A Short Post for a Monday Where I'm Running a Bit Late

I had plenty of time when I awakened this morning, but after 45 minutes on the treadmill, a nice comfortable shower, making two cups of tea, and catching up on some emails, my time has compressed into OMG, I have NO time! Funny how that works sometimes - LOL. 

I'm out of time. I need to eat my breakfast and get over 
to the shop.

But, it's a Monday. The start of another work week. I don't get Chickie on Mondays, so I'm always working twice as hard because DH is almost zero help with customers. Just getting a short break for lunch often doesn't happen on Mondays. But I'll try - I do consider that short break in the day to be rather essential. 

We had a lovely, if hot, day at Ren Fest yesterday. We 
wandered here and there and everywhere, saw friends, 
and people watched. 

We had a lovely day for Ren Fest yesterday - perfect weather. We stayed a bit longer than anticipated, but that was fine. We ended up with a great parking spot and didn't have to part at the far end of the known world as we have had to do a couple of times. I saw friends, got hugs and "hello"s from a variety of people, and the weather couldn't have been much better. My kind of day. 

We started the day at Ren Fest with a beverage and 
an Egg Flip. It's egg and cheese and other things 
put into a thick piece of bread that's been sliced 
down 80% of the way, so the egg mixture gets stuffed 
into the bread. It's very tasty. I think next time I'll 
ask for it in a bowl, however. Much less messy to eat. 

So, because I'm out of time, I'm out of here. Have a wonderful Monday and I'll be back tomorrow morning, hopefully with a bit more time to write a blog post - LOL. Slava Ukraini. 

Gardens - My Vegetables and My Garden of the Soul

Good morning and Happy Saturday to each of you. It's the weekend, and even though I have to work today, I'll have tomorrow off to attend Renaissance Festival. It should be a lovely day, even though it will be a short one because we'll want to return home for football. Still, some time outdoors with friends and acquaintances, a bowl of Pho from the Vietnamese stall, and music here and there isn't a bad way to spend a Sunday. 

This photo is a bit more classed up than the Pho we 
purchase at Ren Fest, but it's basically the same 
meal. Rice noodles and a meat (we usually choose 
chicken), in a broth. He adds a lot of spicy sauces 
to his bowl, I add a bunch of Hoisin sauce to mine. 

The leaves are beginning to turn - orange and scarlet blazes across the Cities with greens fading into the background and reserved for evergreen trees. Fall is my favorite time of the year - I adore the colors, I like the cooler temperatures, and I love football season, which started last week. There's just something about that little nip of cool air in the mornings, fresh apple cider, cinnamon snapping in the air, pumpkins turning orange - ready for carving and/or cooking. Squash returns to the menu, along with the more robust foods for the season. It's a grand time of the year. 

The majority of trees around me turn orange and red 
in the Fall. Most of them are maples, and maple trees 
are very colorful. I do miss the golden Aspen trees of 
my youth, but I'm stunned by the orange and scarlet 
trees of Minnesota. 

I have to get my latest dehydrator batch pulled out this morning and put into containers so that I can put the dehydrator away in the cabinet once again until the next batch. I had more than 40 habanero peppers that I harvested yesterday and put in to dry. It was a veritable feast of brilliant orange peppers. I can't wait to add them to soups and stews over the winter months.  I also harvested Serrano peppers and ... hmmm ... I'm not remembering the exact type of my red peppers, but they're lovely as well. And one other pepper plant that has really tiny (but very potent) peppers is just coming in for harvest now. I harvested my first few yesterday and added them to the dehydrator batch. 

Here are my peppers cut and ready for the dehydrator. You 
can see I had  2-1/2 shelves of Habanero peppers, but there 
also were red and green peppers and four little guys all on 
their own that probably will be super hot because they're 
so small - LOL. Just an assumption. I haven't tried them 
yet. But I have to get my dehydrator emptied before I leave 
for the shop today. 

So, hot foods for the cold season to come. I'll be using all of these over the winter to add to my soups and stews. Having a garden can be a wonderful thing! But I also have a garden of the soul which is populated by my friends, both near and far. You're the ones I visit time and time again to give me the strength I need and show me the kindness that often is missing in my life. Thank goodness for every one of you! Know this --- you're treasured! Slava Ukraini. 

It's Friday - A Very Busy "Day Off"

Yippee! It's Friday. I have the "day off" with a list of things to do that's as long as my arm, but I'm not in the shop, so that's a total win. I will be bouncing from one part of the city to another, though. Between everything, I also need to locate a specific bag that's holding my higher-priced Etsy items. I sold a strand of trade beads yesterday, and want to get that sale finalized and shipped off tomorrow. So I need to find the bag. I have a pretty good idea of exactly where it is, but didn't get a chance to chase it down this morning. 

I had an Etsy order for some Swarovski crystals that 
I sent out yesterday, and got this order through my 
email in the afternoon. The trade beads of this style 
are called "Mali Wedding Beads" because they've 
been used by people of the Mali tribe for ceremonial 
use for decades. It's a very pretty strand and a good 
price. If everything goes smoothly, I'll have them 
in the mail to the purchaser tomorrow morning. 

I also need to pay the 2nd payment of my annual property taxes on the house today. *sigh* That's never a bill I welcome - it's a lot of money, but you can't fight City Hall, or the State Legislature. It's got to be done. The value of the house and property has been increasing since we purchased it in the mid-1980's, and (of course) property taxes keep increasing annually as well. Death and taxes - the only two sure things in the world. LOL

There's actually a video game called "Death and 
Taxes". Who knew? LOL I should look into that one. 

I used my new headphones while on the treadmill this morning. They work OK, I'll certainly manage to live with them even if they're not the brand I prefer. I had an online friend wonder how I could plug headphones into my phone. Well, I use a small dongle (honestly, the words we've invented for our computer age - dongle - LOL). The dongle has the proper connector for the phone on one side and the proper connection for the headphones on the other, and it's about 2-3 inches long (I'm too lazy to go and measure it). Without the dongle, I wouldn't be able to use the headphones with my phone at all, of course. 

Of course, you can't connect a phone directly to a set of 
earbuds, but with this dongle, which is sold on Amazon 
and lots of other places, it's easy. It's a minimal piece 
of essential equipment. 

So, it's going to be a busy day off today. The normal things like making my next batch of "Ogre Juice" as well as a few other errands will fill much of it. It'll be a nice day, though, with temps peaking at about 80F. I can certainly enjoy that last rush of summer. Maybe I'll get a chance to do a bit of gardening and get my massive crop of Habanero peppers harvested and into the dehydrator. It's a goal, right? LOL Have an excellent day and I'll be back to wrap up the week tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

Memories

It's September 11th. Where were you when the Twin Towers were attacked and collapsed? What were you thinking as you, and the rest of the USA were glued to their television sets watching the scene unfolding in front of us, and barely able to believe the horror. I was in Minnesota, in the back room of my shop, on the phone with my "sister" Maja, as we watched history change in front of our eyes.

This is one of a few new images of the Twin Towers 
as they collapsed after the attack. It sent shock 
waves through the nation, and bonded us together 
as a cohesive force for a while. 

So many things have changed since the Twin Towers collapsed, but so many things haven't changed at all. We're still a world at war — conflicts simmer to the surface here and there. We're still a nation together — despite our very real differences. And we're still a people who held their collective breaths while the Twin Towers and Pentagon were attacked and the third plane was deliberately crashed in Pennsylvania, to avoid a third strike.

This is part of some previously unseen footage of 
the attack and collapse. It was released in June, 
2024. If you're interested in seeing more of this 
new video, here's the link. 
https://www.unilad.com/news/us-news/9-11-world-trade-centre-terror-attack-new-footage-731589-20240726

Today, think on how your life changed back in 2001. I'm quite sure you're not the same person you were back then. Maybe you're a bit more jaded and suspicious, maybe you're a bit more fearful or aware of your surroundings. Maybe you work harder to help others, or maybe you have closed yourself away more. Whatever ways you're the same or different, take some time today to remember and to say NEVER AGAIN. Slava Ukraini.

Short Post, Short Sleep - Sometimes I Hate Technology

 A very short post today. I was up until after 11:00 pm trying to get my next audio book converted from Audible's format into an MP3 format and loaded onto my underwater headphones for my swim. I hate swimming without sound - it gets boring very easily. Finally, at 3:45 am I managed to get the file converted. So I'm operating on about four hours of sleep today. Maybe I'll try and take an afternoon nap. I certainly have no choices for my morning. I swim at 5:00, have an appointment with my orthodontist at 7:30, and then have to get the shopping done before I can (perhaps) collapse. Still, I'm breathing much easier. I did manage to get the files converted and loaded properly and I'm starting the next book in the series. 

I'm only four books from the end of the series, and I was 
going to be very upset if I couldn't continue listening while 
swimming. Fortunately, everything did fall into place, 
in spite/despite electronic roadblocks. 

I also have the first of several loads of laundry started, and it's a household day after I get through with the orthodontist. I should buy some tea when I'm finished with my appointment, but I'm tight on funds. I'll probably drop in just in case a particular checkout person is there. I have news about a mutual friend that I'd like to let her know. 

I'm getting back on track once again. I'm tired, but 
I'll manage. 

So, I'm wrapping this up and heading to the pool. I hope your Wednesday goes smoothly. Mine finally seems to have gotten back on track. I'll be back tomorrow, hopefully with a bit more sleep than I had last night. Be kind, Slava Ukraini. 

Back to the Water

It's a Tuesday, and the first of my three days of swimming instead of the treadmill. I don't think I'd be super happy with either activity being a six-day-a-week requirement, but three days and three days works really well for me. I don't get bored. Of course, I never truly get bored. I listen to Sirius radio's "Turbo" while on the treadmill (good music is always a help when doing boring things) and I listen to my latest audio book while doing my laps in the pool. I don't particularly like repetitive actions, and exercise is exactly that. So, I make it work for me by joining it with audio. 

I was quite disappointed to discover that Target no longer 
carried the Skull Candy brand of earbuds. I've used them for 
years and they're dependable and inexpensive. I bought 
the brand they're currently carrying, but I also ordered a set 
of Skull Candy buds from Amazon since I had a cart in progress. 

I did buy a new set of headphones yesterday at Target. Unfortunately they no longer carry the Skull Candy brand, but I got what they had that was inexpensive and added a set of Skull Candy to my current Amazon shopping cart. I'll be ready when this set of earbuds dies - I'll have one set in reserve. There's nothing much more boring than being on the treadmill without tunes. LOL Swimming without an audio book is like crickets - I have no patience for it. 

Calendula cream was recommended by my Radiologist 
when I was undergoing cancer treatments. I've found 
that it works super well on anything requiring a bit of 
first aid, and my hands which react very poorly to 
the chlorine in the swimming pool are much happier 
when I regularly put the cream on. So, I ordered some 
more because I'm running low. 

I've found that my Calendula Cream which I was given to assist with any burns from the radiation treatment works splendidly on my chlorine-based skin issues. I refuse to give up my swimming - it's an essential part of my weekly exercise regime. But I'm very sensitive to chlorine, and my right hand has two areas where the skin dries up and breaks open if I don't keep things moisturized. Standard hand lotions or creams don't work to heal, but my Calendula cream has been working very well indeed, and I'll keep on using it for as long as necessary. So I guess there were some good things to come out of my cancer treatments, the discovery of Calendula cream being a major benefit. 

Byerly's always has excellent sushi available. It's made 
fresh daily and they sell a lot of it. On their Wednesdays, 
when they have $3 off all sushi, they bring in two extra 
workers to make the sushi - they go through that much! 
It's always fresh, though, and I always enjoy it as a 
treat. 

DH and I treated ourselves to sushi for dinner last night. Although they didn't have the hot honey version I was hoping they would have, they still had a nice variety of rolls to choose between. We both ended up with very delicious rolls for a nice meal. I generally eat sushi fairly often - usually at least once a week, sometimes more. I've been known to pop back to the store in the afternoon just to check if my hot honey version has been made and is available for purchase. Yes, I like it that much. Of course, since the store is only a mile from my house, it's not a major trip either - LOL. 

I was hoping they had their newest roll available when I 
got there after work last night. The Mike's Hot Honey roll is 
awesome and so VERY tasty. They didn't have any left, 
but I still found a nice dinner in the choices that they had. 

I'm off to the pool. Have an excellent Tuesday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

Today Isn't Starting Out Very Well - We'll Have to See How it Ends

Yesterday I took a quick drive over to Harbor Freight to get a new drive belt for my tumbler. It's suddenly not able to turn a standard load, and that's usually a drive belt issue. There are other things it might be too, but one step at a time. Unfortunately, Harbor Freight changed their store contents over the past year and the drive belt, although still carried by them, is available as a mail order only. Certainly that wasn't very helpful when I need the tumbler to work today. *sigh* 

Harbor Freight is one of those places where I can browse 
for hours. But I only needed one thing, and they didn't have 
it, so I was in and out of there within 10 minutes and 
didn't buy anything! That's very rare for me and any tool 
shop. LOL

So I returned to the shop and reassembled the tumbler, made sure everything was working as well as could be, and determined that the problem might be the drive belt, but it also could be the support rod not turning freely. I'll have to take another look today and then see what, if anything, can be done to make it turn a bit better. Given that we keep the tumbler in the basement area, which (since I pulled the jewelry making items out a few years ago) isn't super clean, it could easily be a problem with dust buildup on the rods. Maybe. I'm starting to run out of ideas about why my tumbler won't tumble, and might also look into what they cost these days. I remember them as being quite inexpensive, and we need one that actually works and works well. 

I have a small, single barrel tumbler similar to this 
one at the shop. It's not this brand, and there are a 
few differences, but basically, they're identical. 
Suddenly mine isn't tumbling properly. I need to 
figure out what's going on. *sigh*

To continue my problems with modern technology a step farther, when I got onto the treadmill this morning, only one of my two earbuds were actually conducting sound. *sigh* Time to drop by Target for a new set of Skull Candy earbuds on my way to work. I don't work out on the treadmill again until Friday, but I need my tunes and my virtual scenery to actually stay on the treadmill for the time I need/want without being bored to tears. 

I prefer Skullcandy ear buds. They work well for me, 
and are inexpensive. I'll try and get a new set on my 
way to work at the Target I pass on my way to the 
shop. If they don't have any there, I'll get some on 
Wednesday at the larger Target near my YMCA. 

So, today just isn't starting very well. Of course, it's also a Monday, which means it's DH and I working together while Chickie has a day off. Of course she deserves a day off, and I'm sure she has a million things on her "to do" list, most of which won't get done. She's human just like the rest of us. But, she'll be back tomorrow, hopefully I'll have a drive-belt coming in mail order this week, and I'll take a close look at the support bars to see if I can figure out why they're not moving my barrel, when they move just fine without the barrel in place. Mysteries. *sigh* Have an excellent Monday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini.