Thoughts on a Monday 5-29-2023

Vili-pastel-Bela Tarcsay

I’m hoping that today will be a quiet day for us.

We’re not planning to do anything special today for Memorial Day. I still haven’t washed the furniture on the deck or cleaned the back porch. Priority for today is doing some weeding in the garden and seeing if there is anything I should harvest. This will probably take a few days to catch up. I’m hoping that the fertilizer I spread a few days ago will cause things to green up out there.

RTE

I wanted to share a nice description with you. I talk to my sweet SIL each day, checking in to share what’s happening. She’s been getting lots of rain. She said, “The world is refreshed.” Can you hear it saying, “Ahhhhhhhh!”? :0)

Since I’m old and getting a bit ditzy, I have note-its all over the place reminding me that because of Memorial Day, we’re NOT gathering trash today and putting it out – until TOMORROW, when we ARE. At least I USUALLY remember why I got up and went into a room….

I found a website new to me called, “Temu.com” My husband showed it to me. It’s where he found the water bowl for painters that he has ordered for me recently. They specialize in discounted items. We’re not sure of the quality yet, or if the orders will be delivered in a reasonable amount of time, but I’m impressed with the prices. They sell basically everything, and you could go down a rabbit hole trying to see all they have. I’ve ordered a couple of women’s tops. We’ll see.

I hope you enjoy your day.

A Perfect Morning?

“Dorky Dogs” – BoredPanda.com – Liucija Adomaite and Justinas Keturka

I feel that chewing on the edge of a table might help me deal with the frustration I’m feeling this morning.

Madeleine Jacobs

One of my pet peeves is medicine ‘protected’ by child-proof caps. I understand that this is necessary if you have young children, grandchildren, etc. who might gain access. I try to avoid this and get the ‘unsafe’ version when I can, but sometimes they don’t MAKE one.

This morning I was trying to open a new bottle of Miralax. The top says, “Push Down and Turn” with an arrow. I did that and DID that and it wouldn’t open. I gave the bottle to my husband, who did that and DID that and it wouldn’t open. He finally took his knife to it and got it open, demolishing the top, which you’re supposed to use as a measuring instrument. I tried to use the top that was left and the stuff dumped onto the dining area table. We ended up brushing off the table into the glass…. Oh, well.

My husband is having a more difficult day with his back hurting this morning. He is insisting he will help me gather the trash and take it down to the bottom of the driveway. “I” have a hard time on the gravel, trying to move the humongous trash can down from where we tether it down to the road where it is emptied tomorrow. I’m trying to figure out how to deal with my husband, with his injured back, not skidding on the gravel…

kazu91-Deviant art

Enough griping. The sun is shining. It’s 52 degrees with a lot of sunshine. We ate a ‘main meal salad’ last night made from the 1st harvest of our spring veggie garden with fresh head lettuce leaves and fresh spinach leaves in a chef-type salad. Delicious! :0)

ALS News

I got a notification on Twitter where I tweet about featured products from my Etsy site and my blog posts are posted, saying that they had placed a warning on my tweet due to ‘suggestive content,’ etc. They did that once before on a post titled, “Wet Wednesday.” This time they thought “Stuffing My Face” needed a warning. Hahahahahahahah. I told them it was about overeating, and suggested that they READ the post before slapping a warning on it.

Not sure what the day will hold, but it HAS to be better than it started.

It’s Monday 3-6-2023

Step Into The Garden – Lisa Weedn

Today is supposed to be an absolutely beautiful day, sunny with a high of about 80 this afternoon. I’m ignoring the fact that Tues – Thursday will be really rainy, with our area to receive about 3 inches of rain. I’ll make a point of walking around outside today, looking at my pretty perennial plants that are turning their faces to the sun, drinking in the weather, oblivious to what is to come.

It’s too early yet to uncover my square foot garden (earlier photo above). I’m really pleased that our idea to put weed barrier, cut to size, into the planting boxes, seems to have worked well. The carefully placed bricks held the barriers in place, and hopefully, I’ll just need to uncover the Mel’s Mix in the boxes, hook up the irrigation hoses, and be ready to plant! :0)

Yesterday my husband asked me for help on his computer. He wasn’t receiving a code and was completely frustrated. It turned out that he was looking for it in his email when he should have been looking at his phone. I had to start over in order to fix it, then showed him where to look next time. Later I helped him again when he couldn’t access his email. Then, later, when we were watching 60 Minutes, he tried to explain ‘quantum computing’ to me, but couldn’t dumb it down enough for me to understand. Hahahahahaahah.

Have a happy day.

Bright, Bright Sunshiny Day

Clear Lake, Iowa

I’m cherishing every minute of our bright sunshiny day today, as the rest of the week is forecast to be quite rainy.

The Super Bowl game last night was one of the best I’ve ever seen. Two great teams, no bad sportsmanship, brothers on each team, some truly wonderful plays, strong, tight game until the last minute. Someone had to win. And lose. But I really think both of these teams were winners.

We’ll go out after lunch to take our trash down and do some errands. Just a quiet Monday.

My husband gave up on the shop computer and is now transferring parts that are still good from it into the shell of another one that was extra, hoping that he can build one to go out to the shop. Fingers crossed. He’s not stressed over it, so that’s really, really good.

I’m having fun in my art room the last few days. I’m doing a project where each part needs to dry before I do more, so I spend a small bit of time up there, then come down and read or do something else on my list, then maybe go back up, depending on what stage I’m in. FUN!

I’m on book #40 in re-reading the In Death Series by J.D. Robb. One of the perks of being older than dirt is that I remember many parts of each book that I can enjoy again, but don’t remember many of the details of how the person was caught. Sometimes, I even find things I swear I didn’t read before….hahahahaha

On my ongoing “wish list” I’m including ‘developing an aversion to most food.’ It would be SO much easier to lose the lard if I could ‘forget’ to eat, or just ‘not be hungry,’ so I could eat what was absolutely necessary for nourishment, do my exercise for the day, and concentrate on other things. It’s a thought.

Happy Monday to you.

It’s Monday 11-14-2022

WJLA

This is the forecast for Greenwood, Arkansas this afternoon. Since I’m trying to work in the yard, I’m frustrated.

Trio Planters

Yesterday I went out to survey the damage of the freezes and found my sweet elephant ear leaves hanging dolefully down around the bricks of the planter. I spent a long time cutting each of the leaves down with a sharp knife either at the surface, or below, if I could. When I finished that, I raked up some leaves and put them in the planter. I’ll continue to do that, putting as many leaves as I can cram into it, trying to protect the elephant ear roots as much as possible for the winter. (I tried digging up the bulbs and storing them in peat moss in the garage as suggested one winter and ended up having to pitch the yucky, slime-covered bulbs in the spring. Ever since, I just cut them off and leave them in the planter, hoping to see spears shooting up in the spring.)

Elephant Ear Planter

It’s too cold right now to work outside. If it warms up between now and mid afternoon when the rain is supposed to start, maybe I can get more done outside.

I don’t think we’ll get ‘snowed in’ as such, but I really don’t want to be trying to horse the humongous trash container out of the back of the truck and getting it into place at the bottom of the driveway in the rain/freezing rain/sleet/snow this afternoon and evening, so we’ll gather our stuff early, leave it for pick up and get our mail mid morning, and then ‘hole in’ to see what the weather does. I’m especially thankful we have a warm, dry home on days like this.

I hope you’re safe and warm today.

Thoughts on a Monday 11-7-2022

Silicone – etsy.com

I pooped out yesterday and didn’t move ANY potting soil into planters. I got the rest of my list done, though, so I feel pretty good about that.

Right now it’s cloudy (but not raining) and 66 degrees F. – almost perfect weather for trying to get 40 pound bags of potting soil into the brick planters.

We just finished gathering trash, and my husband shocked me by wanting to go ahead and get the huge company trash can into the back of the truck, AND wanting to go ahead and take it down to the bottom of the driveway! I think he’s gaining confidence that the critters are less likely to mess with these huge cans, and that, even if it rains, the lids are heavy enough they tend to stay put, rather than blowing up and letting the rain into the can. I’m delighted about the change in his attitude and not having to worry about not getting the trash where it needs to be for pickup in time. :0)

On the way back up the driveway, we noticed that a branch of the tree to one side of the driveway is horizontal in the tree now. It’s too heavy for us to be able to handle it easily, so we’re hoping it’ll just stay where it is, rather than coming down farther. Fingers crossed.

My plan for the day is to work on the bags of potting soil a bit at a time, doing what I can to get them in the planters and the soil distributed. There are 15 bags, so it’ll take a bit of time and effort.

Bulldogology – Pet Solutions

Today is DAY 115 of my daily yoga practice. I’m still at 20 seconds on my ability to hold the Plank pose, and that’s really working at it. I prefer to think of it as “twice as long as I was able to do when I started” rather than simply, “Pathetic.” :0) I’m now using SILVER sparkly stars on my desk calendar as a reward. They’re really pretty.

eBay

These look similar to the ones I’m using.

The Cut

I’m really ready for the election to be over. I’m at the point where I hate EVERYONE. The simplistic arguments and mud-slinging on both sides is exasperating and embarrassing. I will deal with whatever happens, even if I need to crawl under my blankie. Just stop.

Hello, Monday

Arnaud Martinez-Getty Images-iStockphoto

Isn’t this koala sweet? You can’t be down after looking at him smile. :0)

We played a new game of “Trash Can” first thing this morning. My husband decided that he wanted to replace our two lidded trash cans in our pantry with one really large one. This is to stop my ‘request’ that we separate ‘burnable’ from ‘non-burnable,’ though he would deny that, arguing that the large single can is more ‘efficient.’ Amber, our 90-pound yellow lab, has been getting into his beside-his-chair living room trash can because he insists on putting leftover food plastic food bowls and food sacks there. He replied that he puts the food trash in the can because the pantry ones “don’t have enough room.” He wanted to move one of the pantry trashcans with bin-type lid between his chair and the wall. So now we’ve played fruit-basket-upset, with me washing the large trash can and lid that he brought in from ‘somewhere’ covered with old mud wasp nests, spider webs and ‘yuck.’ He will find places for three displaced cans, and we’ll see how this works. At least the large one in the pantry has wheels on one edge, so it can be wheeled from one side to the other when it is in the way….

Lots of exciting stuff going on here today – besides the ‘trashcan” game – like loads of laundry and changing our sheets. Be still, my heart.

DAY 80 on daily yoga.

Work is ongoing on the garden. It will take several days for me to get it to the points that I’m ready to cover up the Mel’s Mix with the weed barrier cloth. There isn’t any rush, so I’m doing it a bit at a time.

I hope you’re having a satisfying Monday.

Monday, Monday

“Monday, Monday, so good to me
Monday mornin’, it was all I hoped it would be
Oh Monday mornin’, Monday mornin’ couldn’t guarantee
That Monday evenin’ you would still be here with me.” ~ The Mamas and the Papas

Life Science Leader

While you’re in school, teachers and parents make choices for you. If you marry, your choices are modified by your spouse and your children, plus working full time.

If you’re a woman, much of your life stays the same even after you retire – taking care of your spouse, running the house (hey, that rhymes!) etc, but you now have some free time to start doing what you’d LIKE to do – maybe for the first time in your life.

Even though I have enjoyed my work over the years, I always dreaded Mondays. They signaled moving in lock-step for another 5 days, where, when I finished at work, I would come home and continue working at fixing dinner, throwing another load of laundry in the washer, cleaning up after cooking, getting things ready for work, making lunches for everyone to take the next day, hurrying around, etc. Weekends were spent doing all the things I didn’t have the time or energy to do during the work week, plus running errands to the places that were closed when I went to work and closed again when I finished work. The guinea pig on the treadmill.

NOW Mondays are just another glorious day. I cherish quiet days where I can wake up slowly, enjoying my coffee, deciding what the priority for the day is, deciding what order I want to do things, the freedom to change my mind. and more.

I have so many things I like to do that I never have enough time or energy to devote to them. I have the luxury of writing my blog, looking for more proof of how creative and talented some people in the world are, watching a demonstration of a new art technique on YouTube, seeing someone do a pose new to me for my yoga practice, listening to music, reading a book, spending time in my art room, spending time outside in my garden or my yard, enjoying a beautiful morning on our deck or back porch, playing with our cat and dog, taking a walk, catching up on the news, and more.

I can intersperse what I NEED to do, what I SHOULD do, with what I WANT to do. It’s my choice now and I couldn’t love it more.

Success Magazine

Monday, June 20, 2022

VectorStock

GOOD/BAD NEWS – Most of my hard work for the day is done. I plan to relax, cool off, and do my yoga stretches this afternoon to un-kink my sore, creaky body, then take a nice shower before bed.

We gathered the trash this morning and that will go out tomorrow. I just finished vacuuming the first floor tiles and carpet. The carpeted area includes the foyer, our office, and our living room. The tiled areas include the pantry, kitchen area between the living room an the dining area, the utility room, and two half baths.

I had to switch to my larger vacuum when my battery-powered one died after using up the half hour’s worth of cleaning you get on a full charge. Even with the air conditioning on, I’m slightly out of breath, having to wipe my head, face, and neck with paper towels, and am drinking lots of ice water.

I’m appalled at all I pick up in the vacuum canister. Even my husband is impressed when I show him the trash can into which I empty the canister each time I finish vacuuming. I honestly am amazed that we still HAVE a dog and cat with all the hair I vacuumed. And then there’s the pollen and dirt that blows in every time the doors open… I’m glad I have good cleaning tools, but it almost gives me nightmares how MUCH ‘stuff’ that comes up. :0(

I don’t think a team of experts coming in every day to clean our house could keep up with all of this.

mematic.net via Gina Rodgers

We think we may have come to the end of the “nursery” of raccoons we have relocated this year so far. We’ve continued to set the humane trap, but haven’t caught anyone in several days now. My husband even refilled the bird feeders again for the first time in a long time yesterday.

I’m planning to check my garden later this afternoon, when the heat has decreased a bit. I’ll see if I can get pics. We’re hoping to have some ripe tomatoes, too, in the next couple of weeks. Fingers crossed.

Good Morning!

fanpop.com

As we start another week, I’m thankful that I’m on the road to getting and staying healthier.

We’re going to replenish our supply of veggies and fruit today. The only other thing I’m trying to do this week is to STOP SNACKING – or at least choose something from my list of healthy snacks. My husband threw some bags of fritos into the grocery cart when I wasn’t looking. I emulated a lemming, finding them in the pantry and descending on one of the bags. We took turns gorging, polishing off an entire bag in one day. :0(

As soon as we shop, I’m going to fix a bowl of ready-to-eat veggies and make some dip to go with them. A colorful variety of those, or a piece of fruit, or a hard-boiled egg should satisfy me while my husband enjoys attacking a 2nd bag of fritos…

bluefoxfarm.com

Yesterday I warned my husband about the ‘excessive heat warning’ with a heat index of 118 yesterday afternoon. You would THINK I would know better by now. He went out in the hottest part of the afternoon to mow. I was so angry with him I just let him have at it. The mower ran out of gas and he had to walk out to the shop, get a can, and bring it out to pour it into the tank in order to finish the yard. I did get him a cool drink and brought him a wet towel to run over his face and neck when he came in. He cooled off and then went up to take a shower. I watched him surreptitiously like a hawk all evening to make sure he was all right…

All I did yesterday outside was spray everything for bugs. All I have left in the garden right now is red onions and zucchini. Our two planters of tomato plants are doing well with green tomatoes. I did have to pull one tomato plant that was completely broken off by the last storm, but I was glad we didn’t lose more. Today I’ll mix and spray weed killer.

I hope that wherever you are today you can stay cool and safe and enjoy the day.

Rainy Monday

Giphy

The rain will continue off and on here all day.

Encyclopedia Britannica

So far today, I’m feeling quite slothful. I just want to snuggle down and sleep. I’m hoping some coffee will perk me up. I hope you’re having a good day.

“Monday, Monday…”

Giphy

We’re supposed to get lots of rain today, particularly this afternoon and this evening, possibly severe. A “normal’ spring day for Arkansas.

Yesterday, since cleaning up my counter in the garage did NOT yield the garden irrigation system timer for which I was looking, we went to Yeagers and bought another one. We bought weed killer for our lawn at the same time. My husband spread that while I tackled the new timer.

I managed to program it and install it on the outside garden faucet and then hooked up the hoses in the garden. I turned on the water to test it, but the pressure was way down for some reason. We looked at the well house, since that’s where the water for the garden comes from. After a LOT of unpleasantness, my husband figured out what was wrong. He repaired a broken wire and then was able to get the pump pressure up. So we THINK we’re fixed now. I’ll check it this afternoon to see if the sprinklers in the middle of each planter box are actually sprinkling, or just dribbling as they were yesterday.

In my travels back and forth from the well house to the shop, I noticed that our tulip tree was blooming! Since our possible severe weather this evening may batter the sweet tree, I tried to get some pictures.

Since my counter in the garage is now cleaner, and –

my desk in the office is STILL clean –

today’s project will be tackling the kitchen. THAT includes a deeper cleaning of fridges, countertops, ceiling fans, wall air flow systems, and vacuuming the pantry, kitchen, dining area, utility room, and two half baths.

Mamas and the Papas – Monday, Monday – YouTube

Enjoy your day.

Well…

KETODirty

We’re still eating ‘sicky-food’ around here, at least another day – soup, crackers, eggs, toast. I awoke suddenly last night with my husband being sick. We got his system settled down with Alka Seltzer. I dealt with the aftermath and then couldn’t sleep, so came downstairs and read for quiet awhile. We both slept in this morning a bit. My husband slept through the night and is feeling stronger today, thank goodness, but we’ll be very careful with his food again today, hoping this will be past us soon.

cheezburger.com

One of the really LARGE perks of being old and retired is that – if you’re up a lot of the night for one reason or another – you can take a nap or two during the day so you’re not TOO much of a zombie. To say we’re grateful for this is a vast understatement.

Treehugger

If my husband’s health improves, we may look for garden plants this week. I’m just ITCHING to throw off the tarps from our raised-bed, square foot garden planters and get some plants growing! If I do, I’ll take some pics to share.

iSkinCareReviews.com

I wish us a calm, quiet day.

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 Monday 12-13-2021

popularmechanics.com

It’s a beautiful, though chilly morning here. Lots of sunshine.

Mirka Lindfors-pin.it

It’s our son’s 43rd birthday today. I actually wrote to him yesterday, as he is 13 hours ahead of us in Thailand. He had forgotten that it was his birthday! I sent silly pictures, such as the one above, and wrote out the Happy Birthday song. We chatted a bit. I told him I thought he should play his guitar and record himself singing Happy Birthday. This is one of the many times I wish he weren’t all the way across the world from us.

This week will actually be most of our Christmas. Thursday I have a massage and will take my therapist’s presents then. Friday is Lunch Bunch and we will exchange presents there. I have several more to deliver around town, but that will be the bulk of it. I’m trying to get Christmas cards in the mail. I love this time of year!

Children’s Health

The scared inner child is trying to find the adult in the room. I’m waiting to hear from my doctor what and when the next step is. “One foot in front of the other. Do what needs to be done. Stop being stupid.” (Not only am I a wimp, I talk to myself. )

We’re going to run errands now. I hope you have a great Monday.

Beginning of a New Week 8-2-2021

Dolceluna

I’ve been using a new face cream. What do you think?

We just got back from doing errands and I’ll fix our lunch in a minute.

The scales are finally beginning to notice my efforts to lose the lard more. I’ve lost 2 pounds in the past 2 days. Re-losing – so no confetti thrown until I’m in new territory.

The new addition to my exercise regimen starts this week, too.

• Monday – yoga stretching plus exercises with weights
• Tuesday – yoga stretching plus 15-30 minutes on the elliptical trainer.
• Wednesday – yoga stretching plus exercises with weights
• Thursday – yoga stretching plus 15-30 minutes on the elliptical trainer
• Friday – yoga stretching plus exercises with weights
• Saturday – yoga stretching plus 15-30 minutes on the elliptical trainer
• Sunday – yoga stretching

Yesterday I cleaned and started re-painting the “peacock” yard art critter in our shop. The biggest part of the refurb project on this one is gluing new beads on the ‘feathers’ and around his neck. I’ll show you when he goes back outside.

Yesterday I also cleaned off my drafting table in my art room. I gathered my supplies for my “acrylic pour” experimentation. I also watched several YouTube videos on various techniques several really talented people are using. Today I bought some Minwax Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner to add to my supplies. I will find a heat gun or grab my hair dryer. Later this afternoon I hope to gather my intimidation and throw it in the trash.

I hope that you’re having a great day, too.

Thoughts on a Monday 7-26-2021

kurdistan

Isn’t this bird wonderful? I want to try to cheer him up.

We are having a quiet day so far today, and I am grateful.

Summer is definitely here now with an afternoon actual temperature of 96 and a heat index at 100+. Little or no rain in the forecast until further notice. UGH

CorvSport.com

The wonderful news is that my husband got the repaired part back in the Corvette yesterday and the vehicle is now sitting in our garage! WOO HOOOOO! After paying the service department at the Chevrolet place in Ft. Smith $85.00 to look at it and tell us the part we needed had been discontinued, we spent $10 for a tool. We didn’t need to buy the replacement part we found on the net – though it was good to know we could have. My husband got the part out, pried the top off the ‘module,’ soldered 4 wires, put it back in the car to test it, and IT WORKED. He took it back out, sealed the top back on, put it back in again (able to get 5 of the 6 screws in) and all the warning lights disappeared.

We were going to take it out for a test run, but he’s going to call the shots on that. He is really sore – particularly the rib muscles on his left side – from lying on the car, stretched as far as he could to reach and fight with recalcitrant parts for HOURS over a three-day period. He has bruises bungs, gouges and scrapes over the backs of both hands and one arm. I’m trying to get him to rest as much as possible over the next several days.

Popular Mechanics

Since he’s like the Energizer Bunny, even when he’s hurting, he got out right before dark and used the riding mower to mow the back yard. Then it was too dark for him to see. He’ll probably finish the yard today, but I’m HOPING he’ll wait until right before dark again. I’ll get out and do the weed whacking today.

The “refurbishing-of-the-critters” project is ongoing. I’ve cleaned and repainted 12 yard critters so far, and am currently repainting a pair of critters we call “Mama Snail and Her Baby” in the shop. I should finish those in the next day or two and will post a picture. The next larger critter is a “peacock” I’ll start after that.

I’m considering shaving Amber, our 95-pound yellow lab. Yesterday I vacuumed the tiled area on our first floor (utility room, dining area, kitchen, pantry, and two half-baths) and easily got an entire dog’s worth of hair in the vacuum canister. I’m due to vacuum the carpeted areas today (foyer, office, and living room) and will probably get another complete dog’s worth. Her hair, as you can see, is short. It amazes me that she can shed that much and still be covered with the normal complement of hair!

It is SO hot here now, that it doesn’t matter that we have an irrigation system on our raised bed, square foot garden. The only thing doing well out there right now is our onions. This has been a really weird growing season. We still have our planters of tomatoes. They aren’t pretty this year, but they are really delicious. I’m going to start trying to pull the onions, spreading them out to dry on a trailer we have with a grilled bed on it, perfect for lots of drainage. I’ll then clean out the garden bit by bit, trying to work in the morning or just before dark to avoid a heat stroke. :0) Right now it looks like no one cares about it. I’ll take pics when it’s more under control.

Happy day to you!

Thoughts on a Monday 5-10-2021

Lydie Steyer

I’m finding it hard to grasp that we’re already into May, and a third of it is gone!

Arkansas is having a ‘monsoon’ season this year. I’m growing some veggies in a raised bed square foot garden and they are loving this weather. It’s been cool and wet. For example it’s overcast, looking like it could rain any second, and is only 49 degrees right now. Friday I was able to share some spinach and lettuce with good friends. I’m planning to do my third harvest of the season today, if the weather will cooperate.

lettuce

spinach

Yesterday, after over a year of absence, I started accounts on Facebook and LinkedIn again. My accounts had been hacked and I couldn’t change my passwords or get any help from support at either place, so I gave up and closed my accounts. I missed some of the people I had met, so yesterday I created a new email address so I could sign up again. I have no idea of anyone remembers me anymore or will connect with me again, but I figure it’s worth a try.

My latest project – after putting the house back together after new carpet and porch flooring – is to switch my winter clothes for summer ones. Funny timing, since we may be setting a record for the coolest May we’ve had since I’ve lived here, but I’m in the middle of it now. I have the actual clothes switched. Now I’m trying to get things organized, plus I’ve promised myself I will try things on, going through for things I can donate.

We are continuing to enjoy getting healthy, individual portion meals from Real Food and from Stu’s Clean Cookin’, both of which have opened in the past year in Greenwood.

Calvin & Hobbes Mailbox Decoration

We haven’t been putting up mailbox decorations for awhile, due to the chaos in the world. We finally put up my favorite recently. I think we can all use a hug.

I hope that you are having a good start of a new week, too.

It’s Monday

Giphy

I’m waiting for my coffee to kick in. It’s overcast and rainy-looking. Severe storms are forecast for this evening, so I’ll need to get out to my garden and do a second harvest in case we get the hail they say we might.

I’m also going to try to finish getting things put back where they belong after our new carpet and flooring project. Even though I’m sleepy, I’m smiling every time I see the carpet and walk on it. It’s nice. And new, And clean. I also love the way the porch floor looks like weathered wood. I have my side of our entertainment center in the living room to straighten out and then things will be done. Hooray!

The garden was looking strong and healthy the last time I checked. I’ll try to share some pictures with you. I have all appendages crossed the the storms this evening won’t break the plants. One year we had bad hail that battered things so much I had to cut everything WAY back. Then the weather turned really warm and the early spring plants gave up the ghost.

If you’re feeling sleepy too, I hope we can both wake up and enjoy the day.

Thoughts on a Monday 4-21-2021

photographyserved.com-Mujo Korach

I got some things accomplished over the weekend that make me feel like I’m starting the coming week well.

I caught up on the filing and bookkeeping that had been piling up for quite awhile. I gathered the things I brought home from the booth my friend and I were renting in a local shop. I’m not ready to go through them right now, but at least I’m not in danger of falling over them on my way to and from the computer.

Our credit card was frauded and we had to cancel the one we had and start over with a new one. We had to contact a bunch of places to get things updated. I’ll finish the list today with some phone calls.

I discovered the local weather people were warning of a frost and freezes the coming three days. I got my plants covered last night. They came through just fine. I’ll cover them again tonight and tomorrow night. I enjoyed gathering my first harvest of spinach and lettuce yesterday! :0)

I will start hanging things up on the porch today. We have decided to start researching putting a new floor cover out there, since the project to replace the ceiling, seal off where the squirrels were getting in, and hanging a new shutter are finished. As an added project, I paid the guys to repaint the rest of the woodwork out there, so things look fresh and clean. Ahhhh!

At the same time we replace the porch floor covering, we’re going to research replacing the carpeting in our living room, foyer and office. It’s beyond being able to look better with cleaning. Our records show we have had it since 2009.

Our list of things to repair or replace is getting a bit shorter, so it feels good.

I hope that your spirits are lifting, too.

Stay safe and well.

Thoughts on a Monday 3-29-2021

Country Living Magazine

We are about to leave for quite a list of errands – the first of which – I’m grateful to tell you – is to drive to Fort Smith to get our second COVID vaccination. I will never forget my parents talking about the aftermath of the Spanish Flu Pandemic in 1918-20. My dad was born that year. My mom, 3 years later. The effects of that pandemic were truly awful, with about 500 million people infected and 50 million deaths worldwide (about 675,000 in the U.S.) The effects of the pandemic lasted for years. People felt so helpless because there seemed to be nothing to be done to protect people – just deal with the symptoms as best as possible and hope for the best. I will be glad when everyone who wants to get the shots is protected.

Our weather here is really nice – sunny and windy today with more rain tomorrow. I’ll take it. I’m trying to do SOMETHING in the yard each day. My veggie raised bed square foot garden is doing well so far, as are my two brick planters of tomatoes.

I hope that today is a good one for you, too.

Stay safe and well.

Thoughts on a Monday – March 22, 2021

Twitter.com

It’s a fine start to a pretty day here. We’re supposed to have some sunshine and 63 degrees this afternoon before having thunderstorms overnight. I’ll take it!

The gremlins who have been plaguing us lately seem to have decided to ease up some. We’re waiting for the new valve we ordered for the shop heater to be delivered. Our long awaited window replacements from Window World are due to be brought and installed late tomorrow afternoon – “weather permitting and the creek don’t rise.”

I made a major decision this week. My friend and I decided to close the booth we shared in the local shop in Greenwood and I closed my Etsy shops online. I will concentrate my efforts on my online shop on Amazon Handmade now. If you would like to visit the shop, click on this link Linda Lewis Artworks. If the link doesn’t work for you, here is the URL – https://www.amazon.com/handmade/Linda-Lewis-Artworks. I will be adding things to this site steadily.

Though nothing was said, our fish are swimming happily in the aquarium after I cleaned it for them yesterday. The new combination of things I’m using makes it so we can go several weeks now without cleaning and the water stays nice. Ever since I changed from the regular aquarium gravel to the glass beads, the fish seem to be having a “Bead Sucking” contest as to who can suck one up and swim up the highest with it before dropping it. It makes a funny, “tick, tick” sound as the beads fall back down.

Not sure what the day will hold, but it’s wonderful to have some nice weather to do it in.

Happy Monday.

Thoughts on a Monday 3-15-2021

jellycat-ostrich-stuffed-animal-CrateandKids

So far I’m feeling a bit frazzled today.

We are just back from taking our Honda Ridgeline truck into the dealership because a couple of lights started showing up on the dash this weekend. We looked up the icons and couldn’t make much sense out of them, except one had to do with emissions, so we thought it was important that someone who works with Hondas all the time and knows what they’re doing should look at it. They will call us when they have an estimate on fixing the problem. We have been running from one thing to another lately that needs repair or replacing, so we have had to spray money in all directions – a bit stressful. So I’m hoping that THIS time, we’ll hear some good news. I’ll stay in close proximity to the phone so that I won’t miss the call.

I wasn’t sure where the dealership was. I followed my husband – a nerve-wracking prospect – so the trip seemed to last forever. We’ll go back together to pick up the truck when it is ready, and I won’t have any trouble getting back home.

My husband is building a new welding table out in the shop. He found one online that would allow the table to be tilted and turned, giving him more flexibility and ease of working on his projects. The trouble was, the table cost over $2200! He looked at it, deciding that he could build one. He ordered the table top online. We went to Davis Iron in Fort Smith and bought the heavy square tubular metal he needed, and then went to Harbor Freight to get some really heavy duty wheels. He has been working on the project for several days now, and is at the point where he will paint the metal support for the table.

The bolt at the top (to the left of the table top) can be loosened, and then the table top can be tightened to any angle desired. The top can also be turned so that he can work on long items. He can roll the table around, or store it out of the way. He also MADE a breaking mechanism so that the wheels can be locked so the table doesn’t roll while he’s trying to weld something.

We have a nice, sunny day today (AMAZING!!!!) – so he is trying to get the metal support for the table painted today so it won’t rust.

Once we have paid for whatever the truck needs, I need to call the propane people again for help with the pilot light in the shop’s heater, the Window World people to see if they have been successful on making our replacement windows, the property tax people to see if they have sent out bills yet, and finally (I hope!) a contractor who can help us repair or replace the sheet rock on our porch ceiling…. 2021 seems to be an unending series for us. Our son, who lives in Thailand, said when we chatted briefly this morning, “I hereby declare a moratorium on things developing problems.”

Thoughts on a Monday 6-29-2020

Storyteller Travel

I LOVE the look of humor and character on Shoebill Storks.

We are having a super humid day today. It’s like pea soup outside. The humidity is 92% right now. UGH. That said, at least the sun is not a killer, so I’ve just come in from pruning our roses bushes and cutting things back a bit.  We have a super good chance of rain today. It is cloudy and looks like it could rain any time now.

We are waiting for our plumber to come.  We have a tankless water heater that gives us lots and lots of hot water. We haven’t had to worry about running out for years. Until lately.  You have to have full water pressure to get the hot water, and it takes a bit of time for that to happen. We get it when we first step into the shower upstairs, then halfway through our shower, we get cold water, like we used to have when the tank emptied. My husband thinks we may have to get a new water pressure tank for the well house. Hopefully, we can get what we need to get our wonderful hot showers again soon. Fingers crossed.

I hope that you have a good day.

 

 

 

Thoughts on a Monday 5-18-2020

Marabou Stork-photographer unknown via Penny Yaffe Krakow

 

If I come back to the world as something else one day, I either want to be this Marabou stork (above) or a shoebill stork (below.)

San Diego Zoo Animals and Plants

I love both of these birds. They are ugly – and they look like they have a sense of humor – like they’ll say something to make you laugh any minute. A great combination!

The sun is finally shining here!!!!  We have had an entire week of rain, storms, gusty winds, gray days.  It was SO nice to have to put on my sunglasses when we ran a couple of errands earlier today!

I fixed a big salad this morning. I will offer to share it with my husband, but he has some things he really likes, instead. I will eat part for lunch and the rest as part of my dinner. It’s wonderful to be able to use spinach and lettuce from our own garden in it! :0)

My husband is going to try to mow the yard later today, if it will dry up more. We are actually watching the grass grow now that the sun has come out.

I’m going to play in my art room this afternoon, trying to finish up a new idea I had.

Have a fun day!

 

 

Thoughts on a Monday 3-16-2020

Photo via Jeff Jett – LinkedIn

We enjoyed watching what could be a relative of this cute little fellow leap from a hanging bird feeder on the deck to the shovel bird feeder, and then around via the railing to the gallon glass bottle and wood feeder we have attached to the grill on the outside of the dining area window. He kept flipping his tail. I’m not sure what that signifies, but he sure was a busy little critter, checking everything out.

We went for a quick shot at the doctor’s office to quick stops at two groceries to replenish supplies and are now home for the day. Even with the schools closed, starting today, there wasn’t much traffic on the road.

A new thing greeted us at the clinic – a nurse was there to take our temperature outside before we were admitted inside. Then, they had rearranged the seating so that there were two chairs together, but they were far apart from another couple of chairs, all around the room, giving people plenty of space. I was glad to see these precautions.

 

 

I am thinking about ordering one of these on the net so that I can quit touching my face. I seem to be obsessive about touching my face, and I never realized it before! I’m constantly, scratching, touching, rubbing my eyes, pulling on my nose….. It’s either a funnel like this or I may start wearing mittens….

We are in the ‘high risk group’ for the virus. My husband continues to deny that he is included in the group, but he still thinks he can do what he did when he was a teenager, paying the price later, with lots of sore muscles. He also denies he is a Type II diabetic, only admitting he has a ‘sugar problem.’  We are trying to limit our exposure as much as seems reasonable, hoping the experts get a handle on the testing soon.

It is certainly getting more spring-like here, with lots and lots of rain this week. We are due to get up to 3 inches by the end of the day Thursday. It’s a really good thing the veggie planting boxes we built have good drainage or the plants would need to learn to swim!

I hope that you are somewhere safe, practicing social distancing, washing your hands, NOT touching your face, and spending your time in a pleasant manner.

 

 

 

 

Thoughts on a Monday 3-2-2020

Via J. Robert Bennett – LinkedIn

So far, today is a waiting day.

We are supposed to receive a call from the techs at CenturyLink today (between 9 and 5) before they come to the house to install equipment that will give us faster Internet. Since we live in the sticks and have to be grateful for whatever we can get, we are hopeful that this might be a good bridge between what we have now and the fiber optic service that is supposed to be offered sometime at the end of this year or the beginning of next.  I don’t know anything about technology, but my husband will ask several pertinent questions before we allow them to begin. Our son has described our Internet as ‘swimming through peanut butter,’ so fingers are crossed that we are actually able to get better service.

123RF.com

Our weather is fabulous today – sunshine-y and a high of 64 this afternoon!  I’m going to go out and visit my veggie plants and encourage them to do well. We have a lot of weeds in our yard now, making it look like we ought to be mowing. We tried a bag of weed killer granules last year that seemed to make a big difference, so we’ll get more this year as soon as we can leave the house and spread it as soon as possible.

 

I’m sad to tell you that I lost my smallest goldfish a couple of days ago. He had an equilibrium problem, and would often float, looking like he was gone, then ‘come back to life’ when I tapped on the glass and start swimming again. This time he didn’t. So now there are two – one goldfish that has increased in size from about one inch long when I bought him to about 4 inches long now, and the other is a white goldfish with a spot on his ‘head.’ I cleaned out their tank again a couple of days ago, when the smaller goldfish died. So far, they seem happy with the clean tank with different decorations. Fingers crossed all is good for them.

My big ‘plan’ for the day is to clean our master bath today. It was on my list for yesterday, but my time and energy were snafued. I’m going to see what I can do on it as soon as I finish writing to you.

Such an exciting day – MAYBE faster Internet – MAYBE a clean bathroom upstairs – and MAYBE bowling with friends tonight.

I hope that YOUR Monday is a fun one.

 

 

Thoughts on a Monday – Dec. 2, 2019

We woke up to super low water pressure this morning.  Since we live up on top of a ridge line (the water meter is 650+ feet down the hill to the north of the house) we have a booster pump and motor in the well house. This also controls the flow to the irrigation system.  My husband finally decided that the pump and/or the motor had failed. It took us a long time to get it unhooked and off the wall (getting soaked in the process.) I found the name of a guy in Fort Smith and called him, confirming that he would look at what we have and see if he can fix it.  My husband fixed things so we have water in the house, even though the pressure is down. We drove to Fort Smith, left the stuff with the man, and now we wait. Hopefully, he will be able to fix it. If not, he will call with prices for replacement pump and/or motor.

We ate at our favorite restaurant on the way home, The Dari in Greenwood. We had a hamburger steak and veggies. YUM! It made up for not eating anything until about 2 pm today, plus having to deal with difficult things first thing in the morning.

I am now trying to decide the way forward on listing my artwork for sale. Right now I have things listed on ArtFire and two shops on Etsy.  Every time I mention ArtFire, no one has heard of it. I’m wondering about opening more shops on Etsy and dropping ArtFire.  I’ll consider pros and cons and then make a decision after the holidays.

It’s mid afternoon and I have done anything yet – with the exception of helping with the water pump and motor.

I’m going to have a cup of coffee and see if I can regroup.

Hope YOUR day is going better than ours!

 

 

 

Thoughts on a Monday 11-18-2019

Penny Yaffe Krakow – pic by Mary Madeline Botz

I finished the mulching yesterday and got things cleaned up. My poor body is really protesting, so I’ll take it easy for a couple of days before doing anything more out there. It’s amazing to me that I can get a bit tired by the end of several sessions, but don’t actual ‘feel’ it until that evening or the next morning. I plan to do my elliptical trainer and a session of yoga today, to help stretch things out.

I sang to my husband this morning – hence the cute picture of the doggie above. (I wasn’t nearly as cute, and my husband looked pained that I was singing. My husband, who is still being a curmudgeon about becoming a year older, grinned from ear to ear when he saw what I was doing this morning. The pineapple upside-down cake is in the oven as I type. Hopefully, I can make him smile several times today.

I’m waiting to hear from our friends on whether we are going bowling tonight and then for ice cream or not.

Since I was so ‘good’ working in the yard the past two days, I’m going to reward myself with time in my art room this afternoon.

Birthday – Bowling – Art Room – Pineapple Upside-Down Cake – Not bad for a Monday!

 

 

Thoughts on a Monday 11-4-2019

Jeff Jett – LinkedIn

We are having a lovely fall day today!  Sunshine-y, 61 degrees, no rain. Can’t ask for more. :0)

I’ve told you about Tri-Hill Pest Control in Fort Smith AR before. Aldopho, their man, is outside now spraying around the house where he couldn’t because of rain when he was here recently. In addition to that, I received a bill from them I didn’t expect. I pay for the year, and had already sent in my payment for NEXT year, so this was unexpected. I called and talked to Jerry. He looked us up and told me that their new computer system had issued the invoice when it SHOULD have issued a CREDIT. Can’t get a better answer than that!

I also had made a note to call City Hall today regarding the Angel Tree they put up every year for Christmas. I just wanted to get a feel for when it would be up so that we could plan to go in, get an angel from the tree, and shop for goodies for a sweet child in our community. The lady I talked to was putting the tree up as she was talking to me! We’ll stop by tomorrow and choose a child. We alternate between a boy and and a girl each year. This time, I think we’ll choose a girl.

My scales continued to smirk this morning, showing another .2 lbs of lard gone. Infinitesimal – but “I” noticed. :0)  I’m hoping to break into another 5-pound territory by the end of the week. 

 

 

 

We leave for the dentist soon for the 2nd step in my husband’s implant. I’m a bit concerned about the fact that he’s on blood thinners, but everyone at our dentist’s office Wes Moore, DDS, in Fort Smith, is competent, so he is in good hands.  We’ll run errands and eat out on the way home.

I’m having great fun making flat wooden Christmas ornaments using the Unicorn Spit Stain/Glaze. Here is one of them –

 

I’m going to personalize these with a name and the year. I’ve done 8 different ornaments so far, and will start the second group of 8 this afternoon, unless I run out of time.

We’re going bowling this evening with good, long-time friends. I always look forward to catching up with them. You would think that we would be getting reasonably good at the game by now, but NOOOOO! Each of us has a good night from time to time, but we’re pretty pathetic otherwise. We either celebrate or commiserate afterwards by getting ice cream at Braums. :0)  With my elliptical trainer, yoga, and bowling, this old lady will have a GOOD amount of exercise today.

I hope YOUR Monday is  pleasant – if not ENJOYABLE.

 

 

Thoughts on a Monday – 10-14-2019

We Love Earth

 

“In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue…” –  Other than the history of our country, this ‘holiday’ means to US that we have no mail and the banks are not open today. I’m sad that has become yet another controversial subject.

I’m feeling spoiled that Mother Nature is smiling on us again today, giving us another beautiful, cool, sunshine-y day. I just took advantage of it a bit, pruning the roses I started to do several days ago and doing some general clean up of a flower bed or two.

I’ll do my elliptical trainer and my yoga practice today. Did I tell you that I’m FINALLY feeling a difference in my energy level and the way I MOVE since I’ve been doing both of these daily? Another week or two, and I’ll consider adding something else to the mix.

I’ll watch more YouTube demos on Unicorn Spit and then I’m PLANNING to get up to my art room this afternoon to start experimenting!

 

I hope Mother Nature is smiling on YOU, too, and that you have a wonderful day.