Saturday, July 19, 2025

Zoom Saturday

I sort of had a slow start to the morning...but finally got going after I had breakfast. I made preparations to stew a chicken that I got at the store yesterday. It was finished cooking just before it was time for my bookclub zoom meeting. That was good timing as I was able to put it on a plate and tent it with foil so it could cool while I was zooming. We had a good discussion this morning. My Cottey roommate joined us this morning. It was great getting to see her. We texted a little with each other after the Zoom meeting. After the Zoom meeting, I got the chicken cut off the bone. Then I put all the bones back in the stock and simmered it for three hours more. The stock has cooled down enough to put it in the refrigerator to chill so I can defat it before I freeze it...that job is done for today...well, some of the dishes still remain. I have the stock pot soaking. While the stock simmered, I completed my notes for tomorrow's Sunday School lesson and have printed it off. I have a stack of things to take with me for the lesson tomorrow...so I think that the lesson can be "put to bed" until I share it in the morning. Once the dishwasher is running, I think that I will stitch. I veered away from stitching for the last couple of days so I had best get back to it...time is moving along till Christmas...and, if I don't get cracking, my plan to have all the ornaments stitched early this year so I won't be rushed making them into ornaments. Update on Joy, she continues to improve slowly. She actually did a craft project...wove some pot holders today...a good sign. Joy loves to do crafty things! Glad to see her doing something with her hands. To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Friday, July 18, 2025

Summer Friday

Tonight's photo showed up on Facebook today. It was taken many years ago. I believe that one of my blog readers is very familiar with this photo...if not this one than another very much like it! Today has been a fairly busy day. I got up and finished up my grocery list and got ready to head to Kroger. It was "one of those days" when I had to get more than just food...which tends to run the total up a bit more. But even with adding those on it wasn't too bad considering the way costs have gone up and that I hadn't been in two weeks. Lately I have been to make the grocery trip be every other week. I have been trying to use things in my freezer and just getting things that I need to make recipes that sound good to me. I will admit that the heat has sort of pulled the rug out from things sounding great...nor the cooking part of those recipes! For some unknown reason, I decided today that I wanted some kind of fish...now, those who know me well, know that fi sh isn't high on my list of favorite foods. I decided that I would get some kind today...if...the big if...I didn't have to get very much. It seems like everything these days is packaged in multiples that I don't need. My freezer is fairly full so I don't have a lot of room to freeze extras (reason I am trying to use what is in there). Well, I found a package of two small perch filets and they were marked down...which I know means that "the date" is fast approaching on their packaging. Well, since I was going to eat it right away I took advantage of the lowered price and got a package. I had one of them for lunch and it did taste good...I am okay with fish as long as it doesn't have bones...when I was a child...all I can remember was Mother warning me about watchig out for bones...which didn't appeal to me! So I enjoyed a piece of fish, some pan fried potato slices and some fresh corn for lunch. A good meal in the middle of the day. I got that mess cleaned up quickly because another reason that I don't like to cook fish is the smell! I think I conquered the smell...of course, I may have just gotten used to it! If you come in right now, perhaps you could tell what I had for lunch! After all that and getting the groceries put away, I had a pretty bad pain in my shoulde, so I decided it was time to rest and even though it is summer that this rest time meant the heating pad. I tolerated the extra heat and managed to take a short nap, too. My shoulder does feel better, though when I tried to sit at the table to work on my Sunday School lesson it wasn't very comfortable so I moved to the couch, which is where I am now. I sat here and typed up more notes for the lesson on Sunday. I am nearing completion of what I am going to share. An update on Joy is that she has been quiet, sleeping a lot, but eating well today. All that sounds like healing activity to me. Tomorrow is my Cottey College Alum bookclub Zoom meeting. I always enjoy that time with friends who love to read like I do. I will be leading the discussion in October on the book, Paperboy, by Vince Vawter. I had good news today that the author will be able to join us for our zoom meeting in October. That will be the first time an author has joined us. I have a connection with his wife due to her being a former member of my church. She and Vince gifted out church library with a copy of this book back when it came out and have since given the other two in the trilogy. So I decided that I would ask the author's wife if she thought that he might be able to join us for our zoom meeting and he willingly agreed. I'm excited! To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Thursday, July 17, 2025

A Visiting Thursday

I'm going to blog early today as I am going to be with Joy for a while this evening and I think that the sound of the keyboard might bother her. I plan to work on my Sunday School lesson while I am with Joy, but I can type with the keyboard on the screen when doing that, but that keyboard doesn't work well with blogging. I have had a pretty full day. Melany and Erin came here for lunch. After lunch, the three of us went to see Joy. We got several smiles out of her...a good thing. Melany did some weed eating after we got back from Joy's house. Erin and I visited in the living room while Melany worked...at least she didn't have to be out very long on this very warm day...we are at 90, again today. Melany and Erin left fairly soon after Melany cooled off from her time outside. I came in and put on my librarian hat, after they left and got notes off telling families about books that had been given in memory of their loved ones. Those are done and are in the mailbox awaiting the mail carrier. I just gathered up my Sunday School literature to take with me when I go see Joy for the 2nd time today. I will put on my substitute Sunday School teacher hat for a little while and maybe get the notes for the lesson on paper. I finished reading the Sunday School literature earlier this morning. Now to pull out what I will share with the class. This is the last night of Vacation Bible School at their church and Graham has to work tonight. Where she is with her concussion, the doctor recommended that she not be left alone for too long a time. I can say one thing...I know that it will be very quiet while I prepare the lesson! To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Wednesday, July 16, 2025

A Hot Mid-July Day

I think that the heat has gotten to me. I felt really lazy today. It's cool in the house, but somehow my body knew how hot it was outside. I did make two trips to the compost pile this afternoon and checked to see what the temperature was and it was 91°. Earlier in the day I did water, knowing how hot it was going to get today. The tomato plants in containers dry out pretty quickly in hot weather. This afternoon I spent some time cleaning out my refrigerator before I go to the grocery store on Friday. Tomorrow Melany and Erin are going to come spend some time here. I have been working on the Sunday School lesson, as I am going to be teaching on Sunday. Here is my "Joy update:" a special person from my church paid Joy and her a family a visit to pray with them and visit for a bit. He gets the prize for the day for getting Joy to smile. He teased with her that she was just trying to get out of chores...and...she smiled! Joy continues to rest for most of the day...resting her brain and slowly getting better. To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Tuesday, July 15, 2025

A Funny Find & Got Paid!

I got the other half of the draweer cleaned out today. Tonight's photo shows the thing that made me laugh...why a Double Bubble wrapper in the drawer?!? And, I did get paid a penny from this side of the drawer. I did find other coins on the other half...but not much...just a couple more pennies and a few Canadian coins and some tokens for a car wash. I was sorting through things when Nathan and Kathy dropped by to bring me some zucchinis. I got them in on the decision making of what to throw and what to keep. Nathan did go off with a small load of nuts and bolts and a hinge and some lightswitch covers. I did send home a card game called Risk so the kids could try it out. I got online and printed out how to play the game and sent those along with the cards. Going back to zucchini...they are part of my Joy update today. Nathan came in the house with his arms loaded with a LOT of zucchini...he estimated about 50 lbs. Joy saw him with all the zucchini and he said he guessed he should have picked them sooner. Joy sort of laughed and said, "Yes!" The fact she said "yes" is an improvement...since her accident she mainly nods her answers. The other positive Joy story is that Esther had asked her mom what she could do to help Joy and Kathy said that Esther could take Joys clothes from the dryer and put them away. Esther knew that under normal conditions that Joy would not like her to do that...that Joy always wants to put her own clothes away. Well, Esther had something else to do before she got to doing that and Kathy was doing something else. When they came back, they found that the laundry was gone. Joy was still sitting on the couch so Kathy went to check and found that Joys clothes were put away and that the empty laundry basket was back in Esther and Joy's closet...where it belongs. Joy had done it and gone back to sit on the couch! So major progress, in our eyes! Praising God for each small sign of her return to being our Joy! To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Monday, July 14, 2025

Mindful Monday

Today has been one where I did a little of this and a little of that...while I waited to find out how Joy's appointment with a neurologist went in Nashville. Not a lot new was learned. The doctor said that Joy not talking was probably her way of dealing with the pain. They were told that the first three weeks after a concussion were the worst and that it could take up to six months for her to recover. So the waiting "game" continues. That was the first time that they had heard that the first three weeks are the worst...so Joy is half way through that time period. I think that the six months were a little longer than anyone had said before. We just have to be patient and wait for our sweet Joy to emerge! I mentioned the other day that I was tackling one of the drawers that Woody put "every thing" in...so there are paper clips, shoe laces, picture hanging paraphanalia, I even found a receipt from 1999 for tires he had bought. Now, this is the second or third time for me to go through this drawer. I had already gone in and pulled out all the broken pairs of readers that he had put in there. We bought the dresser when we lived in California...so 51+ years of accumulation! It is a divided drawer and today I finally got everything out of one half of the drawer. Some of the things went in easily into the wastebasket...but others I have to maake decisions about...as this is the drawer that I go to when I need certain things...so decision has to be made as to just what exactly do I want to leave in that I might need! I did ask Melany about some of the things that he had for when they were collecting butterflies...those I have put in a container for Melany to check out and bring back memories with...but hoping that she doesn't feel the need of keeping...as she doesn't need to add to all that she has collected over the years she has been married. She doesn't need to take on our stuff...but, then, she is sentimental! I probably shouldn't have mentioned them to her...just let them disappear!?! I did find a neat little light in the drawer...looked like it had never been used. I will be getting batteries to see if it could be useful. I vacuumed from the bottom of the drawer small circles of paper from the paper punch...found the paper punch, too. This drawer is a mirade of treasures! Of course, now all these are on my sewing table...that I cleared off a while back hoping to get back to using it for sewing...well, it will have to be cleared off ONCE AGAIN! I have been to prayer meeting and am now back all ready to settle in for the evening. Working steadily on the latest Christmas ornament...hoping to get a little farther on this one this evening. To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Sunday, July 13, 2025