into Publix for bread and bananas, and milk for him. That was the day! Nothing I wanted to do before my birthday and nothing happening then. I do not want to be out in rainy weather, so got hopefully enough bananas until weekend. This time, I will wrap the stems so they will not ripen too soon. I hear that works. 

For dinner we had baked chicken, slaw, and green beans. The breast was particularly flavorful since it was cooked with the thighs. Brown meat cooked with the breast makes breast taste so much better. I did make the slaw while waiting on the debate. 

Now, we will see what he does on my birthday tomorrow. My hair is not only filthy but needs color. He knows I wanted to have hair colored by birthday. 

Now, it is almost midnight, once again, I am beyond exhausted. 

I lost another pound...yay!

We will see how the night goes. Most of today, my heart has been beating too hard and fast. 

I think I am finally over this sinus problem. A nurse confirmed that Fall allergies were worse than Spring allergies. Of course, doctor said I had year-round allergies. 

Have you ever wrapped banana stems in plastic wrap to keep bananas from ripening soon? Does it work? 

Friday Heat and Holiday

 My energy flags quickly these days. Friday, I washed my hair just two days after applying color. I am not sure why, but using the cream rinse included with the shampoo causes me to have greasy looking hair. Plus, if feels like it was sprayed. Now, my hair and looks and feels normal. I was embarrassed to be seen right after color, not the usual affect of color. 

Thursday night, we did other cooking after midnight. Plus, I was energized, gathering laundry, putting away stuff scattered and just left to lie about. It was very productive. 

Today, we went out and came back home. Tommy went into the house. As he came out, he had one of my real cokes, caffeine free. I asked if he brought it for me. No, he needed sugar since his dropping blood sugar was too low. He got into the car and tried to open a small piece of cheese. He never asks me to open things. His hands were trembling. He could not figure out how to get the cheese out of the package that had been cut open by me on three sides. I told him to drink the Coke. His monitor was not working, but he could see a plunging trajectory of his blood sugar. 

He was about to drive. His blood sugar rose enough for him to be safe. He seemed to be driving okay. I am so stressed watching traffic, how he drives And, it was so hot today. 

When we came home, I took a nap, and he peeled potatoes and carrots. I assembled the cooking bag. At 8:30, it was done so we could eat. 

We have buns gotten cheaply, yet they are Sara Lee. I will freeze most of them. Having the freezer with enough room to freeze bread and buns saves money. I can eat a hamburger or hotdog on a piece of bread. But, the bun is so much nicer. 

Tommy put a note on our neighbor's door. Her son said he would hang a light. He is an electrician with some company. We intended to pay him. This has been over 4 years ago. So, she called back and left a voicemail. She said an electrician came 3.5 years ago, started a job at her house and never came back. She said she understood. Maybe the work will get done yet! 

Cleaner called and said she has been ill. Yet, she did not miss work. Okay, so maybe she did not feel like doing more. Next Tuesday, she will let us know something. 

The woman to whom I gave food will not reply. So, will never depend on her doing anything, like calling me. Or picking up food I collect just for her. 

Thursday night, I ordered another outfit like I bought five years ago. I can wear this one with abandon and not have to save it for good...lol. When I took the one I own out of storage this spring, it was squashed and in with other items. I shook it out and wore it without one wrinkle. I also ordered garbage bags for the kitchen. They are hard to handle because they are so heavy, one less thing that will not hurt Tommy. 

We need potatoes, eggs, and strawberries. Tomorrow, we will go to Publix during their sampling events. Yum! We may have pork ribs Monday. We will be staying home, not cooking much. 

There are things to do outdoors, like clean off the porch. But, it is so hot, I just don't care. Tommy would have to be with me, so he does not need the heat stress, either. I only slept four hours Thursday night because of the heat. The ac was set on 67. Tommy was bundled up in front of the ac vent by his chair, so it was cool in the living room. Well, not too cool except in front of the ac vent.

What are your plans for this weekend? Food, fun, family?

Late Monday and Tuesday and Electrical Problem

 About 4 pm on Monday, we got busy with food. Tommy cooked ground sausage, put it into a glass container and refrigerated it within 30 minutes, maybe sooner. I chopped the last Vidalia onion, put a snack bag in refrigerator to use, two snack bags in a freezer bag for the freezer. Tommy washed two Bell Peppers, and I cut in strips, one snack bag for him in refrigerator and a pint bag for freezer.  I cooked the last two burgers for dinner. We both had salad or slaw. I had a lot of tomato. After dinner, I hung up clothes to dry in the house. He hung them in the door.  Whew! I meant to cook a big package of boneless, skinless, chicken thighs with vegetables. Still not done on Tuesday.

One Tuesday, we forgot the Farmer's Market. It is on a list now. Otherwise, we will let the day slip away. It is open from 4-7 pm and only on Tuesday, easy to forget at the end of the day. We need tomatoes. We went too late today.

Tommy and I forgot the two returns we needed to make. Actually, it is more than just 'forgetting.'

I gathered some things from here to give to woman I helped. She had never heard of Cooking Bags. Now, she has a box ready in a bag with 2 bags of Christmas print freezer bags--one pint, one quart.

Since my cleaner is really busy, I may ask this woman to clean. I know she won't want to take money, but that is the only way we can do it. 

Someone asked why I thought cleaner flaked out. She has one really hard job, another part-time job, church activities, and may have had another surgery, but for sure one scheduled in September. I will ask mower, her friend, what the problem is. If she is not going to come back other than once a month, I need someone else. 

Tuesday, and we did little. We went too late to the market because I was taking a nap and Tommy forgot, too. That's okay because Wednesday will be a hard day. 

I did go over Piggly Wiggly ad on internet and found bscb for $1.99. Other deals are already on a list. I cannot find Publix ad on internet, rather, on email where I usually click.

The car dealer who had two cars we wanted keeps calling, different person each time. I actually had excuses why I could not talk the first two times. I left my cell with Tommy to take calls. Well, he just yelled at the person to leave us alone, that we were not interested. I wonder if that will deter them. 

Examining as well as I could, the fixture was installed over the sink incorrectly. I can see wires joined outside of a box by twisting wires together with nothing covering them--no electrical tape or the little plastic covers for wires. That will give me nightmares. When I moved here, I asked son of woman who lives next door for recommendation for electrical. He said he could put up the dining room fixture. Tonight, I had Tommy tape a note in plastic bag to railing for steps, asking her to ask him for name of electrician who would actually show up. So, maybe this will be done soon.  

The plan was to put color on my hair today. Maybe. Maybe not.

Do you think it is harder to get an electrician now than it was a few years ago? Why do you think so?

Lights, Tub, Oven

 If you remember, there is only a light in the vent hood over the stove for the kitchen and dining room. No more darkness for us now. We have a fixture right near the refrigerator. I am not sure why it is not in the middle of the kitchen. There is a new fixture now. We also now have a chandelier over the dining table. We have glorious light!

He started with the light over the sink. But, the pretty light I chose could not be mounted on the wall as the mount is not on the wall. There is a box on the ceiling. So, it was not going to work. Tomorrow, I will return it to Lowe's and get a new one.  

This guy is the one I saw in Lowe's. He is not an electrician but seemed to know what he was doing. He was mounting both the ceiling lights standing on the floor. He is 6'7" tall. I did bring him an 8" stool because he just needed it because it was a strain working. He did not get here until after 8 pm and left after 11 pm. He charged $50 for each light. The kitchen one was especially difficult. 

We did find the third light I purchased, and we lost. It was under the dining room table. Tommy had searched the room. I knew it was in there!

Now, we don't need to have two floor lamps to be able to see at all. Tommy told me there was no light in the oven. I cannot bend so far as to see. The guy took it out and tested it. It works. He could not find the way to turn it on; there is a strange little knob on the stovetop. I have tried my best to twist it or something. I pointed it out. He could not make it work, either. I believe the light does not work or the control broke and someone screwed something in there just so the stove would look like it was all there. So, Tommy bought a house with a stove that has no control for the oven light. That is not a biggie, I suppose. But, lots of things were sold to him that are not right in this house. It took 40 years to figure this out. Oh, the stove is Harvest Gold and thermostat in over is off 50 degrees. 

Cleaner came today--made my bed, helped find curling iron, most things she did after that were things we could not reach or do. I had a list of things that took so little time and effort. One thing she did was to clean car windshield inside and out. That was the hardest thing she did...lol. Tommy thinks it is clean all the time and never, ever cleans it. 

Things are looking up all over. I asked Tommy when he was getting a shower/tub I could get into. He said it was getting harder for him, too. He said he had been thinking that we might as well bite the bullet and stay in a motel for the two or three days they promise to do the job. He meant stay away for the whole two or three days. No Way! We will just stay at night in a motel and spend day here when they are working. YAY! Any suggestions for the best brand? We only have space of tub to install.  Or, we could convert one bedroom to bathroom and put washer and dryer into the current bathroom.  That is what I would like to do. No, I will not have washer and dryer in the bathroom. It will not work. I was shocked when he said he had been thinking about an accessible tub/shower! Neither of us wants a sitting tub in which to bathe, probably just shower. 

Today, I had cleaner take down curtain over kitchen window and throw it and bent curtain rod away. Tommy has still not noticed. It was a cheap, yellow, fiberglass curtain, filthy and sticky. If washed, those things shred in the washer. It was coated in grease and cigarette smoke from over 40 years. The curtain was here when he bought the place. 

Last week, I noticed there was a clock in the kitchen. I put one by the sink, but not this one. I asked him about it. He said we put a new battery in it when I came here, and the clock did not work. Two days ago I asked him if he would drop it in the trash. He said, "Okay."  He insisted we keep a cheap, broken clock for five years, and I am not sure why. 

I can now see that one wall, solid wood paneling, and I hate it. I want to paint it lemon yellow. We need more light...lol. 

If anyone has a recommendation on the walk-in showers, let me know. We want a 1-inch lip and glass doors to close, not the open shower. 

WE HAVE LIGHT!

Do you have an accessible tub or shower? Any problems? Recommend? 

Friday Fatigue

There was lots of rain here. And,100 mph winds somewhere in Alabama. 

Thursday night, I did not sleep until 7 am, so will try to reverse that Friday night. I slept 3 hours then another two in the evening. We had to go out today, so I am exhausted. With fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, it is not surprising I am exhausted, but a little sleep lifts my mood somewhat, actually lots. Despite the fatigue, I did manage to accomplish a few things.

The day was beautiful, and the wind rose as the day passed. Birds were rapturous, singing and swooping here and there. We saw a large group of small birds seemingly fall from the sky and begin to peck around, then they all took off. Tommy said they were starlings, but they must have been very young since they were not large enough or black enough. Okay, he just told me they were starlings and full-grown. 

Dinner--chicken, squash casserole, slaw, green beans. I think Tommy had same thing plus carrots and potatoes, the last of those. I had strawberries.

Tonight, I trimmed and froze 3 pints of strawberries. They were going fast, so I needed to preserve them in freezer. Now, I need to put up the rest of the squash or cook it to eat. Tomorrow. 

The mower showed up today instead of Saturday. The heavy rains came as he left the porch with his check. The cleaner cancelled because she had to go to the doctor since her surgery on her thumb has become infected. However, she will come Sunday. 

Thus, we have no plans for tomorrow, but it appears it will rain. My plans are to find my car keys! I cannot take it for a wash without the keys. 

What are your plans for Saturday? The weekend? 

Plans

 Tommy saw two small birds swoop in and sit together on one end of the porch. One bird flew away from the house. The other bird flew to the direction of the birds in the flowerpot. He said she had food in her mouth. So, the little birdies are still there and doing well. I will get a bird house before next spring that will suit her for more babies. 

We left this noon to go and get the ads. It only sprinkled a bit, but we did not shop, just came back home. Tommy immediately looked over the ads and made a list. 

I have been using a bottle of Italian Dressing, Kraft, I believe. It has been too tangy for me, so it has been eaten slowly. Yesterday, it was almost empty. Today, I poured olive oil in it to break the tanginess that chokes me. It was still too tangy. I think the time has come to make my own dressing! Maybe tomorrow. 

I have felt well today, not shaky, getting my own food, and making plans instead of just sitting and trying to exist. Last night, I went to bed around 9:30, woke at about 2 am, went back to bed at 4am, and woke aat 9:30 am. It is amazing what a good night's sleep will do for mind and body. 

Tonight, I made a salad of the rest of the bagged salad, put a bit of grated cheese, and olive oil on it, plus a little bit of turkey, and a whole tomato. My eyes were bigger than my stomach. I also have strawberries to eat afterwards. I suppose what I cannot consume will the a snack later. 

I finally contacted the cleaner. She has not answered the phone. Well, she had surgery on her thumb. She had a trigger thumb. She might be here Saturday. I promised her light work and she can just not do anything that will bother her. I need her to dust and not pick things up, just dust around things I would normally have her pick up to dust underneath, get something down from tall cabinet. She is 5'11". 

Install my printer, show me how to send picture from phone and my camera to computer. Put a thing under the bulb by the door so it comes on automatically at night. Remember, she is tall. Straighten top of my dresser. There is two hours of stuff to do here that will not hurt her hand, hopefully. Oh, stuff needs to be moved from table in dining room so that electrician can get to the light fixture. 

I have installed every printer I have ever had, but this is in a location where I cannot stand and bend to do so. I do need a stool on wheels with a lock for the wheels. 

This tomato is delicious. Tommy cannot stand the seeds and the membrane around them. To me, that is the best part! That is why I like home-canned tomatoes.

He stays in the kitchen four or five hours a day. Tonight, I missed him and asked what he was doing. He was checking to see if some dark rolls were out of date. They were frozen. I took them, smelled to see if they smelled fresh--no moldy smell. Then, I checked each roll for signs of mold. He is cooking them. Then, I will put most of them in freezer bags. When I buy a loaf of bread. I put two slices in freezer bags. It is good to have frozen buns or rolls, or slices of bread. It saves a trip to the store. The Aldi rolls were delicious!

Someone in a comment asked me how much cheese I eat in a week. I finally know. I ate three pounds in eight weeks. I ate 6 ounces each week. Is that a lot? I just finished the three pounds, and just in time, the regular pack is on sale. We may shop tomorrow. I eat more cheese when I make pimiento and cheese. 

I forgot to make squash casserole or freeze squash!  Maybe tomorrow. I will slice one to put in the leftover salad I finally put in the refrigerator. I like raw squash in a salad.

Dogs are still here. Tomorrow, I will call humane society. The city is only removing them to mow the grass. I am afraid they will just put them back.

Maybe we will have a BLT tomorrow. Right now, I need to make a list from the three stores' ads.

Do you like raw squash in a salad? 

Do you like the seeds and squishy membrane around the seeds? 

Is six ounces of cheese too much to eat in one week?

Cleaner Today

 First, some idiot tried to kill Trump. Killing is not the answer to anything! Plus, someone died. It is a sorry state when people resort to guns, violence. 

Cleaner came today at 3:30. I thought she was coming at 2 pm. She forgot when she was coming as I called her after she had gotten up for a trip to bathroom and went back to bed. I was tired waiting and legs were swelling, so I went to bed about 2:30. It was all okay. 

Today, she stayed 2 hours. She spent all that time helping to organize and put away things in my bedroom. Since I cannot sit on my walker in the bedroom for very long, I got into bed and raised the head and legs. She brought things and we both emptied bags or large bins, organizing mostly, sometimes tossing things. I have so many clothes I have outgrown! But, since the plan is to lose weight (actually trying), I threw away nothing. I did put them together and into the bottom of the closet. 

I also found things that I wondered where they were, like my Fluticasone and a little flashlight.  I hauled laundry out. Some things were not dirty from wearing, just were on the floor. She and I will finish up the room next week. She did not change my bed, but that is okay. 

She also took a lamp to kitchen and plugged it in. It is sitting in the only square foot of space where a lamp could possibly sit. There is light in the kitchen now!

Then, she got the Cuisinart ice cream freezer from a shelf over six feet high. I might drop it on my head and Tommy said it was too high for him as it hurts his shoulders. So, she put it on the sink. I think I figured out why it appeared I had two ice cream freezers. I bought one that had two bowls to put in the freezer. Now, I know. I don't have two ice cream freezers. 

I asked Tommy to look at my bedroom and the light in the kitchen. He said what impressed him was the canyon in my bedroom. 

I wanted her to wash car windows inside and out, just windshield and front windows and vacuum my bedroom, hall, and living room. She can do that Tuesday when she comes back to put color on my hair. She is only going to apply color. I can wash it off. I can apply color, but it is grown out too far. Plus, there are places I missed before, so it needs to be done by someone above me who can see it. Tommy would, but I don't think I would be happy...lol. 

It was another hot, hot day here, dry and muggy. I did not get to the grocery store like I wanted, but there is always tomorrow. What is happening in your world?