Littlesister

Still cleaning and trying to put house back together. Seems I am trying to do a lot at one time. Still need to get windows, curtains and blinds cleaned. Still getting rid of a lot of stuff I don't use. Almost have my living room fully done and is now a workable area. Sewing room, office, craft and yes, a place for GS to do his thing. Got one shelving unit up in my small bedroom that is now my pantry. Lots more to get done and get everything organized. Still have 3 more shelving units to put together. That will give me 6 4 ft. shelving units for a lot of things to be stored. Was too tired to put a second one together. GS still out of work with back injury and is sleeping through my madness. Yes, I guess those muscle relaxers the doctor gave him knock him out. But he goes back to work tomorrow evening. So, hope he doesn't have any issues lifting things. I just didn't want him helping me with heavier things here and causing his back to not heal up as fast. It's been slow going trying to get all this done by myself. Jeepers with you moving all by yourself I know full well what you are going through. It's not easy when you don't have any help. GS hurt his back at the wrong time. But then when was there ever a right time. Becca Anne Hope you have your house finished and getting things done. I am still cleaning up saw dust. It's in everything. They don't clean up very well. I have a great deal to catch up on with reading everything. But maybe when things settle down here, I can get back on a regular basis. I am fixing these shelving units to get the 5 gal. buckets under the bottom shelves. So far, I can get 8 buckets under one 4 ft. unit. So, for the first time I have a place to put what I have stored in the buckets out of the way. Hope everyone is doing good, and Mt. Rider is getting the rest she needs. Weather is starting to cool down a bit so need to start getting the flower beds cleaned out and garden together for next year. Looking to enclose the main garden from rabbits. Maybe chicken wire fence. Not sure yet. Well break is now over and time to start some dinner. A woman's work is never done.

Been a rough few days. Working on turning the living room into a multi-use room. Not easy when there is only one wall and a 12 ft. picture window and an opening at foyer and one at dining room. So, placing of desk, sewing machine and such has been a challenge. Still, lots of stuff to go through. Started another Good Will box Only one more box to pull out of small bedroom and drag into the living room to go through. Still several boxes to get through but it is going slowly but going. Went to Church this morning as we celebrated our 62 years since the church was born. So, we had a celebration birthday. A time capsule was placed in the corner stone of the church in 1971 and was opened today. 3 silver dollars, deeds that was paid off as church was being constructed and other things. Then we had a lunching and went through photos and such of all the activity throughout the years. Next week will start a new chapter in our church as we will have a new pastor to take over for our interim pastor. Hoping he will be a really great pastor and we can get the church back on course from the covid mess. I am now trying to get back on a regular basis from all that has happened over the course of 3 and 1/2 years. I guess I also need to turn a new chapter in my life as well but not an easy thing to do. Close friends of Dh's and mine have been going through a lot as well and I lost a close friend early on this year. Her husband is really struggling with going home to an empty house. I know that is hard on him. Makes me think how lucky I am to have GS living here with me even though it is only temporary. Still haven't been able to catch up on here and read everything that has been happening but hope all is well with everyone. Garden is done with exception to still getting green peppers and that is it. So, working on garden beds for next year, the house and a lot of other things that is going on. Staying busy keeps my mind off of a lot of things and what is happening around the world. Probably a good thing. I ordered 4 more cases of canned water to set back for dire emergencies. That came in yesterday. Not working on food so much now as I am looking into ways to have a backup water source. Found someone to do the well for me. So, hoping next year that will be taken care of. Even though I do have a well, it has dried up on us before from lack of rain. So that is why I am working on other water sources also. Anyway, break is over, and I need to get back to work. Trying to get things put away now, so hoping that will go well.

Waiting for traffic to die down before going to Kroger to take a blouse back I bought yesterday. Seems when I was leaving store, I set alarm off. They couldn't find anything that set it off. So, when I got home and was putting away groceries, I pulled the 2 blouses I bought out and one of them has a security tag on it. The blouse was a clearance for less than $10. So why the security thing is beyond me. But I can't get it off so back to the Kroger store. Washing clothes and getting kitchen cleaned up really good to start a bit of canning meat. Need to get that done soon. Need the freezer room. Need to get back to the small bedroom to clean up and get shelving units put together for it. All my canning will be in that room as well as my canning supplies. As I have been hearing about our water supply all over the country and lakes drying up, I ordered 4 more cases of canned water from Brownell's. The price is 30.99 for a case of 24 12 oz cans, but last up to 50 years. Water in plastic bottles is ok but if not used over time, my concern would be the breakdown of plastic seeping into the water. I will be also canning more water after I finish getting the house back together. At least I can keep that all in garage on shelving unit without any issues with plastic bottles. Will be trying to get back on and catch up when I can. Seems I have missed a lot. But will get on to read what I have missed. Will be calling the well guy to get a new pump installed and getting that going again in the next 2 or 3 months. It's cooler today also, so will be working in yard as soon as I get back from Kroger.

Sorry I have been MIA for long while. I have been very busy with getting the house back together and trying to get things done around here. GS pulled muscle in back 2 weeks ago and is still in pain as he won't take off from work to heal. So, it is taking longer, and he can't help me as much with some things. So, taking a bit longer than I hoped for. Still have furniture to move around and I don't want GS helping with that right now. But when SIL comes into town again I will put him to work. Still have canning from freezers to do as that got put on back burner for a while. Garden is done except for green peppers. Working on garden for next year. With all I have to get done I am not doing a winter garden this winter. Driver on computer quit and I had to pull out the old computer that has keys that stick. I can no longer get internet on that computer and an external driver didn't work. So that computer is done. Got tomatoes canned and a few other things and hoping to get started on canning again from freezer within the next month or 2. All of the construction is done but I have all the cleanup to get done. They were supposed to do the touch up paint and didn't. So, I have the paint and doing that myself. I am mopping, washing windows and curtains. And much more and the doesn't end. As soon as I get dusting done, I am having to dust again within 2 or 3 days. That cement dust and such is everywhere. Had to pull all the books off bookcase and dust each book and clean the bookcases. Then put them all back. Still have a lot of books to go through that are packed up right now. Won't be on here much as I am really busy right now. Lots of yard work to catch up on as well. Hope everyone is doing well, and I will try to get back as soon as I can. Seems I have lots of catching up on here to do.

Mt. Rider, glad to see you back and hope your health problems get much better. Those prayers still going out for your mom as well. Seems we all need prayer these days. Momo, sorry you weren't able to get your shopping done because of the cart issue. I know that can be frustrating. Glad you got rain. It's going to be really hot in 90's here all this week so I am back to watering the garden again. Put up squash for freezer this morning. Went outside and checked the garden. Got a few peppers and tomatoes, but still nothing for canning. Blanched green beans last night for freezer and will be checking the butterbeans again this evening before getting those ready for freezer. Not a lot of those. The birds have been picking my cherry tomatoes and fighting over them. It has been funny watching them. About 5 birds competing for tomatoes. If it keeps them away from my Roma tomatoes, they can fight over the cherry ones. I have really got to come up with some better plans for this yard and garden. Right now, it is a big mess. Momo, a nap sounds really good right now. But just too much to get done to be napping. Still trying to get house put back together and the chimney people were supposed to come today and now it will be tomorrow. Told owner I will not be here Friday and I am not changing my Dr. appt. again for them as they are becoming a huge inconvenience now. They keep changing the dates of when they are coming, and I can't make plans, or I have to cancel plans. This has gotten really old. But nothing I can do about it. At least I am down to just the fireplace now. But when the rest of house needs painting and other small things done, they will not be the ones doing it. Not because his workers didn't do a good job because they did that. But because of the owner's inability to not let them finish up on something before sending them off to finish up or start at another house. He is doing this to all his clients. Yes, the contractors doing the work are complaining about it. So, I know everything that is going on. Just wish I knew this before I hired him for this job. Now into 7 months and still not totally done.

I also have the corral dishes. I got mine at the outlets in Nags head NC. Love them. I don't have the deep drawers you have Jeepers, but when I started putting things away after construction. I put the dishes in a cabinet that has the pull-out shelving units. It works great for me. I also am short and need a step stool to reach things in the upper cabinets. I think I have shrunk about 2 inches, and I was only 5 ft. tall. Took after my grandmother who also was short. They say I look just like her. When my aunt remodeled the kitchen at my grandmother's house, she kept the fact in mind when she had new cabinets put in. Made for short people. I could easily reach the bottom 2 shelves in that kitchen.

I know what you mean about the Clearence for the canner. I don't have a microwave above my stove but do have the vent hood. My canner just has enough room that I can get the jars out of the canner very carefully without hitting the edge of the range hood. But at least I can use it. Picked a few more butterbeans and green beans late last night. Still have to check the green peppers as I am sure some are ready to pick. Only one squash this time. Not enough to can but will be freezing these. I will have more time next year for a much better and bigger garden than I have this year. Really wasn't able to tend it like I really needed. But it is now producing, and the carrots are now starting to come up. This is the second time I have planted them, and I didn't think they would come up this last time either as I replanted over a month ago. Looking at the wood pile that fell over. I still need to get the new log holder put together and the old one taken apart to paint and put back together with new carriage bolts. Then I will have 2 8 ft. ones and the one 4 ft. one. Will be ordering more firewood this fall. Want to get as much as I can just in case something happens, and I can't get it any longer. I don't see grandson as much as I would like with him sleeping during the day and working all night. He is off on Friday and Sat. But does not get home from work till around 3 or 4 in the morning on Friday, so he sleeps most of the day. We do get to have dinner together on those 2 days though. He helps me on those days after he gets up in the late afternoon. I don't know how a 20-year-old does it. He has no life to speak of. All he does is work and sleep. Hasn't gone out of house to do anything. Not even a walk in the parks around here that he used to love. Used to go hiking but hasn't done that in 2 or 3 years now.

That is a great idea. I might have one of those hangers in closet. Now I know what to do with it. Great idea.

Momo, I know how it is with your DH. I was cleaning out a closet that had boxes in it and found my DH's hats he always wore when working in yard. Not a good day. Miss him terrible. Break downs seem to always come in 3's. That's how it always happens here. And now getting help to get things fixed or repaired takes forever. Miki, nice jars of food. I need to get my dehydrator out as I am not getting enough food from garden to can this year. Tomatoes will be the only thing. Need to get a bushel of corn to dehydrate and for the soups as well. Jeepers, the car is overflowing. No car seat going in that car. Seeing that makes me not want to ever move. Too much food and other things to pack up for that. Miki, sorry to hear about your church. Seems a lot of churches are struggling now. We are getting a new preacher as we haven't had a regular preacher in a long while. Just hope he will be a good one. He did preach last Sunday but by being the only time I heard him preach, it's hard to say how he will be. Mostly talked about growing the church. It is a small neighborhood church and the neighborhood like mine has had all the kids grow up and move away. My neighborhood is filling up with kids again after a good 10-year span or more. So, growing the church will be a long haul. Mostly elderly now in our church. But will see what happens. We are voting on this preacher this Sunday rather to hire him or not. That will be hard with only meeting him once and only hearing him preach once. This morning I went to store to pick up a few things then came home and checked the garden. One squash, 1 zucchini, 3 cucumbers, and a hand full of butter beans and green beans. Not much but with what I have already picked, I will just cook up for dinner tomorrow as GS is off and he can help eat it. Seems Fri. and Sat. are the only 2 days we can sit down and have a meal together. He is starting to turn his act around and is improving on his altitude much better. I have learned when he first wakes up in morning, he doesn't want to talk at all. But I do say hello and he will speak a little before heading to work. But when he gets home, he wants to talk. He is helping around house a bit during week but with work it's not much. That is one demanding and hard job, but he loves it. Getting his bills paid off now as well.

Not sure how my container garden will do yet. I am just starting to see carrots trying to come up now. The spring onions were coming up and then just disappeared. Not sure what happened there. The cherry tomatoes that are growing in pots didn't do as well as they do when planted in the ground. Potatoes in pots are now starting to bloom. The Green beans that I had to transplant when the raised bed box collapsed is now producing green beans but neither those nor the butter beans are doing as well as I hoped. Getting some squash and zucchini now. I did get 4 lbs. of butter beans and got those in freezer. Pepper plants are loaded, and I put up a gallon bag this morning. The cucumber plants which are only 2 now thanks to the rabbits are producing well. Picked 3 more this morning. Will have to dig up one blueberry plant to dig out a tree root that started growing in it. GS did get it out once, but it is growing again. Never had trees there so must have been a bird that dropped seed around there. But GS is off tomorrow, and Sat. so will tackle that job then. I heard we are in a 100-year drought. We have been getting some rain off and on and it rained yesterday and starting to look like rain now. I will have my well repaired with a new pump before next spring. City water bill will be a bad one on next bill. Was watering twice a day for a bit.

We haven't had the hot weather like some of you are having but have had 97* heat with heat index over 100 a couple of times. It will get hot and then we will have cooler days. The weather here is a bit different but not exstream yet. Our hottest weather is usually in August. So far tomatoes both Roma and better boys are doing great. Vines are loaded. Green peppers are loaded, and I picked a basket full this morning. Will be getting those ready for freezer in the morning. The rabbits got my okra plants and though they have leaves on them again, I don't think they will produce yet. I gave up on the carrots. Planted twice and still nothing. Butter beans did not do as well in the raised beds. Cherry tomatoes I planted in huge pots and didn't do as well. Birds I think got a lot of my squash seeds. But am getting a little bit of squash but not enough to can. Green beans were what I lost some of when the raised bed fell apart. But the ones I saved are now producing but not enough to can. Zucchini is blooming again, so hoping for more in a few weeks. I only got 5 of them so far out of 2 plants. Cucumbers are doing well for only 2 plants. So far, I got 9 of those. I am working on next year's plans that will be more in line with what DH has done and we had an overabundance of food. Lots of stuff to can and freeze. So going back to what he did next year for sure. I will still have the raised beds but will use them for other things like herbs. I am enlarging the garden that we used to have and will be trimming tree limbs that have grown over that area. Also thinking about plowing up a new area so I will have room to plant watermelon, cantaloupe and pumpkin as well. Never had a place to plant those but will be a challenge to work on a place to do that in this small back yard.

Grandson now has a bedroom all his own. He does suffer from depression and wants things his way. Now that I finished up that bedroom and yes, it is not the deep cleaning I wanted that room to have but it is clean enough. I can wash curtains, blinds and windows another time. Or he can just live in the dust. I really don't care at this point. I have given him ample time of 2 years to get his act together, pay his bills off and get an apt. That apt will come much sooner or the streets as at this point, I don't care. He might not last the 2 years I gave him. But will see what happens. As for my granddaughter and her husband, I think it was more him than her. They didn't make it 2 months at her mother's house. So, they are now in S. Carolina in an apt. So much for saving for a house. That doesn't happen when you quit your job.

Jeepers I sure hope so. You are right about one thing. He can make you feel uncomfortable in your own house while trying to get routine things done while he sleeps. He tried to tape up the kitchen sink so I couldn't use it. So, the duct tape is now hidden. I am not going to try to get sticky duct tape off my faucets because of him. He will be paying for new ones to be put in. Not playing with his stupidity. He will learn.

I have a very large chest freezer and 2 freezers on my 2 fridges. All are crammed full again. I have made casseroles and put in plastic freezer containers and froze them for dinners. Works great. Right now, my freezers are crammed full of meat and some veggies. GS has an area in the fridge freezer out in garage for his special foods. It is the reason I want to get an upright freezer but have to wait till the rest of the construction mess is out of garage and then getting it cleaned up again. A 20 cubic ft. fridge would work great for me and for GS. I do have 80 lbs. of flour in the fridge in garage. I want to get them in the freezer but no room at this time. So, they will be fine in fridge for now. Once I get GS situated in a bedroom, I will start back on the canning. Hopefully that will be soon. I need to get meat out to make my soups and the Roma tomatoes are just starting to a point that they will soon be turning red. So canning season will more than likely start up strong in about 2 or 3 weeks. Once I get that meat out and used up, I will start back on freezing meals again. Need to get the freezers emptied again, defrosted and ready for individual meals and more meat. I have a bad feeling that meat next year as well as some other things are going to be harder to get. Be what it may, I hope to be ready for whatever happens next year.

Happy Birthday.

Put up 4 lbs. of butter beans and 5 zucchinis this morning. Washed sheets. towels and blankets as well this morning. Went out and picked green peppers that I will be getting ready for freezer soon. As soon as GS leaves for work I will be trying to get that bedroom finished for him or at least most of the way finished so he can sleep in there instead of Livingroom. He started back drinking energy drinks a lot and then can't sleep and doesn't want me doing anything during the day while he sleeps. Not my problem and he will just have to deal with it or find him an apt. Stop the energy drinks and he can sleep just fine. Hoping that having his own room with a door he can shut instead of couch in Livingroom will help, but time will tell. I will be starting back into canning before long and he will just have to learn to sleep through it. On the sealing of the jars with the seal a meal. I have never had a problem with that but will keep using the 2 lids in mind if I do start having a problem. It might just be a suction issue getting the lid cover off. Could be pulling the lid off jars as you pull the suction cover off.

Seems the heat has really played hard on a lot of gardens. So far here it has been high 80's and lower nineties. Though one or two days were high nineties. That is when I give the garden a deep watering both at night and early morning. So far it has helped. This morning I put up 4 lbs. of butter beans for freezer and 5 zucchini that I shredded and put up in freezer. will use that for different things. My biggest challenge is my grandson. He sleeps days and I almost have him in a bedroom but not quite yet. He sleeps during the day and is sleeping on couch in living room. I try to be very quiet, but he has this thing now where he drinks a lot of energy drinks and doesn't fall asleep. Can't tell a 20-year-old that that is not going to help him sleep. He takes a sleeping pill to counter act the energy drinks. Now he doesn't want me to do anything during the day that might wake him up. So, this is a real challenge. Tonight, is his night to get home around 11 pm. So will be sitting him down to have a talk with him about the garden and canning season. NO MORE ENERGY DRINKS AT BEDTIME. Of course, that is like talking to a brick wall. He got up the second time and tried to duct tape my kitchen sink so I couldn't use it. That didn't go well with him. So, he is now in an unmade bed that I am trying to get ready for him. I think I will just finish as much as possible tonight after he leaves for work and get sheets on bed for him. Just hope when the canners start, he won't wake up. He slept through all that construction noise but can't sleep through running water.

I have 2 food sealers. One I can use to seal canning jars for dry foods. But both use the sealing bags. I use them all the time. Great product.

Dee, that is bad that you can't pressure can any longer because of the stove issue. I am thinking maybe a propane cooker for outside. Like the turkey cookers or something. That would be better than nothing and you wouldn't need to drag anything to library and back. You would need to check the BTUs on them, but it would work. Just something to think about. Will be canning tomato soup as well.

OOTO, I should have explained better. The e-mails I get are not from anyone person but from Mrs. S. I get a notification on some of the topics when someone post. The e-mail was not from you directly but from the forum. Hope that explains it better. I get post on some topics but not all. It helps me to keep up a little when I can't be on for days at a time. I can quickly read a post from time to time without having to log in when I know someone has posted. Other than the fireplace and a little bit of touchup paint, the house is now done. I am now able to get the deep cleaning done and finish getting the boxes unpacked and everything put away. The dressers will be here tomorrow afternoon. So hopefully in about a week my GS will have a bedroom. Lots of sawdust and just regular dust in there that I could not get to because of all the mess piled up in that bedroom. Have already started to empty that room, but need to get the curtains down and washed, clean windows and blinds also. Then get the floor mopped and everything ready for GS. Yes, I went after the owner and let him know this is a dire situation and my GS does not need to be sleeping in a living room on a couch. He works nights and sleeps during the day and needs a bedroom not a couch. And that he best stop playing around with pulling his guys off one job to do another job Before they can finish up what they are doing on the one job. That is not how construction works. And if he wanted to start getting paid again then he best be getting this job done. Now we will see how long it takes to get the fireplace done. That is the only thing left to do. But at least now I can get GS into a bedroom and out of the living room. Put on a pot roast in slow cooker this morning as GS is off and we can sit down together to have dinner. He is off on Friday and Saturday and is the only time we can sit down to a meal together. Might not be on here as often as I will be really busy putting this house back together. Got the curtain rods all up and curtains are hung. Master bedroom floor is now clean and just waiting for it to dry so I can get bed back into place and vacuum mattress and box springs really well and then make bed. Once dressers get here tomorrow, I will be putting my clothes away in the new dressers and have them out of boxes. Living from boxes has been a real challenge. My food pantry which is going to be the small bedroom will be the last room done as I have to get a dresser out of that room and a desk. Then I can get the other 2 shelving units put up and start sorting through the food and getting it all organized. But will try to get on when I can. Hoping that Mt. Rider is doing well, and all is good with her mother. I am sure she is still there helping her mother out as I think she said she is in her 90's. So, I am sure she is in much need of some help. Keeping her and her mother in prayer.

With all these ideas, I think I need another freezer for sure. I canned some meat from the big freezer and got a little room and GS took that over with foods he likes to eat. So now it is full again. Going to have to look into getting another smaller freezer or a stand up one instead of a chest type like I have now. GS could keep his stuff in the standup freezer, and I can have room to freeze breads. That would work for both of us. Though I still have to get the big chest freezer emptied as soon as I can get past the construction. I have meat in there now for making my vegetable beef and chicken soups to can. Hoping to have those done before cold weather this fall. I have a long list of things I want to get canned and right now I am going to be heading to market to buy a bushel of peaches to can. Might get a couple of bushels but not sure yet. Need to reinventory my jars.

I will check into this book. I am not a reader of romantic novels either but will read it if I can find it. Thanks for the input.

Mother I do agree, I think we have bigger fish to fry with all that is going on in this world. There will be bigger issues with new pandemics, famine, collapse of the stock market. Money not worth the paper it is printed on as the price of gas, groceries, health insurance, interest rates going up and so on. We need to just concentrate on the here and now on how we are to prepare for what is already happening. I think we are all tired and frustrated about how the world is spinning out of control and nothing we can do about it but try to prepare as best we can. Time to just try to relax and not get worked up over what hasn't hit us yet.

Beca Anne, When DH and I were still working, there were times we just stayed home and relaxed. DH was doing a garden at that time, but it didn't get large until he had to retire. We just did things together and enjoyed each other's company and did small things around house. Mostly outside yard work that we didn't have time to do otherwise. Watched movies at home and went to the movies if something was playing, we wanted to see. Just have to turn away from house cleaning other than what has to be done during that time and read books and watch movies. Lots of rest. OOTO, thank you about the stamps going up. I didn't hear about that so went to post office this afternoon and bought 2 rolls of stamps. Your message came through on my e-mail and I saw it. 2 rolls will last me a long time. The construction guys came yesterday and finished up the shoe molding, so the only thing left are the 2 ceiling fans and hooking up exhaust fans in both bathrooms. No one came today and I went off on the owner. So, he claims they will be here at 7 am tomorrow morning. They have never gotten here before 8:30 to 9:30 and I don't expect them to be here before that time. But someone had better be here to finish up the job. The fireplace still has not been started yet and he contracted that out to a chimney company. He didn't like that I knew what I was talking about on the pipe going up into the chimney. But I am paying for it, and I want it done right. I win. This guy tries to cut corners and use cheaper material. He thinks he will make more money off his clients that way. But he wasn't getting away with it here. NO cutting corners and NO using cheap materials. I checked out everything before it could be installed. If not right, it went back. That is why the ceiling fans aren't in yet. One has been here, and they could have put that one in but the other one was not what I had him order and it had to go back to be reordered. So, he wouldn't let them come back till the other fan came in. But when they did come, they still didn't get fans up as it took all day to get the shoe molding down. Lots of doors and heat registers to cut around. But at least that part is done. We are now going into 7 months of this construction job. It should have been finished by now. Garden is starting to come in now but not enough of anything to can. I have 5 zucchini to shred tomorrow morning and get into freezer. Only 2 squash and a hand full of green beans. Those I will cook up tomorrow for dinner. Might have a couple of more squash that might be ready tomorrow. Will check the green beans again also. Watching one cucumber and some more green peppers that might need picking tomorrow as well. I have some now I will be getting ready for freezer as well. The Roma tomatoes are loaded but none have ripened yet. That looks like they will be ripening almost all at one time which is what I am hoping for. Then I can get soups made to can, canned tomatoes and spaghetti sauce made up to can. Might make salsa to can if I have enough tomatoes for it. Today I unpacked more boxes and got what I could get put away up. Dressers will be here on Sat. finally. It has only been 14 months waiting on them. Then I can really start into cleaning up and getting the sawdust out of the front bedroom and moving things back where they need to go. Then I can work on small bedroom as I am turning that into a large pantry. Have 2 more shelving units that I will get GS to help me put together once I am ready to do that. Then I can organize the food better. But don't think that will all get done before the canning from garden begins.

At my age, walking is about all I can do. I walk my neighborhood which if I do the whole neighborhood is one mile. Used to do that twice a day but been so busy I am doing good to do it each morning. But trying to get back to walking again. And yes, we must stay mentally strong at all times. Need to stay on top of things and be quick to react to things at any given time.