Watcha doing today?

[Littlesister]

Necie, I think this election took a load off all our shoulders. Still some things to watch out for so don't let your guard down yet.  We were hoping to get a democratic Senator out of office but with Northern VA being where a lot of politicians live. It didn't happen.  So, we will have to still fight for things going through our governor to persuade Tim Kaine to do the right thing in hope it will keep him in line. 

I am very happy with the results otherwise. These past 4 years have been a nightmare to say the least. 

 

I think you have been so busy it is catching up with you. Maybe just take a day or two as soon as you can to just relax and do easy things for a bit.  I know I have to take breaks during the day to just relax a bit and catch my breath before starting on house again. 

[Midnightmom]

4 hours ago, Littlesister said:

I am going to get with my neighbor and go buy the garden soil for the boxes

Is there a "landscaping yard" anywhere near you? You know, the kind of business that delivers "decorative" rock etc to new builds? The dirt (excuse me, soil) is MUCH cheaper there! If you can meet the need for a possible minimum of "yards" of soil needed they may even deliver for free - just as long as there is someplace to dump it. I have gone to a local yard with empty bins and my trunk and filled them up (by hand) to use in my container garden because it was way cheaper than buying bags at any of the Home Depots, etc.

[Littlesister]

Midnightmom, I don't know if there are any around or not. I do know when DH bought the river rock there was one across the bridge, but I don't think that is there anymore. I will check that out to see if I can find a place. The cheaper the better.

 

I think I have just about finished jarring up the food that was in boxes. After the neighbors' rat infestation from both behind me and next door. I was not taken any chances. I had a bag of rye flour, celery seed I had ordered a few months ago, a box of instant potatoes and other things like that. So now all has been jarred up and put back in the pantry. I am not going to deal with rats. So, making sure there is no food source around here for them. Plus, they will stay fresher longer sealed in jars. 

I have put all the cardboard in the raised beds and only had enough branches and such for 2 boxes. I am going to have to split some wood from the wood pile again. for the other 3 boxes. The leaves are also falling all over the yard and street so going out tomorrow, weather permitting and rake leaves to put in there also. I really like how they set those up and they are huge. lots of garden room without all the knee bending to mess my knee up even more. 

[Mother]

11 minutes ago, Littlesister said:

I am going to have to split some wood from the wood pile again.

Don’t hesitate to use whole un split firewood in the bottom of a bed.  Some of mine are six or eight inches thick and 16” or 18” long.   They take longer to break down which harms nothing. You are looking for approximately 10” to a foot of soil on top or enough for the roots of what you plan to plant.  That might only be a few inches if you are growing radishes. 

[Jeepers]

@Necie, you are just coming off of a busy summer with the garden and flea market so maybe you need a break and a rest. Take it. You have all winter to do house things. 

 

 

I went to town today. I took the wrong exit and ended up at Wal-Mart. I wanted to go there but I wanted to go to Meijers first. I could have doubled back but that would involve going through that round about. I've got the hang of most of them except for that one. It's super busy by a big shopping area and there are 4-5 different lanes and I always choose the wrong one. I avoid it when I can. Today I could. 

 

At Wal-Mart I got some more totes for meds and 2 under bed totes. I relied on the kindness of strangers to reach them for me. Not sure what I'll put in them yet. Maybe bed linen. Or water bottles. I also got a cart to put together. I plan to store big med things like humidifier and nebulizer and non medicine things on it. I have a double closet in the spare bedroom/pantry but there are no shelves in there.

 

The store was kind of busy and I was walking around. Since I had big items I didn't want to go through the self checkouts, so I had the opportunity to look in other people's cart. Nearly all of them had a lot of OTC meds in them. Noticeably a lot. I couldn't tell what but just a lot of little boxes. 

 

I took my empty gas cans in and got them all filled back up. I had five of them. I'm not sure how long I'll be able to do it by myself anymore. Those things are so heavy when filled. I don't have trouble getting them out of the Jeep. It's lifting them up and in that I find hard. And my Jeep is tall enough that I don't have to lift far. Not like down in a car trunk. I'll have to buy more Stabil because only heaven knows where my other bottles are. 

 

Jeans are still outside. I bought a new pair today. They will either defunk enough to put in the washer again or they won't. 

 

You know, its really expensive being so disorganized and having so much stored away. I've had to buy a lot of duplicate items that I wouldn't normally have to buy if I could just find all of my stuff. Most of it I'll use any way like the jeans, siphon and freezer containers, but that's not the point. 

 

I could have gone to Meijers for the siphon, more Stabil and shrub rake but I'm tired. 

 

Highlight of the day was a Dunkin' pumpkin spice latte. It was on the way to the gas station. Even if it wasn't, isn't was going. 

 

I have the last load of bed clothes in the washer. I'm doing sheets, mattress pad and comforter. After that I'm not going to do anything but lie on the heating pad with my latte and watch something British or Chinese on the Kindle. 

 

[Jeepers]

@Littlesister we always ordered soil and mulch delivered in a big dump truck like Midnightmom mentioned. We ordered it from a regular nursery/garden supply center. Only thing is they dump it all in your driveway at once. It needs to be taken care of right away. If they delivered early in the morning, son and I could do a dump truck of mulch in a day using a wheelbarrow and a pitch fork. The guy across the street did it by himself and it took him two days. He covered it with a tarp for over night. I don't remember if we bought one or two yards. But it was mulch and not dirt. 

[Littlesister]

Jeepers, do you have a dolly that you could take the gas cans out to put them on to roll them to where you want to store them. They are too heavy for me also, but I can get them from car and put on that dolly and roll them to the shed. With 5 containers it might take 2 or 3 trips from car to shed but it is a lot easier than carrying them by hand.

 

Mother I did put whole unsplit firewood in the first 2 along with the long tree limbs that was cut down. I need to start going across the top to see if I can pull out more of the 4-to-6-inch size. Most of the wood is about 12 to 14 inches long. So, I will be using that to fill up the other 3 boxes and throw in the leaves that I rake up as well.  Thank you for telling me about the bigger logs. That will help a lot.  It's going to be a lot of work getting them all filled up but will be well worth it. 

So far, my plan is to plant squash, zucchini, butter beans, green beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, carrots and not sure what else yet but that is a start. I did get all 6 of those huge pots from Big Lots and going to fill one up tomorrow morning to get the garlic planted in. 

[Littlesister]

3 minutes ago, Jeepers said:

@Littlesister we always ordered soil and mulch delivered in a big dump truck like Midnightmom mentioned. We ordered it from a regular nursery/garden supply center. Only thing is they dump it all in your driveway at once. It needs to be taken care of right away. If they delivered early in the morning, son and I could do a dump truck of mulch in a day using a wheelbarrow and a pitchfork. The guy across the street did it by himself and it took him two days. He covered it with a tarp for overnight. I don't remember if we bought one or two yards. But it was mulch and not dirt. 

Jeepers, we must have been typing at the same time. I have the wheelbarrow and shovels. But will be doing this by myself also. Smithfield gardens shut down as well as the one across the bridge that DH got the river rock from. So, I need to see if I can find another one. Hoping someone around here might know where one is so will be asking around. As soon as I find one, I will call and get it delivered. That would be so much cheaper than lifting heavy bags of topsoil. I have 6 bags now, but I am going to use one for the flowerpots. 

[Jeepers]

I have a dolly and one of those plant stand things on wheels. Moving them isn't an issue for me. It's lifting them up at the gas station and putting them in the Jeep after they are filled that is hard for me. Getting them out of the Jeep isnt too bad. I can just sort of slide them down. It's mostly the lifting at the gas station. 

[Littlesister]

I leave mine in the trunk and fill them up. I use those heavy contractor bags to cover the trunk of car and then put the cans on that.  I just fill them up from inside the trunk. With your jeep I don't know if you could do that or not. 

[Jeepers]

I could do that but it is unsafe to leave a gas can in a vehicle to fill it up! Even the back of a pick up truck. It could cause a spark and start a fire at the pump. Also something about the vapors from the can being in an inclosed space while filling the can. Most stations have warning signs to not do that. You might want to check that out. I'd rather lift the can than chance a gas explosion. 

 

I have a folded tarp I keep in the cargo area at all times. 

[Mt_Rider]

SNOW...SNOW....SNOW  

 

Well, it's officially WINTER.  The whole routine:  Call the snowplow guy to come tomorrow.  We're snowing til the weekend but he won't be able to get his rig up the steep driveway if we get much more snow.  All day and thru last nite as well.  DH (wreck his back doing so much)   cleared the porch (hmph...no Saran Wrap)  and down the 15 steps and around the car and on the car... and took it down to feed/water the birds.  Made it back up. 

 

I went out with snow pants, light coat cuz this is gonna get sweaty.  Hands froze in leather farm gloves.  Clipped the keys to my jacket zipper pull cuz starting my old truck only comes after:  Shovel more from around the car so we can actually get around all sides.  Clear a walking path over the edge and down the driveway just a bit till it isn't quite so steep as that first step!  Wade thru a half foot of snow {and it's coming down hard the whole time}  to the truck.  Rake snow off the door to get inside and begin the FORD TRUCK Warm Up Routine!  (they require extensive warm up in August!)  Meanwhile, back outside to work on getting snow off the hood/windshield, AND.... THANKFULLY   I remembered to lock in the front wheel hubs for 4-wheel drive!!!  BECAUSE...as soon as I began to inch the truck to the .....

 

Well.. our driveway goes down from the ROAD to barnyard.  Across that and begin up the hill which gets steeper and steeper as you go up.  Then suddenly, you're at the crest of the hill and it's a flat table top.  With big vehicles, that last second when your hood is in the way - you cannot see what's up on the flat top!  Kinda the same going down.  But that's when everyone not used to it, kinda panics and lets off the gas.  Not good cuz if it's iced, you'll slide backwards and over into the shallow drainage part and get snugged up against the steeeep up-hillside.  (countless people have done that)  Not easy getting them "unhooked" from that location to continue down ...to try again but don't hesitate this time! 

 

So when I'm trying to go down, that slide sideways to the Up Hill wall is still there but at least I'm not sliding backwards into it.  But yeah, even with 4-wheel....it's still sliding cuz those four wheels are not grabbing cuz I'm braking.  So I have to let go of brake and let the wheels grab and then brake again.  The whole time I'm using the steering wheel like the rudder on a boat in order to keep more to the center of the driveway.

 

    I'm not sure my description is translating but suffice it to say, there's always about 30 seconds of Praying something grips and you aren't going to slide into the shallow drainage area.  Getting out is extra energy/time but not too hard unless we're measuring feet of snow.  DH had already left tracks where the car slid over there on him too this morning.  But I did guide my old Ford thru that top section and on down the driveway.  I park it out of the way of the plow guy.  Same spot every time.  Lock everything up and put the keys back on the zipper pull so as not to lose them!! 

 

Then I walk back up......and yeah, I went down SPLAT up there at the top.  I was just going to move over to the side and scuff my boots enough to find some gravel. But I was one step too late and hit a slick spot on the steep part.  Wham!      It was merely annoying.  No injury cuz ...it's deep snow.  I did begin to scuff down to gravel.  In fresh falling snow - that's possible.  Anything later, not going to find gravel so I always shovel and scuff a path - EVERY SNOWFALL....ALL WINTER.  Cuz that last part is just too steep to make it if you don't have any grip.  If the snow is deep and cold enough, you can make stair steps but this isn't yet.  The grande finale last spring - I did have my " Tibetan stairs" in that verrry deep snow!  

 

By this time the 15 steps UP to the house entrance is not very welcome    but DH had swept them so- not too bad.  Sheesh, who needs a gym when ya live like this, right?  And it snowed alllll day.  Will continue for the next two days.  Not particularly hard but steady...doesn't quit.  Just looked out and inches more on the porch railing.   

 

Snowplow guy sometime tomorrow.  Mebbe invite him back on Sat when it finally quits.  I have a horse ride ---- up their trail, on Saturday.  I think I'm glad they recently did some trail maintenance: widening the trail and shoring up the sides in places.  We'll probably have the first ride up there, so it won't have had a chance to get icy.  I'm sure the horses still have the horse shoes on so they'd be ice skating!  Maybe they're pulling shoes during this snow?  Safer in winter to 'go barefoot' - er, bare hoof!  Natural hoof material has a better grip.

 

And we're all kinda in shock at this very abrupt change of season.  We might get a quick snowstorm or even blizzard at the end of October some years.  (One was very long, memorable, ..and deadly)  But then we return to Fall weather.  This is days and days of snow!  And we're late enough into Nov that I'm really not sure we'll melt off and start over.....      

 

Yeah, well, that was our day....     ...sure glad I got the porch sorted and the pellet stove ready!   

 

MtRider  ....stay tuned; like Jeepers, there's always more....   

[Jeepers]

Dang girl. That made me cold just reading it. I've had a few instances when I've been driving down an incline and started to slide. It's scary because there isn't a thing you can do about it. Just keep turning the wheel and hope the vehicle will sort of change directions. The last two times for me I was headed for a light pole. I was probably going about 2 miles per hour but couldn't do anything about it. 

[snapshotmiki]

You all are so cold and we were 86 degrees yesterday!  84 today.

 

Already walked.
Next, will walk dogs.
A little banking.
Roast garbanzo beans for snacks. For people but now thinking about it, I may do some plain for dogs and see how they like it.
Give one dog a bath.
Go with Church ladies for a local event in town. Appetizers and shopping at the businesses. Sounds like fun!

[Littlesister]

Sounds like you might have a fun relaxing day, Miki.

 

Mt. Rider, if that was me, I would have enough food and whatnot in the house and hibernate for the winter. I don't shovel snow anymore. If and when we get snow here. I stay in the house till it has melted. With my neck and shoulder issues, I just can't do that any longer and now with my knee. Nope not going to be shoveling snow. I feel for you. Your DH is in prayer for his back. He needs to be taking it easy. 

 

I went to the store to pick up prescriptions and shopped around for some fresh veggies and fruit. They had asparagus that they just got in, so I bought some for dinner tonight. I can get maybe 2 to 3 meals from it.  Then went to Dollar Tree next to them and still no milk. That is 3 Dollar Trees within the past 2 weeks where they didn't have any shelve stable milk.

I am getting ready to pay bills and do a bit of organizing to get some things put away. Need to dust the built-in bookcase that is between the kitchen and dining area. I want to fix it up to store some of my dehydrated jars of food on. 

[Mt_Rider]

1 hour ago, Littlesister said:

hibernate for the winter.

   Yeah, I'll move in with the beavers down the road! 

 

Well, it kept snowing.....it's still snowing!  Thankfully not very hard - just constant.  I swept across the porch, down the steps, shoveled under the porch where it blows in, and around the car again.  DH took the car down to do the duck water/food and let them out...probably shoveled a bit for them - with their short legs.  Pond is ice now. 

Good timing when our snowplow guy arrived at that point.  Didn't raise his rates.     So we're plowed out and likely he'll be back on Sat when this finally quits.  I've stopped counting inches.    This would be normal if it weren't so early in the season.  I wouldn't be so cranky about it ....if we weren't so achy and old.  My arms are still shaking from exertion.  But....with this, no need for doing any more exercises.    

 

MtRider    Might slack off today but 6+" tomorrow.

[Jeepers]

I'm just finishing up the laundry. I started with the bed linen and forgot I left the comforter in the washer over night. At least it won't take as long to dry now. The jeans aren't smelling as bad. Couldn't smell much worse. It's supposed to rain again tomorrow so I'll give them one more chance. Neighbors are probably starting to wonder. There goes the neighborhood. 

 

Last night I rolled around on the floor half the night trying to clean out some cabinets. Two of them face each other so I was rolling back and forth. All I accomplished was making a mess in the middle of the floor. I really don't want my kitchenaid mixer. It's bulky and heavy and takes up too much counter space. It even takes up too much room in the cabinets. It's going to have to go live in the garage. Or maybe the pantry of it ever gets cleared out. I've never used it. 

 

I still haven't received my freezer boxes. I figured they would arrive later in the day after I'm tired. 

 

I thought about going to town but I'll be there this weekend so I'll wait. I need to learn to stop going like I used to. Things aren't just down the street any more. Nothing that can't wait though. I'm just keeping an ongoing list in the phone. 

 

I'm making out an Amazon list so that will help. I need a lot of small things. Things I might not even find in town. I keep my bedside table drawer open to set a drink in it to protect the top. When it's open, the table falls forward. Way forward. I need some leveling feet for the front of it. Also some dinningroom chair leg protectors to keep them from scratching the floor. Booties. And a decorative downsplash thingy for the front yard and downsplash trays for the rest of the yard. What's out there now are hidiously ugly. And the septic cleaner guy dropped a hose on one of the extenders and crushed it. At least he admitted it so it's okay. It still looks bad though. 

 

Waiting for those trays....

[Littlesister]

Mt. Rider, hibernating with the beavers. Wow, if you help them chew wood for their burrows, you will come out of hibernation with some sharp teeth. 

 

Got the bills paid and worked on the bookcase. All of my cookbooks are in there. Pulled those out and went through them. Then put them back in the bookcase on different shelves. That was as far as I got on that. But it is dusted now. Trying to figure out new plans for it. I want to put some of my dehydrated jars of food in there as it would be easy to pull what I need out and would be right where I can get to them. 

 

Just messed around the house the rest of the day and didn't really get a lot done. But tomorrow is another day to go gun ho on it again. 

Went to store this morning to pick up RX and shopped for some fresh veggies and fruit. They did have a good sale, but I stayed away from tomatoes. They just haven't been tasting all that good lately. 

[blessedhomemaker71]

Well, our dog isn't getting sick anymore.  But, now he keeps shaking his head like something is wrong with his ear(s). Please continue to pray for whatever this is now!

 

[Becca_Anne]

Blessedhomaker sorry your pup is still not quite themself. 

Jeepers it's going to take awhile for you to feel settled in but I think you are still making a lot of progress. Take it easy and maybe find someone you can hire out to get that gas for you next time so you don't have to lift it. Might be good to line up someone for small jobs like that so you don't hurt yourself until your son is recovered enough to help you again.

MtRider oh be careful with the falls. Do you have a pair of YakTracks? They are amazing on ice. They just go over the bottom of your shoe and have spiky bits that grip really nicely in slick weather.

WTG Littlesister! You make me feel like a slacker lol

Miki hope you had fun at the bazaar!

 

Today we got the upstairs airconditioners put away for the winter. Now we just have the two downstairs ones to do. I called and set up the gutter people to come back to look at my porch and a few other items like missing siding on one small area, and two windows that need repair that were shot out by BB's and are currently held together with tape. They now have financing. I hate to do it but if I don't the soffit and gutter are going to fall all the way down (they are rotted out) and it will be more expensive later. Really hoping that will be it for awhile at least until I can pay it all off. I did find out we're getting a bonus this year so that will help pay for that. We'll get through it but I could use a break in 2025 from all the expenses.

I made soup for lunch which was great with some toast. It's really getting to feel like fall here now.

[Mother]

14 minutes ago, blessedhomemaker71 said:

But, now he keeps shaking his head like something is wrong with his ear(s

Blessed, I am still praying but wondered if you had looked into his ears?  Ear infection, mites, allergies, and several other things can cause the vomiting and the head shaking.  Check for objects, for mites, for dark crud, and even for a foul smell.  There are things you can do at home but if he has an ear infection he might need to see a vet.  Ear problems are miserable for them and you. We fought ear problems for years with our English Springer Spaniel until we found she was allergic to the dog food, all of it. We put her on a home made primarily raw diet and it cleared right up.  🙏
 

  

[Jeepers]

 @blessedhomemaker71 glad pup isn't sick now. I'll bet its an ear infection. Poor thing can't catch a break, huh. My beagle used to get ear infections all the time. She couldn't stop shaking her head. Vet gave her meds for me to squish around in her ears and cotton ball swab out. It looked like she had dirt in her ears but it didn't smell. She was allergic to grass and pollen. 

[Jeepers]

@Becca_Anne I'm afraid I'll be opening a can of worms next summer when I start on this house. Homeownership is a full time job isn't it. .

 

That reminds me, a piece of my siding got buckled up from overgrown shrubs. They lifted a section up. I'm hoping I can straighten it out with a rubber mallet. That will probably not end well either. 

[Mt_Rider]

5 hours ago, Becca_Anne said:

It's really getting to feel like fall here now.

 

Awww, now you're gonna make me cry...looking at over a foot of snow SO FAR.  It ain't done yet!  And last I checked, this ain't Alaska or Siberia.  Hmph!   

 

And yeah, Yax Trax and other brands - I've worn out at least two pairs of those.  I think we might still have an old pair.  Generally I can avoid walking on the packed/slick snow patches - and definitely ice.  But I was one step too late yesterday.  J u s t  about to move to the deep snow for better traction when... OOOOPS!  Always thankful for martial arts training for 2 decades.  I'd be dead by now from slips and trips and all.  Another thing I do constantly in winter is throw a skiff of dirt across any ice patches I can't walk around.  I do that repeatedly ALL winter.    Now that we're plowed out, he was able to scrape the blade so I can hop-scotch the dirt-showing patches!  ...until we get the next inches of snow.  But he'll come again....and again....and again....   Always be on good terms with your doc, dentist, delivery folks....and your snowplow guy!  

 

Can we please get another tiny batch of autumn WARM and get rid of this accumulation of snow???    At this rate, the cabin will be buried by May 2025! 

 

MtRider ...okay, a slight exaggeration.   

[Littlesister]

Blessedhomemaker. I am keeping your pup in prayer. It sounds like a possible ear infection. Take a flashlight and look down into the ear, if you see and redness then it is an ear infection. Also, other things other than that could cause it. 

 

Mt. Rider, you can keep all that snow. I don't shovel it. I just hibernate till it melts. But then we don't get snow here like you do. 

 

Jeepers, you are getting there with the house. I know I need to replace my patio door and recalk the windows on the outside, I think.  It sort of looks like they need it but then again not sure. It has been about 29 years since we replaced the windows, so thinking it is time to recalk. Cleaning out the office today. I have a fold up table that I need to get out of here and move a few things around.  I want to get a trundle bed to put in this room for when the kids come in from town. So, it will be office/guest room. Plus, a place for the GGDD's to take naps where it will be quiet during the day. I am going to move the playpens into this room also. 

 

Need to go take some Aleve as my shoulder is starting to hurt again. Didn't take any last night nor early this morning and I have been doing a lot of lifting I shouldn't have been doing. But someone has to do it.