Littlesister

Congratulations Joyfield. I know your daughter and soon to be husband will be really happy. The memories are what counts and knowing they will be happy together. You are doing great keeping cost down. It's not the cost of a wedding but all those memories that will be cherished. The time is getting closer. But you will have it all together in no time. And yes pictures please.

Garden is doing well so far. Have harvested a few cucumbers and a couple of zucchinis so far. Tomatoes are full but not ripe yet and the green beans are just starting. Have a few green peppers that I should be able to pick in a couple of weeks. Not sure about butter beans as of yet. They may or may not produce as I had to replant them when raised bed collapsed, but they do have a few blooms. So hopeful.

Euphresyne, the food looks great, though I can't do the hot stuff. But desert I can go for. Love sweets but have to be careful with being diabetic. The hotdog rolls look yummy also. TheCG. Hope you and your family are doing much better from covid. that you are all doing much better and that you didn't get it. Dogmom4, I have used Etsy many times with no issues. Sorry, that happened to you. I do know that sometimes you can get a page that looks legit but is not the page but a fake one. That happened to me once before. So, you think you are ordering from a company and the page you are on is a fake. Therefore, they steal your card number and have a field day. It is very hard to tell the fake page from the real page you are ordering from. Becca Anne, glad you got your freezer in that small door, and it is working out well for you. Hoping your DH is doing much better. Sorry to hear you are on hold getting your house together as well. It seems that is a huge problem with getting anything done any longer. Been 5 months for me and going on 6 months now. Not easy when you have to have your whole house torn up for that long and can't find or get to anything. Been a busy few days. After going after the construction owner, he started sending people back over after 3 weeks of nothing being done. So it is starting to come to an end, except for fireplace. He finally sent the chimney people out to see what had to be done. So just setting up a time to get stove installed now. But instead of him ordering the fire pad that goes under the stove that I picked out and thought he ordered a month ago. He just ordered and it won't be here for at least 30 days. He should have ordered it a month ago. But this is how it is with him. He waits till the last minute to get things ordered and then it is the waiting game to get things done again. So it will more than likely take another 2 or 3 months to complete the fireplace. But at least that won't keep me from getting the house back together. Also found out today that my dressers that I have been waiting on for over a year is at the dock and there is a delay in getting them on truck and getting them to the store for delivery to me. I am over the wait on the furniture. contractor didn't come out till 2:30 today, so went out and got garden weeded this morning. Still a bit wet but dry enough I could get it done. Green beans are just starting and the Roma tomatoes are loaded but not ripe. cherry tomatoes are just starting to turn, and the big boy tomatoes are full now but not ripe yet. So won't be too much longer before I will be doing canning again. Butter beans are in bloom but not sure if they will produce as after the raised bed box fell apart and they were well established at the time and then replanted, not sure if I will get much off of them or not. The box the green beans are in is starting to come apart as well, but the construction guys saw it and fixed it temporary so it will at least hold up till beans are done and I can later remove the soil and redo it. Don't think I will buy anymore raised bed boxes from Tractor Supply. The type of wood and the screws are horrible.

MMM, No I am not sure they will be done with this house. I am thinking he lied about someone coming to look at the fireplace. No one showed up and he never called me back to let me know if they were coming at all. After I called and told him no one showed up he said he was going to call me and let me know if they were coming. No phone call and no text message either. So just another one of his lies. They have not been here for 2 weeks now. This has been going on to a point I am going to start thinking hard about a lawyer. I have already stopped payments on him and told him no more payments till the job is done. I am betting he took on another job and has what few contractors he has all over there on that job or they all quit. At this point who knows. I texted him this morning and asked if anyone was coming today and he never texted back. So, I have decided he will not be doing the fireplace. But must finish up the floor and get the shower door installed. Plus, the other few things he is supposed be doing. He claims it can all be done in a day. No, it will take a few days for the fireplace. So that is now off the table. This has been 6 months of this house being torn apart and I can't get anything done till they finish. 3 closets I can't use till they get the shoe molding in. I don't want to be putting things in closet just to have to remove it all again for that. I am going to call his wife and get an itemized bill from her on what I have paid for everything and the cost of labor as well. I want to know where all my money is going and how much I have paid for everything. This has gone on for too long. Can you tell I am very mad about this? Wishing I had gone with Additions Unlimited even though they were much higher in price. The owner's parents live in my neighborhood. So at least I would know the job would get done. Heading out to Market. Later and don't get over heated. We have now hit the triple digits for a couple of days.

I also have a gas top stove and love it. Also have a propane grill with a side burner but never tried canning with that. Waiting for sales for propane crab or turkey burners with high BTU ratings to go on sale. Might get a couple of them and a couple more propane tanks. Euphrosyne, I feel for you with this hot humid weather. going to get up to 100* today and humid as well. I can no longer handle this humidity. That is what gets me the worst. Have been for a few years thinking about Montana. Kids and grandkids are all grown and are now living in 4 different states. GS is right now living with me till he can get on his feet, and I am hoping within one or two years he will be there. He loves his job and making good money and is now working on getting his bills caught up and paid off. So, hoping he will really be out of here within a year. DH and I had talked about moving to the country back a few years after we were married. But he had a major stoke 8 years after our marriage. And that ended that. The Montana thing is something I had been thinking about for over 10 years but never said anything to DH because of his heath and by then a major heart attack. That trip would be hard to do at my age almost 72 but still on my mind. DH and I did the beach thing because it was what the kids liked But neither of us were the beach sort of people. But love the mountains also. GS doesn't like the beach but loves the mountains. But he is not going to be coming with me if I make a move to Montana. I have been thinking about how this area is growing and getting much worse. I will have to go around and take pictures of what is happening around here. It's really bad. GS was in Washington state for just over a year and when he got back and started to ride around a bit around his old neighborhood and through Smithfield where he went to school, he was shocked. Just up at Carrollton Blvd. the Apts. have already been built and they are not done yet. They have Plans to make Rt. 17 a 6-lane highway from College Dr. to the James River bridge. Tolls will be put on everything here. James River Bridge, Monitor Merrimac, and other bridges will all have a toll. So, I would not be able to go far without paying tolls later down the line. And going all the way to end of college drive and Harborview Blvd. is a nightmare with what they are building. It's like its own little town. They are still working on that so not open yet. Apt; houses, stores, restaurants and so much more. It will be a huge area and Suffolk does not have the schools, roads or anything else to handle all this. Low-income houses are being mixed in with higher priced houses now. I would think that would bring down the cost of the higher priced houses, but that isn't the issue, it's the fact that there are still a lot of country roads and schools cannot handle all the kids coming here from who knows where. Plus, it is already a bottle neck issue here if we ever have to evacuate for any reason. Whatever I decide to do I will be making sure I can have natural gas for canning, geothermal heat and air and backup generator and solar. And yes, I still want a wood burning stove.

Thunderstorms and rain this morning. In the 80's but not bad. I think tomorrow and Sat. will be the hot days. Was hoping for contractors to come today but it didn't happen. After I fired off at the construction guy over the lie he told, He called me a bit later and said 2 guys were coming to see what needed to be done on the fireplace. Well of course they never showed up and I called. He said he would call to see if they were still coming or not. This was just after 4 pm. Owner never even called me back to tell me they weren't coming nor if they were coming today. So, I am calling him tomorrow to tell him he will not be putting in the stove that I am tired of the lies, and he had no intentions of sending anyone out here yesterday. I will have my chimney guy put it in for me. At least I will know it is done right. Becca Anne, how is that freezer. Hope you got a nice big one. My neighborhood has about 285 houses I think in it. And only 2 other neighbors are doing a very small garden. Not enough to get them through the summer though. I need to seriously start thinking and praying about moving out from here. The area is growing like crazy, traffic is really bad, And I am in bottleneck area if anything happens. I would never be able to get out of here if we had to evacuate. Yep, it is that bad and getting worse. I have lived here 40 years now. Got married in this house. Lots of memories, kids, grandkids. But times around the area are changing. I want to stay but something is nagging me to move sometime down the line. I am sure a lot of you have had those feelings. So, I just need to figure out if it is just me or something more to it. Could just be the thought of war, inflation in general and all that is going on in this world that is driving that gut feeling. But not making any decisions right now. Need to pray about it. At least by the time I make a decision all the work will be done on house.

Happy Birthday to all of you. Hope your day was a great one.

Well, it's not over with the construction guy yet. He called me about 10:30 this morning saying that a couple of guys are coming out today to look at fireplace to see what all they need to do. Never showed up. Called owner of construction company and he said he would call and find out if they are still coming. If that was supposed to pacify me because I went off on him about not getting this job done. It didn't work. So, I am not saying anything else to him. End of June he is done, and I will get someone else to do the fireplace. Which I have already gotten someone lined up for just in case. He knows I will call him if this guy falls through. I will let him get the shower door and a few other things they need to finish up since he claims they can do it all in a day. After that they are out. I have all summer to get the wood stove in, so not worried about it. That's better than having these guys all over my house and not finishing up because they have to stop early to pack up and get back to VA Beach. Just to not come back for a few days and leaving me in a mess. Went for that walk this morning. Walked the whole neighborhood. I couldn't tell if anyone with a privacy fence had a garden, but that was only 4 or 5 houses. All the rest no gardens other than 2 that had very small, raised boxes one with nothing growing in it and the other house had a few things that looked like cucumbers, one tomato plant in a bucket and that was about it. So, I am the only one with a big garden and there is a huge neighborhood next to mine that has a short street connecting them to us as our emergency way out. I don't know if anyone in Nansemond Shores has a garden. That neighborhood is much bigger than mine. My whole neighborhood is a mile long. So, when I walk the whole thing, I know I have walked a mile. Need to walk it both morning and evening. I think that could present a problem down the line if things go south. Desperate people do desperate things. And our new neighbor that moved in across from my driveway. Well, I have met her, and she seems really nice. Her Dh is in Army and is an army policeman. They are giving their neighbor a hard time because she has a dog that is in an invisible fence. That neighbor is the one that helps me out when I need help and I help her out when she needs help. She had to call the company for the invisible fence and have everything moved to get neighbor off her back. That dog would not hurt a flee. But they don't seem to like dogs. Just hope they don't give me any issues.

Prayers for those people. . They say our weather patterns will be bad this year. Hurricanes will be stronger, etc. Hope and pray they are wrong. I had it out with the owner of construction company. He lied again and I called him on it. No one showed up last week and so far, not this week either. I always text him so I will have record of conversation. He's busted. He said they will be out to finish job when the shower door comes in. Well, last week he said there was a hold up because the company making the door shut down for a week because they had no electricity. Ok I questioned that but was possible. But today when I texted him to find out if anyone was coming today, I got the company making the door closed down for 3 weeks due to them losing internet connection. So, he is lying about it and got me on hold for another job. I called him on the lie and told him to tell me straight out when the job would be finished as of July 1st he is done and out of my house. I have had enough of this. Reminded him this job started in January and by contract was supposed to be finished on April 17th and now it is middle of June. So, he now has till end of June to finish, and I will just get someone else to install the wood stove. I really don't trust him doing it as he won't tell me if he is having a professional install it or not and from what he has said it didn't sound like he has ever done one before. My chimney guy does install them and when he was here, we talked about it. So I know what has to be done. I reminded him I am not paying another dime until the job is finished. Ok rant over. Got a little bit of weeding done last night and today it is already getting hot. Not bad out there right now so might take that walk around neighborhood shortly. I need to do that more often as I feel like I am not getting enough exercise with all this construction. It has played on me by not knowing from day to day when they are coming out so I can leave house and not having to be here to let them in. But looks like I am a free bird this whole week. So, I am taking off for a bit. Need to get out of house and don't want to use gas to go anywhere. So the walk will be good. Want to see how many neighbors are doing a garden this year.

I agree. Wow Jeepers I wish I had a bank like yours. My Discover card does the cash thing but now they put a cap of $1,500 and every 3 or 4 months they have a list of what you must use it at to get the 5% cash back. I only would make out on that when it is gas and groceries. But that isn't enough to get the 1,500 back on it. I have always paid my cards off each month, so no interest to pay. But with the way things are going now I am putting my credit cards away and not going to use them for anything now. Going all cash and debit card only. I will do without till I have the money to pay up front now. Cards will only be in a dire emergency. Not going to carry them with me either as I don't want to have the temptation with me when I go to store. I am putting a cap on groceries when I shop as I have well over a years' worth of food in house and even though GS is living here, he has been buying the foods he likes, so that is not a problem. I do have some cash that I keep on me for an emergency if car breaks down while I am out. I am concentrating on getting the construction paid off. It is over 3/4 paid so need to work on getting that paid off. As for the rest of house, I have painted it before so I will paint the other rooms myself. Will take me much longer and I don't have the steady hand I used to, so it will be slow going at wall to ceiling. But I will get it done a room at a time.

Those pics are just too funny. You look like you are having a ball. Get Jeepers in on that and we will never stop laughing. These days we need to have some fun in the stores.

I have those garden gloves as well. I love them. Might get me another pair of them to keep on hand just in case. Had an easy day today. Been getting my gallon jars together and getting them washed to put my pastas in. Trying to work on things for longer term storage. I was buying up pasta when the shortage hit and then after it hit, I bought more of it. So now just need to get it all set for the long-term storage. Can't do much else around here till they finish construction and no they did not come today, and I don't think they will be here this week either. Claims to be waiting on the shower door before coming out again to get the rest done.  But that's ok, if I have to wait for a shower door after his lie about it, then he will continue to wait for his money. I don't care anymore. And as soon as I find out about his plan for the fireplace. He may not be doing that. I will pay him for the wood stove and the fire mat since that has supposed to have been ordered last week. But he won't be getting the job of putting in the stove. I have a backup for that just in case. GS leaves for work at 5 pm. Today is his short day. So should be home around 11 pm or just a bit later. Might stay up to see him when he gets home. Normally he comes home between 2 and 4 am, eats dinner and then showers and goes to bed around 5am. Then doesn't get up till 4 pm to leave for work at 6 pm. Don't think I can work like that. He will grab a snack on the way out the door for work. Not what I call healthy eating practices.

I am planning on taking a walk through the neighborhood to see if anyone here is planting a garden. No one on my street has done any kind of garden. Though next door has been stocking, they are in no shape health wise to do one. Still older people on the street I am on. 6 houses and I am the only one doing a garden on this street. So going to walk the whole neighborhood hopefully this weekend as we are having off and on rain and hot weather to follow. I want to see if anyone is gardening around here. I sure hope so. Otherwise, I need to get my out of site garage garden set up for next year. Have already been making plans for it. Just need to buy the grow lights. Already have tables and shelving for the starter seeds for it. And to get some kiddie pools and more garden soil. And still need that privacy fence. Could still do some herbs outside and set up a hidden garden in back yard.

Kappy, the pictures didn't work. Would love to see how your garden is doing now. Went to Food Lion to pick up a couple of things and then came home to go through a few more things to put away. It has gotten to where I can't go any further till they get back here to finish the work on house. Called owner again this morning also. He ordered the shower door Thur. a week ago and said when he checked last week the door would be in either Friday or today. When I asked about it, he said the place where he ordered it was shut down for a week because they had no electricity. I really don't believe him as Wed. last week when I talked with him, He that's when he said he called them, and they told him it would be ready Fri. or today. I am betting he took on another house and has all his contractors over there getting that job started before he pulls his crap on them. I am going to have to do something soon if he doesn't have this job done by end of this month. 6 months is way too long and now just dragging his feet. So, I still am not going to pay him until he finishes up. That hopefully will get him moving when he realizes I haven't paid him anything now in 2 months. Need to get the last curtain rod up in my bedroom but just don't have any more energy today. So will either do it this evening or tomorrow morning. Wanted to get back out to finish weeding garden but rained hard yesterday and still too wet this morning and now has rained hard again a bit ago so will see how things are this evening. At least I won't have to water garden this evening.

Jeepers I have 4 of them. Haven't tried them yet. Got them on a deal and plan to use in shed while I am in there going through things. Hoping they work great. I can't put window units in my windows as I have casement windows. So can't go that way.

You have done great Euphrosyne. I have 2 blueberry plants that I planted from buckets this spring. They are really growing now. Had been in buckets for 5 years and stopped growing as it wasn't enough room for the root system and busted through the pots. I need to get a netting fixed up so I can just leave it attached and raise it up and down as needed. Replanting my carrots and spring onions. I have the seeds this time started on wet paper towels as They just won't do anything. These are new seeds. So should sprout. Will see what happens. It rained hard again a bit ago, so will have to wait to get out there to get seeds planted. Suppose to get up to high nineties with index in triple digits. High humidity over next couple of days going into the night. Love the pictures.

Congratulations Joyfield. I know what you mean about starting from scratch. Two granddaughters that started out from scratch. One has been married going on 7 years now and another just got married last year. They are still struggling. They are the ones that stayed with me for 4 months and then with her mother for 2 months. They now have an apt. in SC as now is not the time to be buying a house. But maybe someday. Step GD in CA has been married now for over 10 years. So might be hard at first, but they will get there. It takes time, but they will get to where they want to be.

It has been a good 4 years since I have been to a farmers' market other than the one DH cooked collards at. That market is a bit different than the others. We have about 4 other ones that sell fresh veggies, frozen meats, and a lot of other things. Last time I was at one, I didn't notice any type of restrictions, but I am sure there might have been some.

Got 12 jars of chicken canned this morning. So that got a little more out of the freezer. As soon as I find out when contractors are coming again, hopefully tomorrow, I can get the soups made up and canned. Dogmom, congratulations on your retirement. Speaking from experience, you are retired from a job, but the work never ends at home. You just trade in one job for another one. Just don't have to leave home to do it. and it keeps going. Jeepers you are getting things together really great now. I still need to finish weeding garden. Hard rain today so no weeding. Hopefully tomorrow I can finish it.

Jeepers I do agree. Euphrosyne has a very cute little girl. Betting she is full of herself and keeps mama very busy.

Happy Birthday!

Euphrasyne, I would love to get together sometime and us doing some canning and such. It would be fun. Right now, I am still stuck here with construction and hoping and praying they will be done by end of this month. I have been on the owner every week lately. This job started in Jan. and by contract it was supposed to be done April 17th with one week added on just in case something went wrong such as bad weather or something. Now here it is almost halfway through June. I'll message you my phone number. Would love to hear from you. Maybe we could learn stuff from each other.

Euphrasyne, don't beat yourself up. You have been through two major issues that may have set you back but is only temporary. You will bounce back. You've done well for what you have been through. I know playing with baby and doing computer and phone games are fun things to do. You have a wonderful birthday tomorrow. Happy Birthday!

Great info. Thank you Midnightmom. Got valance hung up at kitchen window. Didn't get to the chicken as GS decided in middle of night to cook him a meal. Don't mind him doing that but he left me a big mess this morning. Spaghetti sauce everywhere and a sink full of dirty dishes. Counters were a mess as well. He has never done that before, but I am guessing after a 13-hour shift and heavy lifting he was just still tired though he went to bed almost as soon as he got home. So, I had all that to clean up. Will be getting chicken canned hopefully this evening or as soon as I get home from Church. Need to get out and finish weeding. Seems every time I start to get back to it, something pulls me away again. And now it looks like it is going to rain. Need to get to my cookbooks so I can get all those back on shelve. That would be another box emptied. Moved GS out of master bath and into the main bathroom. We can use it now though it still needs the door, mirror and towel rack. Otherwise, it is usable. I put up a shower curtain for him. So that works for now. The old bathroom only had a shower curtain, anyway, so will do for a while till the shower door comes in. He just had to go out of my bathroom. That room is just too small for 2 people to use. DH and I used the shower in there as it were a standup shower verses a tub with shower. But as for everything else there was no room for his stuff and mine. But still that is also my bedroom and GS just needed to get out. Now he has the main bathroom and I have mine. Much better situation.

Happy Birthday Euphrasyne. Hope you had a wonderful weekend.