Happy Anniversary To The Princess And Johnnycakes!

First, I want to wish the Princess and Johnnycakes a super Happy Anniversary today (Saturday).  It is also the Beast and my 51st. Anniversary.  They are going to be doing something *family* style with Gunner and Chewlee.  The Beast and me?  He's going out for a while in the morning with a couple of the people from his church and then we will do....nothing.  Sad, isn't it?  But the Beast has never been either sentimental or caring.  I am just glad I have lived this long....LOL!  But I often wonder just what it was I thought I saw in him back when I met him in 1960.  I had plenty of time to get smart and see the real him.  But, when you are young and in love, you are also very stupid.

My day was just anticipation of seeing Mustachio along with Sheepie and my sister, Cee, in the afternoon.  I got up early and started making some beef stew so I could feed everyone after they got here.  It turned out great!  Really tasty and I also made some baking powder biscuits to go along with it for us.  While the stew was simmering, Michael and his family stopped by.  Lucy had made us a cake in appreciation for the pictures the Beast had taken and made up for them.  They were on their way to do some shopping for their dinner and wanted to drop it off for us since they knew we were having company.  Lucy is a champion cake maker and even decorates so awesomely that you cannot tell it wasn't done at a fancy bakery.  But, her family are all bakers in her native Nicaragua and that is what she grew up learning.  When I found that out, I was no longer surprised at either the fantastic taste of her cakes nor her decorations.  She is amazing.

This was one of her own recipes.  It was a French vanilla loaf cake that she had split and used this amazing vanilla coconut icing on.  The top was simply but beautifully decorated with a coconut caramelized and peanut topping.  The cake itself was very moist.  All in all, it was a success with everyone when it was eaten later.

Mustachio got here a couple hours earlier than he thought so, after a brief stop to look over all that needed to be moved, they both came over here to join us.  Cee had already arrived since I had called her to let her know they would be here about two hours earlier than we thought.  It was a very happy gathering.  We laughed, we talked and had a wonderful time.  But, as the Princess said later, that's normal for our family gatherings.  In fact, Johnnycakes made mention that all he can do when those happen, is sit and listen.  He said he actually gets tired of listening since we never seem to run out of shared memories and good senses of humor.  Johnnycakes is actually a bit on the shy side so he doesn't just *fall in* with the mood.  

I gave Sheepie some sheets and a comforter I had that will fit her bed.  I have others but said I would just ship them to her later on since Mustachio was only able to rent what is basically much like one of the big service type vans.  He had ordered it a week ago but no box trucks were available at the end of the month AND during the summer.  This is the time that many families are moving in and out of places.  No one had thought about that.  Families that are moving into new homes want to do it before the kids go back to school and our schools here start in mid-August.  It's the same in most Southern states.

When the Princess came by later, she was telling us a bit about the homes they are going to look at on Sunday now that they think their house may be sold.  Originally, Johnnycake's cousin thought he would just buy back the house from them (they live next door and it was their original house that was sold to Johnnycake's mother after her divorce).  But they checked and found they couldn't afford to buy it back and pay cash for it so the Princess has a friend that wants the house and they should know tomorrow or Monday on that.  They will be selling it under market value and without a realtor's fee involved to the friend.  Otherwise, their plan is to rent out the house and place it with a realtor.  I understand why they want to get a larger home than they have but I sure hate to see them move closer to Johnnycake's work (and at least a half hour's drive from us).  *Insert sad face here*.

When they go out to look at the homes that they have selected on Sunday, the kids will, of course, accompany them since they especially want Chewlee to see them.  The move will be hardest for her to make since she has been at her school for three years already and has many friends there.  Chewlee, at first, told me she wanted to come to stay with me but, after thinking about it, she's ready to settle for Monday.  One of the houses is about double the size of their current house, has four bedrooms, lots of storage and is on ten acres that is completely fenced for horses.  If they decide on that one, they will take a couple of the horses from Johnnycake's dad and keep them on their property.  I know he chose a horse for Chewlee a long time ago and it's definitely full-size now.  Chewlee would adore that.  But it also depends on whether the barn is actually habitable for horses, too.

It was interesting to listen to the Princess talk about their plans and hopes.  You always want the best for your children and grandchildren (and, in my case, my great-grandchildren, too!).  Hell, all you want is for ALL your family to be happy.  Brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, cousins, etc.  If they are happy, it makes me happy.

Later, saying goodbye to Sheepie and Mustachio was hard but inevitable.  They want to get the van mostly packed up tonight so they can finish it up early in the morning and get on the road.  They plan on stopping in Nashville on their way back to Kentucky to spend a couple hours with my other son, Marcus Aurelius and his family.  Marcus had to work today but will be off tomorrow so it was a better choice and will give Sheepie a chance to see them, too.   It's been a long, long time since she has seen any of them.  Of course, their son is in the Marines and stationed in South Carolina right now and their oldest daughter is married and living about an hour away from us here in Alabama.  So it will just be their youngest daughter and her Aunt Raven that she will be able to see.  But it's still family.  That's what matters most of all.

I took a short nap after everyone left and am now up just to do this post...LOL!  I had to share both my sorrow at seeing Sheepie leave and the joy and fun we had being together again.  My daughter, Buttmunch, had to work since this job she has she hasn't been at long enough to take any days off without a  lot of notice.  She's working at a Mexican restaurant as a server/bartender.  She loves being able to bartend again.  It was always her favorite job even if she just does it a day or so every week.  She has an easy-outgoing and funny personality and it suits her.  She is also living with her boyfriend of a couple years now (he treats her very well and is a real sweetheart).  I'm happy for her.  She is one of those people that needs someone to love her and is unhappy if she doesn't feel that way.  She's met his whole family so it's not something casual and that's a good thing.

Time for me to post this and select another hint for today.  Love you all.  Keep cool and remember to use Sunblock this weekend while outside.  Be happy.  ***Hugs***

HINT:  Keep pests out of your trash.  To keep raccoons and other critters (cats and dogs included), regularly spray the side of your cans with a mixture of one part ammonia and one part water.

Made Dinner And Surprised The Beast......

I had a nice day today.  I went over to Cee's apartment and saw the rest of her decorations.  They are just gorgeous and give the place a really nice touch.  Lots of her favorite color...pink.  Very feminine looking, which she is.  

I had the Beast make her up one of the pictures of her son, Michael, his wife, Lucia, and his daughter, Alyssa.  I kind of figured she didn't have one of them and she didn't.  The Beast made up a big picture of the same portrait of them and a few smaller ones.  He also put all the pictures of them  on a disc (after he had checked them out well and made some small corrections with his Photo Shop program).  Those he brought over to Michael's house after I got home from Cee's.  I had stopped at Dollar General to pick up some milk on my way home since the Beast had forgotten how low we were.

I was upset with the Beast earlier because he told Diane that she could use my car (the Yaris is mine) without checking with me first.  Since I was sick for those two days, he just ignored that I had been fine yesterday and assumed that I was going to be sick today.  He hadn't even seen me because he left the house (in the Prius) at 8:30am and I didn't get up until 9am.  That was fine with me.  I knew he had to be meeting up with members of his church because otherwise, he would have taken the Yaris.  I took my shower while he was gone and got dressed since I had told Cee I would be coming over.  I wanted to give her the picture and spend some time checking out her decorations.  I had to call Diane and tell her I needed my car for a  couple hours.  Very embarrassing but I told her if she wanted it when I got back, she was free to use it.  I said I would call her when I got home.  She said she only wanted to go pick up some groceries since her hubby would be back from New York sometime in the next two days.

I DID call her when I got home and she came over after the Beast got home to return his keys.  While he was gone, I decided to surprise him with a nice dinner (I had planned on it as I had told my sister, Cee).  I made some chicken breasts and then, instead of a nuked potato, I made stuffing to go with it.  I also made up some kale, which I had never cooked before but had used it in salads.  We decided we don't like kale (even though I cooked it in chicken broth).  It says it's a good substitute for spinach but I don't agree.  I followed the instructions on the package for cooking it but...yuk!  I prefer it in my salads.  LOL!  I like spinach much better.

The tomatoes are pretty much done for this season.  Even with deep watering, the heat has just taken it's toll on the plants.  Even the cherry tomatoes.  The green pepper plant looks good still and has a couple small ones on it.  I checked the pears on both trees and they are coming along well.  It won't be long now and they will be ready.  I will be canning for days!  Sister Cee said she would come and give me a hand (and take some home with her, of course!).  For that, I am grateful.  I've got to find out if there's a trick to getting the skins off them like there is for tomatoes.  I'll be on the internet to check that out.

Tomorrow Mustachio will be here with a truck he is renting to pack up Sheepie and bring her to his place in Louisville.  He says it will be easy for her to find a job around his place.  She can even use public transportation (he'll buy her a pass) so she can hit some of the shopping centers, too.  He has such a big heart.  He's doing all this at his expense and is even moving out of the master bedroom at his place so she has her own bedroom for privacy.  He's also going to have to pay extra every month for her dog but he has no objection to that.  Thankfully, the dog is well-trained and he might even enjoy having her around.  I love him for his generous heart.  Of course, he has a soft spot for Sheepie, anyway.  He loves her like she's HIS kid.  I'm just glad she will be with someone that loves her.  Family is best when you have a broken heart.  I told her she could always come back here after she saves up enough money to get her own car and save a bit of money besides.  She likes this area and I can't blame her for that.  I've grown to love it and we have family here, too.

Love you all.  I hope you aren't suffering with the heat too much.  It's been brutal in so many areas.  We've had 95 degrees for more days than I can count now and the *feels like* factor has been over 100 several days.  Be good.  Be kind.  If you see someone without a smile, give them one of yours, please.  ***Hugs***

HINT:  Do you have an old, dusty picture hanging in a place of prominence on your wall?  Has it finally worn out it's welcome?  If so, replacing it with a large mirror can help brighten and reinvigorate your room.  (This works! and you can buy a mirror cheaply if  you watch your local stores or even a resale shop).

I Seem To Have Recovered Well....

Today I spent part of the day just catching up on the sleep I lost but I woke up, ate breakfast and realized that I felt much, much better today.  And, it seems, my IBS is over.  That was awfully short but I am so very grateful for that.  Today I am ME!  LOL!

The Beast took Michael, his wife Lucia and his little girl, Alyssa, down to the lake to take pictures of them.  He wanted to take Alyssa's most of all.  She is such a cutie.  He took an incredible amount of pictures and used all three of his lenses to check out how they were for portrait type pictures.  He got some really great pictures and I called Michael after seeing them to tell him.  The Beast made up a couple of the pictures that he will give to them and the rest he will do a little *fixing up* before he puts them on a disc for Michael.  That way, if he wants to make more up, he will be able to.  It will also be easier for his wife, Lucia, to post on FB and/or send to her family in Guatemala.  I think that's where Michael told me she is from.  I'm going to try to get the Beast to put a couple on a thumb drive so I can post them for you in the next day or two.  I want to go over to my sister, Cee's, tomorrow to see her finished decorating of her apartment.  I'll bring her a picture of Alyssa, too.  That's one of her grandchildren and she may not have a current picture of her.

Today you get three hints.  I haven't forgotten.  I'm going to try to make sure I give you good ones that are useable NOW.  I hope your week has gone well for you.  If not, remember, this too shall pass.  Every situation you may experience, good or bad, helps to make you stronger.  We are amazing creatures and can overcome most obstacles if we put our minds to it.  

Love you all.  Have a great day.  Be good.  Stay safe.  Keep cool.  Drive carefully.  ***Hugs***

HINT#1:  For a unique cleaner for the mirrors around your home, use aerosol air freshener.  It will bring your mirrors to a glossy shine and will have people wondering where that flowery scent is coming from.

HINT#2:  (I don't know about you but we get mice out in our garage since we store so many food items out there.  Most the mice can't get into but the Beast puts out traps to catch the little buggers and this hint works!)  If you have seen a lot of Disney movies, you probably think mice live for cheese.  But when you're baiting a mousetrap, a better bet is peanut butter.  Since it's sticky, you can be sure the mouse won't grab it and run, and some people say they love it's sweet scent even more than your best piece of cheddar.

HINT#3:  Forget expensive plant food for your houseplants.  Just feed them flat club soda periodically and they should thrive.  The minerals in club soda are beneficial to plants.

Facebook Can Be A Real Pain.....

I just spent another four hours on my Facebook page, looking at all the things my family and friends posted/shared.  Four hours!  And I didn't get thru all of it either.  *Sigh*  It IS interesting at times and you get to know what is going on in everyone's life.  It's how I found out my nephew joined the Marines, for one.  And when he graduated from Boot Camp.  It made me remember when my son graduated from the Navy Boot Camp.  He was on the drill team and it was awesome!  I was so proud of him because he was a leftie but he learned to do all the drills right-handed.  

I'm somewhat better today but had two bouts of IBS.  What is so bad about Irritable Bowel Syndrome is that you have NO control when it hits you.  None.  Nada.  It's awful.  I really hoped this was over for me but NO...dammit!  At least I haven't had an *incident* now for almost 8 hours.  It may be over for this episode.  I sure hope so.

Sheepie is moving to Louisville to live with my son, Mustachio.  It's a good choice for her since there are many more opportunities for work there and they have public transportation (buses).  Unfortunately, we don't have that here.  Mustachio will be here on Friday to pack her up and get her and all her stuff to his place.  He's giving her the Master bedroom since he feels she needs more privacy.  All this because she and her fiance' broke up.  He decided to be an ass and move out before their lease was up and she can't pay the rent with no job.  She's applied everywhere possible around here and it's just no go when there's so much competition for the really good jobs.  I pray she finds some peace and the hurt stops.  I love her to death and hate to see her go.  She loves this area but she needs to find work.  She will be cleaning up Mustachio's place since she is a real clean freak (not a bad thing) and, from some of the things Mustachio has said, he doesn't always clean up right away when he cooks.

My son, Marcus Aurelius, was telling me that my youngest granddaughter (his youngest also) is the least motivated kid he's had to be independent.  She doesn't want to drive by herself even tho' he bought her a car.  Granted, it's a beater (his words) and needs a little bit of work but still.....  She said she would pay the extra amount for insurance that it cost her parents (can you believe it turned out to be $200. a MONTH????).  She has a fairly decent job but even that seems steep.  Her dad told her he would eat half of the cost if she started driving herself to work and shopping but she would rather pay the extra and not be that independent.  He's at his wits end and has no idea how to make her more self-confident.  Any suggestions?  Put them in the comments, please.

No hint again today.  I just woke up a bit ago and am doing this in the dark here.  I don't want to turn on the light and really wake myself up.  I need to go back to bed.

Love you all.  I will make up the lack of hints later today.  I will post early.  Be good.  Be safe.  Be kind.  ***Hugs***

PAIN!!!!

I spent the day in pain.  I mean the kind of pain that makes you wonder if you need to hit the emergency room or not.  But it eased and allowed me to sleep for a bit.  I worried since it made me want to vomit and I would break into a sweat when the need to vomit hit me.  But, I didn't hit the hospital and I was glad when I finally discovered what it was that was causing me pain.  I am in the midst of a really bad IBS attack.  *Sigh*  

I was really hoping these were over after the removal of a section of my intestine that was dead.  The surgeon that removed my appendix (which was inflamed at the time), took the time to look around and see what it was that was causing my symptoms (high fever, a UTI and the inflamed appendix).  He suspected they were caused by something else.  Lucky for me that he was such a good doctor.  But I have been surprised by the quality of the doctors here more than once.  They were the ones that discovered my gall stones 10 years ago.  I had been to the emergency room in Florida, more than once, for severe abdominal pains.  Yet it was while I was here in Alabama that an ER doctor found them and spoke with my regular doctor in Florida (I had returned home the day after being in the ER).  He also sent copies of the abdominal x-ray that was taken that showed them in all their glory.  My regular doctor had me see a surgeon immediately and I was in the hospital the very next day.

I've gone several months now without having an attack and I really and truly had hoped this was over for me.  I've had a colonoscopy since the surgery and nothing more was found other than a couple of polyps that were checked out and were benign.  

I have no idea how long this will last (how long before the intestines are emptied) but I am hoping it's quick.  In the meantime, I am nauseous so I must close this now and lay down for a bit.  No hint today (forgive me! but I will make it up when I feel better). 

Love you all.  Take care of yourself.  You are the only one that can do it by seeing your doctor regularly.  ***Hugs***

I'm A Bit Pissed Tonight On Several Levels So.....

...forgive me if this post is brief.  I won't discuss why I am pissed because that's a family matter and this is not the forum for such things.  I've been told that more than once so I am taking it to heart...finally.  

But also today was fairly uneventful except for the fact that I have had an awful stomach ache most of the day.  I thought it was because I was feeling a bit constipated but that proved wrong when that matter was taken care of.  Then I realized two things...#1:  I hadn't taken any of my pills for the day and yet I had (stupidly) eaten some toast since I thought it would settle my stomach, and, #2:  that my original thought was probably true but the stomach ache was then caused by #1.  LOL!  I can be so dumb sometimes.  Normally toast wouldn't really cause me problems but I had put a bit of jelly one one slice for the energy I was hoping for.  That was what was dumb about not taking my pills.  Duh!  When I took my blood sugar (once I thought about it), it wasn't all that bad but several hours had passed by already.  If it had only been an hour or even two, the sugar level wouldn't have been bad.  I really should know better after all these years.

The Princess and Sheepie stopped by just long enough to have some of my soup and they liked it.  The Princess noticed the absence of barley in it but I explained to her why there was none in it.  Since she knows how the Beast has been about the dates on things, she understood.  She also laughed about his STILL not having picked any up even though he had been to the store several times (this, mind you, in the same day!).  Gunner also liked my soup and got upset with the Princess when she tried to eat her own soup.  He really thinks what's his is his and what's hers is his, too.  He's always ready to eat, even if he's full.  I gather Johnnycakes discovered that you can't just keep feeding Gunner even if he's ready to eat more and more.  Eventually, like a puppy, they barf and that's not fun.  It's up to the grownup to know when to stop feeding the *puppy*.  Puppies, too, will keep eating and eating as long as food is put out or if there's a dry food feeder in the house.  They don't have sense enough to know when they are full and, if you aren't paying attention, they will also barf.

I am feeling better now although my tummy still has that tender feeling.  I didn't get a cup of coffee in me until almost 6pm and then I only drank the one cup.  I've been drinking ice water since then.  I didn't make it over to Cee's today like I had hoped but I will be able to make it tomorrow since I know I will feel better tomorrow after a good night's sleep.  BTW, I'm sorry I forgot the hint for last night but that means TWO for tonight.

More hot weather and no rain tomorrow.  The Beast got the back yard mowed before it got dark and he even got the stump out front to BELOW the grass level so he will have no worries about mowing the front yard.  He was so worried about the possibility of ruining the blade on it that he really worked at getting the stump cut down and out of sight.  Now it's just a matter of the stump remover that he bought being able to work more on the roots without having an above ground stump to worry about.  I told the Beast any new trees he might plant must go much, much closer to the road.  I don't want to worry about roots growing under the sidewalk, the driveway or even under the house in the crawl space.  It would probably grow into the septic tank with our luck.

I am going to close this for tonight.  I sincerely hope you had a good weekend and are ready for the week ahead.  Please drive carefully and be a defensive driver.  Watch out for the other guy!  Also, remember to laugh.  It's both healing and appealing.  Love you all.  ***Hugs***

HINT#1:  Stay under the speed limit.  Your car will begin to lose fuel efficiency once it gets over 60 mph.  One of the easiest ways to save money on gas is to always go the speed limit....and it's safer, too.

HINT#2:    Change your oil regularly.  As oil ages, it gets thicker and harder to push through the engine, causing m ore energy to be used.  By changing your oil regularly, you'll make sure you get the best fuel economy possible.

HINT#3:  (BONUS)  Remove excess weight.  Take anything heavy out of your trunk or back seat that doesn't need to be there (kids don't count).  An extra 100 lbs in your car can decrease your miles per gallon by 2 percent.

Veggie Soup Turns Out Great!

Since I was up early (for me) and the Beast was going to be gone for a few hours, I got busy this morning cutting up all the veggies for my soup.  It took me almost an hour but I was finally satisfied so I started out sauteing the onions and potatoes.  This is something I've only recently started doing and I forget just why but the onion flavor turns out milder and the potatoes have a slightly different texture.  After that, it was adding the broth to the pan along with the carrots (which require a bit longer cooking time even when it's baby carrots cut into small sections).  After just about 10 minutes of boiling, the rest of the veggies went into the pot, along with some spices.  Then it was a matter of tasting, adding slightly more of the spices of choice, etc.  I cooked up the macaroni since I couldn't find the barley and suspected that it may have gone beyond any *use by..* date.  

The Beast has gotten really anal about that the past couple of months.  I told him there is a big difference between *best if used by..* and an expiration date.  I tried to explain that barley is dried and not much difference between it and dried beans but he just said, *It's not like it's all that expensive!*  I told him that if he doesn't replace what he throws out, it's maddening to try to find what you THINK you have if no one tells you it's gone.  He said he would pick some up today but he went to the store twice and still didn't get any.  Not that it mattered since the macaroni was already added to the soup but I had put it on a list for him.  He even forgot the cabbage until his second jaunt to the store.

The soup turned out delicious.  Cee tasted it when she stopped by to pick up her tomatoes and stay to visit for a bit.  She pronounced it very good.  I said I should probably send some home with her but I will bring some with me for her if I do go over there.  I admit, I forgot about putting some in a container for her when she told me she had two more places to go before she went home.  I told her I might stop by her house tomorrow to see the final decorating things she had done since she now says it's *finished*.

The Beast has decided that he wants to get a bit more familiar with two lenses he has (? makes me wonder when he got those...).  I can't think of any that he HAD that he didn't use all the time.  But, I digress...so he decided he wants to take some pictures of Michael's daughter, Alyssa.  She's a real pretty little girl and looks like she is also photogenic.  After speaking with Michael and finding out they had plans set up for Monday, they are going to get together on Tuesday for that.  Michael wants some good pictures of Alyssa and he knows the Beast takes good pictures, not just snapshots.

I made us some sliced beef strips with onion and green pepper that we had in Pita bread for our dinner.  The Beast had bought some fajita strips but I cut them up thinner so they wouldn't toughen up on us since the Beast wanted the onions and green peppers *softened*.  I didn't mind at all because that combination is always tasty and was really good.  It didn't take much to fill us up since we had both had big bowls of the soup this afternoon.  Another thing the Beast had bought on one of his store runs was an apple coffee cake that was really good and that was dessert for us both.  So no need for any snacks for either of us tonight before bedtime.  All the holes were filled...LOL.

I didn't watch any of the Syfy movies today (Sharknado 3 rerun and Lavalantula) because I decided to watch Harry Potter instead.  It's a Harry Potter Weekend on the Family Channel in honor of *Harry's* birthday.  Tomorrow will be the last three episodes and I will, of course, be watching those.  Bratfink said if she ever doesn't find the Harry Potter movies cute, that we should just bury her because she will obviously be dead.  I know how she feels about that.  I can't think of any book/movie series that has ever been made that had such wide appeal for young and old alike.  J.K. Rowling is a true genius for that.  It makes me happy to see that she has gone from rags to riches just because she told her kids stories about Harry Potter just to keep them entertained each night when she put them to bed.  I'm glad someone got her to write them up as books for the enjoyment of people all over the world.

Time for me to go to bed.  I'm tired and want to get a few things done when the Beast leaves for church and before I head over to Cee's house.  Love you all.  I hope you're having a nice weekend and it's not too hot for anyone.  Be good.  Stay cool.  Have fun.  ***Hugs***
  

The Beast Does Amazing Clean-up......

It took a little doing but another solution was found that works for the tent worms and tent caterpillars.  The Beast found both a liquid and a powder.  He treated everything and even the branches he had hauled off the day before.  So we are not worried now about them spreading.  He actually got the stumps down to the surface of the ground with a lot of cuts across the wood and then cross-sections.  It surprised me but he wanted the stump removed to work mostly on the roots.  He also didn't want to have to worry about running across or having to travel around the stump if left above ground level.  The Italian cypress that was under our bedroom window is also gone now.  

Until the Beast started spraying the branches, the birds were having a heyday eating the caterpillars.  I had been concerned that there might have been a nest inside the tree but discovered the reason that the birds were flying into it was to get food.  That never occurred to me...duh!  Sometimes you can miss the obvious.  Last year, we had a nest in the Italian cypress but, thankfully, the birds didn't return to the same place this year.  We checked to make sure before I helped the Beast cut down the tree.  He had to do it in two sections.  I just kept the lower part from falling over on him when he cut the trunk and to make sure the chainsaw didn't get trapped either.

The stuff he got said it wasn't harmful to the environment and I have a feeling a lot of it was actually ammonia-based.  That's the way it smelled...only a bit milder, like window sprays can smell sometimes.  I was glad because I didn't want to end up harming the birds, if they continued to pick off the tent worms.  When they change into their caterpillar form, they use the *tent* section (I told you it looks like a tepee made of branches but they are actually the dried up pieces of needle from the cypress tree) to cover themselves.  It's quite a disguise, actually.  You wouldn't guess it was actually alive if you saw it....unless you watched it move.  Really creepy.  They grossed me out...LOL!

Anyway, you wouldn't really know a tree was ever there except for the circular bare patch where grass didn't grow.  And the shrubs that were next to the Italian cypress seemed to spread out and cover where it was.  Now the Beast will be able to trim those much easier.  In fact, I noticed that they really need trimming after he removed the tree.  The Beast's biggest complaint now that the trees are down and cleared away?  He will have to put his pants on in the morning to let Baron out...LOL!  I think Baron is going to be able to enjoy his morning sunbeam much better now that the tree is gone.  He also has a clear view of the front lawn and the street now, too.

It was very humid today for some reason.  We did have a brief sunshower the other day but no real rain.  That's why it surprised me when my computer room got very uncomfortable and I realized it was humidity making it feel that way.  Sure enough, I checked weatherbug and it said 100% humidity in our area.  Yikes!  So I just turned on my overhead fan and, with the double fan exhausting, the room got much more comfortable.  I'm sure it was because the fan was keeping me cool by blowing away my sweat but...it works for me!

Another two weeks and the pears should ripen enough to be picked.  Pears are one of the fruits that do not ripen after picking.  You need to let them get ripe on the tree or all they are good for is canning if not picked too early.  But they are much tastier if picked ripe.  They also will can better and not have tough sections.  If you ever get canned pears that have areas that are tough, you know they were picked before they were truly ripe.  The way you can tell if they are ripe is to push down slightly on the area by the stem.  If it gives slightly, they are ripe.  

The pear tree that the Beast planted next to our flower planter is probably going to be cut down after the pears are picked.  I was shocked when the Beast told me that but he says he planted it too close to the house.  He didn't realize how big they can get.  The only thing that saves this one from doing harm right now is the fact that it's still young.  I remember climbing into pear trees near my Uncle Wally's base housing when he was at Great Lakes and I stayed there for a few days with my cousin, Cathleen.  I climbed into it and threw down ripe pears to my cousin.  I don't think we realized that it was actually someone's orchard.  There were even apple trees that we climbed into and ate some of the apples.  We weren't bad kids.  We just thought those were gifts to be used and eaten.  We were young and didn't really understand.  But we did no real harm.  We just ate some fruit while we were out exploring.  

 I talked with Cee earlier and she's going to stop by to pick up a few tomatoes tomorrow.  I told her there were a couple that just ripened that I would pick for her.  Lord knows, I have enough for a while.  Not enough to can, although I will probably also send some of the salsa that I made with her, too.  I just am not sure if she likes it really spicy.  If not, then I will probably share some with the Princess when I drop off Chewlee's clothes that should be at her house.  I'm afraid she will outgrow them before she gets to wear some of them.  I think the pants that might not fit her in length the Princess can cut into shorts for her...like the *big girls* wear...LOL!  Daisy Dukes!  She hasn't gotten heavier but, good grief,  her legs are so long!  She looks like she is all leg!

More hot weather tomorrow.  At least the humidity has dropped down to 84%.  I'll go out early in the morning and get the tomatoes picked, as well as the cherry tomatoes.  They should be about done now, I believe.  They don't do well in very hot weather, especially if they are not shaded.

I am going to close for now.  Love you all.  I hope you have a great weekend.  The hottest month is coming up for us all too fast.  At least we are out in the country and not in the city which will swelter.  Keep cool.  Be happy.  ***Hugs***

HINT:  Here's some cheap childproofing for cabinets.  Use a shower curtain ring.  Just run  the ring through two handles that are closeby and latch.  (It's a bit more complex than most toddlers can handle and keeps them out of those cabinets you keep household cleaners, etc. in).

We Discover The Culprits ....

As the Beast was in the act of cleaning up the tree that we know now is a type of Evergreen called a Cypress, he discovered what was killing it off.  It's called a tent worm and it's one of the strangest looking things you have ever seen.  It looks like they build themselves a protestive *cocoon* out of the dried up (from their sucking them dry) short-needles they suck dry.  The *cocoons* look almost like little tepees.  Di, who was going to help him move some of the branches to pay him back for letting her use the car to go to gym class twice this week, freaked out when she saw a couple of them moving along the grass.  That was when the Beast checked the branches further and found literally thousands of them on the tree he'd cut down.  Worse, he checked the cypress underneath our bedroom window (a different type) and found it was also full of them and was already half dead but at the back of the tree where it wasn't so noticeable.  

Now we have to try to find this one spray that is made to kill them off because we don't dare drag the branches to where we had planned because there are other pines and cypress trees around here that the worms would just migrate to and create a serious problem to the large ones that are growing at the back of our property,  many are over 40 ft. tall.  The type that was planted out front can grow up to 60 ft. tall.  Not a good thing to have something that tall (already) die off when we get tornadoes around here and they are directly in back of the house as well as forming a kind of conga line at the back of all the properties on this side of the neighborhood.

They are disgusting looking and very weird and interesting at the same time.  But they still creeped me out to realize how many of them it took to kill off the pretty tree out front.

I found the company that made the insecticide we needed to find but couldn't locate any distributors here locally.  The company didn't have anyone listed except themselves and no place else on their site to try to locate where to buy any here.  I checked out Amazon, who carries many of the other products the company makes but not the one we need.  Lowes doesn't carry the brand and neither does Ace Hardware.  Di suggested we go into the local feed store (which also carries many different things used by local farmers, including those for insects and other pests, and has two very knowledgeable people that work there.  So that's where I am headed in the morning while the Beast cuts down the other tree.  He's already bought some stuff to kill off the stumps so he doesn't have to try to dig them up.  It's supposed to slowly cause them to die off and even make the roots rot.  (And, Sis...I DID use Google...but what's up with this  new sending me to new search engines?).

We made the baby back ribs that have been sitting in the freezer for a while.  The Beast didn't want them to get freezer burned so he talked me out of making soup for now.  I have to admit, they tasted wonderful.  There just weren't enough of them...LOL.  They are so pricey these days that you can't afford to buy anything but a small section.  Another good reason to give up red meat...lol.  Although the saying is..Pork, the other white meat, isn't it?  Just looks mighty red when you cook it and slather all that barbeque sauce on it, too.

I'm tired so I am going to close this now.  Love you all and I wish you a really great (and short!) Friday.  Be good.  Be kind.  ***Hugs***

HINT:  Ever heard the one about blonde hair turning green in a swimming pool?  We've seen it happen.  Thankfully, there is a solution: our 40th president's favorite*vegetable*.  Coat your hair with tomato ketchup and lit it sit for a half hour or so before you rinse it off.  Then follow with your regular hair washing and conditioning routine.  Remember to use up those packets stockpiled from fast-food places!

Goodbye My Sweet Evergreen.....

Today the Beast cut down the sweet evergreen that was out front.  I liked the placement when it was small but never thought it would grow so big so quickly and block our view from the front porch.  It was obviously dying as the needles were turning very brown.  It started on the right side and spread rapidly.  *Sigh*  When it was healthy and all green, it was beautiful.  It was also very symmetrical.  When it was a bit shorter, someone would have loved it for a Christmas tree.  It was very full.  I loved how it looked during those few times we got snow.  Now it's just a stump in the front yard.

The Beast only started cutting it apart so it's also a big mess out in the front.  The heat got to him and he figures he will start again on it tomorrow.  What he's going to do with it all is beyond me.  Take it over to Tara's, maybe?  Who knows?  Maybe someone will want the trunk for their fireplace when they drive by and see the wood there.  People do that here.  I've seen them stop their trucks and load up when the wood is put out for pickup in those areas that are near a well-traveled road.  Unfortunately, ours isn't one of those but there are a lot more homes in the area that Tara lives so who knows?  I'm just sad to see it go.

Other than that...one of the women from the Beast's church stopped by and dropped off some of the veggies from her garden...including cucumbers!!!  I've had such a yen for them.  I cut one up and put half of it in a solution of balsamic vinegar and olive oil and put it in the fridge to *soak up* the solution for a while.  The other half I salted and peppered and just pigged out.  Tasted wonderful.  *Grin*  

She also brought us a few small zucchini, which I will probably add to a soup (no, not the cabbage soup) that I told the Beast I would make for him...beef veggie soup.  He likes that and the zucchini will be a nice addition to it when cut up small.  I may even add barley to it (another thing the Beast likes and seldom uses himself).  I think since he bought some, I am the only one that has ever used it...lol.

That's one soup I have learned to make in a smaller batch than others.  Quicker and easier...less veggies to cut up which is the biggest pain in making it.  The Beast has been adding some low sodium chicken broth to Baron's dinner when he makes rice for it, too.  That dog is so spoiled.  Chewlee thinks that chicken and veggies that he also adds is now *dog food*.  When I made some of the mixed veggies (which has a lot of broccoli and cauliflower in it) for us (it's called California blend...has too many carrots in it but they tend to fall to the bottom.  I sometimes throw them into soup...saves me from having to cut up carrots...LOL)...anyway, when I made some for us one day when Chewlee was here, she really thought I was serving dog food!  I had to assure her that dogs, unlike cats, will eat a lot of different people foods, including veggies.  Baron especially likes cauliflower.  Go figure!

Well, I need to go back to bed now.  I really had to look because I thought (probably dreamed) that I had already written my blog.  Old timers strikes!  Love you all and I wish you a fantastic day tomorrow.  Be safe.  Be good.  Share a smile with someone who doesn't have one.  Give them one of yours!  ***Hugs***

I GAVE YOU TWO HINTS YESTERDAY SO I FIGURE YOU OWE ME ONE...LOL

Another Very Hot Day....

The tomatoes are ripening almost as fast as they can be picked.  They are also dying off and it's not from lack of water either.  The ants have gotten into the roots and I need to find a hint on how to get rid of them from their nest.  I think I will try the club soda treatment.  It's creates carbon dioxide and that is heavier than air so it goes down into the nest and kills off the ants.  At least that is a hint that Bratfink sent me a while back.  It's worth a try.  Will have to add club soda to my list for the Beast.  I have no idea why but he has learned to like shopping.  He's starting to remind me of my dad tho' with his looking for the cheapest prices and running from one store to another to pick up different things we need.  He just found out that milk was cheaper at Dollar General than anywhere else locally.  Since we go thru about four to five gallons of milk a week, at least the place is close to us......

I went on FB early today and caught up with the posts that my friends shared.  But I am sure if I went on now, I would find a bunch more.  *Sigh*  Oh well.  I will take care of that tomorrow.

Another hot day today that kept Baron from staying outside for very long.  I could almost wish for some rain to give the poor thing a break.  He spends his days pretty much in front of the screen door just watching the world go by.  Someone coming to the door is a real treat for him and he jumps up to bark at them.  You would think he was a fierce watchdog.  Anyone that doesn't know him beats a hasty retreat (like our mailman).  It's almost too funny to see.  Poor dog is 8 years old and, unfortunately, Dobermans don't have a long life span.  He has another five years and, maybe, six.  But I doubt he will live that long since the Beast has not taken him in to the vets yet about the huge tumor on his side (even though the vet says it's a fatty tumor, I think it should be removed).  I noticed a bunch of smaller ones the other day and mentioned it to the Beast.  I think he really doesn't want to pay what it will take to remove it and he's also worried about putting Baron under anesthesia since he heard and read so many horror stories about it.  He also needs to have this *thing* that's on his paw looked at.  I don't like the looks of it.  But that's the Beast's best buddy.  I know he loves the dog.  You can tell by the way he lets the dog lay in his lap on his recliner and he will sit there and brush him.  Baron loves that and gets this really silly look on his face.  It's pure joy!

I made us salisbury steaks for dinner tonight but we had it on bread instead of potatoes for a change.  I'm really trying to cut down on the starches we eat.  Too many subs...lol!  I also cut up some tomatoes and soaked them in balsamic vinegar and olive oil.  Since the balsamic vinegar has spices in it, it really made them taste yummy.

I have a yen for some cabbage soup and have to add that to the shopping list.  I need a bit more than cabbage for it but most of the ingredients we have here.  It's been over a year since we had some and I love it.  The Beast didn't at first but at least he tried it.  Now he likes when I make it.  A friend posted a slightly different recipe for it (with ground beef) and I may just try that since it's relatively simple.  You have to brown the ground beef first, of course, but you don't add the grease from it to the soup so I like that part.  I hate grease in a soup.  Even my chicken soup although you can't avoid it when it's first made.  But after it's refrigerated, I always take off the grease that has hardened on the top.  The Beast objected to my doing that to his leftover sloppy joe but I ignore him and do it anyway.  He just LOVES grease.  He should have major clogged arteries, for sure.

It's late so I am going to close and try to go back to sleep while I feel sleepy.  Love you all.  Have a great Hump Day and an even better Thursday.  Be good and be careful driving.  ***Hugs***

HINT:  If you are cutting flowers from your garden, do it first thing in the morning.  Flowers have more moisture then and will last longer if cut early in the day.  To prevent flowers from wilting, gently spray the undersides of petals and leaves with a bit of hair spray.  It really works.

That's a two for one hint since they both are hints to keep your cut flowers lasting longer.  *Wink*

Late At Night And Still 76 Degrees Outside......

I love summer.  I love the heat.  The Beast is miserable but he admitted he only likes the Fall weather.  That's when we have very mild and often cold weather but no snow yet.  People here still burn their leaves in special burn barrels that they use.  So we get that wonderful smell that sends us back to when we were kids.  

We lived in the city so I never really smelled that until I was a teenager and we had moved to the suburbs.  That was a whole new experience for a city kid.  Thank goodness for the Bluebird buses and the train.  I could still go anywhere in the city by using one of them until I finally got my drivers license.  But I digress.  I didn't mean to get into a nostalgia mood.

It was really HOT today.  The Beast, and even Baron, was miserable.  Poor Baron wanted to be able to lay down on the driveway but it was too hot.  He trotted back to the porch, head down with disappointment, and just wanted to go in the house where it was a lot cooler.-  He came in and just plopped down on the rug by the front door and stared at the view outside.  That's been his favorite spot since he was a puppy.  When we get up in the morning, he makes this strange bark until we open the front door so he can plop down into his morning sunbeam that shines into the house in the early part of the day.  It's really cute to see him look down where it illuminates the rug and he stations himself in it.  At least he gets some Vitamin D....LOL.

The Beast is really loving the new mattress.  He's been pretty much pain free since we got the first one.  The one in the guest room is a bit firmer than the one in the Master bedroom but both are very, very comfortable.  And they truly feel so much better than our old mattresses.  I can hardly wait for Chewlee's next sleepover so she can feel it.  She loves this one pillow we have that's Memory foam so she will love the new mattress in *her* room.  She sometimes mentions that it's hers AND Sheepie's room.  I guess she doesn't mind sharing it with her since that's her favorite cousin.  You would have to call her a *cousin once removed* since Sheepie is actually the Princess' cousin.  She often babysits for the Princess so the Princess can go to the gym and punish herself.  LOL!  She's trying to get in shape again.  

We ate homemade subs again today due to it being too hot to make a hot meal.  We didn't even have a taste for one of the Hungry Man TV dinners that the Beast is fond of stocking up in the freezer.  We can make those in the microwave but I still prefer using the oven even if it DOES take longer.  Especially the fried chicken dinners.  They turn out a bit soggy when you use the microwave.  I like it crispy.  But we didn't want to turn on the oven so subs it was.  And we did have macaroni salad and cole slaw as side dishes.  The Beast had the macaroni salad.  I don't like mine with relish in it and that had it in the mix.  It wasn't homemade by us.  He bought it at the deli and he likes it with relish.  Yuk!  So I had cole slaw as a side dish with it.  Later on, I made us some buffalo wings as a snack.  They were unusually hot (spicy).  I liked it but the Beast only managed to eat two of them.  

The Beast was complaining about not being able to wear a dress shirt more than once nowadays.  So his church shirts have to go into the hamper after just one wear.  He sweats too much in the heat even just the drive from here to where they meet.  He always takes the Prius since it's kept in the garage and the interior is not as hot as the Yaris, which we park in the driveway because the garage is always full of other things on the side where we could park it if the Beast cleared it out.  He usually makes room for it when we have wild weather so it's protected from falling branches of trees and other debris that flies around.

Speaking of which....we must be having some heavy clouds tonight since the TV is pixillating and my HD channels keep breaking up badly and then going off.  But if I put it on a regular channel, there's no problem.  Weird, huh?

I spent almost two hours talking with my daughter-in-law.  It's been years since we had time to do that with each other.  We were actually talking on FB chat but it was strictly a one-to-one talk with no one interrupting us.  I really enjoyed it.  We have something that we shared and she knows I understand the problem since I once experienced the same thing.  
 
I fell asleep around 8pm and woke up to use the bathroom at 1am.  I was wide awake at first but I am rapidly getting tired and am ready to go back to sleep.  So I am going to post this.  Love you all.  If you live in one of the areas that are in the heat wave, please hydrate and be careful!  Check on your loved ones and make sure they are okay, too.  Even older neighbors should be checked on since it IS the young and the elderly that suffer most.

Love you all.  Be good.  Be careful.  Smile and spread a little joy with a simple gesture.  ***Hugs***

HERE'S THE THREE HINTS I OWE YOU...*WINK*

HINT #1:  Forget buying one more specialty-organizing device and instead use the time to actually organize (your pan lids).  A dish rack or V-rack (meant for roasting) both make great containers for sorting pan lids in the cabinet.  Act now and do away with banging and rummaging for good.  Simply reach for the lids you need!

HINT #2:  If you have a metal medicine cabinet, mount a magnet inside it, and you'll be able to place nail clippers, tweezers, safety pins, or other handy items at your fingertips.  And, if your cabinet is made of wood, just glue the magnet inside.

HINT #3:  Sugary or tomato-based BBQ sauces shouold be added only at the end of the grilling process, because both will burn easily.

Not Quite As Hot As Was Predicted For Today...BUT!

....here it is, almost 1am and it's still 86 degrees outside.  Not that I am complaining since I like the heat but it's a surprise.  It's supposed to be around 75 around now.  It barely hit the 90's today and no reason why it didn't get any hotter.  Or it could be the Beast's outside thermometer reading was off or the batteries are getting low.  I just know that it didn't feel all that bad when I sat on the front steps this afternoon (when the sun was behind the house) and the front was finally shaded enough that Baron was willing to go outside for a bit.  But if it had been as hot as yesterday, I don't think the Beast would have taken Baron out for his run like he did.  He worries about the dog more than he does himself at times.

We ate light today due to the fact that, for some reason, perhaps a high utility bill, the Beast didn't turn on the AC until late in the afternoon.  That was to cool down the house a bit before bedtime.  He didn't leave it running either, the way he normally does.  He must have checked the electric meter or something.  But, if he gets hot, he'll be up turning it on.  We haven't had any really high electric bill so far but he's always concerned about it.  He can spend hundreds on crap but hates to send it to the electric company....and then complains if he's uncomfortable.  MEN!

He's already complained about the money spent from our rapidly depleting savings on the mattresses even though he LOVES them both.  So far, he's the only one that's slept on them both!  But I just turn a deaf ear to that.  I'm used to it and know it's just a lot of hot air on his part.

I'm tired tonight and should have been in bed already but I did take a long nap.  I'm heading for bed as soon as I post this.  I changed the pics on my FB page today because the Beast said I should have one where you could see ME instead of my sisters.  So I used the one of me and Chewlee as my profile pic and used a picture of Chewlee that I love as my (I think it's called..) status picture.  It's kind of like the background picture you use for your computer only not as large.  People tend to change them a lot.  

I'm also going to beg off a hint again (Sorry!) but my computer room is dark and I don't remember where I put my book of Hints.  I'll owe you three for tomorrow.  I will be doing my page early so I won't have the same problem.  

I hope you are all hydrating well in this heat and remember there IS such a thing as Heatstroke and not just Sunstroke.  It's no fun to either have or treat your kids or hubby/wife for.  They get so sick from it.  It's just awful.  So be careful and stay safe.  ***Hugs***

That Unexpected Bad News That Sucks The Joy Out Of You......

It was almost as bad as that phone call, late at night, that wakes you up and you immediately think, *Ut oh..this can't be good news!*  And, sure enough, it isn't.  I was on Facebook this afternoon and I got an IM from a cousin of mine that I haven't seen or spoken to in years.  We just chatted about how many kids we had, how many grandkids, etc.  She told me that she was shocked at the fact that I had GREAT-grandchildren since we are only a year apart in age.  Her grandkids are still in high school and she said two of them had just gotten their driver's licenses.  Then she dropped the bomb.....

I have an aunt that I dearly love.  She is my mother's youngest sister and was my godmother also.  Every year, on my birthday, she and her (now deceased) husband would take me out to dinner.  I always ordered the fried shrimp once I believed they really meant it when they told me I was free to order anything I wanted.  As one of seven children, I rarely went out to eat anything more exotic than a pizza and that was a big deal for us kids.  

So, to be able to order ANYTHING I wanted was like a dream.  They tried a couple times to get me to order a steak since that was definitely something we kids never saw but I had learned somewhere what fried shrimp tasted like and I loved it.  So it was always the fried shrimp since that dinner was the only time all year that I got to eat it.  That habit actually stuck with me even when I was older and married.   Now my favorite is lobster but that's another story.

So my cousin tells me that she was talking to my aunt and drops the news that she's now under Hospice care.  My heart skipped a beat when she said that my aunt asked her to say hello to me and that she sent her love.  I knew my aunt had 3rd stage terminal breast cancer for the past couple of years.  She had decided NOT to do radiation or take chemotherapy.  She said (at the time) that she wasn't in any pain but she knew the effects of both and decided that it wasn't for her.  She told me she had had a good life but she wanted to be able to visit with and enjoy her kids and grandkids.  Since she was over 80 and still felt good, she spent a lot of time shopping and visiting.  She was able to drive and not be dependent on anyone.  She liked that and had faced the idea of dying.

Now, however, she is in a great deal of pain and *I* know that being under Hospice care means that her time on earth is coming to an end...and isn't all that far off now.  If you saw her before this end stage, you would have been surprised to find out her age.  She looked wonderful and much younger than being in her 80's.  I had planned on seeing her when I went to Chicago in June for an annual get-together with some of the girls I went to high school with and hung out together.  Some of them, like me, lived in other states and had to travel, have a place to stay while visiting and it was always held the last Saturday in June.  They actually started planning it around the time that I was in Chicago for our Family Reunions. 

This was the second year that I didn't make it due to health problems.  Not a cough or cold type of thing but surgery.  This year I ended up missing it due to appearing in the Emergency Room with a high fever and what I had suspected was appendicitis.  Sure enough, I also had a UTI and the doctor told me he suspected all the problems were secondary to a hidden one so he was going to do a bit of exploring since he was going to be in my abdomen to remove the appendix.  -

Sure enough, he found a large section of my colon that was dead.  He suspected that was also the real reason I had IBS.  I think he was right on that score since those episodes have completely stopped.  I was fortunate that he removed what needed removing and stitched my colon back together afterward.  When I was told (still groggy from the anesthesia), I immediately felt my abdomen to make sure I didn't have a colostomy bag.  Phew!  I didn't even mind not having any food for three days after the surgery to give the area a time to rest.  I did, however, have several IV's for various reasons so I didn't suffer from dehydration, that's for sure!

All this occurred shortly before the reunion with the girls and the surgeon said he would let me know if I could travel when I came in to have the stitches removed.  Both he and my regular doctor wouldn't give me clearance to travel by either car or air when that happened so I had to let the girls know I wouldn't be there this year.  It was a major disappointment since I also got to visit with some of my family that still live in the greater Chicago area.  That means suburbs......LOL.  It also meant that my visit with my aunt was off, too.  

I had planned on visiting with her as a surprise and take her out to either lunch or dinner.  Now I can't even visit her in September.  The girls had decided at this reunion that we would start to meet more than once a year due to the fact that we are dropping like flies!  Not to be coarse or anything, but we are all getting older and we are losing some of the girls every year.  We've been friends for over 50 years and still have a good time when we get together.  Now it looks like I will be flying up for a funeral and that makes me incredibly sad.  I love her dearly and the world will not be the same without her.  I loved the way she laughed and the sound of her voice when we talked.  She had the most cheerful sounding voice that I have ever heard.  I can almost hear it when I think of her.

After talking with my cousin and telling her that I wanted her to pass along my love to my aunt, I spent an hour just throwing up.  I was glad all I had in my stomach was pretty much just water.  Nonetheless, it was not fun.  But that's how upset I was and how saddened for missed opportunities.  You should always, always remember to express your love to family and dear friends and hold them close to your heart.  Life is short and you want them to remember you always said, *Love you!* as the last thing you say to them whether in person (accompanied by a big hug), on an instant message or speaking on the phone.  But mean it because that is audible in your voice.  Say it with a smile on your face.  That can be heard in the timbre of your voice, too.

It's going to be another hot day tomorrow.  We were in the upper 90's and might have hit triple digits but I stopped looking after 95 and that was at 10am.  Not even close to the hottest part of the day.  I hope to be able to call my aunt tomorrow to speak with her while I can.  Say a little prayer for her, please, that her passing is peaceful and pain-free.  Love you all. *** Many,many hugs***

NO HINT TODAY FOR OBVIOUS REASONS.  Two tomorrow.  

So Peaceful......

It was one of those rare days.  Peaceful....very peaceful.  No arguments over anything at all.  The Beast has almost no patience as he's gotten older.  Not that he had a lot when he was younger but he seems to just *lose it* over the most trivial things at times.  Today was NOT one of those times at all.

The Beast and I made up the guest bed today.  It was a mess after he slept on it two nights.  I guess I never noticed that before.  I knew he would throw off his covers at some point while asleep but then he would later start to shiver and be groping for the covers again.  He always disturbs me when he does that but I just go back to sleep.

So we made up both beds so they were nice and neat.  I went around straightening up the rugs that Baron treats like they annoy him.  He will scratch them into a pile, out of his way.  Actually, I took up almost all the rugs, washed them and put them up on a shelf in the closet.  They are good but we don't really need them right now and I get tired of straightening them out.

I also went and picked up all the stupid things the Beast drops on the floor but he can't pick up.  I don't mean he won't....he can't bend down without falling on his face.  If he tries to pick up something he's dropped, he has to get down on his knee and getting up is really hard for him.  He says he had no idea that getting old would be this hard.  What did he expect?  You just take things as they come and make the best of it.  I sure never thought I would end up having all the damn surgeries I've had but I know people who have had it much worse.  So I count my blessings and do the best I can.

I also mopped up spots on the kitchen floor.  I said on FB that *you would think we had kids here* and my son said, *No, because if you had kids, you would also be cleaning up the ceiling.*  LOL!  I know some of it was from the Beast slicing up one of our tomatoes on the cutting board.  This one was very ripe and juicy and some of it dripped off the cutting board and on the floor.  When we throw the coffee filter and grounds into the garbage at the end of the counter, it sometimes drips on the floor because we don't always remember to keep a rag or sponge under it....just in case.  So I cleaned up the spots on the floor and it looked a little less like we were slobs.  LOL!

The Beast and I have kind of fallen into a habit that we never discussed.  On the nights he goes to bed early, he makes a fresh pot of coffee...for me since he knows I will be up fairly late.  I throw away the filter, put a new filter in the holder and put the coffee grounds in so all he has to do is fill up the carafe in the morning.  Sometimes I do that, too, so all he has to do is pour the water in and, within 5 minutes or less, he has coffee.  He usually does that before he goes into the bathroom to throw water on his face and get dressed.  That way, our Bunn has done it's job when he comes out and grabs a cup for himself.  When I get up later, it's ready for me.  I love my Bunn coffee maker.  

I used to have one of those glass Pyrex coffee pots and you had to wait for it to perk the right amount of time (or until the coffee in it was the right color).  I loved the smell of perked coffee but my kids kept breaking the glass insert.  After a while, they were hard to find.  I don't remember when we stopped using that and went to a faster type.  I think the first we had was one of the Mr Coffee makers.  But I loved the Bunn after working at restaurants.  I knew they made good coffee...and fast.  But it was years before we could afford one for home use.  I think the first one we bought cost us almost $200.  I had it for years....although at first, I ended up having it replaced by Bunn because of some kind of problem that particular model had.  I think it had a warmer plate and that had some kind of electrical problem.  I loved it because I got to keep the pot from it (we had to return the coffee maker section) once the new one arrived.  No problem!  But this one does not have a warmer.  It has a carafe that really does keep the coffee hot for several hours.  

The spaghetti sauce was great today.  I ended up making a little salad because I was salad hungry.  The Beast has taken a liking to balsamic vinegar and olive oil on his but I wanted ranch today.  He didn't really have anything but that because he said he had a hoagie he made up for himself late in the afternoon.  Duh!  I should have guessed.  It was the reason he cut up the tomato.  But I used up the rest of it for the salad.  I have to get him to buy some cucumbers when he goes to Aldi.  I have had such a taste for some now for ages.  I need to put it on my list but he forgets the list A LOT!   He'll go to the store without saying anything to me and he doesn't take his phone so I can't even call him.  I tried to when he ran up to Walmart to pick up his prescriptions and his phone was on his desk.  *Sigh*

Time to get this posted.  I can't believe I am up this late...it's 2:30am here.  I'm really not all that tired but I am glad I am through with FB for tonight.  Love you all.  We had a high of 96 today and it's supposed to be the same tomorrow.  No rain predicted again.  Oh well.  I guess I go out and water everything again.  It's 74 outside right now.  How's the weather by you??  Remember to keep hydrated in the heat.  Be careful out in the sun.  Have a fun weekend if you can.  And remember, be kind.  ***Hugs***

HINT:  Your flowers may be indeifferent to the inebriating effects of vodka, but you should feed it to them all the same.  Pour a small shot of the cheapest vodka you can find into the vase, and your bouquet will stay fresh longer.

Spaghetti Night!

It was a relatively quiet day.  The Beast took care of getting his license renewed (no problems) and then he ended up running an errand for his church to drop off some literature for this one caretaker of her severely ill husband.  He said she lived out in a*hell and gone* rural area but he took the Prius so it didn't cost him hardly anything in gas, at least.  I slept late (which I'm sure you expected since I was up so damn late).  But I was up at noon, ate some breakfast while the Beast was gone and then prepared myself mentally for the business of making dinner later on.

The Beast went to Publix later and picked up some lunchmeats, hoagies and Italian bread.  He had thought we would make subs for dinner but I laid that to rest because I had already pulled out the meats to thaw and chopped up the veggies in preparation for making the spaghetti.  When he walked in, he knew immediately what I had planned so he just put the meat (oh, and cheese) away.  I saw the breads he had bought and was happy since I really DO prefer Italian bread with my spaghetti over Texas toast.  Don't get me wrong....I love Texas toast but, if I have a choice, I will pick the Italian bread and butter first.

Once the meat had thawed (although I DID cut the Italian sausage up while it was still a bit frozen), I started cooking it all up and putting it into a large pot since it wouldn't fit in a frying pan...LOL.  After I got the veggies slightly sauteed and put into the pot, I added my homemade sauce and some canned tomatoes and put it on to simmer.  I really should have checked out the chopped tomatoes closer since it wasn't the brand we normally buy.  It wasn't until later that I noticed it had much more water in it than our usual brand does.  It actually watered down my sauce to the point that it didn't stick to the spaghetti.  I told the Beast when I noticed it but he said he would let it cool down and the spaghetti would absorb some of the liquid.  I did the same while I put the sauce on low to simmer and get rid of some of the liquid for tomorrow's meal.  It really ticked me off, however.  But, it really tasted wonderful.  The Beast kept saying it tasted *amazingly good* even if it wasn't the way I wanted it.  He told me to just *dump the rest of the spaghetti in the pot* and it would absorb all the liquid overnight.  But I knew I had a lot more cooked spaghetti than should be added to it so I wouldn't do it.  I can always use up any leftover spaghetti noodles with some garlic butter on it....that's good, too.

It took another hour for the sauce to finally cook down to where the excess liquid had evaporated out of it so it's ready for tomorrow.  I had to let it cool down before putting it in the fridge since I didn't have any container that wasn't either too small or WAY too large for the sauce.  So I left it in the pan and just covered it with foil.  But the spaghetti was really, really tasty even though I was upset with myself for not watching what I was pouring into the sauce.  Especially since I know some of the *off* brands are more water by volume than others.  I won't make that mistake again.

The Princess and Johnnycakes are getting ready to put their house up for sale and buy another one.  That upsets me in a way because I love that they are so close to us.  The last time they were looking for a house (before they inherited this one after J's mother died...a long story, however), they were looking out in *hell and gone* rural areas.  Some incredibly far away.  I hate the idea of poor Chewlee having to change her school.  This will upset her greatly.  She really doesn't do change well.  As it is, I don't get to see her as often as I would like.  Some of it is her fault (she'll be grounded) and some is ours.  I just don't ask often enough and hate to do it at the last moment if she may have plans.  Sometimes, I've asked and that was why we couldn't have her...a birthday party or they were having company with kids.  

A lot of the kids around here have moved out so I know it's tough on her to spend time here with us *old* folks, although she loves going with Grandpa on the scooter when he rides Baron around the circle but that's only for about 15 minutes since the Beast lets Baron run here and there sniffing around.  Sometimes Baron runs off into one of the vacant lots to *do his duty* or just to chase something or other.  He always comes back when he's called but the Beast stops and waits for him.  I watched their pace a couple times and thought the Beast could probably ride the bike and go just the same speed, maybe even faster.  LOL....but I don't think his legs would hold up.   I'm really anxious for her to sleep on the new mattress on the guest bed, however.  I may just call the Princess tomorrow and see what plans Chewlee (and they) have for this weekend.  That's another thing...their RV.  The resort they belong to has a pool and that's one of the things that Chewlee would NOT give up if they were planning on going.  I don't blame her.  We don't even have a small one or a slip-and-slide she could play on.  We would have to go to the lake and not take her to any area where the duck weed brushes your legs.  Not that I blame her.  I hate it, too.

Well, time to get this posted.  Love you all.  More hot weather tomorrow but no rain predicted again.  In fact, I don't think we expect any at all until  Tuesday and that's just a *maybe*.  I think they said a 30% chance, which is almost no chance at all.  Be good and drive carefully.  Have a great Friday and an incredible weekend.  Enjoy your summer as much as you can.  Winters are much longer.  ***Hugs***

HINT:    Hate that white floured look your cakes end up with after you flour the cake pans before baking?   Make it a thing of the past by reserving a small amount of cake mix, then using it instead of flour to flour your pans.

Another Busy Day...But Not Until Afternoon...LOL

I had myself one of those lazy mornings where I just couldn't get motivated to do anything.  I went back to bed even and slept another two hours.  I might have slept longer but my damn phone kept ringing and woke me up...twice!  Yikes!  I really should put it on vibrate and just let the calls go to voice mail.  I don't really get important calls these days.  It's mostly people trying to sell me something.  I hate telemarketers and robot calls.  I thought the *Do not call* lists were supposed to stop that stuff.  I even re-registered.

SOOOOOO.....after I ate a late breakfast, I thought about what I wanted to do while we waited for the new mattress to be delivered.  We knew it wouldn't get here before 4pm.  We know the schedule for the UPS guy to hit our area and that's about the earliest we see him.  I looked at my tomatoes, sitting on the counter waiting for me but I wasn't ready to tackle that yet.  The Beast and Dennis set off to drop the mattress off at Tara's (she gets bulk pickup) so I watched TV for a bit, checked my email and then took a short nap while they were gone.  It was while I was napping that the UPS guy showed up (early, of course!) and delivered the mattress.  The carton this one came in was different and the Beast managed to finagle it into the bedroom, unpack it and get it on the bed all by his lonesome!  I was shocked when I got up and went in to talk to him and saw it on the bed and the big box sitting there.  So I immediately lay down to try it out.  It felt much better than the old mattress.  I had noticed (before it was removed) that it seemed very stiff and uncomfortable to me after the mattress in the guest room.  This one feels wonderful!

The Beast had already put the sheets on to wash, along with his undies and white socks (the sheets are white and he bleached the whole load).  Later, when it was all dry, I folded what needed to be folded and the Beast and I then made up the new bed with clean linens.  He's been in bed since around 8:30pm and he hasn't gotten up once for anything so I think he's really comfy.  He has to get up early and go to the Driver's License location to renew his license.  He discovered that it had expired back in May!  I hope he doesn't get in trouble for driving on an expired license.  He didn't want me to drive him there.

I almost hate Facebook these days.  I got up around midnight and made the mistake of getting on it and here it is, after 4am, and I am still up!  I JUST finished going through my page and checking out all the shared posts.  *Sigh*  If things sound cute or interesting, I just HAVE to check it out or I can't *like* it in all honesty.  My great niece, Monique, likes to post *text only* things that make me laugh and those I can *like* easily.  There are other funny posts that all you have to do is read them.  I like those a LOT!  I'm a sucker for animal pictures, however, so I have to look through those when they are posted and ditto the videos.  

There are also some heart-breaking videos that make me cry at times.  I read the intro to those and there I go again......  I should learn to try it in increments but it seems like everyone is always posting new things so I have to start at the beginning again!  Oh well.

I finally got to the making of my spaghetti sauce and the food processor did a good job.  I added my spices when I put it on to simmer down to a thicker sauce and then it was wait, stir, taste, wait some more...etc., etc.  By the time it was the proper consistency, I was tired and it was down to about 1/4 of what I started with.  But it's enough to make spaghetti today.  It will be yummy!  I just hate having to slip the skins off all the tomatoes or else you are skimming off *scum* from the sauce a lot until you are finally down to the good stuff.  It's so time consuming.

More hot weather tomorrow but no rain forecast for us so that's a good thing.  We have discovered that the big evergreen out front seems to be dying on us for some reason.  It's pretty much dead on one side already.  No idea why and this happened suddenly (within a few weeks).  We suspect some kind of burrowing insect but don't know enough about it to be sure.  The Beast really isn't all that unhappy except for the fact that the tree has gotten really BIG in 9 years but it does block the view out front for us and I think he would rather have a regular type tree out there.  I just don't see him digging up what would have to be some big darn roots!  We'll see what happens.  It's just too bad that no one, not even us, has a real fireplace around here.  It's all either gas or electric.  Well, if it IS a burrowing insect of some kind, maybe that's best anyway.  Getting rid of the wood may be a problem, however.

I'm exhausted now that I am not *involved* on FB any more so I need to get this posted.  Love you all and I wish everyone happiness.  Be good.  Smile and watch the people that notice get a smile in reply.  ***Hugs***

HINT:  Stop stove disasters:  Keep pots of pasta or rice from boiling over by adding a tablespoon of butter to the water when you add the pasta or rice.

Stormy Weather....

The storm front that has been developing and plaguing the Midwest and Ohio Valley regions finally caught us here in the Southeastern U.S.   We knew it was bound to, eventually.  I was just glad that the day stayed nice enough for me to get out and gather up the ripe tomatoes, including the myriad of cherry tomatoes that needed picking.  I made us a salad of spinach, kale, green onions and cherry tomatoes with balsamic vinegar and olive oil to go with a simple dinner of fried, boneless, thin cut pork chops that we ate on sandwiches.  Simple but incredibly tasty and satisfying.

Once the storm started and I could hear it off in the distance, I got offline since I knew I would lose my internet.  It's the one bad thing I hate about satellite internet.  As it was, I was totally upset because I kept losing my TV while Rizzolli & Isles was on...the NEW episode.  The saving grace was that it was repeated an hour later so I got to see all I missed.  By then, the storm was a gentle rain and we had reception back.  We STILL didn't have internet but I had my game I could play.  I had cleaned up after dinner and started the dishwasher once the Beast had gone to bed.  He always has dishes scattered here and there that I need to collect and get cleaned.

I have so darn many tomatoes now that I decided I am making spaghetti sauce tomorrow.  I'll save a bunch of the cherry tomatoes for more salads during the rest of the week.  Oh, and I finally bought myself a pair of jeans that actually FIT!  In fact, it actually makes my butt look good (and that's saying something...LOL).   I mentioned that on my FB page ( only about buying the jeans)  since Sheepie gave me a hard time about the jeans I wore most of the time.  I knew she would be happy and she was.  I needed to replace them, anyway, since I had worn holes in them here and there.  At one time, they were very comfortable but then they got too big for me and I had to wear big shirts to cover up the fact that I had to gather the waist to keep them up...LOL.

The new mattress for our bed comes tomorrow and the Beast is actually excited about that.  I admit, so am I for that matter.  He took the mattress off our bed and it will be hauled off to Tara's tomorrow for bulk pickup whenever that takes place.  I called her, first, to make sure it was okay and where she wanted us to leave it so the truck would pick it up.  I'm sure the Beast will want to do that early and get back here to be ready for when the mattress comes.  It, too, is a *foam* mattress but an upgraded one since it has that special cooling layer to it.  It is supposed to be cool in the summer and warmer in the winter.  I don't seem to have that problem sleeping on one but that's me.  I can sleep on either mattress and be comfortable.  I've been wanting one for YEARS!

Since the Beast tried out the one in the guest room on Friday night, he's been sold.  He's been pain-free in his knees and even his back hasn't given him a problem.  Now he knows why *I* wanted one.  I've wanted one since we took a trip to Bermuda and the upscale hotel we stayed at had one on the bed.  I didn't know this until I had the BEST night's sleep I could ever remember and checked under the sheets for a label to find out what kind of mattress it was.  I kid you not!   My sister, Bee, swears by her *number* bed and I'm happy she found one that agrees with her but this is the one for me!

Time to get this posted and think about bedtime.  Love you all.  Hope your week is going well.  Have a great Hump Day.  ***Hugs***

HINT#1:  Organize your yarn....Doing some knitting (or crocheting)?  Keep yarn from getting tangled, especially if you're working with two strands at a time, by running the ends of the rolls through straws.  If you pull the yarn through straws as you work, they'll straighten out each strand.

HINT#2:  Forget buying one more specialty-organizing device and instead use t he time to actually organize those pan lids.  A dish rack or V-rack (meant for roasting) both make great containers for sorting pan lids in the cabinet.  Act now and do away with banging and rummaging for good.  Simply reach for the lids you need!

Another Busy Day But It Was Just Busy Changing Channels....LOL

It was so warm today that both the Beast and I stayed indoors most of the day.  I only went out for a short while when the Beast took Baron for his run this afternoon.  I really wanted to check the skies to see if any of the weather predicted for us for tomorrow might hit us earlier than predicted.  We are in for a bout of severe thunderstorms according to the National Weather Service.  They said tomorrow afternoon/evening but I've learned that they are sometimes wrong.  It all depends on how quickly those fronts move.  It seemed like it was moving awfully fast there for a while.  The bad part is that such hot weather often leads to tornadic activity in those self-same storms.  

The skies looked clear so I relaxed for a while.  The predictions have remained the same so no need to worry until tomorrow.  Time enough then to turn grey(er).  

The Beast loved the mattress.  He went and ordered one for the Master bedroom, just two inches shorter and slightly different layers.  He figures if we aren't totally happy with it, we can switch mattresses.  He said, *We don't want our guests to get TOO comfortable anyway.*  Smart ass.  He's in the guest room again tonight, sleeping soundly.  He got up today pain-free!  He said he COULD move his leg in a certain way and make the knee start to ache but if he returned it to normal, no pain.  That lasted him all day.  He was so pleased with himself even when I told him that he could have had the benefits if he had bought me the mattress back when we sold our house in Florida and he had promised to get it for me.  He just ignored that and acted like *HE* had discovered this all by himself.  Jerk!

I finished up my one small load of dark clothes that was left and took care of that today.  The Beast started acting like he was going to do HIS clothes but I told him to wait until tomorrow when he would have to wash the sheets from our bed in preparation for the delivery of the new mattress on Wednesday.  He hadn't thought of that even though he doesn't have a lot of clothes that he can pawn off on ME but he CAN ask me to help fold the sheets tomorrow.  He just LOVES to give me work to do.  

I really overdid it yesterday with all the walking, bending, lifting, going up and down stairs, etc.  I was really sore in spots today.  BUT...it does show me that I can take care of myself if something happens to the Beast.  I would just schedule it out a little differently.  AND I would hire someone to take care of the yard for me.  I would also cut back the trees that the Beast just refuses to do.  It's  partly the reason that the peach trees have gone into a complete state of rest.  The groves trim them every single year.  In eight years, he hasn't trimmed them at all.  They have gotten HUGE and misshapen now.  I don't think they can even be saved at this point.  They aren't exactly shade tree types either without trimming.  But what do I know, right?

Today he was bemoaning all the things he can't do (like bending over or kneeling down without trouble).  He can't bend over without falling on his face and it annoys the hell out of him that *I* can...LOL.  I do it often where he can see it just because of that.  Petty of me, I know.  But it's just a small part of my getting even for past abuses.  It barely counts, trust me.

I discovered a petty thing the Beast did today.  When he cleaned off the dresser, he came across some money that Chewlee had saved in this spray can top.  He had given her some and so had I plus she added some change of hers that she had in the pocket of her suitcase.  She counted it and then asked me to count it to see if she had done it right.  She had.  She was trying to save $5. up to take to the store to buy herself something ... or me, she said.  She didn't know what she wanted to get but she liked the idea of saving for ...something.  Today I was going to add some more change to it from my purse and discovered it was gone.  I knew immediately that the Beast had taken it and, without thinking or asking, he put it all in the big change jar.

When I asked him, he very self-righteously said HE had given it to her and I told him he hadn't given it ALL to her.  Some she had in her suitcase from her Orlando vacation and it was from HER birthday money change.  Also *I* had given her some but he just waved his hand at me to dismiss me and said she should have kept it with her then.  All I could think about is what an Indian giver he has always been.  Mostly to me.  He would give me something and then end up giving it to someone else.  I told him that he had never gifted me with anything that he didn't take away whenever he was trying to impress someone....at my expense.  Chewlee is going to have a terrible lesson to learn about her grandfather.  I know this  one will break her heart.  She will KNOW that he can't be trusted.  He GAVE her that money.  It was NOT his.  

I'll save all my change now for her for a while and we will find a place here in my room (and something better for her to keep it in) so he can't just claim it for his own.  You can't do that kind of thing to a child.  Am I wrong?

Time to go.  I was up to use the bathroom again when I decided to do my blog.  I went to bed early because TV was boring.  Even the history channel and discovery channels were just reruns.  At least tomorrow I can watch Rizzoli and Isles...yay!  Love that program but hate that the season this  year is so short.  That sucks!

Love you all.  Be good.  Be kind, especially to small animals and children.  There are enough mean people in the world.  Don't be one of them.  ***Hugs***

NO HINT TONIGHT.  TOO TIRED TO FIND THE BOOK.  TWO TOMORROW, I PROMISE!