Good-Bye, June

I think that this cow is also wondering where the month of June has gone...in fact, wondering where the first half of the year has gone!  I thought that time would move slower while sheltering at home...but I was wrong!  It is speeding right along!

I think that today has been a recovery day from doing so much over the weekend and then yesterday.  I just haven't felt like doing anything and, thus...haven't done much!  I did get the last of my fabric scraps put away (got them out for masks and hadn't ever gotten them beyond a pile on my cutting table.  I got them all sorted by color and back in their correct plastic shoe box.  Good job done...finally!  My other accomplishment of the day...a hair cut...a very important job done!  I don't want to go for 10 weeks ever again!  I hope that hair salons aren't put on the list of things that need to recluse!  But the opening back up of a lot of places doesn't seem to be faring well with stopping the virus...too easy to go back to our old ways once things opened up again!

I forgot to report last night that the traps are reset again...the week without them showed us that definitely the squirrel population in our yard has been cut way down...but not long after Elijah reset the traps he caught his 34th!!!  So the little rascals are still out and about.  We haven't sat a lot on the porch the last few days so haven't observed like we do some days.

Woody has had a quiet day today doing his crossword puzzles and reading.  He is about finished with one of the books that I got for him on Saturday.  I finished another book today, too.  I'm now racing my 75th book of the year...I'm averaging about 3 books a week...so well above my goal of 1 a week.  I keep thinking that I am going to slow down in my reading and get into a sewing or needlework mode...but at this point my reading keeps drawing me to my recliner whenever I need a break! I have been trying to decide on a design to add to a t-shirt...but haven't made the final decision yet.  I have LOTS of designs to choose from...which makes the decision that much harder!

Be safe!
Be well!
Be cautious!

Monday Muddlings

Woody and I met with the dialysis representative/educator this morning.  It has been 2-1/2 years since our first meeting with her.  I think that it was mainly a check-in with Woody since his kidney function number continues to go down.  She was checking to see if he still plans to do the at-home dialysis...he chose to do peritoneal dialysis.  I'll explain more as we learn more.  This particular type does not filter the blood.  He will have to have a minor surgical procedure to place the tubing in his lower abdomen to allow fluid to enter and exit the peritoneum.  This type of dialysis is done daily.  His nephrologist will decide when the timing is right to have the surgical procedure so he will be ready for when dialysis begins.  We were told that when the doctor says that it is time to be trained...that is when dialysis starts.  We will be trained in how to do this procedure at the time that dialysis begins.  She also checked to see if we had enough room to store all the supplies that will be moved into our house when this starts.  She said that we did have enough space.  We will start being trained at their facility for the first few days and then they will finish the training at our house.  The one positive
thing that Woody heard today was...that diet restrictions will be pretty much be lifted once he is on dialysis.  He doesn't want to start it any sooner than absolutely needed, but will be happy to get some of his favorites back in his diet!

Graham with the aid of his daddy at times came over to fix a couple of broken items at our house...the Dazor magnifiying light that I have next to my chair would no longer turn on.  Graham figured out what was wrong and then called in his able assistant (his dad) to get the job done.  We are waiting for epoxy glue to dry in the part that broke but it did turn on when he tested it.  So maybe I'll have my magnifying light back once again and I might pick up some needlework once again.  I have two of these lights...one that we gave my mother and one that we bought for me.  When Mother no longer did her needlework, she had us take it TN with us after one of our trips to AZ.  The other problem was with our dryer.  It was drying ok...but not cycling through the different heats and wasn't turning off on its own.  I would realize this when I would walk by and realize that it had been going too long.
Graham figured out what part was needed and he and his dad found it online and ordered it.  The part is supposed to be here next week.  It is back together and useable until the fix.

Woody wanted Graham to research a coin that he had bought.  Well, trying to find this coin was like looking in the proverbial haystack!  Woody was sure that it was under our bed...well, Nathan pulled out everything from under the bed and didn't find it...but I did vacuum under the bed while everything was pulled out.  There isn't much under there...mainly two heavy boxes of our flooring that we put in last year in kitchen, bathrooms, sunporch, and laundry room.  And, a quilt in a protective bag and a box of some of Woody's bicycle riding gear of yesteryear when he rode his bike...lots.  But after taking those four items out, the coin box was not found.  We then proceeded to pull out other boxes that Woody has things stored in that we keep under the guest room...both Woody and Nathan looked through those.  No go!  Finally Woody looked in one last place (where he was sure that it wasn't) and he found it!

While all this fixing and looking was going on we had several storms sweep through with rain.  It felt so much better outside after the rain.  Before it rained, it felt like you could cut through the air like butter.  Talk about air heavy with humidity!

Be safe!
Be well!
Be cautious!

Saturated Saturday

Today has been saturated both by rain and then with the humidity that came after the rains...not all that hot...but VERY muggy.  Today was my grocery shopping day...I am going every two weeks these pandemic days.  Going out to shop as little as possible.  I was going to go earlier than I ended up going, but it was raining and I decided that I could go a bit later once the rain passed us by.  As soon as it stopped I headed out.  I did manage to get to the store and back home with no rain.  But, while I was in the store the bottom dropped out and it really poured...very loud on Kroger's roof.  That had passed by the time I finished my shopping.  I came home and got the groceries in and then put away.  While I was gone, Woody got a phone call from the library that they had some more books ready that
we had put on hold.  I put them on hold last night...Woody was about ready to need more.  He is on the last book of the ones I picked up for him last week.  He is about half-way through with that last book, but now has some more so he won't be bookless when he finishes this one!  He set up a time for me to pick up the books which worked out to be the time that I finished putting the groceries away.  I got the books and came home to stay the rest of the day!  Grocery shopping wears me out!  I rested some this afternoon...as in a bit of a nap.

I also spent time working on moving Woody's winter clothes back upstairs.  I'm trying to get the downstairs closet such that one can see the storage at the back of the closet.  I think that the lady who is coming from the dialysis place needs to evaluate whether we have room to store everything for at-home dialysis.  I still hope that dialysis is a ways away, but...

Woody's done his usual crossword puzzles, watched a bit of TV, and has read a lot today...typical of
his daily routine of late.

Be safe!
Be well!
Be cautious!

Friday Fixin's

Today's fixin's have been done in my kitchen...makin' cookies and then fixin' a pork roast.  I made cookies this morning and then this afternoon found me roastin' the pork and then makin' some fixin's...gravy and some panned fried potatoes (potatoes for me...not on Woody's diet).  The hardest part of doing all this fixin' was the cleanin' up after!  I filled up the dishwasher, but then had a pile of miscellaneous items that either didn't fit in the dishwasher or weren't supposed to be washed in the dishwasher.  The cleanin' is now behind me and I now have earned some readin' time in my recliner, once I publish this blog! Woody is especially enjoyin' the oatmeal cookies...he had been wantin' cookies!  He also enjoyed a some slices of pork on a sandwich for his supper...then a couple more cookies!

Woody ventured out today.  First he went to the Credit Union and got gas and came back home.  Then a little later he headed off to run errands with his friend who doesn't drive.  When he got home he had lunch and not long after lunch, he had me carry out the gardening bench/seat and his bucket (to put the weeds he would pull) and several gardening tools.  He tackled a small garden that is bordered by the street.  It looks a lot better due to all his efforts...and he kept from tumbling off the bench despite the incline that he was on a good portion of the time!  I emptied his weed bucket on the compost pile several times for him.  So all in all it was a busy day for both of us...now we are settling in for our usual low-keyed Friday evening!

Be safe!
Be well!
Be cautious!

Sewing Day

Today I spent a good part of the day in my sewing room.  Last night I managed to get a handle on my knit scraps...I had gotten a lot out to make ties for the masks I'd made and had never wrangled them back into their bin.  In reorganizing that bin I came across some pieces that I have t-shirts made from.  I remembered that when I was putting those t-shirts away the other day that their necklines had seen better days.  So I decided to replace the neck bands and add a bit more time to their wearability.  The hardest part was undoing what I had done when making them...the new went on quickly and easily.  So tonight I can say that I have three t-shirts that look better than they did yesterday...and, I'll get a little more wear out of them.  I wouldn't have done this if these three hadn't been comfy favorites of mine...always hate to get rid of those favorites!  I enjoyed my time in the sewing room...haven't done a lot in there during the pandemic.  I've felt drawn in there the last few days.  Perhaps I will find a new project to start.

Woody has spent his day mainly reading along with some crossword puzzle solving and some TV watching.  We have both finished another book today.

I watered my container garden this evening...they dry out pretty quickly.  I also did a little deadheading.  This was the first time that I used the new hose that Woody got for Father's Day...nice to have one that hasn't sprung leaks along its length!  I picked our first two grape tomatoes while I we out there.  The veggies are getting bigger that we have in our container gardens...sweet red peppers, grape tomatoes (guess technically a fruit?), and egg plants.  The herbs are all doing very well.  I have been using the herbs when I cook for some time now...but their growth has really taken off.  And the hibiscus and the sunpatiens are looking pretty...lantana at the moment doesn't have any blooms but I expect to see more...they have gone through two or three blooming times so far.  Our little patio slab looks quite pretty with the pots and planters...and most of it is useful in the kitchen...or will be.

Be safe!
Be well!
Be cautious!

Wednesday

Not a lot going on around here...pretty slow-go summertime sheltering at home activities.  After I cooked breakfast today.  I did a little preparation of sweet peppers for the freezer.  Having them in the freezer all cut up in pieces makes life easier when I need them for recipes.  This was a mixture of red, yellow, and orange peppers.  I diced this batch.  I still have some to cut up and think that I will do some as strips.  Most of the rest of my day was taken up with working in the sewing room and also clearing off my sewing cutting table.  I'm working on getting all the fabric pieces put away after my mask sewing task of a while back.  And, I have been reading.  I talked to Donna today for our weekly "library" check-in...mainly we just caught up on what had gone on since the last time we talked.

Not long after breakfast Woody headed off to the Tennessee Oncology office.  It was time for his monthly labs with them and also got his anemia and B-12 shots.  So that visit took up part of his morning.  He has done his usual crossword puzzles, read, and watched a little TV.  

I will report that when I have been outside in the last couple of days, that I haven't seen many squirrels.  I haven't spent a lot of time on the front porch so I may have just gone out when they weren't around.  The suet isn't going as fast as when they were feasting.  And, so far the new bird feeder that I bought when Melany was here a couple of weeks ago is squirrel proof.  But so far with a stop in trapping, we haven't noticed a lot more move in...so maybe we are controlling the squirrel population, at least in our front yard...for the moment.

Woody and I have prepared the paperwork for requesting mail-in ballots so we can vote at home in our August election. TN is allowing people over 60 to request mail-in ballots. 

Be safe!

Be well!

Be cautious!

A Reality Check

Today seemed to be a day of the phone ringing...most were telemarketers...so lots didn't get answered.  But the one call that we got is one that we would have just as soon not have received.  It was from the liaison for Woody's kidney doctor.  She thinks that it is time to refresh our memories about dialysis.  We talked to her two years ago...so we have put it off for a while.  But she is concerned that his kidney function numbers are getting lower and lower.  She made an appointment to come to the house to talk to us.  We made the decision two years back when we talked last that he wanted to have dialysis at home.  We were told that there would be LOTS of supplies that we would have to find storage space.  So we will see what she has to say on Monday.

We had rain in the night and then another time of rain this morning...a good day for the gardens and a good day for the gardeners not having to water!  We have both stayed in most of the day today.  Neither of us went anywhere.  I worked on sorting through some papers to decide what could be recycled.  The washer and dryer got a work out today.  All that was washed has been put away.  I still have one more load to tackle tomorrow.  Lately each day I just do a little of this and a little of that.  I did complete another book...the count for this year is 71.  I think that close to 40 of those have been during our "safer at home" time.  I have enjoyed watching livestream videos that my sewing machine company (Janome) has been putting on Facebook.  Yesterday's program was about machine embroidering with free arm...she told several things that I hadn't realized I could do.  I'm looking forward to trying out what she told on the video.  I'm always excited to learn something new about my machine.  I've tried just about everything that you can do on it...so am glad to be told something that I hadn't read or heard in a class before.

Woody continues to work at least two crossword puzzles a day.  He's reading lots too.  I have a feeling that he has read even more than I have during this pandemic.  He doesn't keep a list by year like I do so he can't say how many he has read.  He keeps a list but by author and title...I have that type of list also...I guess I am just over listed!  I have a paper list by year and one in my iPad by author and titles.

Be safe!
Be well!
Be cautious!

Hemmin' and Hawin'

Well, I'll try again...I was writing the blog and it froze up and wouldn't let me add to, subtract from, or copy what I had written.  I had a draft but couldn't get it to open.  So...when I opened a new one, it looks like the old style blog...we'll see if there are paragraphs!

About tonight's blog title...I did more hemming than hawing.  I rehemmed two pairs of my pants.  Advantage of sewing...you can get a little more wear out of some clothes by cutting away the old hem and rehemming.  The pants that I worked on today both had enough length to be able to cut off the old hem and turn up a new hem.  Now I will get more wear out of them until some other part of them wears put!  The hems look like new!  I also made a quilt label for the t-shirt quilt that Kathy made for Graham for his graduation.  I used my sewing software to write the words on the computer and then transfer them over to the sewing machine where they had been turned into machine embroidery stitches.  Pretty nifty!  All the above meant that I spent most of the morning in the sewing room.

Woody ran an errand for me.  He picked up one of my prescriptions at our pharmacy.  He did his usual daily crossword puzzles, finished another book, and sat out on the front porch for a while this afternoon.

Melany spent the day with us yesterday...visiting her daddy on Father's Day.  We had a nice visit.  She left in time to go home to make Wade dinner.  Celebrating Father's Day in two places. Nathan and family came over before church to see Goosey (Woody) and give him Father's Day gifts.  So he got celebrated well!

Be safe!
Be well!
Be cautious!

The Fathers in Our Family 50 Years Ago

Woody with Melany (1-1/2 months old) May 1970

My dad (and my mother and my sister Cheryl) with Melany 4 months old. August 1970

Woody's dad with Melany (6 months old) October 1970

Welcome, Summer!

Summer is here! When I realized that summer had arrived, I also realized that we had sheltered at home for the whole season of Spring! Woody and I have both spent some time out on the front porch. It was finally warm enough for him...upper 80's! We have just come in...enjoying the longest day of the year on the front porch. Of all things for me to make on the first day of Summer...chicken gumbo. It was something that sounded good to Woody and definitely helped to warm him up...at least it did me! That has a long cooking time...but is so worth it served with a nice scoop of white rice...but probably better on a winter or cool spring day! We did enjoy it, and, again, there are leftovers..which always helps me not have to make something else too soon! At the moment we have a bit of a choice as to what we will choose for meals. The rest of our day has pretty much been taken up with reading (both of us), TV (Woody), picture taking (me), watering (me), visiting a little with Nathan, Kathy and some of the grandchildren (both). Speaking of the neighbor grandchildren...Elijah trapped his 33rd squirrel today. We are going to take a bit of time off from the trapping...wonder if our yard will fill right back up with squirrels! As soon as Elijah moved the trap and the squirrel, there was a squirrel sitting right where the trap had been enjoying the seeds that were on the ground! Perhaps he was just taunting us that he was smarter than the average squirrel and had so far avoided the trap but was still getting seeds! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! Let Summer commence!

Hay Day Friday

We usually get some pretty pictures of hay bales in fields, so decided to post one this evening instead of a barn. Not a lot happening here today. We both did run an errand. Woody picked up a prescription for his friend and delivered it to him. Then he delivered church literature to his deacon family shut-ins. I got online last night and put some books on hold for Woody. The library called this morning to say they were ready to be picked up. I set a time to get them. I decided that was a good time to run to Lowes to get a circular light bulb for my magnifying lamp. Woody didn't sleep well last night so he has done a lot of snoozing during the day. Hope he sleeps tonight! I made an old recipe that I called sunshine salad when our kids were little = orange jello, grated carrot, and crushed pineapple. I thought it would appeal to Woody and he said it tasted good. Jello counts as some of the fluid he needs to drink each day. He's none too fond of all the water he's supposed to drink each day. Well, squirrel count is 32 today! And, we only saw one squirrel in the front yard today...when the trap wasn't set. Once Elijah put the trap back we didn't see any when we were sitting on the porch today. Woody never sat on the porch...didn't get as hot as it was supposed to. He's hoping for the 90's as a Father's Day present! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Thursday

Woody headed off before 7 this morning to take his friend to a doctor appointment in McMinnville, TN. He didn't get home till a little before lunchtime. We had our main meal at noon today. I made chicken lyonnaise...supposedly a recipe from the Titanic. It was quite good and even better since there are leftovers. For supper tonight we had leftovers of our choice...in other words, we did what we call scrounging! While Woody was gone I cleaned the upstairs bathrooms and then got underway with our lunch. This afternoon I made the birds happy and filled all the feeders. I was going to sit out and watch the birds for a while, but a pop-up storm blew in and gave us a couple of claps of thunder and some rain...so plants are happier tonight, too. Squirrels probably aren't all that happy with us as we are probably breaking up their families! I looked out a little while ago and Elijah had his 31st squirrel in the smaller of the traps! They just can't resist the sunflower seeds inside those traps! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

A Day for Sides

I spent the morning in the kitchen. This time I was working on sides...Italian Cauliflower and Mac and Cheese. Woody started the cauliflower by breaking the head up into florets and then I took over steaming it and then making the oil, vinegar, and garlic dressing. It is good served hot or cold. The mac and cheese was for me since he isn't supposed to eat it and the cauliflower mostly for Woody since it is something that he can eat. Sometimes when I make something that Woody can't eat I feel a little guilty...but not when I make mac and cheese since he doesn't like it! I keep track of the fact that it is Wednesday by calling Donna at our usual time to work in the church library. We once again got caught up on what we are doing...she keeps track of me via the blog...but I need the call to keep up with her! We actually did talk library for a little bit...about a memorial book that I have been requested to purchase. While I was talking to Donna, I got a signal that another call was coming in...so after I hung up from Donna, I checked and saw that it was Marie our Sunday School class teacher. So I returned her call and talked Sunday School business with her and caught up with her also. After my phone calls, I headed off to Walmart for my once a month visit (this month I have snuck in another visit the day Melany and I went bird feeder shopping). I have several over-the-counter medications that get there and I was going to run out of one of my allergy medications tomorrow. So that job is taken care of for another month. I'm not missing shopping at all! I got a phone call from my doctor's office this morning saying that my labs were status quo so to proceed with the current medications and instructions...always good to hear. Now I'm heading downstairs to watch Master Chef with Woody. Then I will be ready for my recliner and my current book. Oh, and, the current squirrel count = 29 relocated!!! I wonder how many of the little rascals live in our vicinity!

Bread Baking Tuesday

Now...this little guy we think is cute and don't mind him scuttling around our yard. I was glad that he made a stop on our patio when I was looking out the sunporch windows and stayed till I got back with my camera. I told Elijah that we didn't want to trap him! Elijah relocated his 26th squirrel this morning! Where do they all come from?!? I went out a few minutes ago and one of the little rascals was trying to get seeds from the new feeder...he was foiled! Win for us! The little birds are really enjoying the new feeder. This evening there were four or five on it at one time. Woody ran an errand late this afternoon...to the pharmacy to pick up a couple of his prescriptions. After he got home, he sat on the front porch for a little while enjoying the birds. He saw a house finch couple for the first time. I spent the morning and part of the afternoon making Macaroni Grill Rosemary Bread. I made two loaves. I sent the larger of the loaves next door to go with their supper. I sampled our loaf as soon as it came out of the oven...a thumbs up and a good used of some of our fresh rosemary from our herb garden. I skinned and deboned chicken thighs for a dish that I plan to make tomorrow. The kitchen is now cleaned up and the dishwasher is running. So I'm ready to wind down. We are settled into the family room at the moment watching a cooking show on TV. I think that Woody is dozing. He hasn't felt the greatest today...not much appetite...not his usual interest in food. I hope he feels better tomorrow. I had planned to make the chicken thigh recipe today, but since he wasn't really interested in eating it, I decided that tomorrow when I am fresher will be a better day to make it anyway. Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! (I'm not happy with the no paragraph format...but, oh, well!)

Looking Back a Year

A year ago today's date we were on day five of our kitchen renovation and the top photo is what our kitchen looked like! I'm so glad that it is a year later and the kitchen looks like it does in the bottom photo which was taken today! I'm ever so glad we did the renovation, but am also so glad that it happened last year and not this year in the midst of the Coronavirus! I've have a busy day doing things around the house...Watered plants, did a load of wash, and all three bathrooms and the kitchen floors have been mopped. I will say that these floors are very easy to maintain. Woody has pretty much stayed put in the house today. He spent time upstairs on the computer/laptop this morning and most of the afternoon has been spent in his recliner. Woody finished another book as did I. He has done his usual crossword puzzles, watched some TV, and read. And, now we are settling in for another quiet evening per usual! Nothing too exciting going on...obviously! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Sunday Blessings

Proud of Our 2020 Graduate!

Tonight was Graham's graduation ceremony. Woody and I watched it Livestream on Facebook...different ways for different times! Before they left for the ceremony Graham came over to our porch for a photo op! There were 14 homeschooled students in his graduation ceremony. Congratulations, Graham! I have discovered that once again the blog doesn't "do" paragraphs...not my favorite format. But I can see what I am typing so that helps! Today was grocery shopping day for me...an exhausting experience for me...by the times did the shopping, got them from store into the car, from the car into the house, and then once in the house got them out away...I was ready for a late lunch and then a nap! Woody spent time on the front porch reading while I was at the store. He did his usual crossword puzzles, reading, and TV watching. He said that he saw most of the Dorrell neighbors while he sat on the porch. we sat on the porch for a while waiting for our photo with Graham. Then we watched the graduation ceremony...sums up our day! Now for me to get the kitchen straightened up...I wIt these day till evening so it will be cooler. Woody isn't fond of having the AC on downstairs. I'm so glad that we got two units when we replaced our original AC unit several years back! I can have the upstairs comfortable for me! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

On the Road...for a Change

"Things have changed with the blog...not sure what will end up being published! I guess the new format is changing things up. I have had to struggle to get to a place that will allow me to add a photo and now I am in a screen that is like a rough draft with the photo just a bunch of symbols. We will see what happens when I push publish! Maybe this will let me type and see what I am typing. Most of the time lately I am typing blindly and I am sure that my lack of accuracy shows! Especially when typing on the iPad without a "real" keyboard...hard to touch type...and then there are my fingernails that tend to tap letters that I don't mean to type! My excuse...and I am sticking to it! Now, about "being on the road...for a change." I had my six-month check-in with my doctor this morning...her office is about an hour away so we headed out a little after 7:30am. It was a pleasant ride over, but I didn't shoot a lot of pictures out the windshield so didn't post one of those tonight. I go every six months for labs due to some of the medications that I take. This was my first experience in a doctor's office during the pandemic. I stayed in the car and a nurse came out and asked me Covid-19 questions and took my temperature and then gave me a paper that said that I passed that part of the exam! I went in the office and signed in and sat for only a few minutes. No one else was in the waiting room...one person walked through to leave. The rest of the time I was in an exam room until I went out to make my next appointment. My doctor's office is in a county that has even less Covid-19 cases than our county does so hopefully I made it in and out without getting infected. I wore my mask the whole time and the nurses had on masks. The doctor wore a face shield. Almost as soon as we got home, Woody turned around and headed out to take his friend to run errands and get groceries. I ate lunch...since I hadn't had breakfast. Then I went out on the front porch to read and watch birds...but soon realized that I was getting very sleepy so went inside and pretty promptly fell asleep and slept just about all the time that Woody was gone. Guess I'm not used to traveling anywhere! I cooked our supper and have started to clean up the kitchen. I'll head down to finish after I hit publish. Woody is downstairs with his Friday evening news programs, a crossword puzzle book and the new book that he started this morning. He's had a lot of sitting-in-the-car time today...first waiting on me and then waiting on his friend! We're both ready to settle in for another quiet Friday evening! (Now we'll see what the blog looks like!) Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Today, Tomorrow, the Future

Today's blooms!

Tomorrow's bloom!

Future goodness!

I have spent a good portion of the day enjoying our beautiful weather...lower temperatures and much lower humidity...a beautiful day in the neighborhood.  I spent time with Isaac and Joseph.  First I showed them the blooms on the hibiscus that they gave me for Mother's Day.  Then they took me on a tour of their gardens.  Isaac counted the potato plants and announced that all the potatoes that they planted had sprouted into potato plants...now hoping for potatoes down the road...part of the future of gardening!

After the garden tour, they sat on the front porch with me and we played bird detective...trying to identify any birds that came that we didn't already know what they were.  We think that we identified a song sparrow.  It did sing for us and it had a lovely voice.  We learned about woodpeckers and where that long tongue is stored up in their heads and why they don't get a headache when they pound so hard on a tree!

I did a little reading and also a little photographing of birds.  Elijah trapped another squirrel bringing the current grand total to 23 trapped and relocated!  We definitely had fewer squirrels running around in our front yard today.  

Woody stayed in today...a bit cooler than he likes!  He worked crossword puzzles, spent some time on the laptop, and has read.  He is about finished with one of the books I picked up for him yesterday.  He says that he is enjoying the book choices that I have made for him.  The one he is almost finished with is a John Grisham.  We both like to read Grisham...and, I haven't read the one he is reading at the moment.  I may have to pick it up when he is finished!  Though, I have plenty of e-books to keep me busy for quite a while.  I'm closing in on the finish of another e-book.  The e-books that I am reading now have different time limits on them so I am reading the ones due the soonest first instead of going back and forth between all of them and alternating after chapters.  

Be safe!

Be well!

Be cautious!

Windy Wednesday!

There's a good chance that these two who are pictured in tonight's blog no longer live in our neighborhood!  Last count for Elijah's trapping expertise was 22!!!  And, we still see some running around the yard.  Woody and I actually saw the trap close on the last one to be captured.  The traps are set again and we will see what tomorrow brings!  

I ran a couple of errands this morning.  Woody finished the last library book that I got for him last week. I put in some hold requests early this morning and they called around 10am saying that I could pick my time to pick them up.  Since I was out picking up books, I also picked up one of my prescriptions at the pharmacy...killed two birds with one stone/trip.

This afternoon, both Woody and I have spent time out on the front porch watching birds and reading...it was rather steamy for a while, but there finally was a hint in the air that the humidity was going to lower as are temperatures supposed to lower for the next couple of days.  Nathan, Isaac, and Joseph joined us on the front porch for a while.  They wanted to see and hear the cat bird that Nathan had told them about.  The cat bird did pay us a visit while they were sitting there and also made it's mewing call.  Funny!  I was getting our supper and all of a sudden I heard a tap on the window...thought at first that a bird had flown into it...but it was Joseph wanting to get my attention.  He wanted to tell me that he had seen both a downy woodpecker and a cat bird at the feeders at the same time.  Just about all the neighbor grandchildren have shown interest in bird watching/identifying at some point around the age that Joseph is now (just out of kindergarten).  Glad they enjoy sitting on the front porch both with us and when we aren't there.  It is really pleasant just sitting there watching the birds flit in and out getting some seeds.  

Be safe!

Be well!

Be cautious!

Squirrel proofing?

The top two pictures are supposed to be squirrel proof...so far the top one hasn't seen any squirrel success at getting to the seeds.  But a squirrel did take a taste of the red pepper suet...that they are not supposed to like...and he didn't seem to be too upset about it being spicy hot.  I may have to add a sprinkling of cayenne on the outside of this one to discourage them.

As you can see by the bottom photo that squirrels are still hanging around and trying to hide from us. But Elijah is proving to be a very good trapper.  He just caught #18 (might be 19).  I'm having trouble keeping track of the numbers.  He has trapped 4 today and hoping for another to make a record of getting 5 in one day!  I thought that we could see a difference in the number of squirrels in our yard...but today they were back in full force...perhaps they are back protesting the relocation of so many family members!  Elijah says that he is going to keep on trapping them the whole summer!
Goosey (Woody) and I may be broke at the rate he is catching them.  I told Nathan that he might have to negotiate a portion of Elijah's profits for gas money!

The tropical depression didn't give us as much rain as we had hoped...but we did get some in the night and had a couple of short showers during the day today.  I sat out on the front porch again this morning enjoying the breeze and the birds.  I decided today that I would mess with some of the settings on my camera...out of the time I just take the easy way out and take them pretty much with the camera's set settings.

Woody has stayed inside today mainly reading and working his crossword puzzles and watching a little TV.  Nothing very earth shattering has been happening around...pretty much the "same ol', same ol'!"

Be safe!
Be well!
Be cautious!

Monday Challenge

Today I challenged the birds to finish the last of the suet in the suet cage...not an easy task for some of the larger birds.  The woodpeckers and some of the smaller birds have no problem.  Here is how the brown thrasher solved his problem...he used his wings!!  I was very happy to capture this bottom photo.

I went out on the front porch fairly early to drink my morning tea, photograph birds, and do a little reading.  The reading is hard to do if I am trying to keep a focus on the birds.  Yesterday Melany spent the day with us.  She has a bird feeder that keeps the squirrels from getting at the seed, so she and I went to WalMart to see if they had one like she has.  They did...guess a photo of the new feeder will be fodder for another blog.

Elijah continues to be our squirrel trapper!  This morning he and his daddy relocated Elijah's 13th captured squirrel!  I will say that we saw a lot less squirrels in our yard today!  Way to keep on trapping, Elijah.

Woody sat on the porch for a while with me this morning.  He has read, worked crossword puzzles, watched some TV and probably dozed a bit today.  He did go out this afternoon and to give some plant food to some of the plants on our patio.  Things are really looking good and making great strides in growth in our herb/vegetable/flower containers that we have on that area at the back of our house.

I had a socially distanced visit with Donna, my church library co-worker.  She stopped by to pick up her Sunday School literature and also to get some of the books from the church library that Woody was finished with.  It was good to visit on the front porch. There was a pleasant breeze blowing...I guess the breeze that pretty much blew all day is from the tropical depression...think we will get some rain from it tomorrow...at least our gardens are counting on it!

Be safe!
Be well!
Be Cautious!

Upon Looking Closer...

Upon looking closer at this barn that I posted a picture of yesterday (the top photo is yesterday's), you can see that there is a pigeon sitting in the hayloft opening.  And, the closer you get the prettier this pigeon gets! Really this pigeon is a perfect match for this barn...a good ornament sitting there in that opening!

This morning Woody wanted to place some books on hold at the public library.  The only way for me to be able to pick them up is to use my library card so I was typing in his requests and before I could get the second one requested the library was calling to set up a pick up time for the first one I requested!  Quite efficient!  I just continued my requests over the phone and she assigned me a time to come.  They were all three ready for me to pick up when I got there.  They are still closed to walk-in traffic, but will hand the books through the door when you show them your card.  Works great and Woody is happy to have some new reading material as he finished the last one in the group I requested a little over two weeks ago.  I dropped the books he had finished into the book drop.  The librarian who called me told me that they put all books returned are sanitized before reshelving them.

Woody sat out on the front porch for a while this afternoon...quite warm today...the way he likes it.  I checked on how our plants are doing and pulled a few weeds...but not many.  Most of our plants are doing great.  We have little grape tomatoes that just need to turn red as they are about the right size for a grape tomato.

I am enjoying the new books that I started yesterday.  I have spent downtime reading.  I've done a little cooking.  Melany might join us for a meal tomorrow.

Be safe!
Be well!
Be cautious!

Friday

We have done a little of this and a little of that today spending a little time outside.  Woody headed out to sit on the front porch and I decided to do some weeding...taking advantage of softer ground due to rain in the night.  I didn't last long before I got too hot, though today seemed less hot than the last two days.  Elijah has become quite the squirrel trapper and relocator!  So far he has trapped 7!  They can't resist that new bird seed that the Hastys gave us the other day! (Thanks, D & L!) We're just so glad to get them out of our neighborhood that is worth giving them some of the birdseed!

I did finish up the four books that I had been reading in rotation.  I guess I will be doing that again as books continue to show up in my e-books that are now available for me to borrow.  I started reading them a chapter at a time today...not sure about a couple of them...I may eliminate them from the rotation pretty quickly.  Woody has started the fifth book that I checked out for him a couple of weeks ago so it will be time to get him some more books here shortly.  I think that our library has reopened so perhaps I will be going in to get his next books.  I will probably still be the one to go get them as Woody is still trying to shelter at home as much as possible.

Be safe!
Be well!
Be cautious!

Thoroughly Thursday

Well, June is here and so is the heat and humidity.  The heat and especially the humidity seem to suck all my energy away...so...I just haven't accomplished much...nor did I try!  Early and later in the day is when I get the most done on days like these.  So I did some things this morning including carrying the vacuum upstairs, and then just a little while ago I managed to run the vacuum in our bedroom, the sewing room, and the school room...what I could do with plugging in the vacuum once and vacuuming as far as the cord would reach! I have a load of towels to get out of the dryer to fold and put away...perhaps that will happen after I tap "publish."  I still have a few dishes to hand wash...then I am through for the day!  I didn't have to do much cooking today since we still have leftovers to pick from...so no stove heating up the kitchen today.  

Woody did enjoy the heat and sat outside for a while this afternoon.  He finished the fourth of the five books that I checked out for him two weeks ago.  I renewed them all online and will drop off the ones he is finished with when I go out to run errands.  

A funny observation from the books that I am reading: You would think, that with all the names there are in the world, that you wouldn't find the same names in totally unrelated books.  I am currently reading four books...totally unrelated to each other and all written by different authors.  There are three characters with the nickname Cass.  There are two characters with the name Boone (one a first name and one a last name). Two characters named Sam (one male and one female).  And, there are two Pams and one Angela (Angie) and one Angelina and one Anja.  It makes me have to stop and think about which plot they fit into!  I thought that it was especially unusual about the less common names like Cass and Boone!  Just something that I have run into with my Coronavirus reading!  In an upcoming blog I will share all the wonderful places that I have traveled while sheltering at home!

I just noticed tonight that there is going to be a forced format change in blogger at the end of June...hopefully the change isn't too confusing.  I tried to check it out, but really didn't find anything all that different...guess time will tell!

Be safe!

Be well!

Be cautious!

Drive-By Parade

Our church's children's ministry did a drive-by parade at some senior adult's houses and we got the honor of them parading by our house.  We sat on the front porch with Nathan.  Kathy and the younger grandchildren were part of the parade.

When we walked out the door for the parade we found a Covid 19 care package next to the front door.  It was from a local business we deal with.  So we have been thought about in several ways today!

Woody had his telemedicine appointment with his nephrologist's office.  They continue to keep a close watch on him.  He will have another appointment in a month.  At the moment we will just keep on keeping on the way we have been.

Another contact that I made today was sending a message to his melanoma doctor at Vanderbilt.  I told them that he is still sheltering at home and that we would like them to reschedule his appointments for a CT scan, labs and to see Dr. Wyman.  We got a message back saying that they would and would July be okay.  I messaged back that we could try!

I know that it is Wednesday as I talked with Donna, my church library co-worker, this afternoon.  We have gotten in touch with each other around the time that we would be working in the church library each Wednesday since we have been sheltering at home.  It's always good to find out what is going on with each other!  We had a good visit.

Be safe!
Be well!
Be cautious!

Today...Tuesday...June Two

I had another busy morning in the kitchen.  I needed to skin and debone some chicken thighs to put them in the freezer...to have them ready for a meal on down the road.  I have an easy recipe that we really like that uses chicken thighs and I have found that I prefer them boneless and skinless.  The other job was to get a rack of ribs ready for me to roast most of the afternoon.  I took the membrane off the back of the rib slab and then used a rub that I already had on hand that I had made a while back...just sitting in the cabinet awaiting the next slab of ribs that I cooked.  I put them back in the refrigerator to let the rub "sink in" for a few hours.  Then three hours before we were going to eat I popped them into the oven to slow roast at a low temperature.  This was the first time that I have cooked ribs in the new stove.  I used the convection oven set on roast and it did a great job.  We really enjoyed some for our supper and look forward to more as the week wears on.  Nathan came into the house and wondered what smelled so good!  We were definitely ready to eat after smelling them while they cooked for three hours! Pretty good eatin'!

Woody enjoyed the much warmer temperatures and sat on the front porch for a while this afternoon.  I joined him once the ribs were in the oven.  It was a very pleasant afternoon for some porch sittin'.  I read and snapped a few bird photos after I filled feeders...or filled the feeders that I have left.  Our squirrels have become destructive with our bird feeders in their over zealousness at getting to the bird seed.  One knocked down the round feeder and broke it in half...beyond repair this time.  Then one or more managed to knock down the suet feeder and the chain disappeared.  The other day our other bird feeder got knocked down and partly broken by another rascally squirrel.  So...we are seeking revenge on all the rascally squirrels in our yard.  We asked Elijah to set his traps.  We did catch one today and Nathan and Elijah relocated him to a place some miles away...hoping that he doesn't have homing instincts like a cat!  The trap is set for another.  I found out that cayenne pepper is a deterrent to squirrels but not to the birds.  So when Mr. Red-Headed Woodpecker came looking longingly for the suet this afternoon, I put up another cake of suet...but sprinkled it with cayenne.  So far haven't seen any squirrels try to take a nibble, but the birds immediately discovered that I had hung a new suet cake up.  I never found the chain hanger for the suet cage...so hung it from an "s" hook meant for hanging baskets.  And, I hung the hook through where the latch is so the rascally squirrels can't open it and get the suet out.

Isaac helped a little this afternoon, when power washing the siding on our house got underway once again.  Graham soon took over and completed the task.  The house looks so good!  Thank you, Graham!  Nathan worked on the gutters across the front of our house.  The oak blooms had turned into a mat covering over the gutters.  That should be a big help!

We have settled in for a quiet evening with books, crossword puzzles, and TV...a typical evening in our house.

Be safe!

Be well!

Be cautious!

Hello, June!

Can you believe that June is already here?!?  Time flies when you are having fun...and even when you're not!  We have pretty much sheltered at home for the months of April and May and the last week or so of March and now here we are in June!  We continue to pretty much shelter at home...we've decided not to take any unnecessary chances.  I postponed my tooth being pulled...again...that is an easy postponement for me since my tooth isn't hurting!  Woody did go to a different lab here in town this morning for his lab work for his appointment with his nephrologist.  That appointment will be a live appointment via Nathan's phone later this week.  We have some appointments scheduled for next week that we have to decide if we are going to go to or reschedule.

Today has been a beautiful day.  I think maybe the last before humidity and temperature goes up.  I decided that it was THE day to finish cleaning our front porch.  I wiped off all the rockers and vacuumed off the pillows.  Woody is still working on the porch railing...but he wants it to be a hot day when he does that job.  So he will get that wish very soon...about it being hot!  He did sit out in the back yard for quite a while after he walked around and checked on the gardens.  He enjoyed his time outside.  In the afternoon we both sat on the front porch for a while.

Today I have also spent some time cooking.  I roasted another chicken and then sliced what was sliceable and then cut up the rest into pieces for soup or casserole.  I froze all of that for future meals. I still haven't totally gotten the kitchen cleaned up.  I will do that as soon as I blog and go back downstairs.

Be safe!
Be well.
Be cautious!