Fruit, Grain, Laundry and an Hourglass - My Thoughts Are All Over the Place

Fall is apple season, and I have a nice assortment of them in my refrigerator. It's my usual breakfast in the Fall - a nice crisp apple, followed by my computer work, and then followed by something else to eat an hour or two later. For the most recent couple of weeks, it's been followed by grain-free bagels with non-dairy 'butter' spread and non-dairy cream cheese (made with almond milk instead of dairy). On top of the spread, I put fruit spread or raw honey. Actually, quite a delightful breakfast. 

I've been eating Soozy's Grain-Free 
Bagels lately. They're not bad, They're 
not as good as a regular bagel, but 
they're not cardboard either. Add 
'schmeer' and some sweet, and 
they're pretty decent. 

Chickie is off today so DH has to work. He managed OK yesterday, although he spent most of the day huddled over his desk in the back. I, on the other hand, spent the entire day dealing with laundry. I washed the mattress pad and put it into the dryer (it took almost four hours for the dryer to get it dry enough to allow me to replace it onto the mattress). I also washed the sheets. I finally got the bed remade around 5:00 pm - it was an all-day effort. 

I do love my Drumi. There are just some things 
I don't want to put into the washer, even on a 
delicate cycle. The Drumi is great for my sweaters 
and fine knitwear, as well as those items labelled 
for hand-washing only. 

In addition, I used my Drumi to hand-wash my three sets of cold weather leggings and my sweater dress. The problem with the Drumi is always getting the water extracted from the wet clothing. It never gets quite as dry as I would like. Sometimes I'll pop things into the washer for a spin, but I didn't this time. The leggings were hung up and dry by dinner time. The sweater dress went onto a sweater frame for a few hours, then I transferred it to the treadmill, draping it over the front panel and the controls. It was finally 99% dry this morning, so I hung it into the closet, ready to be worn again. 

While looking for a good hourglass photo, 
I came across this magnetic hourglass on 
Amazon. It's actually quite nice, but in the 
description, it said it took between 30-60 
seconds to drain down. So ... it's probably 
the most inaccurate hourglass in the world 
if it has a differential of 100%! That makes 
it a ridiculous toy. 

So yesterday was a bit of a loss in a lot of ways. I didn't do anything except laundry. Today I have to try a few experiments with the scoring blade on my paper cutter. Time to figure out how it works best, and the progression of the interior panels that I want for this year's cards. I also need to get the placement of the front cover elements nailed so that I can start working on those next week. 

Now It's A Waiting Game

The appropriate part, some type of heating element, has been ordered for my dryer. I still have no idea of when it will arrive or when I can get the repair person out to deal with installing it, but it's one more step towards having a functional dryer again. On a quick search, purchasing a new dryer would cost right around $700+, and this repair, when it's done and done, will cost me close to that. But, I really don't count the duct cleaning as part of the "replacement" cost because that's something I should get done every few years anyway. So I'll figure the repair will actually be around $450-$500. Still a ridiculous amount, but slightly better than getting a replacement for such a simple repair. 

If the problem is the heating element, they can be purchased 
for between $60-$150, depending on source, and the repair 
itself seems quite simple. But, I'm not the best at electrical 
repair. I'm great at mechanical repairs, but electrical has 
never been my strong point. This time I'll pay for the repair. 
If it happens again, I'll probably do it myself (I'll watch the 
process carefully). 

I'm progressing with my WildFit nutrition program and I'm loving it. I'm looking forward to loading my grocery cart with lots of fresh fruits and veggies. I've always adored produce, and the different ways I'm working with them now are lots of fun. DH has coined a new nickname for me - he now calls me "Sprout" because I'm eating so many veggies. He's trying his best to be super supportive also, which I appreciate. He thinks I'm perfect the way I am, but I want to enter my next 20 years at my very best - it's not easy to grow old and I need every bit of armor I can get for the walk ahead. 

I choose to move into my older years fully 
armored and ready to take on the world. 
With luck, I'll be able to finally do the 
things I want to help others as well as 
scratch my own artistic itch. 

I think it's supposed to be a nice warm day today, which will make dropping my laundry off at the laundromat much easier. It's a VERY heavy basket of wet clothes that I carry into the large room to put into the dryer. I don't even want to think about how much it weighs, but it's a lot. Once it's dry, it's just bulky, but a lot of the weight has gone up in steam and hot air. It's a hella lot easier to get back into the house than to get out of it. LOL

A full basket of unwashed clothes can 
weight upwards of 20 pounds. A full 
basket of wet clothes? A hella-lot 
more. I'm getting my exercise doing my 
weekly laundry while my dryer is broken. 

I have at least one Zoom class today, probably while I'm at the laundry, so it might be a bit more difficult to hear and participate. I'll also have my weekly convo with Aearwen, a treat to cap off my "day off" and refresh my week. We've been talking weekly for years now. We never have a set agenda, but seem to always find something to talk about. We're good friends who have never actually met in person, but she's one of my Sisters from a Different Mother - special and appreciated. 

On that note, I'm out of here. I hope you have a fabulous day and please, be kind, stay safe and wear your mask. We're not out of the COVID woods quite yet. I'll be back tomorrow. 

It's My "Day Off", But I'm Sharing More Artwork Too

Going outside to put the trash can at the curb this morning, I saw a field of white. *Sigh* snow. Actually, it wasn't very much - just a dusting, but I did grab the shovel and clear the drive because tire tracks can become ice in no time and I don't like a lot of ice on my driveway. I looked at it as an opportunity to get a bit more exercise this morning. 

This sculpture is called "First Generation" and 
is located along the Singapore River in Taiwan. 
I love the balance of the piece, the joy of the 
boys as they jump into the river and the 
usual hi-jinks that kids will play when they 
are carefree and happy. 

Today is my standard "day off", meaning laundry, grocery shopping, housecleaning, etc. Of course, I still don't have a functional clothes dryer, so I'll be carting my wet clothes over to the laundromat once again, to get all of the loads dry at once. It's efficient for the drying, but produces a LOT of folding all at once. Still, clean clothes are well worth it. My "Dryer Duct Witch" people are scheduled for Friday morning, and if I'm really lucky, that'll be all that's necessary to get my dryer back up and operational. Crossing my fingers. 

This fascinating sculpture is called "Nelson 
Mandala" for rather obvious reasons. It is 
located near Howick, South Africa, positioned 
along the road where Mandala was arrested by 
apartheid security police in 1962. He remained 
imprisoned for 27 years. 

I have a lot to accomplish today, so I'm being fairly focused. I'm hoping I can do miscellaneous stuff later this afternoon, but my morning will be spent on all of the stuff listed above. Oy! Reading through the list, it doesn't sound like much of a day off. It's a good thing I get my Fridays too or I'd be going slightly (well, maybe a bit more than slightly) insane. 

I was really torn about which sculpture to choose for 
my final photo, but had to go with "Metamorphosis", 
located in Prague. It's made from stainless steel 
layers that rotate 360 degrees, occasionally aligning 
to form a huge head. I just love the entire concept. 

I enjoyed finding those large sculptures for you yesterday, and decided to plug some more of them in today's post. I hope you enjoy the artwork and that you have an excellent Wednesday. As always, please be kind, stay safe, and wear your mask. I'll be back tomorrow. 

Where's The Heat? Certainly NOT In My Dryer

What's the old saying? "It never rains but it pours?" I'm sure many of my friends throughout the US are experiencing that this week with the cold and the snow and the sleet and the ice. Total ick. It would be a wonderful week to just call in and work from home, except that a lot of people are doing that already because of COVID, so I guess that's not different after all. HOWEVER, I had the opportunity to add one more rock to my pile yesterday when my clothes dryer decided it wouldn't heat any more. 

I have one of these dryers, and I love it. 
It's a 7.5 cu ft Samsung dryer and it 
really does a nice job with my clothes. But 
... it actually needs to generate heat to 
dry the clothes, and that's not happening 
right now. 

Wednesday is my large laundry day. I did an above-average sized load for my own clothes, and then a load for DH's clothes and one for the household (bedding, mostly). I began to suspect problems when my personal load wasn't drying properly, but pulled my stuff out and put DH's stuff in to see if the size of the load would make a difference. Nope ... no difference, and no dry clothes. At 2:30 pm I gave up, pushed all of the wet laundry into my large laundry basket, shoved it into the car, shoveled the light snow off the driveway, and headed to the local laundromat. 

Roseville Laundry is in the same shopping center as my 
favorite Chinese restaurant. It was tough, but I didn't treat 
myself to eggrolls or Kung Pao Chicken. The large dryer 
I was using was off-camera to the left. I stationed myself 
at the folding table straight ahead in the photo. 

Now, when I had first moved to Minnesota, we moved into DH's grandmother's house. The only washing machine was an old wringer washer. It worked, and I used it, but it was hell on the clothes. There's nothing like a mangle to actually mangle nice clothing, and I was working in office situations where I actually needed to be well dressed. So, I started going to a laundromat once a week for our clothes washing and drying. The very same laundromat I went to yesterday, although it's much closer to me now. It was a bit of a longer trip back in the dark ages. 

It's been years since I was using a laundromat for my 
clothes, but they're still much the same. The original owner 
of this one used to live a block away from me. She's the 
person who taught me how to fold clothes to easily put 
them into position in the home, and I've used her 
techniques for decades. 

The laundromat is under new ownership, but seems very well maintained and clean. Everyone was wearing masks (except for two people who entered when I was almost finished, and they only stayed long enough to get their clothes into washers at the far end, then left again). What I loved, was my entire large load fit easily into one of their large dryers and the dryers accepted credit cards. Blessed Modern Technology. Within an hour my clothes were dry and folded and I was busy putting them onto hangers and into drawers and cabinets at home. 

Warners' Stellian has been my go-to 
appliance store forever. My father-in-law 
knew the original owner, and we knew the 
store when it wasn't the major Twin Cities 
appliance store it's grown to be. They'll 
fix it, but it will take a bit of time. 

I submitted a repair ticket to the appliance store where I purchased my dryer. I suspect it's a sensor gone bad - it's an electric dryer, so there really isn't a lot that can go wrong with it. Hopefully I can get the dryer fixed within the next 1-2 weeks, but at least I have an alternative - I'm grateful for small favors. 

So I'm out of here. I want my breakfast and I have to work today, so no rest. Because of the dryer issues, I didn't get anything done on my personal agenda yesterday, but I'm not really on a tight time frame. Have an excellent day - be kind, stay safe and please wear your mask. I'll be back tomorrow for my Friday off - when maybe, if I'm really lucky, I'll actually get the work done that I wanted to do yesterday. 

Days Off are Always Busy, But Starting This Week I'll Have One More Day!

It's 5:40 am and my first load of laundry is in the dryer. It's already promising to be a busy day. I'm going to spend some of today knitting some gauge swatches - that will tell me what I want the setting on my machine to be for the sweater I have perched in my head. I've learned to pay attention to those ideas that take root, and this month starts my extra day off, so more time to both clean the house and get some personal projects under way. One thing is for sure, though. I'm not letting DH wiggle out of this one. He has to provide some serious reasons for me to work on my new "day off" from this point onward. 

Getting one more day off each week was one of the 
concessions DH made to keeping me working until 
we manage to wrap things up sometime this year. 
My first extra day comes on Friday and I can hardly 
wait! There's a lot that needs doing, and my single 
day off just isn't enough time to make headway into 
the clean-up or my personal projects. 

In a way, I don't like knitting gauge swatches. It has always seemed such a waste of yarn. But on the other side, without a gauge, doing more precise sizing like that required in garments, just isn't possible. If I'm sewing something and sew it too large, I can take in a seam. Sew it too small, and I have to scrap hours of effort and fabric. With knitting, I assume it's the same. The pattern has to fit properly, and the only way of knowing that is measurement and a bit of experimentation. I have a bit of wiggle room, I'm not making a skin-tight dress. But even for a sweater that I plan to wear over a turtleneck, I would like it to not be too bulky, and to have sleeves that aren't too long or too short. 

To machine knit a gauge swatch, you start out with cast-off 
yarn, then move into the yarn you want to use. You mark 
off an area four inches wide and knit 60 rows, marking your 
tension via eyelets before returning to cast-off yarn once 
again. This swatch was knitted at tension 5, indicated by 
the five eyelets at the bottom. 

I also have to return something from Amazon. The product actually was great, but I ordered the wrong thing and really don't have any use for it. My neighborhood Kohl's accepts Amazon returns and ships them at no charge, so I'll pop by there today with my shipping label and while I'm there, I'll take a quick cruise around the store. I don't visit Kohl's often, but have purchased mail order from them before and have liked what I've bought. 

Politically, we're walking on a fence. If one person wins, we're 
probably looking at gridlock for much of the next four years. 
If the other person wins, we have a shot at undoing a lot of 
bad decisions and laws that have been enacted over the past 
four years. It's an important election. 

On a final note, Georgia's election results will probably be final today. Right now it looks as if one Democrat was elected, the question now hinges on the second of the two elections. Will a Democrat carry that seat also? It is a make-or-break moment politically, and it all hinges on one candidate. 

On that note, I'm out of here. Lots to do today, and a long-missed convo with Aearwen this afternoon. I've missed our chats and we have a LOT to catch up on. Stay safe, be kind, and please wear your mask. I'll be back tomorrow. 

Stay-at-Home - Day 46 - A Return to a New Normal

I'm looking at my laundry basket, knowing that my washer is 1/2 flight down from my lower level. The problem with living in a four-level 1/2 split house is access when mobility is limited. Today I'm going to be stretching that because I need some clean clothes - I'm on my last set of underwear and I also want clean towels and shirts and leggings. So yeah - my choices are diminished. 

I love my Samsung front-load washer, even with the
various quirks that it has. I'm grown to depend on it
over the last few years and it does a good job. 

On a positive note, my knee scooter should be delivered either today or tomorrow (I'm hoping today, but it may be tomorrow). Tomorrow is a bit more difficult since I have to be at the doctor, then the bank, and then deal with a few mail orders at the shop before I can return home. I'm going to be driving all over the place and won't be home to accept a delivery. But, I registered on their website and I'll at least get a text when they are delivering the item. That might help. 

We're absolutely enthralled by the Brokenwood Mysteries, and delighted
to catch up on more episodes during another promotional
"Watch for Free" event. I have no idea how long this promo will
last, but I'm happy to take whatever I can. 

We're back into a promotional "free TV" event, and we've been continuing onward with "Brokenwood", which we adore. We're trying to get several episodes watched on an average day, and are almost finished with Season 4 of 6. It's such a great series - humorous and with good characters and plot twists. 

On that note, I'm going to try to get my laundry basket downstairs and start a load. Have an excellent Wednesday and I'll be back tomorrow - probably a late post tomorrow since my Doctor appt is scheduled for first thing in the am. As always, Stay Safe, Keep Social Distancing, and Be Well! 

Stay-at-Home - Day 32 - Busy Running in Place

Today is my "normal" Wednesday - shopping, errands, many loads of laundry, etc. Apparently basic items like ground beef and chicken breasts are becoming harder to find, so I'll have to hit several different stores to get everything I need. Hopefully I'll find most of it, but it's unlikely I'll find it all. There are several things that we just keep on the permanent list and if we see any, we grab it. 

I usually just take a photo of my list and have it on my
phone. When I'm finished, I'll cross off the things I
bought and delete the photo from my phone. Easy, peasy. 

So far the Governor is still keeping quiet about any extension, and although I understand his wanting to wait as long as possible, it's driving me a bit crazy because I can't plan anything. DH was saying that we would at least be able to celebrate Cinco de Mayo with Margaritas in the back yard, but if the stay-at-home isn't extended, he's incorrect. I'll be working on Cinco. *sigh*

It would be pleasant to spend Cinco de Mayo at
home, drinking Margaritas on the patio, but I
doubt it'll turn out to be possible this year. 

Still, as the month winds down, it hasn't be a bad one for us. We've managed to find a rhythm between the two of us. Yesterday's catastrophe was DH's coffeemaker breaking down. He gets the really inexpensive ones, and makes coffee every morning for himself. On rare occasions I'll ask him for a cup, but I've been making do with tea throughout the day instead. The broken coffeepot led into a bit of a tirade, a search on-line for possible models, and a trip to Target which resulted in a new coffeemaker and a couple of summer tops that he thought might look good on me. 

Really fine tassels like this can knot up and shred
in the laundry. I'm trying my best to keep them intact,
but no guarantees. 

The tops are actually cute - nothing I would have bought for myself because the tassels on the ties are going to be a pain to launder, and because they won't last long (not counting the fact that although they were each under $30, it's money I'd rather spend elsewhere). But, I'm not looking a gift horse in the mouth. They are currently in the washer getting a cold wash on the delicate cycle, and I'll hang them to dry. Hopefully that will resolve the tassel issues. 

So, on that uneventful note, I'm out of here. I have a lot to do, so I'll be back tomorrow. As always, Stay Safe, Stay Home, and Stay Well. 

A Cold and Busy Day Off Is On My Schedule Today

I'm cold, but it's actually 16 F, so not bad for this time of the year. Still, I'm chilled right now. Nothing to be done about it short of grabbing the blanket I keep nearby, but since I'll be leaving soon, I'll just shiver for a bit longer.

. I'm starting my day off quickly. The first load of laundry is almost finished and ready to be put into the dryer. I have a PT appointment at 7 am, so I'll leave the house in 45 minutes or so, get the store computers turned on, and head over to the clinic. Afterward it'll be visits to the office supply store (an expensive trip since I need ink for both of my printers), the grocery store, and maybe Target. I'm hoping to get my errands out of the way early so that I can deal with business and computer and year-end stuff for the remainder of the day.

My customer wanted two strands of amber combined into
a single strand, and she wanted each bead knotted. Because
the holes in the beads are HUGE (it's very old hand-shaped
amber), I've had to use a thick cording for the threading.
It's been a challenge, but I'm almost finished with it. 

I have a repair I've been working on - an amber necklace restring. I'll probably bring that back home with me. I can finish it today and get it cleaned up. I'll need warm water for the clean, and I don't have hot water at the shop unless I boil some, so it would be easier to finish at home. Then I can continue with the next two repairs pending on my docket. All of the repairs are promised by the end of the month, and each one has its' own little twists - I tend to not get the straightforward repairs - LOL.

Why 10,000 steps? It was started in Japan as a marketing campaign
for a pedometer way back in 1965. There was a really nice article about
the 10,000 step goal. You can read it by following this link. 

A few more loads of laundry, and a nice late afternoon chat with Aearwen, and that'll wrap my day. Taking a quick look at the weather app, it looks like we're going to get snow showers this morning, so I'll be adding shoveling to my agenda. Without the gym today I won't come close to my 10,000 steps, no matter how many errands and tasks I have to do. I came pretty close yesterday (9855 when I went to bed last night), not too shabby. I rarely actually manage to hit the 10,000 level, but I'm always thrilled when I do. I'll be curious to see how Sharon and I do when we walk the State Fair later this year. I've always thought we get some serious steps in, but I've never tracked it before.

In February 2019, the Super Bowl was held here in the Twin Cities
at US Bank Stadium. A marketing campaign was started to teach
people how to dress for the cold if they were going to be outdoors for
any amount of time. This graphic was the center panel - milder temps
were on the left and serious wind-chill on the right. We're right in
that 0-20 degree range today, so I'll be dressing warmly, but not overly
bundled. 

On that note, I'm going to try and get a bit warmer before I leave and step foot into the great, cold, outdoors. Our temperatures are harsh, but I still love living up here in the Frozen Northlands. I have a warm coat, warm gloves, and a car with gas and good heat. It's all good! Stay warm, be safe, and I'll return tomorrow.

Plans For The Day & Crossing My Fingers

My CPU is standing next to my garage exit door, waiting to be put into my car for the trip up north to Dale's place for repair. I'm hoping he can repair it, and that it can/will be done within a reasonable time frame. Obviously I can continue to function between my laptop and DH's desktop computers, but it isn't an ideal solution. I have a lot of programs and multiple files that are rendered inaccessible without my personal computer. Argh! 

Today is also my "day off" which is always a misnomer. All that my day off means is that I'm not in the shop. I'm still working - rather hard, in fact. It's laundry day, housecleaning day, errands day, etc. I have a stack of holiday cards that I need to continue to paint, and I'll grab the next group from the shop tomorrow if I get these finished today. I'm under a time deadline, so have to get going. I ordered my postage stamps from the Post Office website yesterday - they're cute wreaths for the holidays this year. Very festive. 

Glancing at the bottom of my laptop screen, I realize I forgot to plug in, so have been operating on battery for the past hour. Oy! Now I'll have to make sure to build in some recharge time for the laptop before the end of the day. Just one more little thing - LOL. So it goes. 

On that note, and of course without pictures yet again, I wish all of you a wonderful Wednesday. I'm hoping to be back up and running by tonight. Cross your fingers for me if you can spare a few minutes. I'll be back tomorrow. 

Going All Out

I'm going to have to go "all out" at the gym this morning. Yesterday, being a Chiropractor day, meant that I got a shortened exercise time and in reality, didn't get any cardio at all. I feel that loss today. My sweat level was so minimal yesterday that I could practically have worn my gym outfit a second day. Not that I'm doing that - I have three outfits and rotate them, doing a laundry load 2X a week to keep them clean and ready for the next day. I might not be the greatest housekeeper, but I'm a devil with the laundry and I like clean clothes. 

I'm a bit of a bear when it comes to laundry. I like fresh and
clean clothes to wear. I might wear a pair of jeans twice,
but I'll use a new shirt every day, no matter how clean
it still is. 

Also, I'm back on my usual schedule today, and that means I'll be able to get some serious work done on my cards. Even though I want to have them done and gone by early December, the firm deadline I have is a month from now, so I'm still on schedule despite some minor setbacks (think ink). DH's schedule of having the craft room done and organized by Thanksgiving may also be on time, we're getting close with what we've already done. I'm not sure what's on his agenda today - raking leaves, I think. They do need to be moved from the front and lower yards. We can leave the upper yard for the time being. 

Raking leaves is not my favorite activity, but it's at least good exercise.
As long as the weather holds, we'll get the lower and front yards
done. It doesn't make a lot of sense to do the upper yard until
more of the neighbor's oak tree's leaves have dropped since we
get a lot of his leaves in that yard. 

We're also starting to put some serious thought into Turkey Day next week. I usually hold a 2-day sale at the shop directly after the holiday, and plan to do that again this year, but I have to actually sit down, update the mailing list, and write the text. I've been thinking about switching to Mail Chimp from Constant Contact, it would be seriously less expensive, but I would have to start the actual "flyer" from scratch. Not sure if I'm up for that. 

Black Friday doesn't have the same power it used to have. I remember
sitting in my car or standing in long lines to be let into various
stores on that day, usually freezing to death. But there was an
excitement that went through that crowd and you just don't get
that while cyber-shopping. We'll have normal store hours on Black
Friday and Small Business Saturday, but we'll push some serious
sales savings through for our customers. 

Still, the clock is ticking and work is stressing. Thank goodness I have some creative things to help take my mind off sales and the push for year-end. So yes, I might do a lot for my cards, but they are a sanity saver - LOL (and they're looking pretty darned good, too). 

Thanks to all who have played along with my mini-meme, it's been fun reading through your responses. Have a wonderful Tuesday. The week is rolling right along, and I'll be back tomorrow - Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel (do you hear the theme music of the show in your head? LOL). 

Today I'm Living A "Normal Revised Schedule" Change - ARGH

In my "normal revised" schedule since starting Physical Therapy, Wednesday is my day off from the gym and every few weeks I have a PT appointment early (7:00 am) in the morning. Of course, my "normal revised" schedule had to be revised this week, since my PT has a scheduling conflict. I'm going to the gym today, but the rest of the day is still my day off. Tomorrow, I'm seeing my PT at 7:00, but then continuing on to work for the rest of the day. 

Switching schedules is rather like switching lanes in rush hour - difficult,
and fraught with danger while trusting that the others around you won't
mess things up even more. 

Although it might not seem like a horrible mess to all of you, my dear readers, it's a total MESS for me - sandwiching in breakfast before therapy and still getting there on time, and skipping the gym on Thursday. It's already driving me crazy - LOL. So, can you hear that semi-hysterical laughter coming through your monitor? Yeah. That's me trying to deal with this rather silly schedule shift. 

I want to do holiday ornaments for you this year, and found half
of what I need last night. I'm going to hunt for the other half today
while cleaning and reorganizing (and labeling) my art supplies bins. 

Today is my "day off" - grocery shopping, housecleaning, several loads of laundry, and continued work on my space in the craft room. DH wanted one of my bins removed from its' temporary location since that is designated for a different type of storage. I got that done last night, but I'm looking for the materials for this year's Holiday Card. 

I love sending my cards to friends all over the world. My life is a
little crazy right now, but that shouldn't change friendships. 

I still want to send cards out to my friends all over the world, but they're going to be less labor intensive this year by necessity. They're still going to be hand-made, but a bit less hand in the making this year because we've been so busy. Next year's card might also be more minimal, but afterward I should be more on-track for success and be able to return the cool factor. I hope so. I'll be making a "Call Out For Cards" in October, so keep your eyes open for it. 

That's a wrap for today or I'll be late. It's always so difficult to get into a schedule and then have something gum up the works. I'll be fighting this small revision in my schedule for the next 48 hours! Have a totally wonderful day and I'll be back on Thursday. 

The Gods of Thunder Are Playing Overhead

My "day off". The first load of laundry just finished washing. The thunder is accompanying my thoughts this morning - 100% rain chance through the morning, so it'll be a wet one. Shower complete, makeup still pending, and although I'm not under a time constraint this morning, I'm still behind my "schedule". *sigh* Still, I'll get out of here within 30-45 minutes, have breakfast, get things turned on at the shop, and continue with a day where I'll be flinching whenever the Gods play with the thunder directly overhead. Ooof! 

The Thunder Gods have been playing since I awakened 90 minutes
ago. This is a big storm and it's slow moving. I'll be getting wet today. 

I was asked how long the henna would last. Unfortunately, almost all of it has faded to super pale now, with just the top of my head still carrying darkness. It's the nature of the decoration - as the person exfoliates, the design disappears. It's not deep, just a surface dye. It was a lot of fun, though, and I'm still absolutely serious about wanting a similar design tattooed. I'm in touch with a tattoo artist I think could do an amazing job, and I'll try to touch base with him later this year. 

I like things organized. I like to just reach over or up and to be
able to pull out exactly what I need in minimal time. Over the
years, however, my original organization has gone to pieces. I have
to re-do almost everything now, and spread into new areas. I'll
be doing a LOT of labeling. 

Since it's my "day off", I'll be continuing to work on my part of the house. I have several boxes to unpack, and I need to continue putting things into appropriate containers and spaces. DH spent a good chunk of time yesterday organizing screws and nails. It was driving him a bit crazy. It's not just his own stuff that he's sorting and organizing, but also stuff he inherited from his father and his grandfather. I guess I'm grateful that I didn't have a ton of extra "baggage" to drag along behind me. I have a single thing from my grandmother, and I packed the stuff I kept from my parents into my Mom's Saturn sedan, shipping six additional boxes. I remember taking carload after carload in my PT Cruiser when we cleared out DH's father's house. He has to deal with all of it now, and it's a *-ton of work. 

It's Hump Day. For those of us who work more than a standard
Monday-Friday, it's a bit less important, but Wednesdays are my
"day off" and I love them for that reason. Happy Hump Day! 

I am hoping I'll get a little bit of time to relax today also, though. Maybe when I'm switching out loads of laundry or folding my exercise clothes for the remainder of the week. LOL Today's post is short and sweet, and I'll be back tomorrow. Enjoy your Wednesday! HUMP DAY!!! LOL. 

Breezeway Furnishings and a 3-Word Address

I had to run a quick dryer load through this morning, so today's post is a bit short - on time and content. I received a package yesterday of three pairs of sweat pants, two turtleneck shirts and a button up Henley from Kohl's (all for less than $80 with free shipping) and wanted to get them washed, along with DH's shirt from yesterday which was fusty from having moved and assembled the soldering bench (photo below). I knew I had to get the rust off the shirt right away or it would be toast, thus a washer load last night, and a dryer started at 3:00 am this morning. 

The solder bench is assembled. We still need to put the
top into the frame, but that's easy. Notice the new
height of the shutters. He raised them up approximately
four inches so that they can be opened to let light in.
Blinds would be much easier to handle though, since
the table depth is four feet. 

The solder benchtop was a total PITA to get up the stairs of the shop, out the door, and into the back of the pickup. DH had to get it into the breezeway on his own, but that only entailed a single shelf. After getting everything reassembled, and raising the shutters so that I could open them and the windows if I wanted, he spent last night searching on-line for inexpensive narrow blinds that we could replace the shutters with. The least expensive would fit, but not easily. I could actually get the dimension I need, but it would cost $60+ (vs under $15 for the least expensive). Whatever we choose, we'll need two sets, so economy does play a role. 

Remember this photo from August 1st? Here you can
see where the shutters originally were positioned. He
raised them quite a bit to clear the tabletop. 

Sorry to be so short today, but on the positive side, I've got a website for you to check out. What3Words is an address app that can accurately pinpoint any address in the world - on a street, or on a mountaintop. It is already being used in untraveled parts of the world to rent yurts and forested tents for AirBnB uses. Check it out when you have a chance. Every address receives a unique three-word designation. I found my three-word address, although I had to move across the pond to the USA and then start moving into my city, street, neighborhood and finally house. It was easy and rather fun. What's your new 3-word address?   

I'll be back tomorrow, have a wonderful day and enjoy your Friday! 

Cleaning Is My Focus Right Now

I went on a hunt for a specific neighborhood dry cleaner yesterday as I was going home from work. The location where it used to be was in shreds - apparently the building was sold and is undergoing a major renovation. But Google had led me to believe they were still in business. I was running out of time and just wanted to get home, so I still have a car full of blankets and throws. But after I got home I Googled once more and found out that my cleaner moved up a nearby street to a new location. I'll be dropping by there this morning after breakfast. They open at 7:00 am, so I'll have plenty of time to get everything checked in. 

Grand Cleaners used to have a large building about two 
blocks away from their current location. I guess they moved 
to a smaller footprint. Now that I know exactly where they are 
located, I can drop my cleaning off this morning on the way 
to work. 

Normally I don't do dry cleaning. I live my life with my washer and dryer and I use them a lot (for only two people, I do an average of six loads a week. I'm a bit obsessed with clean clothing and linens). In this case, however, I think dry cleaning is a necessity. These are items that have been on my breezeway for the winter, or for several winters, mainly because I didn't want to introduce bugs or clothes moths into my home. I always get a few, but I'm hoping to eliminate as many as possible. Chemicals can do what a washing machine can't, and sometimes they're necessary. 

I'm not fond of the chemicals needed for true dry cleaning, but
they are pretty firmly regulated now. Do you remember this old
saying by DuPont? It got skewed a bit over time, and now is
more often termed "Better Living Through Chemistry", a bit
of a chance from the original, isn't it? 

I'm going to be hoping that the cleaners don't lose or ruin my blankets. In the past (long past, I fully admit, with a totally different cleaner), I deposited four comforters with a dry cleaner near where I worked at the time, and they "lost" one of them - of course the pattern I loved the most. I raised a serious fuss and they paid me to replace the comforter, but I never went back, and have had hesitations about bringing large loads into dry cleaners ever since. This, unfortunately, is a large load and I don't have much of a choice. I'm crossing my fingers that all will work out well. 

We've finally got the first leaves on many of our trees, and the
very earliest blooming trees are starting to come out in their glory.
Spring may finally have come! I'm so happy! 

So, as I wrap this up, May is staring me in the face. Today is the last day of April, my trees are starting to look fluffy and have the beginnings of leaves, and I just saw my first egret of the season on Monday night as I was driving home from work. I think Spring is finally here in the Frozen Northlands (despite the four-inches of snow the southern part of my state received over the weekend). I'm ready to declare Winter officially over for another year. Huzzah! 

Have a totally fabulous Tuesday and enjoy your day. I'll return tomorrow, at least that's the plan. We're moving full-speed-ahead with cleaning, and working through boxes of paperwork, shredding things right and left. It feels really good to destroy, sometimes - LOL.