Sunday 4-28-2024

Steven Doss – Flickr – image from 2022 car show in Greenwood, Arkansas

I didn’t have a chance to take pictures at the car show this year, so I found this one that is quite representative of the diversity of vehicles people have worked hard to restore.

My husband had his first haircut since Amber, our dog, pulled him down into a brick planter, causing him to need 8 stitches behind his left ear. Michael – Tangles Hair Salon – (479) 996-6366 did his usual ‘miracle’ for the Lewises, plus taking care of the whole wound area. My husband was relieved to look well-groomed in hair, mustache and beard again.

We enjoyed walking around the square for a bit after, with my husband interested in the engine of each vehicle, me interested in the LOOK of the vehicles, both remembering working on our own cars – even changing some engines ourselves – years ago, when you could actually GET to parts and replace them.

My personal favorite every time I see one is the 1932 Ford Coupe –

Classic Auto Mall

There was a deep purple vehicle I saw in the distance as we passed, grabbing me by the throat, but we were already tired and it was raining lightly, so we didn’t see it close up.

We were able to get the “prescription override” on my husband’s medicine after the car show. Because I went through Humana, made sure I ordered a new supply that would be sent ASAP and explained he had NONE, they told me to go through our primary physician for the override. I contacted them through the ‘portal’ and they called it in to our local pharmacy. It cost us nothing and was ready when we got there. Whew!

We’re in the very active area for storms this weekend. Thankfully, we only got rain last night. We may have severe storms this afternoon and evening if the rain stops and it heats up during the day. Right now it’s raining lightly and quite overcast. I hope it stays that way.

I hope that your weather is quiet where you are today and that you have a pleasant Sunday.

Friday 4-26-2024

Andreas Roeth – Pinterest

We’re under a ‘flood advisory’ on one of my weather sources, and 91% chance of “heavy rain” from now until midnight with maybe a couple of short breaks in-between storms. The sky is quite dark. The branches were whipping around earlier, but now it’s ominously still…

I’ll aim for a combination laundry/office cleanup/and art room day.

A lot of activity started our day. My husband took the last of his diabetes medicine. He didn’t have more in the drawer like he should have had, and didn’t seem to care. I went upstairs to see if it had been inadvertently put up there, but nothing.

I ended up posing as him, calling Humana to find out it had been removed, somehow, from the auto-renew list, getting a refill in the works to be sent ASAP, and an okay for a ‘prescription override’ where we can get a short supply from a local pharmacy to tide him over until the prescription arrives. I posed as him again on our portal to our doc, asking for them to call that in to the local pharmacy we use. I’ll check later to see the status on that, and see if we can go get the tide-over meds. WHEW. He did have the good grace to thank me for my efforts.

Now I’m finally having my first cup of coffee. I feel lucky to have a strong, warm house in which we can weather the storms. If we can zip out and get his meds later today, it will be perfect.

I hope that you are safe, dry, and warm today.

Thursday Thoughts 4-25-2024

Toa Heftiba – Unsplash.com

I leave shortly for my massage. I’m really looking forward to it. The first reason is that I really enjoy how I feel when Lynn Moody, my wonderful massage therapist and friend, finishes wielding her magic. She finds and gets rid of the areas I KNEW were hurting as well as those I hadn’t realized yet.

Second, this will be the first time I’ve seen her new place! The city is demolishing (or may have already demolished) the house she was using for massage sessions. She had to be out by April 1st. She is now working out of a really nice retirement place in Greenwood. It also happens that my good friend, Linda, from the former Lunch Bunch, LIVES there. So, I’m going to see if I can find Linda when I finish my massage. :0)

The skies are really dark, with coming “heavy rain and thunderstorms” this morning. I’ve already had my shower this morning, but I may get two more – one getting from my truck to the front door of the retirement place, and another when I leave. Good thing I spent so many summer teaching swimming lessons. I may need them today.

I got another planter weeded and pruned yesterday. I’ll write more blog posts after lunch and show a picture or two – unless we’re being blown away by the possibly severe weather.

Stay safe, dry, and warm wherever you are.

We Made It!

The forecast severe weather apparently mostly missed us last night and I’m really grateful. The gusty winds were enough not only to dislodge parts of the sheets I put over the three planters, but BREAK the clothespins!

The hail missed us, thank goodness. I don’t know how much rain we got. I’m washing the sheets this morning, since our local forecast is a cold front moving through and freezing temperatures Wednesday and Thursday mornings. UGH.

I was really happy to see that our sweet veggie plants seem to be okay. I’m going to start harvesting some lettuce leaves to add to our salads.

And finally, here is the azalea I couldn’t cover up. :0)

My stubborn husband insisted that he mow the yard yesterday, even though he’s only two days out from the all-night visit to the ER. He did it, with me nervously monitoring – even complimenting me when he came in, saying I did a good job of making his job easier with the weed whacker. Even though his picture is beside the words “Stubborn” and “Obstinate” in the dictionary, he’s definitely a keeper.

We’ll do our errands, but hopefully will enjoy a quiet day, otherwise. I hope that you are well and having a really nice day.

Severe Weather

Ozark Radio News

Weather across the U.S. may be severe today, so we need to keep a close eye out. I think I read that 50 million people are under threat of severe storms, gusty winds, hail, etc. today.

Unless things turn bad quickly, we’re planning to go ahead to Lunch Bunch this morning and then to pick up a prescription and groceries before coming home. Of course, this is all subject to change if we see flying hairballs.

If we’re lucky enough to have this bad stuff bypass us, I plan to check my tomato plants and harvest the rest of my heads of lettuce this afternoon.

Hopefully, we’ll all come through this threat intact and safe.

Be careful.

Friday Thoughts 5-19-2023

Gifer

We have a 90% chance of thunderstorms this morning and another chance for HEAVY thunderstorms with possible severe weather this afternoon and evening. Oh, GOOD.

Today is Lunch Bunch, so I don’t know if anyone else will show up. We’ll probably go, unless it’s pouring when we’re supposed to leave.

Nothing else is happening today that we know of. Just hoping we won’t be blown off the map by Mother Nature, although my friend Marsha sent me a video this morning of Mother Nature acting out. It was really impressive.

Stay safe, warm, and dry.

Happy Flying Hairballs Day

I gathered some of our twice-blooming purple iris yesterday afternoon, since the weather was forecast as threatening yesterday afternoon-into today.

Mother Nature is sliding between making the weather forecasters warn us about severe thunderstorms and then tornado watches with lots of red flashing lights on my weather thingie. Since it was hot in the house this morning and much cooler on the outside, we’ve opened our doors to air things out plus cool things off between rain storms. We’re under the gun until this afternoon, I think. It’s pretty dark outside right now.

I’m doing laundry, hoping to be able to finish as soon as possible in case we lose public power and have to rely on the generator. It will run everything in the house except heat and air, but I don’t want to tax the system.

I didn’t have anything to cover the new veggie plants with overnight, since the warnings were for everything from gusty winds to tornadoes to hail to flying hairballs, so I’m crossing my fingers that my sweet new plants make it through this.

I’m grateful for a dry home today, hoping we make it through this intact. Stay safe everyone.

Feeling Creaky

Herdaroff’s World

Yesterday we loaded the back of the truck with metal trash plus regular trash. We left the regular trash in the can and left it ready for emptying today, then drove to the recyling place and left the metal trash. We got a flat of spinach plants and a flat of head lettuce plants on the way home. I planted those before lunch. After lunch we changed our snow tires for regular tires on the truck.

I was stiff and sore by the middle of the evening. I SHOULD have done yoga to try to stretch things out, but I was exhausted and just didn’t. I’m paying the price this morning, feeling as if I were run over by a truck.

Thankfully, we don’t have any big errands today. We’ll get our mail, maybe hit the local grocery, and tether the emptied trash can to the pole toward the bottom of the driveway on the way home.

123RF

We’re due for severe weather this afternoon, tonight, and tomorrow morning. I have all my appendages crossed, in spite of the creakiness, hoping we come through the storms intact.

Meanwhile, I’m glugging coffee, trying to wake up.

Happy Tuesday?

Wow

Backpackers.com

We seem to have come through the severe weather last night without damage – at least that we have found yet. It was scary for a while, though, with our weather alert going off with a tornado WARNING covering Ft. Smith, but not including Greenwood. We had lots of really gusty winds to the point we were talking about possibly losing some of the siding off the house or losing our deck cover, not to mention more trees and branches down.

103.3 WKFR-Getty Images

It’s sunny and 55 degrees -thankfully, quiet and pretty now. Later we’ll gather our trash and take it down. I don’t know if the trash can will still be there. My husband tethered it to the pole, but he scoffs at what he calls my ‘obsession’ with tying it tightly. Since I have trouble not slipping and sliding over the gravel, he has taken over the dragging it up and down and tethering it to the pole. The trip down the driveway will also tell us if we had any other damage overnight. Fingers crossed.

Gusty winds like that make me wonder what the animals do to protect themselves. We heard a couple of driveway alarms that my husband said were probably deer walking around. The wind was gusting to such an extent I would think they would have trouble not being blown off their feet.

We are still under a ‘wind advisory’ for another hour or so this morning, but I think the worst is past now.

I hope you are somewhere safe.

Gray Monday 12-12-2022

BBC

Tomorrow afternoon we’re due for probable severe weather, so the gray TODAY is looking pretty darned good. It’s too wet, still, to work in the yard, and tomorrow will, of course, bring lots MORE rain, plus hail, plus flying hairballs, so another inside day here.

Yesterday we bought a new leaf blower/vacuum. Most of the ones we saw seemed WAY too expensive, but we then lucked into this Craftsman 12.0. I probably won’t use the vacuum parts, but there’s a MAYBE to that. I’ll just store the bag and the vacuum attachments carefully until next time. For now, I’ll hope it works well if the leaves outside ever dry enough to blow. I’d like to blow the leaves one more time before I pronounce the front yard ‘ready for winter.’

Our son sent us this pic of a meal he received from a new service that delivers to his condo daily. It looks delicious, doesn’t it? This will allow him to eat a healthy variety of nicely cooked food without a lot of shopping, cooking, etc. I would love it it they would deliver to US, too, but it’s a bit out of their delivery zone, being across the world from us…

I called my friend Linda to see if this afternoon is a good time for me to come and see her new apartment and retirement facility. She seemed delighted that I called. I’ll take the jigsaw puzzle as a housewarming present.

Make it a good Monday.

The Price of “No Snow”

5News

The price we’re paying for ‘no snow or ice’ is severe weather. Yesterday, thankfully, we missed tornadoes and really large hail along with heavy rain. We got some rain, but the bad stuff was JUST north of us.

Today we have a ‘few isolated thunderstorms this afternoon and evening with HEAVY rain coming tomorrow. Ironically, we have some guys scheduled to come to the house to talk about installation of solar panels tomorrow morning…

Depositphotos

My husband got an email saying there was a government program for installing free solar panels on our home. I started researching a few minutes ago and found “Simply put, you cannot get free solar panels from the government. These payment plans are actually solar leases or power purchase agreements (PPAs), and they’re a no-cost upfront option that gives ownership to the solar company or installer.” So, it looks like their visit here will be very short.

I just got home from my massage. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I’m a very happy camper right now. I’m going to fix us some lunch and then do some of my exercises: stretching video, 10 minutes on the elliptical trainer, weights video, yoga – stretched out during the rest of the day.

It can’t decide whether it wants to rain yet or not. When I was driving home, it was dark and looked like rain was imminent. Now it seems to be clearing up.

Lunchtime!

Thoughts on a Mild Monday 3-7-2022

QuotesGram

We came through the night – with threatened severe storms – just fine. The cold front came through and now it’s 31 degrees F. We have another chance at a ‘wintry mix’ Friday, but I’m really hoping the back of winter has been broken and that we’re moving on to spring. I’m also hopeful that Mother Nature receives the memo and acknowledges the official beginning of spring on the 20th, if not unofficially, before.

My spring garden of veggies is still only a bright spark in my mind. I’ve decided to wait out this week and see what happens Friday. I want to uncover at least some of my raised bed square foot planters and fill them with early spring plants of spinach, lettuce, and broccoli, if not more. (Ours looks much like those in this photo, except we built them up at my chest level, on metal table-like supports, so I don’t have to bend over double or get up and down from my knees.

Meanwhile, our daffodils are determined to put on bold, happy faces no matter what our weather is doing. I’ll gather some more to bring in the house today.

Free Arts

I’m definitely starting to have ideas rattling around about playing in my art room. I’ve been finding artwork all over the net that is getting my juices flowing, particularly involving mixed media stuff.

Have a safe, happy beginning to your brand, spanking-new week.

Thoughts on a Friday 1-10-2020

Soul Alchemy

I’m really sad about the loss of animal life in Australia. People are trying to save as many as possible, and I’m grateful for that. My heart goes out to the people who have lost so much.

We are getting ready to go to Lunch Bunch, our weekly lunch with long-time, treasured friends. It will be good to be out, especially because we are due for some severe weather later today – high wind, chance of tornadoes, strong wind, hail, heavy rain, and flying hair balls. It’s supposed to start at 2 and last throughout the night, changing to sleet tomorrow. I’m about to suggest dances and songs for Mother Nature – trying to get on her good side…

I had a nice online chat with our son in Thailand yesterday. I always feel so good after talking with him. The fact we can type back and forth whenever we would like makes me almost forget he’s half a world away. :0)

I’m trying a new keto bread recipe this afternoon. Fingers crossed!

Have a wonderful day, and stay safe.

 

Brrr!

“Squirrel in the Snow” – copyright-Kelly Lyon – http://www.nwf.org.PhotoContest – The Nat’l Wildlife Federation Blog

 

It’s almost noon and it’s still only 17 degrees F. here. I’ve been letting dogs and cats in and out over and over this morning. Everyone says they want to go out, but they don’t want to stay out LONG…

My poor seed starters are still covered up in the greenhouse. I covered my onion sets in my raised bed square foot garden with a sheet, but I’m afraid that won’t be enough to save them.  I’ll probably need to start over on everything once the cold spell is over. We’re dripping water in our utility room bathroom and in my husband’s sink upstairs, trying to avoid pipes freezing. We only got snow flurries, but the diving temperatures have sure gotten our attention. I save a few daffodils in a vase on the table, but the rest are looking really sad outside.

I’m thankful we have a warm, dry house and we don’t HAVE to go outside, unless we choose to today.  My heart goes out to the people in Alabama, Georgia, and the rest of the southeast who had severe weather and tornadoes last night.

Be safe, everyone.

Shoot!

zazzle

We usually go bowling, and then for ice cream, on Monday nights – the night the bowling alley makes it affordable for us. We go with up to three others, and have been doing this for several years now. We can catch up with what’s been going on with our friends, get some good exercise, and then celebrate or console ourselves with delicious ice cream from Braum’s afterwards.

We had to cancel it for tonight, due to a significant cold front and the prospect of severe weather right when we would be trying to go for ice cream and then take everyone home.

____________________

“After a mostly sunny and warm Monday, (92 degrees F.) a cold front will be marching through our area Monday Night. Not only will it drop our temperatures BY OVER 40 DEGREES, it will also bring the chance for some showers and storms (rain, wind, hail, flying hairballs, possible tornado) overnight.”

____________________

kfsm

We are just southeast of Fort Smith, in the darkest green blob.

So, although we’re disappointed we had to cancel bowling and ice cream with our friends tonight, we’ll be thankful we have dry homes to “weather the weather” tonight.

Hunkering Down

“Storms Come and Go” – Eric Thomas -etinspires.com

We’re about to start a group of storms carrying high, gusty, damaging winds, rain, and probably hair balls. This morning my husband got out before breakfast to finish mowing the lawn. I’ve just come in from

• gathering ripe tomatoes
• weed whacking around our garden and shop, and
• weed whacking the front yard

It was almost non-stop thunder when I finally called it quits. I really would have liked to weed whack in the back, too, but I decided to come in. It’s really DARK outside now and the trees are blowing around as I type. I got all the animals in and closed the garage door, and will hope for the best. We really need the rain, but it would be nicer if it were a gentle, soaking rain….