Saturday and St Patrick's Day

 Saturday was not a bad day, but not necessarily an outstanding day. Except, I am here. I have slept 1.5 hours since 6:30 pm yesterday. UGH!

A piddling bit of decluttering occurred, mostly what I had cluttered on Friday and Saturday. Otherwise, it would get to be so messy. It was not enough to even mention. But, of course, every little bit of decluttering helps in the long run. 

I decided to just go ahead to the grocery to get things Tommy found in the Publix Ad. He had circled things--zucchini, cheese curls. He took back the receipt where we had been charged for Aquafina water when what he got was Dasani 2/$9. Two Aquafina 24 packs were about $15. So, because of the mix-up, he was charged for only one of the Dasani. That was a $4.50 savings. Plus, he recouped the almost $8 where he was overcharged.

Then, we went to Food Giant where he brought the ads out to me, and we examined them to shop right then instead of going back another day. There was nothing we wanted or needed on sale.

Because I am so tired, I wanted a chocolate milkshake or cone. We got a milkshake at DQ. Mine had something nasty and brown and hard. No, it was not chocolate. I become extra foolish when I am exhausted and cannot resist fattening stuff. I always forget that DQ has horrible chocolate milkshakes because I only get one about every two years. They discontinued the chocolate soft serve cones, my favorite ice cream from DQ. I did not want anything else.

In the meantime, I remembered I had not gotten carrots, so he went back into Publix for carrots and brought out chocolate ice cream, too. I forgot we need onion. Remember, my brain is rattled. 

We will have another white dinner, I suppose. However, I want slaw with my chicken. Potatoes will be for Tommy. I want chicken with BBQ sauce and slaw. 

For some reason, I still have the weight loss from the intestinal upset. And, I am losing more weight. That is a bad sign. I am certainly eating enough to gain the weight back. I will need to address that Monday with a doctor or appointment. 

Friday, we cooked six bscb, ate one between us, so have five left. I froze three of those in separate freezer bags. We will appreciate these on days we don't want to cook or have a late day out. 

I napped for four hours, getting up at 10 pm. I ate no dinner, just pbj sandwich and milk. I think.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

We have absolutely nothing planned to celebrate the day. The shamrock on the front door will come down after dark. I bought the shamrock about three or four years a day at a clearance sale, so not much spent. I don't own anything green to wear; Tommy has a shirt that says "Elder" on the sleeve. It is something he wore to some sort of church conferences. I do have a button with a shamrock on it. 

Karolina and her brothers. Hallelujah - Karolina Protsenko & Her Brothers (youtube.com)

I love this channel.

Now, I need to get busy decluttering my table. I might do a bit more. This is the only way I can keep more clutter happening. It never seems like much, but it works for me. 

I  think a nap is in order since I never sleep more than 3 or 4 hours when I go to bed.

What are you eating or wearing to mark the green day?

Are you Irish? I am Scots-Irish on my mother's side. 

How Monday Went

Since I had trouble going to sleep, I just slept until I awoke Monday morning...10:35. Immediately, I started calling. The first call took me 1.5 hours and I was not happy with the results--government agency.

The Water Dept. adjusted my bill by ~ $40. Power Board noted on bill. Happy dance

Got supplies done at Lowe's.

Friend cannot do favor in time, but tomorrow.

Bank account--balance obtained. The missing check came in!

I picked up only part of trash because I forgot to take a bag. One item was cigarette pack like J smoked.

Church activity dates noted in day planner after calling both.

I washed my hair about noon.


go to Com. on Aging--question, sign papers and shredding papers done
call Water Dept. done
call Power Board done
go to Lowe's done
Call friend to do a favor done
pick up trash in my yard almost
pay for internet at ATT office
go to bank  done
call gov't agency done
go to courthouse
call church about lunch dates  done
wash my hair  done

Rolled over to tomorrow, two things:

go to courthouse to purchase tag and get Homestead Exemption. I just did not get everything done in time and was very tired. Where did the green text come from?!

Pay internet. ATT office claimed the could not help me. Ha! I thought I got rid of the green.

I stopped by the hair dresser that I forgot to get the telephone number to call. Still don't have number but can find it on internet. She was not there. So, that is for Tuesday. 

12:15 until 3:00

That is how long it took to pump the water from the basement. It was as high inside the door as outside. The guy brought his son. It took both of them to carry the pump. It looked like a generator--huge and gasoline powered. I had to give them the last of my 100% gasoline. Well, I offered it and he used it.

Let me tell you the stagnant water was fetid! Yeah, the smell, oh, the smell! The whole backyard smells like a swamp. Some of the water ran under the fence where the eternal hole is. Whatever is underground is probably drowned.

The whole top of the water heater just "blew up" is how he described it, saying usually the bottom goes out. I bought this in 1989 or thereabouts. I will have no hot water for awhile. I still don't have enough money to keep electric and water one...sigh. Read carefully. I do have electricity. I don't have enough money for the exorbitant bill of $691.57 which keeps the utilities on. I received $150 in paypal and checks when I asked for help. Some of the comments are just bizarre since I do have electricity and water from city was never turned off. I asked them to turn it off at my meter.

But, I am happy. I have gone to the laundromat twice and was going this evening. I wash one load at a time because more than one load is more than I can do and still function.

Have you ever had everything happen at once? Well, I have been  needing the water pumped out and he came.  And, I have wanted to give away Dominique. Well, MamaHen from Edifice Rex came just after the water guy did! I was just sitting and watching water flow, so it all turned out great.

MamaHen gently caught Dominique and put her in a nice cage for the ride home. Dominique was so hot from the chase of getting caught that her mouth was open, trying to cool off. She will be in the cab of the truck with the ac going. So, she will cool off fine.

I had a pleasant visit with her and husband. I truly believe they will treat Dominique with kindness. She will have her own run and house for awhile. Mama Hen brought me a dozen fresh eggs, gathered yesterday and never washed, just like I like them.

A nap is calling my name along with the washing machine and dishwasher.  Nap wins.

Update: I awoke from a good nap to be greeted by bizarre comments and accusations that really depressed me. And, some of these were from people whose blog and decisions in their life I have supported. I was getting depressed reading the comments, so I deleted most of them and will just move forward. I am not angry, just trying to regain my very good mood today. If you have a question, just email me. If you have a negative comment, just email me.

Water Still Here

Today, I called the guy who was going to pump out the basement on Saturday. It turns out there was a huge water line break and he worked on that emergency. He told me when he would be here another day.

Now, I have to plunge the commode since I could not flush for so long. No, I never put paper in the commode.

I am not quite as dizzy as when I awoke this morning. I am coughing now. However, the doctor said my chest was clear last week. Meds are helping.

Crackers are all I have had to eat today and it is almost 4 pm. There is a family sized pork entrée in the freezer and frozen broccoli. okay, I had the pork bbq, green beans, and broccoli for dinner. I know I had two green things. I wanted them, okay? It was all so good, I had seconds.

My plan for the evening/night is to make chocolate chip cookies, the kind that come in a flat layer in the refrigerated section. I refuse to cook anything that needs to mess up dishes. Dinner was cooked in disposable parchment paper and eaten on disposable paper plate/platter decorated like watermelon.

I am starting to feel so much better. Maybe I can continue to hand sew pumpkins tomorrow. I paid $.97 for  a piece of fabric to make two--a Halloween print. Here in the house, I found a black and white chevron fabric for others, maybe a dozen. Stuffing, thread, and yard for the ribs is all right here. I need a six inch needle which I will get with a coupon.

A $20 coupon cost me $6. Tomorrow, I can go to the fabric store and get the needle there and probably more material for pumpkins.

There will be no cookies if I don't go and slice them and put them in the oven. Since I will cook them on parchment paper on the same pan on which I cooked the dinner, there will be no more dishes to wash.

Don't you love the day you actually think you might live after having been so ill? I may have asked, but is anyone making fabric pumpkins?

Taverners Wine Gums & Stuff

These are another of the UK sweets--"Great British Sweets". The gums are different colors, shapes, and flavors. The only one I can eat are the diamond-shaped red ones. The rest start out okay, then the most putrid taste occurs. They taste like they are fermented and not a good fermentation. The citrus ones are horrid from the first chew because I am allergic to citrus and especially citrus flavored foods.

I am not sure if this is an acquired taste. If I drank wine that tasted like most of these, I would assume the wine had gone bad. I have had to spit these out. All the good ones are eaten, and the bad tasting ones are in an empty disposable cup where I deposited them mid second chew.

When I first put one these in my mouth, I have the sensation I am chewing on an eraser. The texture is not a bad thing, just surprising as I thought they would be like gummy bears. I eat few gummy candies, so maybe some are as tough as these.
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The guy who was coming Saturday evening to get the water out of the basement did not show up, and I have heard nothing today...sigh.
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Yesterday, I was so ill I could not get out to feed Dominique.  I could not risk another vine tripping me or not getting safely down and back up the stairs. This is not fair to her. So, I will find her a new home. This is not that the novelty wore off or I am not getting eggs. She needs to be fed regularly.  This is not the first time she has missed dinner lately.
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I have two afternoons to get the entries of dehydrated foods to the Fair--until 6 pm Wednesday. I hope I can walk steadily by then! Keep your fingers crossed!
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Summer is returning. September here for the most part is hot as August. I have had a daytime high in 50s. That is just not right. We have had record breaking low temps for the highs. It is now 70F or above for our nighttime temperatures. We will have 90 at least one day this week. That is much better! Has your normal September weather returned? Or, is it cool early and fine with you?

Your turn
Has anyone from the UK or anywhere had these Taverners Wine Gums? Do you like them? Have some of mine gone off?

It's so hot that....

my chickens refuse to scratch. They just follow me around squawking this mournful "bwaahck, bwaahck." From their voices, I can tell they are miserable and do not have on their happy faces. These hens are not happy girls.  It makes me feel helpless. They just refuse to scratch because of the heat. My spoiled hens want me to find the food. So, I did. I went to the market and got four free cantaloupes that were in the trash. After they have been in the yard for an hour, I will pen them up and give them a cantaloupe.

Whether they are complaining or walking silently, their beaks hang open. They walk slowly. Some of their feathers are hanging from various places on their bodies. Their tongues are moving back and forth. They never run or jump as they usually do. Since the heat index has been over 100 this afternoon, I understand.

I commented to a friend who was here today that maybe I should put in ac for them next year. A fan, at the very least, would make them more comfortable. Well, they don't have a house yet! There's not much place to put a fan.

They did give me four eggs today. Two were actually on the nest at once, both little beaks open and panting hard. That must have been really hot! They seem to have chosen one nest of two nests as the ONLY place for all four to lay. One day, there were three hens laying at once!

Since it has been so hot, I expected the egg laying would drop off a bit. As long as they get plenty of protein and water, they seem to lay well in extreme heat and extreme cold. Yesterday, they had two baked chicken leg and thigh quarters. This morning, they had another leg and thigh quarter. Of course, they gulp down fresh water and quit complaing when I refill their bowl. Tomorrow, they get a chunk of ice in the water.

The heat index was over 100 today, and it's 99 right now at 6:30. All four will crowd into one 18 gallon Rubbermaid-type box! When I was out last night at TOPS, people were talking about hens dropping dead in the heat. So, I approach them in fear and count--1--2--3--4--and breathe a sigh of relief.

For those who have chickens, are yours suffering from the heat? What are you doing to relieve their suffering them and keep them cool?

Being a chickie Mama is hard.