Yesterday Was a Bit of a Cluster Mess - I Persevered

I had a nice, but very busy day yesterday. I did a lot of cooking, and while moving between the stovetop and the oven, I noticed a few of the small sugar ants that are the bane of my existence. So I killed them. Then, I noticed more in a slightly different place down that wall. Once again I brought death to them, and continued cooking. Then again, farther down. By the end of the day, I had sprayed and killed the damned things completely down the eastern wall of my kitchen. After I killed everything and didn't see any more movement at all, I swept things down thoroughly and did what I could to wash the floor. Note to self ... buy more Swiffer wet cloth packs. I used the last ones on this job. 

I truly hate these little sugar ants. They're a pest, not 
necessarily destructive, but they have to be in one of my 
walls for me to have seen them the three places I've seen 
them over the past few weeks. I did a MAJOR kill yesterday 
in my kitchen. I automatically kill them whenever I come 
across them these days. Afterward, I cleaned and washed 
the floors and the kitchen hasn't looked so good in months. LOL

So, while I was busy with the laundry and the decimation of tiny ants in my house, the time when I would usually talk with Aearwen came and went. I ended up calling her almost an hour late and leaving her a message. She, in turn, texted me later on again, apologizing on her part for missing our weekly chat. I guess life got in the way for both of us. But, we've been chatting weekly for years now, missing one or two happens and life will return to normal once again soon. 

Aearwen and I have chatted weekly for years now. Occasionally 
life gets in the way, and I guess yesterday was one of those 
days. Things happen. We'll catch up next week instead, and 
it'll be a lovely hour of this and that. 

So I guess I'm ready to jump back into the fray today. I did have a chance to make a batch of Ogre Juice yesterday, and I'm switching eating it from lunchtime down to breakfast time. All too often these days I don't have any time for lunch, and we've had no refrigerator at the shop because we've been defrosting it. (It's one of the items we're listing as "For Sale" in our inventory, and it desperately needed defrosting and a thorough cleaning). I don't mind eating my Ogre Juice for breakfast, but I can tell that my body is not happy about a lack of the green stuff, so I'll figure out a way to get it back into my daily schedule once again. 

We have an old Frigidaire refrigerator at the shop, 
similar to this. The city will pick it up at no charge 
and pay us $50, but we'll have to show that it's 
operational, and it has to be at a residence, not 
a business. So, we'll be putting this heavy sucker 
into the truck and plugging it into the garage 
at home to get the rebate and get rid of the appliance. 

On that note, I guess I've rambled off enough. A quick book recommendation if you want something totally quirky and off the track. Try the "Magic After Midlife Series" by Deborah Wilde. It's been a total joy reading about this Jewish magic user who speaks in Yiddish as often as English. It's a great character and a fun series - a good find for my NookBook file. Enjoy your Thursday, I'm off to the swimming pool. Slava Ukraini. 

Oh Dear - Rips and Tears, But Bright Thoughts and Events Too

There's something a bit disconcerting when you pick up your bath towel to dry off after your shower and you feel it tear - just a little bit - under your fingers. *sigh* I could have added two bath towels to yesterday's Kohl's order for new sheets (which were also tearing apart - so much that I tossed the old set immediately into the garbage). But, having not realized my current bath towels were falling apart, I ended up spending 20 minutes or so trying to find reasonably priced bath towels in Chocolate Brown (I ended up with a color called Espresso, but close enough - LOL). Hopefully, within a week, I'll have new sheets for the bed and new towels for the bathroom. I don't know how old the sheets were, but the towels were purchased during the Covid shut-down because I remember ordering them on-line and they brought the package to my car and put it into the back of Minnion for me - no physical contact or shopping at all. 

You wouldn't think it would be difficult to find 
bath towels in a dark brown, but it was harder 
than I had planned. Finally I found these - they're 
calling the color "Espresso". *sigh* OK, whatever 
they want to call it, it's the right color and it was 
at the right price. They'll be shipped to me this week. 

I took about an hour yesterday to clean up my desk too. DH and I had started the day with a meeting at his brokerage with my account advisor (his advisor is dealing with health issues right now) and an attorney, discussing setting up a family trust. We're getting older, and we're trying to work out where our funds should go after we die. It's a subject that has always made DH uncomfortable, which means he's also a bit confrontational. But, we actually got through the meeting pretty well, I liked the attorney - we connected in several places that I considered important. So we'll probably sign the contract and have him work out a reasonable plan that will include the things each of us consider important (including my taking care of "Puppies and Kitties" which is DH's general term for all of my charitable contributions). 

I finally had a chance to meet MY broker yesterday. 
Janna is young, enthusiastic, knowledgeable, 
friendly and smart. She's also very tall - I'd say 
minimum of 5' 10", possibly taller. That whole 
family is tall - her brother played pro basketball 
for a few years before moving back to MN, 
joining the family at the brokerage, and settling 
down. 

The fact that the sheets were shredded (quite literally - a hole scraped into the bottom sheet and a strip pulling away down the side of the top sheet), made my third load of laundry almost nonexistent. I decided I could just add the pillow cases to my normal personal laundry load of Sunday, so I only had two loads yesterday, instead of three. That was awesome! LOL (These days, it's those little things that excite me.) 

My desk wasn't this bad, but I've got so many things 
that I'm dealing with right now, that it's way messier 
than I want. So I tried to get things straightened up, 
and tossed away things that were outdated or 
unnecessary. What a mess! It's better now, but still 
needs some taming. 

I finished the afternoon with a lovely conversation with Aearwen. This is a tough time of the year for her, so if you know her, send some positive thoughts over her direction (West - California to be specific). We all have those times when memories crowd in and try to take over. This is one of those times for her, so I'm sending out lots of positives to her for the next two-three weeks, and I know many of you will join me in that. 

Sending lots of positive thoughts Aearwen's way, but 
I'm sure others of my on-line friends could also use 
a bit of a boost. So ... Positive Energies being 
sent to EVERYONE! (Well ... I might make an exception
for the idiot in the White House.) 

Except for that, it was a boring day. I can TOTALLY get behind a boring day - LOL. I did a bit of cooking, but saved quite a lot for Friday. I'll be VERY busy in the kitchen on Friday with pork chops and a pork roast needing to be cooked. Yum - I'm hungry already - LOL. I'm always grateful that I wasn't raised Kosher, I dearly love pork products ... ummmmmmm ... bacon! Have an excellent Thursday and I'll be back tomorrow. Be kind, be strong and be you! Slava Ukraini. 

It's Another "Day Off" That's Anything BUT a "Day Off"

 I'm hitting the ground running today. It's a laundry day, so my first load is already in the washer. It's a "day off", but I also have a 2:00 pm appt with my Orthodontist for a check-up. I think things are going really well. I'm remembering to wear my appliance overnight, I'm keeping it super clean, and it's a total joy being without braces and having straight teeth during the days. What a wonderful thing this past two years have brought to me. 

I'm still in the running for LJ Idol and I'm thrilled. I think 
this week's challenge is coming together well, I actually could 
see a book out of it if I was so inclined. However, one story 
will be sufficient at this point in time. LOL I'll let you know 
when I have posted it and when the voting is opened. 

I'm working on my next tale for LJ Idol. It's turning into a bit longer story than my usual, but I still have to edit it (and work on it), so it might shorten in the editing process. I like where I'm going with it. We'll see what I end up with overall. 

Aearwen and I have been chatting on Wednesday 
afternoons for several years now. It's always lovely 
to catch up with her. Today will be a bit of a time 
crunch, but I think it will work out just fine. 

If our schedules mesh, I'll have a chance to catch up with Aearwen for our weekly "convo" at 4:00 pm my time. Last week her brother was visiting from Arizona, so we cancelled our chat. This week, I can't recall if he's still visiting or if her schedule is once again open. I guess I'll find out - LOL. It might be a tight one for me, since I want to grab some tea at the grocer near my orthodontist after my visit with him. I think the schedule will work if there aren't any unforeseen items like exceptionally heavy traffic, etc. But we chat on the cellphone, and that can be done practically anywhere, including my car. So no real problems there. 

I'm a huge fan of Republic of Tea herbal teas, and the 
grocery shop across the street from my Orthodontist 
has a great selection of them. I'm getting rather low 
on them right now, so I'll try to make time to restock 
while I'm in that area of the Cities. 

But, I have load 1 of 3 in the washer and I'm wearing my swim suit, prepared to head off to the gym in less than an hour. I'll need to look through my TBD list and make sure I hit everything on it, but I think I'll manage well, in one way or another. LOL I like busy days (usually), and I really like my Orthodontist, so it's all OK. Have an excellent Wednesday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

We All Live in Our Own Soap Operas - Mine is in High Gear Right Now

Everything is done and dusted with Aearwen. She signed the final papers and handed over the keys to the old house yesterday afternoon, and has now turned her back on her old home and is living 100% in the new one. It was a LOT of work, and anger and memories, but the weight and the wait is now over and she can start the next chapter of her life. We were text-chatting last night and I could tell, even though it was only text, not voice, that she's feeling a hundred pounds lighter now. Good times are in her future. 

Aearwen is looking into getting one of these 
for her trailer. It's a GE Profile Ultrafast 
2-in-1 Laundry Combo machine. It's quite 
something - able to wash and dry loads 
of laundry, and it doesn't require special 
plumbing. It's rather ideal for the limited 
space of a double-wide trailer. 

Today, my "day off" will be spent in several tasks and I'll be a busy girl all day. I need to purchase veggies and make my Ogre Juice for the next week. I'm really good at that - under pressure, I can pull everything together from start to finish in less than an hour. I'm going to be pushing the time today, because I have SO much else around the house that needs to be done. I'll grab the vacuum cleaner and see what I can do on the upstairs and the main floor. I'll also dust my dragons - they need a good clean. And I'll take a duster to Scatha - my copper dragon light fixture. That one can be a challenge, but it's worth every difficulty. Such an amazing lamp. 

I'll be doing some of the housecleaning today, and finishing 
up with that next week. I can get a good start on things 
today, but the computer room is towards the top of 
the pile of "to do" rooms. 

I need to get the financials from 2022 into their permanent folder and move them into the study. I also need to tackle Mt Midoriyama in the computer room. That's very high on my list because it's totally bugging me. 

He wants these pants to have a slight break. I had him 
standing on a step stool last night for a preliminary 
pin, and I'll do a final pin and sew today. It'll be a 
chance to sit and relax a bit during a hectic day. 

IF I have any "spare" time, DH purchased a new set of pants at Target yesterday, so I need to hem those up for him (I pinned them last night), AND, I have to work on his website. I had planned on working on the website yesterday at the shop, and had the time, but had forgotten the paperwork at home, so I was totally stalled out. 

I was really frustrated when my muscle memory deserted 
me last night. I've swiped my code on my phone 
thousands of times - I can swipe it a hundred times 
in a day sometimes. Suddenly I was swiping the 
wrong pattern. GRRRR It took me about 45 minutes 
to recapture that automatic memory, and now I have 
it written down, just in case that ever happens again. 

And, if anyone can find my memory, please send it home where it belongs - LOL. I spent a rather frustrating unable to recall the exact pattern I used to unlock my phone. *sigh*. I did remember it, and wrote it down in my code book, because the way my mind wants to play "hide and seek" with me these days, I don't want to wander down that pathway again. GRRR - frustrating. I'm quite sure some of this is simply stress - there's a lot on my plate right now. But since it won't get any better until we're rid of the store, I've got to learn how to deal with it. 

Apparently stress isn't good for memory either, and 
I'm living with a lot of stress right now. I'll pull 
through, because most of this stress is simply that 
I have a busy day today. But, it was quite frustrating 
and I wasn't happy last night. 

So ... the soap opera of my life continues. We'll see how much of this list I actually end up getting done, but hopefully it will be quite a bit. That's my goal, at any rate. Have a wonderful Friday and I'll be back to wrap up the week tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

Whoops! Got to Get Moving to the Pool

Yesterday was every bit as busy as I had expected it to be, with the exception of my weekly phone chat with Aearwen which was postponed until next week at her request. She's into her final few days of getting out of her old house and into her new one. The closing takes place either today or tomorrow, if I recall correctly, and then she's turned her back on one life and started another. It's a big step to take at our age,  but circumstances dictated the necessity of a complete shift and she rallied the strength and fortitude to pull everything through. I know she and her son will be happy in their new double-wide home, and it will be a relief in many ways to have the constant maintenance issues of her almost one-hundred-year old house behind her. 

This is Aearwen's old home. She loved it, and lived in it 
for the majority of her life. Her father purchased it in 
the 1960's, and moved the family from Minnesota to 
California - a serious switch - LOL. She's starting another 
new life starting Saturday when she signs the final 
documents and turns over the keys. I know this will 
be a good move for her. 

But despite all of the good things she has to look forward to, as most humans, she'll look at what has been as much as what can be. As a species, we look as often at the past as at the future. I suspect that's quite unique in the universe. Behaviors can be learned and unlearned, but true memories stored and replayed time and again? My feeling is that the memory-driven actions of humanity are not mirrored by the other species with which we share this world. Still, the animal kingdom surprises me and the researchers who have been trying to establish proof of memory influencing future actions among non-human species. 

With as much as we pack into our memories, it's a 
wonder we can remember and recall anything at 
all! Just think. Do you remember the name of your 
first grade teacher? A lot of people do. Why would 
you need to remember this when you're in your 
50's and 60's? It's taking up memory space that 
might be used by learning a new skill. Maybe. 

I did get quite a lot done yesterday. The clothing rack where I have my Mom's dresses hanging was able to shrink the width enough that it actually fit into the closet of the guest room. The dresses are now hanging there comfortably, and the room has been cleared and is ready to be repurposed into Sharon's room. I've always said I should have an engraved brass plaque on the door that says "Sharon's Room". I've never acted on it because I don't want to put holes in the door to mount such an item, but it would be quite fun. LOL I have exactly two weeks until she arrives, and things are moving along quite well on the cleaning and de-cluttering. 

I have my personal Mt Midoriyama to 
conquer in the computer room. I've done 
this before - cleaning it out. It will take 
several hours to complete, but if I can 
do it, I'll be sincerely happy about how 
nice that room can look. 

One major goal that I had for yesterday - tackling a pile of unknown items in the computer room - didn't happen. I simply ran out of time for that one. It's now been bumped up on the schedule and moved to Friday's chores. I'll have to be super efficient in the kitchen on Friday so that I have time to deal with my personal Mt. Midoriyama (those of you who are fans of American Ninja Warrior will know exactly what I mean by that - LOL). 

Perhaps it's better to have a memory, than to 
think about something and be unable to 
recall it. Maybe. Then again, asking 
questions is what leads to growth and 
new areas of interest. So ... ask those 
questions! 

I'm wrapping this up and heading out to the pool. One more day to swim this week, and then I'm focused on the weekend and the first day of Renaissance Festival (which is predicted to be quite hot). DH is already complaining about the projected temperatures, I'm reminding him that I am the one who is wearing clothing that's hot (there's nothing breathable about a corset). Apparently the fact that he's dressed in light-weight cottons that aren't form fitting just doesn't count - LOL. Have an excellent Thursday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

I'll Be A Very Busy Beaver Today

Today is the usual hectic "day off". I need to make sure to put aside some time to contact the website server/construction program for DH's business website. We get one hour of no-charge assistance with the website, but it has to be taken within 14 days of signing up with the service. We're reaching that deadline, and I have specific questions, so I'll be contacting them today. Of course, that's among other things such as laundry, housecleaning, grocery shopping, computer work and talking with Aearwen (maybe - that'll depend on HER schedule since this is her final week to complete her move to the new house). 

I'm going to be a very busy beaver today. In addition to 
normal things, I also have to drop some stuff off at the 
shop for Chickie, and drop off a store deposit at the bank. 
The bank is WAY south of us, but I'll drop by my co-op 
on my way home from there. It'll all work out. 

In addition to everything else on my agenda, I also get to contact Xcel energy to obtain a copy of the store's invoice. I was shredding items last night before I left the shop, and the envelope containing the payment accidentally fell into the shredder. I immediately turned it off, but it was too late to save it intact. So I need a copy and I'll have to process a new check. *sigh* So stupid, but accidents happen. I've never accessed our invoices online before, however, so need a bit of guidance from Customer Service. 

I've never set up our account to be accessible 
via computer, so I'll need to speak to Customer 
Service about that to download a copy of 
my invoice. 

I'm also at the upper range of acceptable weight for my personal happiness, so I need to focus on eating properly with WildFit choices for the next week or two. The State Fair is coming up and I have NO intention of going into that celebration of food and drink on the high side of my weight. Time to buckle down a bit, concentrate on what I'm putting into my mouth, and working for a bit of weight release instead of just weight stability. I've got the stability nailed - a five pound range that I'm very comfortable with. But, when I'm at the upper end of that range, I need to drop back down again, and I have too much going on this month to slack on this. 

It's also a Wednesday, so I'll be calling Aearwen late 
this afternoon (or she'll be calling me). We might not 
get our full hour of weekly chat, but we'll try. I love 
hearing from her, and she needs to think about 
something other than looming deadlines - LOL. 

So my day will be very full today - lots of house stuff, although the housecleaning aspect will mostly be pushed to Friday. I do have grocery shopping to do today, that will take a good part of my morning since I want to get to the co-op as well as my local grocery store. I need chicken for tonight's dinner, but I'll ski'p anything for my lunch since I have an Ogre Juice from earlier in the week to eat instead. I also HAVE to get some work done on DH's website and I'd like to do at least one beadwork panel. Busy, busy, busy - that'll be my day today. I hope all of you have a wonderful Wednesday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

Positive Thoughts for Friends on Both Coasts

Yesterday, I learned that an old friend of many years who recently moved to the Atlanta area has been diagnosed with a brain tumor. It explains his headaches and balance issues, but it's really scary news. They're doing more tests, but it may come down to invasive brain surgery. He's heading up here to Mayo for an emergency consultation and possible immediate surgery, so if you could keep him in your thoughts, I'm sure it would help. Scary times for Brian, Dave and their lovely dog, Kirby. 

I know that Brian is very frightened about this diagnosis 
and how his body has suddenly turned against him. He's 
had balance issues and headaches and his local neurologist 
has diagnosed a brain tumor. Brian is determined to get a 
second opinion at Mayo before any surgery, so he's heading 
back here to Minnesota.

Yesterday was non-stop. It wasn't overwhelming, but it was constant enough that just getting the computer work I needed to get done was a push. I started working on stock and inventory at 9:00 am, after I had finished my beading panel for the day, and except for bathroom breaks, I was on the sales floor helping customers until I locked the door. That was great, and I did squeeze in some work between people, but I didn't get as much accomplished as I had wanted. 

Of course, days are how we create and perceive 
them - in many ways. However, outside influences - 
interactions with other people and things - can also 
affect the day. I want a steady, happy and creative day 
today. We'll see if that happens. 

Today might be different. At least Chickie will be back on the sales floor with me, so customers won't be entirely my responsibility. That gives me a little breathing space. I did have DH pull some product for me with the final customer of the day, because they wanted a lot of stuff that I find time consuming to locate and gather. Better to have him do ti while I'm gathering their other things. At the end of the day, I was pleased with my sales numbers and the fact that despite being busy (too busy to even drink my Ogre Juice), I still accomplished some of the things I had on my personal "to do" list. 

We all need some breathing space in our lives. Today
I'll get some of that while I'm swimming this morning, 
and hopefully while I do another beadwork panel 
in the early hours. It's all coming together for those, 
at least. The rest of my life might be a mess, but 
my projects continue. 

Today, hopefully, will be just as busy, but with Chickie helping, it won't feel quite as hectic. Maybe. LOL At any rate, I'm starting the day out in the pool, so that's one super positive thing to the day. I hope all of you have a super tremendous day filled with joy and sunshine, and maybe a bit of love. Aearwen is down to her last few days of moving stuff from the old house to the new. She closes at the end of the week and turns over the keys, then starting the next phase of her life. Exciting! Positive thoughts going out to her during this hectic week. 

I'm sending lots of positive thoughts out to Aearwen as she 
enters the final few days of moving her things from the old 
house to her new double-wide trailer. I'm hoping it's going 
to be one of the best ideas she's ever had. At least her 
maintenance will be less, and that's always a plus. 

So that's it. I'm off to the pool and then to the shop. Have an excellent Tuesday and I'll be back for my "day off" tomorrow. I need to make some "grab and re-heat" meals tomorrow. Time to check the freezer - maybe I can do this easily without a lot of fuss. Slava Ukraini. 

A To-Do List for my "Day Off" - Yeah - LOTS To Do

I was afraid I would be caught by morning thunderstorms today, on my first "day off" in more than a week, but it's actually looking really good for no rain at all. I'm VERY grateful,  because I have a TON of things that have to get done.     My basic quick and dirty "To Do" list for the day reads: Reset Watch, Pay Bills, JTAP Web Site, Groceries, Laundry-Sharon Clean, Chicken, Aearwen. Small entries for large chunks of time. 

This was a rather nice "To Do List" that I 
happened across on-line. It's downloadable 
and printable. I might have to use it ... or 
not. It also seems that it's unnecessary. A bit 
fancy for me - a person who tends to write 
down to-do lists on the backs of envelopes 
containing bills to be paid later in the day. LOL

The first item on the list is Reset Watch. For some unknown reason, my watch reset itself to standard time from Daylight Savings Time, so it's now one hour behind. With most of my watches over time, resetting is easy. This watch has been challenging since Day 1. I'll have to actually look into the WWW to find the procedure necessary to get the correct time onto it. I know it's do-able, but have no real clue how. Nonetheless, it's something that has to be done twice a year at minimum, since we switch into and out of Daylight Savings Time regularly. I'll be checking YouTube for instructions, I fear. 

I bought this new watch last year because my old 
digital watch wasn't working well for my 
swimming. I couldn't read it while I was doing 
my workout. I like the fact that I can easily read 
it, but it took it into its' head Sunday to re-set the 
time to standard time from Daylight Savings 
Time, and it's really messing me up. I need to 
reset the time, and that's a TASK. 

The next major time sink (after purchasing groceries, which is quite essential), is JTAP web site. He needs me to call the host he has chosen and speak to them about their setup. Apparently they have private links that can be added to the site, which is exactly what he's looking for. They offer a free hour of consultation, so I'll try to get my questions written down and try to maximize it. He's shown me several websites he likes, and drawn out what he wants it to look like. I'm no website developer, though, so this will be a challenge. Again, it has to be done. We're stalling without it. 

DH has decided to go with Network Solutions 
to help build his website. They have a one-hour 
free consultation, so I'll be taking advantage of 
that today to get things set up so that he can 
plug in photos, and add his own text, etc. I'm 
not building the website, just putting up the 
framework for him. I also need to make sure 
it will operate correctly on a Windows 7 system. 

Groceries - well, that's fairly understandable, except I need to add my co-op to the mix today. They have one specific product that I haven't been able to find anywhere else, so, I'll make a special trip down there. On my way back from there, I'll pick up DH's prescriptions from the pharmacy and drop the price tags I copied onto tags last night at the shop for Chickie to do. It's a glorious day - Chickie will finally be back from her trip. Her desk is in the trailer, which is in the garage, and she's got two weeks to figure out how to get that ungainly, heavy item up to her apartment. I suspect I'll have to drive over there on Sunday and give her a hand. I've only got two open Sundays before Renaissance Festival begins. 

My co-op, Mississippi Market, has a lovely St Paul 
location. I remember when they were building the 
market - they had been located closer to the College 
of St Catherine before, and simply ran out of space. 
They now have three locations across the greater 
metropolitan area, and this one isn't horrible to 
get to. I love shopping there - they have lovely organic 
fruits and veggies and some very unique products. 

Laundry - well, Load #1 is already washing. My own load is always the easiest one. I did one load for myself last week, and one load for DH, but I finally can get the bed stripped and the linens done, which will be WONDERFUL. It's been hot and DH (and I) do sweat, as all humans would in the heat, so I need to get new bed linens onto that bed and wash the old set. 

The clock is ticking for Aearwen to leave the home she's 
lived in for decades and move into her new, much smaller 
but newer double-side mobile home. She's excited, and I 
think it will be excellent for her in the long run, but it's a 
LOT of work - to shut the door on so many memories and 
walk into a place where she'll make new ones. 

Aearwen is on the list. Last week we had to push off our conversation. For years we've been chatting every Wednesday afternoon for an hour, and it always seems wrong when we can't catch up with each other and whatever is occurring to us. There's a lot going on in her life. As of today, she has 16 days before she has to be out of her house and hand over the keys to the new owner. Her double-wide trailer is hers, and she's started bringing things over there a bit at a time. I'm quite sure those trips need to increase - moving always tends to be a bottom-loaded activity. a trickle becoming a torrent which becomes a "stuff things anywhere" flood. I wish I was closer, I'd give her a hand. 

Aearwen had a yard sale over the weekend that helped a 
bit, but it's never enough. She's filled one dumpster and 
is well on the way to filling a second one. It's hard to leave
 a house where you've lived for decades, but it really had 
to be done. In the long run, it's going to be a great move 
for her and her son. 

At this point, paying bills seems like the easy part of the day. That's simple, done on the computer, and will take less than 5 minutes. WHEW! At least not everything is a massive time chunk. But, the things I do need to get done today are super important and I can't miss out on any of them. I have a little over four weeks until Sharon arrives, and my house, although surface clean, needs some serious deeper work before it's company ready. So ... lots to do. I'll put on my headphones and get to work. Have an excellent Wednesday and Slava Ukraini. I'll be back tomorrow. 

Happy Birthday, Happy Garden and a New Crockpot

Happy Birthday to a great friend of many years, one of my "sisters from a different mother" friends - Aearwen. We met over Tolkien fan-fiction when she used to run a board of prompt-based tales. I wrote for it, as did others we both knew. We started messaging back and forth, and for more than five years now, we've been chatting for an hour every Wednesday. We don't see eye-to-eye on everything - life would be so boring if we did, and we're very different people. But we have mutual respect, and a true friendship, and that's beyond wonderful. So if you know her, send her a message or comment here to send her a birthday wish. If you don't know her, thank someone else for being a great friend to you. It'll be the best birthday gift I could give to her - a bit more peace and happiness in the world. 

The new trellis. After he got done transplanting the two 
flats of plants he had raised, the full length is totally 
filled and ready to start climbing. He'll grab those tendrils 
as they start seeing, and train them to the trellis. It should 
be quite lovely for the rest of the summer. 

Yesterday was rather droopy - it wasn't "raining" but it wasn't dry either. DH had spent part of Saturday making a new trellis and getting it placed into the ground. He's been raising morning glory plants from seed, and they were ready to be planted. But morning glories love to climb. We don't want the stucco of the basement walls harmed, and they can be very damaging - thus, the trellis. He must have learned something from the beans trellis he made last year, because this one went together much easier. So, on Sunday morning, he separated and planted the morning glories behind my lantanas. They should do well there. 

The new crockpot works extremely well. It is much 
larger than my old one, and that's not a problem for 
me at all. I don't think I need to upgrade to the next 
model, I think this one will do just fine for what I cook 
in a crockpot. The ribs turned out spectacular, each 
side with it's own type of BBQ sauce. 

I, on the other hand, got the ribs into the new crockpot and started them cooking. I made my aluminum foil wall, then put int a roasting bag (I'll switch to a plastic variety of cooking bag after these are used up - they're a bit of overkill). I made sure that each side had plenty of room for the ribs, got them positioned, added the appropriate bar-b-que sauce for each side (his VERY sweet one, and my own home-made one) and turned it on. DH was quite upset that I had purchased a new crock pot - still insisting that the old one would have been large enough. No. And when he growled about finding a place to put it, I opened the cabinet, said "it fits fine right here, where I've got it, and the old one is here too". Everything worked out splendidly and the ribs were delicious. I ADORE my barbecue sauce and I'll make this again. But I still have a good portion left, so I can think about other dishes to use it in. Yum! 

As you can tell, I have lillies almost ready to bloom. 
That's a spot of color in the garden that we need - 
we're between blooms right now, so there's a lot of 
green, but not a lot of color. The bees and hummingbirds 
like color, so I'll be quite happy once these start to 
bloom. 

One group of our lillies are about to pop. Probably within the next few days. A bit of sunshine will do it, and we'll have some spectacular color in the garden once again. Right now, the first blooms of things have died down, and we're back to a lot of green and not a lot of color. That will be changed quite soon and I can hardly wait. I'm sure the bees will be happy too. 

Happy Birthday, Aearwen. The best thing about 
a long-distance birthday is you don't have to 
worry about the gluten, you can just enjoy these 
lovely cupcakes from afar - LOL. 

So, I'm out of here. Have an excellent Monday and Happy Birthday, Aearwen! Slava Ukraini. 

Chaos Can Lead To Good Things - Pears, Swimming and Homes

Yesterday's schedule was a bit more tossed than I had thought when I awakened. As it turned out, the YMCA closed the outdoor pool yesterday because smoke from the Canadian wildfires made heavy breathing in our smoke-filled air unwise. So, I made the decision to return home, have a very early breakfast, and head out to the shop. I was at the shop by 6:30 am and had a relaxed couple of hours to read a book and do some general clean-up before starting the day's routine. 

When the outdoor pool is open, it is my preference to 
swim outdoors (unless we're having a thunderstorm, 
in which case we're all inside because of possible 
lightning). Our smoke lessened by last night, so breathing 
is easier today and the outdoor pool will be open 
again today. 

That means, however, that today I'm swimming, so my schedule is a bit more constrained today. But, I'm well in my time parameters, and it's a "day off", so I'm quite pleased. On today's agenda is purchasing lots of veggies and making my next batch of "Ogre Juice" (alkagizers). I did cook on Wednesday, but it was meatloaf followed by baked pears. 

Normally my baked pears look more like this, but I decided 
to shake things up a bit and I cubed the pears before adding 
them to the bowl with all of the toppings fixings. I then 
spread the whole "mizpocha" (I'm not guaranteeing that I 
spelled the Yiddish correctly - LOL) into a deep cookie sheet 
and baked it. It's FABULOUS! I'm definitely doing this again.  

OMG, the baked pears turned out AMAZING. I used the same recipe I had used before, but decided that instead of cutting the pears in half, hollowing out the seeds and then packing them with the "stuffing", I would cut up the pears - cubed somewhat - mix everything together and put them into a baking pan. So good, and with much better portion control. With the 1'/2 pears, I obviously got one half pear in each portion. But with the cubed pears, it actually worked into seven portions equally spread into storage containers. A better sized portion, and so TASTY! When I made desserts like my baked mangos or the pears, I usually bring two portions to the shop and give one to Chickie. She's totally fallen in love with both recipes, so I have a winner, for sure. 

Aearwen is hoping to be able to move into this new/old 
double-wide mobile home. That's the living room 
behind those windows. It would be 1000% easier for 
her to keep clean and maintain, and has two bedrooms for 
her and her son, with 1-3/4 bathrooms, so each of them can 
have their own bathroom as well. Everything revolves 
around getting her current home sold, though, so please 
send lots of positive thoughts her way, so that the current 
potential buyer actually comes through and buys her house. 

And good news for my friend Aearwen. Her offer on the double-wide mobile home was accepted, and even though the first buyer for her century-old home backed out, a second buyer has stepped up and it looks positive. She needs to sell the house in order to purchase the trailer, so lots of positive thoughts from all of you towards California will be appreciated. 

So, I'm off to the pool. It'll be a lovely way to start a busy, but productive, "day off". I hope you have a fabulous day and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

Another Bag of Crystals and Random Thoughts to Collect

I brought a bag full of crystals home from the shop with me yesterday. These are the rounds, and I started making my master list of them as I worked yesterday on a REALLY SLOW day at the shop. Still, I managed to keep busy all day by beginning my next section of Etsy. The cubes are all up now and I asked DH which shape I should start next. He said the rounds, so that's the decision. I'll use tiny bits of silicone to keep them stable for photography, but that's still a ways in the future. 

This is someone else's splash page of Swarovski 
crystal round beads from Etsy. I'll be putting 
mine into a similar format as I did for the cubes. 
The rounds have a lot of splash - they're very 
refractive. I'm looking forward to trying out 
some new equipment I got - a ring light - 
with these shiny ones. Probably within the next 
two weeks, I'll have time to start the photos. 

The cubes are completed and live. I'll have to replace three pages of the 4mm size because one color got missed, but it's not urgent and will be easy enough to do when I have those three pages rephotographed and available for posting. 

These are the next two shapes of crystals 
I need to photograph and get up onto 
Etsy. The rounds at the top, and the 
bicones at the bottom (not my photo - so 
not my quality). You can see the difference 
in the shapes quite easily. The cubes are 
already up and live. 

Of course, as I move forward in shapes, I have a larger quantity. I have more rounds than I have cubes, and I have more bicones than I have either rounds or cubes. I'll get very good at this by the time the summer has ended and the winter has returned - LOL. Today I'll try to do some organization and begin making my 3x3 grids, but it's also my "day off" and I have a bunch of things to do, plus I'd like to get some writing done on this week's prompt. 

This week's prompt has sent my thoughts down a lot 
of different plots and pathways. I need to actually 
choose one and sit down to write it up. I've wasted 
enough time thinking, it's time to be doing instead. 

This week's prompt is annoying only in that I've thought of so many ways to control it, I really have to choose a direction in which to walk. That's not going to happen until I actually sit down to write something, so I'll need to take a bit of time to dive into that. I also will be able to talk with Aearwen again. She's apparently feeling much better, although certainly not recovered from her Covid bout. Still, better is wonderful and it will be great to catch up with her, even if we call it shorter than our usual hour. 

So, I'm off to the pool. Time for some workout heaven before beginning my day and diving into a million tasks. I hope you have a wonderful Wednesday and I'll be back tomorrow.