Watcha doing today?

[Jeepers]

It's long. I had a busy day. 

 

Landscaper called this morning and said they were on their way over. Yikes. I didn't expect them for another week. They did the beds in one day. Cleaned out all of the thistles, made a nice edge, planted some shrubs and mulched. It is minimal but it really looks nice. Better than thistle city that was out there. I have pictures. Will post whenever. 

 

I didn't get to work in the bedroom today because I had to stay downstairs. They kept asking questions and I can't hear the doorbell upstairs. So, I took the time to can some potatoes, smokie links, green beans and a pinch of onions in pint jars. I already had most of the potatoes pealed. They came out really nice but they siphoned pretty badly. Not sure why but my canner was a greasy mess. I got 12 pints and will do a few more tomorrow. I'm out of green beans. I'll bet GFS is wondering what I'm doing with all of those beans. 

 

Later in the afternoon I had a doctor appointment. Not sure why though. SSDD. I'm being warned about my kidneys. He sees dialysis in my near future. I told him I'd see a nephrolgist as soon as I get all the testing done on the heart. I'm overwhelmed right now. In truth, by the time I could get in to see a specialist, it would be a few months out and I'm hoping I won't be here. Then I can start new in Indy. I have 2 Dr. appointments in Oct. and I'm sure I'm not going to be here for those. I haven't told my doctor I'm moving yet because I don't want him to stop writing prescriptions for my blood pressure and pre diabetes. I'll need the meds between him and finding a new doctor. I asked if anything can be done for POTS and he said there are meds but they raise the blood pressure which further damage the kidneys. Crimony. 

 

Michael's was on the way home and I stopped in there. Not sure why. But their tee shirts are now $2.99. I'm telling you, they are nice shirts. Not very thin at all and they have really nice colors. I COULD wear a medium but I get large because I like them loose. And I don't want to chance them shrinking in the dryer. They never have on low setting. I can highly recommend them at $5.00 but at $2.99 they are a deal. Not sure if they are on sale or just a price drop. I live in them. 

 

I've been talking to the construction lady last week about paying the bill. I have the money and she said she'd stop by my house to collect it. That's service. They have been nothing but nice to me. I wrote the check and now they are paid in full. No lien on the house.   Whew. 

 

All I want now is a soak in the tub and go to bed with the Kindle. I'm done for. 

 

[Becca_Anne]

Jeepers I'm sorry your kidneys are continuing to decline  I have a good friend on dialysis right now she's doing quite well. Mostly dietary modifications and of course the time to go to dialysis but she feels much better now. 

 

Today really nothing of note to report. It was too damp to do much outside. Worked and watered my second batch of seedlings. They are pretty much ready to harden off so I'll start that process tomorrow (squash and zucchini, pumpkin and watermelon starts)

[Necie]

Yesterday was at DD’s most of the day. She got home at about 4 from her vacation with her dad— 2 week European cruise and 1 week in Iceland.  We hung out for awhile, then I headed home. Got home and DH thinks he’s coming down with something... sneezing and runny nose. My sinuses are dry and eyes itch like crazy. DS2 said he sneezed twice today (hard on his ribs). Got home from market tonight and DH is fine. I was talking to mom earlier and telling her and she mentioned that we’re getting smoke from Canada again(?). I haven’t heard this anywhere... anyone else? It sure would explain a lot. 
Market was slow today. Blah. 
DDIL has surgery tomorrow at noon. DS2 says he’s driving her. I could tell he was hurting tonight. Come to find out, he quit taking his pain meds. I told him I’d call in the morning to see if he changes his mind about driving. DD is taking them dinner tomorrow after she gets out of work. I’ll probably run up there after market and plan on going for sure Thursday morning to plant potatoes. 
DDIL also text me the littles t-ball/little league schedules today. DGD(5) plays on Mondays and Wednesdays, and DGS(7) plays on Tuesdays and Thursdays... starting next week and ending June 20th. 

 

and 

Necie

[Littlesister]

GS did study for a total of about 2 hours.  Mostly on math. He can do addition and subtraction but not too good at anything else. So needed some help on it. I really hope he will pass that test this time. And will soon finish off those tests for those wavers. Once that is done and he passes the test this time he will be on his way. He is going to take his car to his moms to keep it there and take a plane from her house. That will make it easier on me. 

 

Got all the clothes put away and then started going through more plastic bins. Where does it all come from because I swear it is sneaking out from the walls or something.  The attic fan was roaring again after I flipped the switch to open the garage door. Then it quieted down. So right now, it is still quiet but might not be running now as it is cool outside now. So going to leave it for now and let my SIL check it out when he gets here. You have to go into attic and then crawl have way down toward the middle of house to get to it. Hopefully it just needs oiling or something minor. Though I do have a second one up in the attic. DH bought a spare just in case. 

[Jeepers]

@Becca_Anne. I'm a little familiar with dialysis. One of my coisins was on it for a number of years. She had a disease with a name a mile long. It wasn't pleasant. I asked him if there was anything I could do to stop it. He said no. But he is 'just' a GP. A nephrolgist might have some better answers. 

 

We are having rain, rain and more rain. At least the new plants are getting watered. 

 

@Necie I did hear about the Canadian fires reaching us again. I thought it was more over towards Wisconsin and North Dakota. We had it bad over in Ohio last year. Lots of smoggy, smokey air. We saw and smelled smoke for a couple of weeks. I heard some gardens didn't do great from lack of sunshine last year.  

 

@Littlesister My clothes have been the bane of my existence too. I swear I don't remember buying half of them. Some I'll wear and some...what was I thinking. 

[Mt_Rider]

Oye!  Long day.  Yesterday was unusual but turned out fine.  My ears.....L one is doing pretty good.  It was not as 'involved'.  The R is better but still not quite right.  2 more days of antibiotic so I messaged the young doc.  He mentioned going for another round if it's not totally cleared.  It's not, but better.  Thurs is the last day we can get the 'script without making a special trip.  I hope they pick up the message right away. 

 

We were both home so we did some things that take two of us.  SO much preparation to be gone 3 wks.  Called property manager - I know she sees who's calling and thinks: Now what?  Not us but just the oddities of this property.  So I began with... Nothing's wrong here...but wanted to let you know we'll be gone for nearly 3 wks.  She was relieved.    Yeah, we know B and J really well by now.  Seen B's feet sticking out from under my sinks quite a few times.  And don't talk about the electric!  

 

We've had to put certain things in unusual places.  So much to think about.  Last time were were both going was about 25 yrs ago.  Can't believe the DUST in this cabin in the odd, unused places.  Or high up places.  Stuff coming right thru the log/chinking.  Went to storage and ....    Good Grief....we are SO gonna have garage sales this summer.  Give it away so we don't have to pay to junk it.  I asked one guy if we could do it right at the site.  He said probably but have to ask the ladies.   I used to know the lady that owned this place but she passed away a number of years ago.  I do know her sister-in-law but I don't know if the brothers were in this business together or not.  Anyway, didn't find the suitcase we were looking for.    Too much in there!   

 

Met my friend today, cuz she offered me some Thieves essential oil - for the ear problem.  Whatever works!  The antibiotic is working but slowly.  Days are counting down quickly.  I've got 2 more days of this round....and sent message to doc tonite.  Told him DH looked in the ear with his scope and canal is still very red and some fluid behind ear drum.  Do I get anther round before leaving on Sunday?  Hope the messaging system gets thru quickly.  Thurs is last day we can get 'script without taking a special trip to town.  Tick tick tick tick....times going. 

 

Packing:  I've got a lot packed but suitcases aren't too full ...or heavy..yet.  Washed and dried some Hawaiian type dresses from a long time ago.  Nearly forgot we'd be going to graduation and a week later, his party.  Maui is casual but still have a dress up style.  DH will have to buy a new Hawaiian shirt or two.  He's outgrown all of his, I think.   Had a good long talk with DD2 on Mother's day.  Talked with my mom too.  Bro and Niece had brought her flowers.  The lot of them have hay fever bad.  And mom doesn't even get outside.  Bro has had issues for years but it goes away in about a month.  They're counting the days....   

 

Well, I'm going to bed.  Not even as late as I usually am.  Sore from all the exertions of packing and sorting today. 

 

I caught up reading all your posts and everyone is busy and meeting challenges.  Everyone take care. 

MtRider 

[Littlesister]

Mt. Rider, I really hope those ears are totally cleared before your trip. It is coming up fast. Take some gum with you just in case you might need it. I might work to pop your ears but never sure of rather it will really work or not. But worth a try. 

 

Been moving a lot of empty totes from garage to attic. My DD wants them, which is fine, but I need to make sure I won't need any of them yet. After that she can take them all and a lot more stuff. I think once they help me get the dining room furniture and the living room furniture moved around, then I can go full steam ahead on the whole house. I have other furniture to move from the office bedroom that doesn't belong in the bedroom but in the living room and sewing machine in dining room that will become my sewing/craft room later. Though my material Will stay in the office on the shelves but set up much better. I have a lot of things I will be using it for. Not sure yet if I will keep all of it, till I can really go though it better than I did the first time.  

Can't believe I got sidetracked while typing this. But am taken a break now. So will finish it. 

All totes are in the attic along with some other things that needed to be stored up there. And as soon as I get the garage cleaned out, and both sheds and the house back together I will be dumping the attic except for the things that I need to keep up there. DD will get what totes I don't need. And I really need to start going through my clothes and getting the winter clothes packed away. I have a dresser in the office that I don't want to use for winter/summer clothes. Working on a better solution to that where maybe one side of closet is for summer clothes and the other side for winter clothes. Got to think on it a bit to see if it will work out for me for sure. But need to go through what I am not keeping first. I have till I think June 7th for Salvation Army pick up. So, need to get it done before then.  I am hot and sweaty. Need a shower soon. 

[themartianchick]

Hi, everyone!

I fully expected to have plenty of time to chat and read here on Mrs. S while in Florida. The reality has been a little different! My dad has been struggling back in NY and we have been really concerned about him. I have been "dropping in" via the Amazon Echo Show to see what is actually going on. I suspect that it could be something akin to dementia. It has been nerve-wracking. Fortunately, our daughters are stepping up to the plate. The one in Las Vegas is on her way to NY to help out. This situation has caused my blood pressure to skyrocket, even though I have been eating well and exercising every day. I decided when I left my job that I had only one real responsibility and that was to take care of my health. It feels good to know that my kids are also trying to support my wellness. 

 

In other news, I have added a few things to our preparedness in Florida. I purchased a couple of battery-operated fans in case of a power outage. It has been around 90+ degrees most of the days that we have been here and we are in Northern Central Florida. I can't imagine being in the South Florida heat right now. We now have some long-term, water storage bottles and since we have municipal water (aka treated water), we can just fill up the bottles from the tap and store them in a cabinet. Over the past year, I have installed battery-powered LED lights in every closet and cabinet. They are motion-activated and I figured that they'd be good for locating items in dark places. Some are so sensitive that they pop on if you go anywhere near the cabinets or closet. In an emergency, that should work out well and enable us to find whatever other prep items that we may need. One light in the bedroom closet is so sensitive that it pops on if you get out of bed to get a glass of water!

 

Lastly, we have been cooking a lot from scratch here. This has enabled us to use up some of the canned goods that we keep stored here. Two cans of Rotel were beginning to fail. Store-bought canned tomatoes definitely have a shelf life. A few of my other staple items don't seem to do as well in cans. I like to store Media Crema for making soups and sauces. It doesn't last much beyond its expiration date.

[Littlesister]

Themartinchick, are you talking about store bought can goods?  I know store bought canned tomatoes don't hold up as long as other things, but I have used them 3 years past the expiration date with no issues. The tomatoes I can last a good 6 years. Don't know if they would last any longer than that as I have never gone past 6 years before I have to can them again. Might be the climate there. If I remember when I was in Florida several years ago it was very muggy and hot. Not to mention the mosquitos. Those were twice as bad as they were here.  I hope your dad will be ok and he's just going through a rough spot right now. Will be keeping him in prayer for both him and you. 

 

Got a huge amount of work done in the garage. But can't figure out what to do with cleaners that I can no longer use.  My DH had cleaners out there that I don't know what all he did use them for other than maybe cleaning the equipment. He had all kinds of equipment. He had started getting rid of that when he could no longer do things. But these cleaners are still here.  Then went over to visit a neighbor of mine. She has the Cye and also has set up the same type of garden beds that I am setting up. She has all kinds of vines growing up on trellises to make her back yard private. I have a corner lot and though it might not be easy, it gave me something to think about doing. Just need to figure out how I can get it done. But instead of what she has which is honeysuckle and another type of vine that I forgot what they were called I would rather have things like blackberries and such growing along a fence or something. Though what she has is several feet up in the air. Her water catchment is something else. 2-250 gal. water tanks one on top of the other and top one has a way of the water in top dripping down into the bottom one.  It is connected somehow to her gutters at the top of the house and PVC pile coming down from the end of gutter feeding into the tanks. She has a hose attached that goes out to the garden to water with. She said she wants to get back into canning but has never canned anything but pickles and things like that. Maybe we can come up with a way we can help each other out. She babysits her one-year-old GD daily and I only keep mine once in a while till GD goes back to work. Then for me it will only be 4 days a week for the most part.  She is going to have 2 weeks off from babysitting and that might be when I can get her over here to help me with some now new plans. 

 

 

 

[Jeepers]

@themartianchick I'm sorry you have been struggling with your father's health and his care. It's tough in normal situations, much less when you are so far away. You are lucky to have your kids help out! That is a real blessing.  And yes, do take care of your health too. 

 

Good for you adding to your prep supplies. I have stuff but I'd be loathe to find it all. It's scattered to say the least. A couple of battery operated fans were at the top of my list too. I need a fan to sleep. If I have a fan blowing on me at night I can function. I also have a small counter top refrigerator. It was my main refrigerator when my house was messed up. Actually for about a year before that as my kitchen refrigerator malfunctioned. It was great for keeping things cold. Not only drinks but cheeses and sandwich stuff. A person could easily live with only one of those for quite awhile. And lastly, a countertop ice maker. I loved that thing too. Basically. A fan, a little fridge and an ice maker and I can be sort of comfortable for a long time. Or at least not freak out. 

 

Oh, and I have a couple of plug-in night lights that are motion activated. They light my way to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Life saver for this old woman.

 

I only store tomato products when I can them myself in glass canning jars. You're right, the acid doesn't play well with metal cans for very long. Same with pineapple. 

 

[Littlesister]

Jeepers, those motion censored lights are a godsend.  I have been using them for years. I got them for my DH after he had his stroke in 93. They helped keep him from tripping when finding his way to the bathroom at night and such. I have one in the foyer that leads down the hall to my bedroom and one in each bathroom also. I did have one in the kitchen but now I just keep the over the sink light on for GS when he gets home from work late at night. He only fell up the steps once coming from garage into kitchen so I guess he will make it yet. I have seen the battery-operated fans and thought they would be good idea but never bought any of them. Maybe that might be a good idea. I do have one that I plug into my computer when I am sitting at it and can plug it into my battery pack also. I have had it a long time and can't remember where I got it. Would love to have a couple more of those. It's a Honeywell small fan for personal use and works great. 

[Jeepers]

I had another busy day but got nothing accomplished at home. I could have canned but I'm tired of starting in the late afternoon and not finishing up til midnight. Would be a little different if I had better seating arrangements downstairs. All I have is a bar stool. Which I am very thankful for. 

 

But I did go across town and picked up some more whole green beans from GFS. They are nice. Then stopped in Wal-Mart for a small pack of corn and one of peas. I'll use them in canning but I only need a handful of each. 

 

While I was at that end of town I figured I'd pick up the chicken I want to can. There is only one store that I know around here who sells it. So I figured I'd save myself the trip and stop in while I was right beside it. That store is a little smaller than ones I'm used to. And is it fancy. Sheesh, now I see how the other half shop. Anyway. I picked up a dozen packs of Gerber's Amish chicken. My immediate plan is to can chicken veggie soup. 

 

I had to take the bread out of the freezer to be able to fit the chicken and big bags of green beans in there. I didn't think that one through very well. 

 

Filled up Bob's gas tank and took him for a spin through the car wash. It was getting hot and that blow back felt good on my face too. (BOB = Bucket Of Bolts) 

 

Another night of soaking in the tub and it's going to be an ambien might so I can get a good night's sleep and get an early start tomorrow.  

 

As my son used to say when he was little...I'm poofed.  

[Jeepers]

@Littlesister  I agree about the night lights. One of mine is in a dark hallway and DIL said she really liked it even in the day time because it is so dark in that hall and a bathroom is down there. The other one faces a window so it's only activated at night. It's right by the kitchen so I can see to go in there at night to get a drink etc. 

 

I have another motion light that I haven't put up yet. It's battery activated though. I'm going to put it inside the house facing the door coming in from the garage. That way when I come in the house at night from the garage, it will light my way. At least that's the plan. 

[Mother]

1 hour ago, Jeepers said:

Anyway. I picked up a dozen packs of Gerber's Amish chicken.

Your mention of that chicken brought this article to mind.  It was back in October but I just read about it yesterday.  
https://www.wkyc.com/article/news/investigations/children-found-illegally-working-wayne-county-poultry-plant/95-792dc0e0-61d8-4332-805f-9ca8063cc414

[Jeepers]

Dammittohell. 

 

Thank you Mother. I know it's the best chicken I can buy with no antibiotics blah blah blah, but I wouldn't have bought it if I had known. I won't buy Tyson or Purdue either. Sigh. 

 

What in the h3ll is safe, both from a health and moral standpoint, these days. 

 

I dont trust anyone any more. I don't trust anyone who says their products are organic either. 

 

BTW, Gerber's arent Amish but they are in Amish country. Just clarifying. 

 

[Mother]

8 minutes ago, Jeepers said:

BTW, Gerber's arent Amish but they are in Amish country. Just clarifying.

I gathered that from what I read.  I wondered about Lehman’s canned meat.  They, too, make a connection to Amish farms. The same meat, processed at the same meat producer, same can different label, is also sold at Walmart!!   There is a big Amish/Mennonite community in Kalona, Iowa We visited there often in the past.  There is a small dairy plant in that area and have batch pasteurized, non-homogenized, “cream on top”, organic milk that is expensive but sooooo good.  Supposedly from grass fed cows from Amish farms. Is it true?  We have visited the plant and believe it is as we have also seen the fields full of dairy cows on Amish farms. Does a person even believe what they see?  Who knows. 
 

 

[Jeepers]

I've seen the canned meat at Lehman's but I don't know anything about it except it is very expensive. Probably because it has the Lehman's label on it. I've never been tempted to buy it. Mostly what they have on the shelf, if I remember correctly, is beef and pulled pork.

[Necie]

There is a poultry processing plant less than 10 miles from me that claims *Amish*. The owners aren’t Amish. Amish do raise the chickens. The processing plant provides the chicks, feed, and STRICT guidelines. So I guess they are Amish raised... ?? 

 

Market today. Started out wet, then turned nice. Busy. Much better than yesterday. 
Went to DS2/DDIL’s after market. DDIL had her surgery today. All went good. They got home about 15 minutes after I got there. I helped DS2 do chores (chickens and pigs). DD showed up with a crockpot pork roast dinner for them. 
Got home and pulled soaps/lotions for market next week and printed labels. I need to wrap 30 bars of soap and label 20 lotions and make 2 batches of lotion (probably Friday). 
 

Tomorrow am going to DS2’s. DS1, Mom and I are going to finish planting their garden (potatoes). Well, Mom will probably supervise or maybe help DDIL with some housecleaning or something. DS2 also has his one week checkup for his collarbone surgery. 
 

and 

Necie

 

pics of my lilac bushes. Just starting to bloom. Wish y’all could smell them. YUM!! Planted these in 2006– when we bought this house and even before we moved in. A truck rolled and landed upside down in the front yard. TORE. IT. UP. (Dude was ok. Found him walking a ways down the road-drunk.) Insurance paid and besides the yard repairs, I got 5 spirea bushes and 3 lilac bushes (one didn’t make it). I put the spirea out towards the road between the U shaped driveway and the lilacs next to where I park to keep people from pulling through the yard to get around other vehicles. 😉 

 

 

[Annarchy]

Made it to TX with MIL safely, 

 

New vehicle, drove like a dream.  
 

She didn’t hurt, like she did in the van.    Neither did I. 
 

Expected 1 lane, God be blessed, they had 2 lanes open.  
 

God has certainly Blessed this trip back.  
 

I have an extensive “ToDo” list for the next few days, God willing, I can accomplish all that needs to be done.

 

She is considering, letting me take her box turtles home.  They haven’t had water or food for a long time.  They hibernate, until the temperature increases, above 70-80’s.   Two were waiting for me to feed and water them today, when we got here.  I will check to see if there are more. I suggested bringing them back to our house…. She doesn’t remember to feed or water them……we shall see…I may just take them….  She used to have a plethora…..breaks my heart…

[Jeepers]

So glad you had an easy ride! I'm out of the new car loop. Yours, mother's or to share? Sounds like a dandy at any rate. 

 

I'm just glad the house us still standing and that it wasn't squatted in. 

 

Maybe take the turtles to your house and let her keep just a couple maybe she could remember to feed and water just a couple. 

 

Would they be safe from your dee oooo gees?  LOL. I couldn't remember how to spell it.

 

Hope and pray son is healing well and getting the rest he needs. 

.  .  

[out_of_the_ordinary]

I think it wasn't Gerbers, but the cleaning/disinfecting company Gerbers hired, who hired the minors. 

[Littlesister]

I read about the child labor. Just wondering how many other places are doing this that hasn't been caught yet. 

 

GS came home last night and told me he needs to start driving my car to work as his is squealing. Might be the belt but with him who knows. And how many times have I sat him down and explained why he needs to save money for a rainy day. And he got told H--l NO. Not having my car trashed the way he keeps his and I need my car to get to places. So, he has two choices. Transfer to the Food Lion by me where he can walk to work or talk with his father about the car when he comes into town Sat. 

 

Going to DGD's house in a few to see the new house. Guess GS is about to find out I wasn't joking about using my car. I won't be back in time for him to leave for work. Oh well learn the hard way it's on him not me. It pays to listen to your elders and do what is suggested. 

[Jeepers]

I missed some posts here. Blasted phone. Necie, glad your family is doing so well with their medical issues! I used to have a lilac bush in my yard but it died. I used to open the windows just so I could smell it. It was so pretty and smelled heavenly. The landscapers planted 4 spirea around my light post in the front yard. I've had them before. Pretty and easy to take care of. 

[snapshotmiki]

I'm not surprised that GS thought he could just use your car.  I'm glad that you stood your ground though!

I'm glad that your trip was nice Annarchy.  Please take the turtles!

I love the lilac bushes, Necie!  My favorite smell!

 

Yesterday was a town day--pay a bill, Dollar tree for stuff for missionary going to Romania, Walmart, thrift store.

 

Today, Bo and I already walked.
Will walk both dogs on short walk in a few.
Shovel gutters up the road as we have rain coming.
Hardware store for prices on mulch and flowers for Church flower bed.
Stop at Catholic Church on way home for free lunch.
Stake up tomato plants in lick tubs.
Make cheese. I haven't tried this for awhile. I have all ingredients and hopefully, the time today!

[Jeepers]

Thanks OOTO. That makes me feel better! We don't have the butchers and packing houses etc. around here. And to be honest, I wouldn't trust their cleanliness any better than any other place. But I'm pretty sure about Gerber's as far as antibiotics and hormones in their meat. I don't like Perdue nor Tyson for different reasons so I was counting on Gerber's. We all do the best we can. 

 

Different day, different opinion. I'm glad I have it now. Now to get it canned up on some soup. I have a different electric pressure cooker and I haven't figured out how to use it yet. I pressure cook my chicken before I can it.