WHATCHA DOING TODAY?

[Mt_Rider]

"Refreshing"....I'll bet, Annarchy.  At 105* I'd have to live in the tub!    

 

Ants.... I was reading in bed late couple nights ago.  TRYING to get sleepy and it was working UNTIL...... I saw a large black ant sitting on my finger that was holding the book.  AACKK!!!!   ICK!  YEEEEEESH!    Flung it across room...then had to go find it and destroy.

 

   ....yep, that's putting me to sleep.     

 

Well my mom and DH and I successfully did the FOURTH.       We brought both my wheelchairs and my mom used the smaller one.  We either used as rolling walker...and a carrier of ice water and stuff.  Or as a handy seat to rest anywhere we wanted.  Or DH pushed.  He didn't do too much of that since most was flat and we didn't go far.  My mom was quite worried about her ability to DO this event.  But after today, she sees what an advantage the wheelchair can be.  FREEEDOM!  And she only needed a push a couple times.  By the end, I was in heat trouble and DH had to push me the last bit to car.  It was HOT!  Which is weird cuz this event always gets rained out in later afternoon..... with grande storm of WIND AND RAIN AND LIGHTNING!      But today was clear and oh...so...SUNNY.    

 

We got our Kettle Korn  [a mandatory tradition] and sat in each shady spot we came by.  DH stood in line for some grilled pork...sold out of spring rolls.  He got really hot with asphalt steaming underfoot.  Can't believe they had dogs with tongues hanging and barefoot children.  Saw at least one dog with booties tho.     So after we got in car, which does not have strong enough A/C...I was cooked and needed A/C and ice cream!  Quickly!  So we just stopped at Wendy's for Frosties ....but it was very cool A/C and that put me okay again.

 

Bit of a risk for me on this type of day but I had ice water bottles and Chilly Towel draped over my neck.  Had to re-wet it X3.  Hat, of course, and later put a icy gel pack under the hat so my brain didn't cook.  Packed small and larger ice pack sandwich:  two gel packs with an ice pack in the middle to keep them chilled.    I used them too. 

 

We brought my dad a Frostie so he was in his happy mood.  Much easier on my mom if he is.   

 

MtRider  

[Jeepers]

Glad you had a good day Mt. Rider. Neighbors acted like they had a little bit of sense last night. Just a little though. Some years it sounds like bombs going off in my back yard. I hate to get startled like that. My poor dog used to cower and pant. I feel for our PTSD vets too. 

 

It's been really hot here lately. But the rain has not stopped. We are getting a storm now and it was raining so hard earlier I could barely see the house across the street. Poor farmers. 

 

I think the fan is going out on the Jeep again. There is cold air but no fan to blow it out. I'll need to get it fixed before I go to Indy again. We use my car when I'm there because there is more room for the four of us. Don't want any hot grumpies. This is the second time that's happened. Guess I shouldn't complain too much. It is over 13 years old. 

 

Grandson had a good birthday. He went to Chuckie Cheese and then the town threw a big fireworks display just for him. . Grandma got him his first bike with training wheels. Hot stuff now. 

[Mt_Rider]

Is he 3 or 4 now?  Seems like just a bit ago we were praying that PG dil would be fine. 

 

Resting today.  Got a good nite's sleep.  Not any fireworks noise here.  Got up to 80* but clouded and is now less than that.    Like this weather! 

 

Anyone in CA feel the earthquake yesterday?  Made a mess out of grocery shelves in the small town(s).  6 point something.  Not the BIG one but not the little wiggles either.   

 

MtRider   

[Ambergris]

My friend's daughter is there with the air force, but she slept through it.

[Jeepers]

He's 3 now. I remember that worrisome time like it was yesterday. 

 

I didn't hear about the quake. I've been sleeping a lot. I think the hot weather is making me drowsy. Forgot to mention that we had 2 quakes here last month. Pretty sizeable (for us) but I didn't feel them. 

[Mt_Rider]

Yeah, heard about OHio quakes.  Articles said it wasn't that unusual but I'd never heard of those in your state.  Like feeling one the first time in Iowa.  Huh?  My mom and I couldn't figure out WHAT had happened.  There was a couple others since.  Felt two in CO after we arrived.  Ones you couldn't miss....one felt like a truck hit the back of the house.  Set off car alarms all over the neighborhood.  Course in Maui there were mini-wiggles a lot.  Felt them on the porch which is up on stilts. 

 

Ambergris....she slept thru a 6.4?  They must work them hard in the Air Force.   

 

We rained hard with bits of hail for long enough to greatly reduce fire danger.    

MtRider   

[Ambergris]

There was another one.

[Annarchy]

6 hours ago, Ambergris said:

There was another one.

 

7.1?  Right?

 

We were sitting on the back porch, watching the birds play in the yard, when one caught our attention. It looks like a brown cardinal with raccoon eyes.  A very fidgety bird, that loves to scratch erratically for bugs and seeds.  It was standing on Gunny’s  tennis ball, bouncing on it!  At first DH thought it may have gotten its talon caught on the fuzz, but, noooo.  It would hop off the ball, when the sparrows came too close, and chase them away, then, it’d jump back on the ball and hop on it. I guess it thought the ball was its personal trampoline. We watched it do that for, at least, 10 minutes. Very amusing.  

[Jeepers]

It stormed last night and it's raining again now. I don't know what to think. My back yard has still not nice been mowed this year because it's too wet. It's tall too!  

[Homesteader]

55 minutes ago, Jeepers said:

It stormed last night and it's raining again now. I don't know what to think. My back yard has still not nice been mowed this year because it's too wet. It's tall too!  

 

When we lived in Scotland, it rained all the time. We still mowed but didn't catch the clippings. Sometimes we had to double-cut the stuff. Take your time and cut it several times and in different directions. Let it dry. Check to see if it needs to be raked or in mower catch baskets. Dry grass is much lighter to deal with the next day. 

 

Edited July 6, 2019 by Homesteader

[Mt_Rider]

Bet you had a lot of experience with wet in Scotland, Homesteader.  Much longer and Jeepers is going to hand her lawn guy a scythe. 

 

Multiple earthquakes  and aftershocks..

 

Explosions in FL and Nevada....

 

MtRider   

[Ambergris]

In happier news, my friend is in England right now, staying in a BnB in Thirsk, the village where James Herriot wrote his books.

[Jeepers]

Homesteader, for the first time I hired someone else to do it this year. I've mowed water plenty of times myself. Guess he doesn't want to get his baby wet. Its one of those front riding jobs and it sounds like a jet plane coming through.

 

I spoke too soon about the neighbors. They saved their partying ways for today/tonight. Two of them seem to try and outdo the other. Its nice and quiet and all of the sudden...BOOM!  I'm surprised someone doesn't have a heart attack.

 

I also spoke too soon about the fan going out on Jeeps air/heat system. Uh, I had the dial set on defrost. It was blowing up and not out. I swear I'm getting closer and closer to needing a nanny.

[Mt_Rider]

29 minutes ago, Jeepers said:

I swear I'm getting closer and closer to needing a nanny.

 

   Maybe we can share the nanny, Jeepers.  I just torched the cast iron frying pan.......AGAIN!  I mean torched!  A very nicely seasoned fry pan - now down to bare metal.    DH and I take turns doing this cuz we wash it and then set on burner to dry.  Supposed to heat burner while washing ....set on burner...SHUT OFF THE BURNER immediately.....then, and ONLY THEN, do we walk away and go read a book.    

 

MtRider   

[Jeepers]

Yep, I'll share my nanny with you. She'll probably need a nanny after a couple of weeks with us though. 

 

Sorry about your pan. My grandma used to do like you do. Turn the fire on, put the pan on the stove and then turn the flame off. Only works if your forgetter don't though.

[Mt_Rider]

'Tis why I ONLY cook with cast iron tho.  Can always restore the seasoning.  I'm quite adept at it by now, in fact.     

 

Rode horse today.  Finally got at day when coolness did not come a few minutes before darkness.  Idiot was not in a mood to have me riding him tho.  He was all stiff and bucked once.  We're wondering if he's getting old too and just uncomfortable???  Or he's just the spoiled idiot he's been since I got him.    He is....but it might be both on some days.    Fortunately, I only ride a half hour at most.  More like 15 min today.  

 

DH worked on tightening fence lines.  And hooked his thumb knuckle with a barb.  OW!  Dumped tea tree oil in it.  Wrapped a stretchy Bandaid on and went out to finish.  Cleaned it a second time with new Bandaid when he was done with fencing for today. 

 

MtRider 

[dogmom4]

Hey everyone! I just spent the last hour catching up....haven’t read posts on this thread since May. So many things happening in everyone’s lives. 

Ann, so sorry to hear about Grrr. And MtRider...sorry to hear about your goat. 

 

Its really interesting to read how lives are changing for the core group on here.  I turned 59 today and I am feeling it on some days. I have decided one more year teaching and I’m done. I just hope I have the stamina to make it one more year.

I have a much smaller garden and I was looking at my canner and realized I haven’t pulled it out in over two years! If I do any preserving it’s only small batch water bath or dehydrating....heavy things are getting harder to handle and I can’t do any long hours of preserving. I am harvesting daily from my garden...but I just don’t have the energy to do anything ‘big’ anymore, ya know?

I’ve been on summer vacation for 3 weeks and enjoying our unseasonably cooler weather. People in my area (Northern Ca) had pool waves from the 7.1 quake down south. I didn’t feel anything that day...but this morning I had vertigo while laying in bed...this has happened to me before....usually not while in bed...but if my feet are on the ground. I really hope there isn’t another bigger one.

My mom is going in for hip replacement surgery on Tuesday...after 8 different appointments over the past two weeks...I was beginning to wonder if it was a good idea with all of the tests they did on her because she is higher risk at 84. But...her pain is so bad even while sitting that I hope this will help her. After she comes out of rehab her doctor will be trying a med to see if it will help with confusion...I think I said something about it a few months back....I was getting 10 or more calls a day (and night!) where she was trying to find or was seeing dead family members or thought my kids were little and lost....then found out she was calling others too. Her doctor has tried changing some meds and she had a UTI...it helped a bit...but she seems to get lost more everyday. And some days she just snaps...my mom never yelled at me...now once or twice a week she just goes off over something I said or did. It’s difficult to stay calm, ya know?

Anyways, I know I don’t post a lot but I do try to keep up. I wish we could all live closer so we could age in place together...

[Homesteader]

7 hours ago, dogmom4 said:

My mom is going in for hip replacement surgery on Tuesday...after 8 different appointments over the past two weeks...I was beginning to wonder if it was a good idea with all of the tests they did on her because she is higher risk at 84.

 

 

So good to hear from you Dogmom4. 

 

Our neighbor had general anesthesia surgery and never fully recovered, mentally. The surgeon explained that it takes some people longer to come back "to the baseline" in their reasoning. Maybe that's one reason they don't like to work on 'older' folks. Just a heads-up when your mom begins to recover from hip replacement. Then again, her head may clear after all the pain subsides. 

 

I LOVE your fruits and veggies. I never visited Northern California. I decided I didn't like the southern area after few trips I made on business. I probably missed the most beautiful part of the state. 

 

 

[Ambergris]

Never take confusion medication before having vitamin B and D (mostly B ) tested.

 

 

[Jeepers]

  HAPPY BIRTHDAY + 1 DAY DOGMOM4 

 

Good to see ya Dogmom! Sorry to hear about your moms confusion. It seems like quite a few people are dealing with aging family members. And what is it with the elderly and UTI? I hear that a lot especially with dementia people. Your veggie and strawberries look so yummy!

 

Guess what? It didn't rain here today. Woo-hoo. But it did cool down. It's only 65 degrees here now. I'll take it.

[Mt_Rider]

   HAPPY BIRTHDAY DOGMOM!!!       Love your pics!!!  Sunflower is awesome!   

 

Sorry to hear you mom is having cognitive/other issues.  My mom was 88 last Oct when she had hip surgery.  The ball snapped off the leg bone....and then she fell.  Good thing...it didn't move, just separated.  She wasn't having trouble before.  She was definitely NOT WITH THE PROGRAM during her 2 wks in hospital [also counted as rehab].  Too much stress and stimulation.  Unfamiliar environment, etc.  She'd make sense just fine but didn't retain data.  Even now she doesn't remember much about the hospital til I bring up some incident ...like she was freezing the whole time.  Then she remembers. 

 

BUT....heavy pain killers are responsible for a lot of that too.  Once she was past the need for those, it was a lot better.  Food tasted better too.  Partly why hospital food gets a bad rap. 

 

My dad wasn't helping ....calling to ask how to boil himself an egg.  He was in shock and it accelerated his dementia issues.  I stayed with them for 3 weeks when she came home.  By the end of that time, she was cognitively back on track.  Physically she was still using walker but able to get in and out of their big truck....c a r e f u l l y!!  It certainly was a strain and when they're older, they need a longer rehab time. 

 

My friend in her mid-60's had her hip done and was out of hospital the next day.  Had someone stay with her for a while to assist and be 'on hand' for any emergency.  She went to physical therapy to learn the exercises and make sure she was walking/moving correctly.

 

And yeah!  I wish we were all physical neighbors instead of Internet neighbors/friends!    We could have canning parties, which would be easier.  Assembly line!!   

 

7 hours ago, Ambergris said:

Never take confusion medication before having vitamin B and D (mostly B ) tested.

Hmmm........ 

 

 

MtRider     for Dogmom's mom's hip surgery......this Tuesday/tomorrow? 

Edited July 9, 2019 by Mt_Rider

[Mt_Rider]

Did you all hear about the torrential RAIN in D.C. today?  I emailed my brother and asked if he had hip waders.  He said he was putting in reservation for seat on the Ark.  Said he's never seen rain come down that much/that fast.  Most streets were running with water up to the doors on his car.  Too bad he didn't have his big truck.  Course...yanno since he lives on a boat, why not stay home til it slacks off a bit.  But it sure didn't look like anyone stayed off the roads   water canals. 

 

I got in to Walmart today.  DH collected from the food section.  I went to the rest....choosing things I needed.  A new device for teeth flossing....helps with my non-coordination with MS.  Found it too!  And this and that.  I got bottles of aspirin so I can dump ....or at least open and sniff the ones from '03.    Also got some decongestant...JIC...tho we're RARELY sick.  Then off to find more .5 mechanical pencils and extra leads.  And SPIRAL NOTEBOOKS WERE 25 CENTS EACH!  I got 15 but might get more later.  Used to get at that price for BackToSchool prices.  But lately they've been more.  I've seen them as low as 10 cents each but that's been a long time ago.  We got done in record time!  Good thing...wore me out and I used the store scooter! 

 

Threw in frozen lasagna for supper.  Just have to take short cuts these days.  Not for time.....for energy conservation.   

MtRider   

[Annarchy]

Happy Belated Birthday Dogmom, I hope you had a wonderful day. 

 

The oldest of my brothers stopped by Sunday afternoon. He and his wife were driving his MIL’s vehicle back to CA from NE.  She’s in her mid 80’s too, fell last year and broke her hip.  I guess, as often as it happens, we need to be consciously aware to be careful, and not fall, right?

 

This week is preparing for next weeks trip to TX. I get to stay home, but, Mom called giving me a ToDo project, which I will need to get supplies for.   Most of the mini vacuum sealed meals are made and frozen, however, she asked for more pizza and lasagna. I’m hoping to make the pizza today.  Trying to beat the heat, the forecasters are saying the temperature will be well over 110*F the rest of the week.    

 

I made a makeshift swap cooler for the hens, a thick tablecloth sandwiched between shade screens, draped over half their coop and spray it down a few times a day to keep it moist.  The shade screen seems to help keep the sun from drying the cloth out as quickly.  I suppose it is working well enough for them, thank God, because, they are spending most of the afternoons in that area of their coop.

 

We are finally hearing a few cicadas, “...30 days...and rain...”. I sure hope so.  The ants certainly are busy. I had to powder a thick line of harvester ants crossing the porch and into the yard, with DE, then, I discovered another line of big red/black ants harvesting stuff from the coop.  No wonder the hens kept complaining whenever they saw me.  I followed the ones heading “home”, all the way to the street, where they crossed over.  They got Amdro on my side of the street.  This morning I haven’t seen anymore.  God willing that will stop them. 

 

I hope everyone has a blessed day.  

 

[Homesteader]

1 hour ago, Annarchy said:

 

 

 

The ants certainly are busy. I had to powder a thick line of harvester ants crossing the porch and into the yard, with DE, then, I discovered another line of big red/black ants harvesting stuff from the coop.

 

 

 

I've never thought of DE for ants.  I buy it by the bag. I think the last 25 pounds came from a pool supply house. I have lots of carpenter ants heading for the hummer feeder. Cinnamon hasn't deterred them.     I also need to try some in the garage, at least until we get those honey boxes harvested. 

[Annarchy]

1 hour ago, Homesteader said:

 

I've never thought of DE for ants.  I buy it by the bag. I think the last 25 pounds came from a pool supply house. I have lots of carpenter ants heading for the hummer feeder. Cinnamon hasn't deterred them.     I also need to try some in the garage, at least until we get those honey boxes harvested. 

 

Wiki..... https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatomaceous_earth

 

Quote

Pest controlEdit

Diatomite is of value as an insecticide, because of its abrasive and physico-sorptiveproperties.^[13] The fine powder adsorbs lipids from the waxy outer layer of the exoskeletons of many species of insects; this layer acts as a barrier that resists the loss of water vapour from the insect's body. Damaging the layer increases the evaporation of water from their bodies, so that they dehydrate, commonly fatally.

Arthropods die as a result of the water pressure deficiency, based on Fick's law of diffusion. This also works against gastropods and is commonly employed in gardening to defeat slugs. However, since slugs inhabit humid environments, efficacy is very low. Diatomaceous earth is sometimes mixed with an attractant or other additives to increase its effectiveness.

The shape of the diatoms contained in a deposit has not been proven to affect their functionality when it comes to the adsorption of lipids; however, certain applications, such as that for slugs and snails, do work best when a particular shaped diatom is used, suggesting that lipid adsorption is not the whole story. For example, in the case of slugs and snails large, spiny diatoms work best to lacerate the epithelium of the mollusk. Diatom shells will work to some degree on the vast majority of animals that undergo ecdysis in shedding cuticle, such as arthropods or nematodes. It also may have other effects on lophotrochozoans, such as mollusks or annelids.

Medical-grade diatomite has been studied for its efficacy as a deworming agent in cattle; in both studies cited the groups being treated with diatomaceous earth did not fare any better than control groups.^[14][15] It is commonly used in lieu of boric acid, and can be used to help control and possibly eliminate bed bug, house dust mite, cockroach, ant and fleainfestations.^[16]

Diatomaceous earth is widely applied for insect control in grain storage.^[17]

 

I have always put it in the hens food.  Being food grade, I know it isn’t going to harm them, but it has never failed to keep the bugs & ants out of their food and their coop.  A couple of years ago, the girls had a small problem with fleas, we think they got them from the flocks of birds that hang around the yard, anyway, I dusted each hen throughly and haven’t had the problem since.  When ever I add/replace the straw and alfalfa in their coop, I always dust it with DE.