Tuesday, August 28, 2007

 

I was Tagged by November rain

I was tagged by November Rain for the following tag.
If you are tagged, here are the rules to follow.

The first thing you have to do is post the rules . So, here they are:
1. You have to post these rules before you give the facts.
2. You must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had.
3. At the end of your blog post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

Now, my middle name is "Marion". I was named after one of my mother`s sisters.She was one everyone loved, so even thou I`m not crazy for the name, being named after this special Aunt is fine.

M- Marriage. Wonder what my life would have been like if I had never married? But, if I had it to do all over again, I am sure I would have married the same love of my live all over again. Might wish to change a few things, but not if changing them would have interfered with our marriage lasting over 50 years, or if it would have changed the children we had together.

A- Active. I am one person who stays active, always finding something to do. I get bored easily just sitting around doing nothing. I enjoy building things in my wood-shop, enjoy crocheting and knitting, ( can`t hold those tiny needles to do embroidery anymore), enjoy my flower gardens and having a garden using earth boxes, enjoy painting and doing crossword Puzzles and Games plus sudoku puzzles, enjoy spending time with the family and like looking up my friends on the net, plus other things.

R- Retirement. Loved all the years of raising my kids and growing older with my husband, but retirement gives a completely new way of life. Miss those days when Walt was here with me. But, have found that life goes on and to find enjoyments to do alone is soo important to stay happy. I started looking for new hobbies to try and discovered how much pleasure working with wood could become. Still have some lonesome times, but staying active has helped a lot.

I- income. When I first lost Walt I worried if I would manage with a lower income to pay everything with. Then I discovered that he had only taken 50% of his pensions so that if anything ever happened to him the other 50 % would continue in my name. His thoughtfulness is what has made it possible for me to manage . Don`t have as much extra money to play with, but I discovered if I watched what I spent money on, I should be ok as long as prices don`t skyrocket too far above the cost of living raise.

O- Opinion. I try not to voice my opinion without first taking the time to understand what has happened and then only if it is asked for. I try not to take sides in matters that don`t affect me unless I see that someone could be really hurt. I try to keep peace when possible, but there are times when it becomes necessary to say what is on my mind whether others might like it or not. I stand up for what is right, but don`t believe my way is the only way to accomplish something. I am willing to really listen to what others think before answering.

N-Needs. my needs are simple. I am not a money waster, nor do I insist on having nothing but the very best.
I have spent my life being willing to go without to be sure my kids had all the necessary items while growing up. i am still willing to help when needed. I like nice things, but would never let a bill go unpaid just to buy them. I live within my means and hate charging anything. Before I charge anything, I first save the money to be able to pay cash for it. Then sometimes I put it on my charge card, then I use the saved money to pay it off the minute the charge is added to my account. This keeps my credit good and gives me security knowing that in an emergency I could charge if I had to, Just hope that day never comes. During the beginning of our marriage we did have lots of bills and life sure was harder after the kids came. But we managed and I learned how to handle money better because of those hard years. Today, if I can`t save enough money for something, then I don`t usually need to have the item. You usually find a way to get important items like a furnace, stove, washer etc. because you do need them. But other items can usually wait till you can afford them.

Well, that ends the letters from my middle name, so what does the letters of your middle name mean to you?
I am supposed to tag 7 people, but off hand i am not sure who would be willing to do it.

I am going to tag:

1. Walker
2. hillgrandmom
3. starrynights
4. Gazza
5. Geets
6. Vickie
Had many others whose names came to mind such as Cecilia , Nan or one of the other great friends..., but I know Cecilia and Nan have a lot going on keeping them busy right now, so decided to spare them.

Thanks everyone.

Friday, August 24, 2007

 

One busy day with a not so good ending!

Yesterday started out great. I fed Sassy, picked more tomatoes, cooked up some to add
to macaroni for later and then I went out to do more painting on my shop. I added the primer to the small groves where the outside boards overlap. Then I went inside to do the primer on the new inside wall. Had the wall almost painted except for under the three small windows. I had to shut the windows to paint under them because they are put in so that I can open them downward so they cal lay against the lower wall out of the way. The reason I decided to hook them up with the hinges on the bottom is so I can add chains to the tops and be able to open them just part way when I am using the saws. this way if the wind blows it can`t come inside to blow the sawdust in my face while I am sawing. I haven`t added the chains yet. If I had, it wouldn`t have happened. You see, while painting under the larger of the three windows that window fell back open, hitting me hard on the top of my head. It left my head feeling numb, so it wasn`t hurting . One pain of the two pane window smashed into a lot of pieces when it hit my head. Guess my head was just to tough for it. But it got even. I went ahead cleaning up all the broken glass, then used a pair of pliers to pull out the few pieces that were still intact in the frame. Then I finished painting the rest of the wall. So the primer paint is now done. Next is needing another couple dry days to put the top paint on the small outside grooves- rest of the outside is finished, and then paint on the top coat of paint on the inside wall.

To get back to the glass, I hunted and found I still have one more window that will fit where the broken one is, waiting for one of the kids to stop by and carry it downstairs for me. I added a garbage bag over the window with the missing glass to keep the rain from pouring in till I can get the window replaced with the one I found. Then while painting I noticed all the window putty is gone on three of the four sides of one of the smaller windows. So, I taped some cardboard over it so it can`t fall out till I get stuff to fix it with. Seems there is always something that needs fixing.

By now it had been over a half hour, close to an hour since the window hit me in the head hard enough to make it feel numb. Then I went next door to tell my daughter something and while we were talking I felt like something was running on my head. When I put my hand up there it came down with some blood on my fingers. Nothing bad enough to worry about. I couldn`t see the top of my head , so my daughter got a wash cloth to wash off the blood and told me I had a small slit, but it wasn`t deep enough to need stitches. She put a butterfly bandage over it to pull it together so it should heal better. Then she told me I had other smaller cuts and my head looked bruised. She told me I better go home and take some Tylenol as I was going to have one heck of a headache once the numbness wore off. Well, I did end up needing the Tylenol every 4 hours till I went to bed and again when I awoke this morning. But it is just sore now and not paining much anymore. If Walt were here he would be saying " I told you to stop and rest before you get hurt". He was always telling me to quit something before I got hurt. I remember one time I was washing his car, felt dizzy, passed out, came to laying half on the car seat and my feet still on the ground with blood running down my face. That time I must have hit the corner of the car door and ended with a small cut next to my eyebrow. Another time I was carrying a clothes basket -filled over the top - downstairs to the washer when I fell, landing with my head against the 250 gallon fuel tank which knocked me out cold. When I came to I had a blood clot on the top of my head which is still there today. Glad the window didn`t hit on that spot. I once asked the Dr if that fall down a flight of stairs and me passing out could have caused the heart murmur that my daughter was born with. He told me no, but I still wonder.

Now wouldn`t it sound funny if I had needed stitches and the Dr had asked me how I damaged my head so bad. My answer would have been " I was painting a wall in my woodshop and a window fell open and hit me hard on the top of my head, and my head broke the glass ". You have to admit that sounds laughable, even if the accident wasn`t funny.
Besides, I couldn`t afford to need stitches as they would have shaved my head around all those cuts and I wouldn`t have time for the hair to grow back in before my grandsons wedding in Oct. and it would have looked terrible with the rest of my long hair and I`m not crazy for those short bobs that resemble a boys cut like my sisters have. I might feel different if I had to curl my hair or get permanents like they did, but I was born with naturally curly hair and today I still have some natural waves and never have to curl it. One of my old school girlfriends told me that she was always jealous of me and my hair when we were in grade school as she had to curl her hair every night. Funny thing is that this girlfriend came from a family where she had so much more growing up than I did. I never had a rough life or lacked the important things, but she had beautiful clothes and more expensive toys and even a doll house big enough for us to walk in and it had lights, a sink with running water, furniture, window flower boxes, it was great and we spent a lot of time in it when we were small. Lots of my friends had more money priced things, but they never had more love than my family had, so we never missed what we didn`t have. All in all, we were lucky to have had such loving parents to teach us what is important and what isn`t. Our friends were at our house as much as we were at theirs and they thought our parents were great. Strikes me funny when I think of it because my parents expected our friends to obey the same rules while at our home as the rules us kids were expected to obey. So, they didn`t get away with more at our home and still our home was filled with neighbors kids.
But, when my kids were growing up, I expected the same with all their friends and they kept coming back here with our kids. My yard and house was seldom without at least a few of the kids friends spending their free time here, often over night. I had one rule for every new friend the first time they met me. I would tell them that I expected all my kids friends to obey the same rules I set for my kids if they intended to keep hanging around my home with them. I never had even one get angry with me over it.

Oh well, I did get off the topic of the shop and broken window. My head could have been a lot worse, so I feel lucky. I just hope the garbage bag stays in place till I can change the window. We had a thunderstorm earlier today and might have more this evening and tomorrow. Hope no strong winds or hail with it to loosen the plastic bag. I don`t want the inside of my shop getting wet. I should board it up on the outside but I hate making holes in the new wood. Maybe we will get lucky and the worst of the storm will go around us. I can dream, can`t I ? It has happened before.

Saturday, August 18, 2007

 

Where oh where did this week go?????

Where did this last week go?????

I have waited all week to find time to head off for some groceries-- haven`t had a slice of bread in the house all week. But, lucky me, I did have some whole grain wheat hotdog rolls, a few finger rolls and some homemade pancakes (being lazy-used jiffy mix, egg and blueberries). Hotdog rolls work great for egg salad , tuna and a few other type sandwiches. But, my garden has finally started giving me some huge red tomatoes and a little hard trying to fit them on a hotdog roll. I do need some bread- or at least some wide sub rolls. It was great being able to make a fresh tossed salad using lettuce, tomato and cucumber from my own garden.That is one of the nice things I look forward to having every summer - fresh vegetables. I have frozen enough zucchini for making a few loafs of zucchini bread when the hot weather cools of more. I have eaten a lot of green string beans already this summer. My garden is small, using just 7 of those earth boxes for growing. But things sure do grow large in them. I miss the large ground gardens I used to have. But, when it became hard to get up from weeding, the earth boxes sitting up on homemade standards sure came in handy. What I miss the most are the garden carrots, beets , corn, potatoes and onions. They don`t grow well in the boxes. Oh, corn will grow, but it becomes too hard to support them as well. I often have corn for the birds growing in my yard due to the birds planting them from the bird feeder. They also sometimes drop the sunflower seeds which end up growing in my yard.

This year was the third year that I have found one lonely tomatoes plant growing with my flowers in the flower bed that runs across in front of my home. Still not certain it comes from the compost I add to the soil before planting. or from some of the bought flowers I also plant in those flower beds. Probably from my compost bins. I keep working a three bin compost place every year and every spring I use this soil for planting flowers as without it most things won`t grow well in my sandy soil in my yard. This summer I am having trouble turning the compost piles as they are loaded with flying bees due to the apples I raked up from under the apple tree and tossed into the bins. I never had so many apples before. so never thought of the bees they would draw.Wish I hadn`t added the apples in the same bins. I now carry a fabric softener sheet with me when I walk around the yard. So far it must be working as no more bee sting ( maybe I should say a little "thank you" prayer and knock on some wood for good luck- think so???) I shouldn`t complain about 4 stings in a week, as it could have been much worse. I once read that to remove a bee stinger, use a credit card and scrape across the place where you were stung. I tried it and it worked for me.

Let me tell you about the time one of the twins was loaded with bees. We were visiting my parents home. Across the driveway from the house was a place where there was a sewer under ground. That area was a little lower and you couldn`t cut the grass there with the riding mower, so my Dad had to use his hand grass cutter. This day, the grass in the sunken spot was real tall. The kids were all running around chasing each other when we suddenly heard the one twin scream. My mother and I rushed out the door and saw him with so many bees covering him that it was scary. My mother got her fly swatter and while I constantly swung the swatter trying to keep the bees off him, my mother started pulling off his clothes and tossing them out into the driveway. We were standing on the porch at this time.To this day, I can`t see how we removed his clothes with out him being stung even once. God sure was with us that day. He was about three at the time. My dad came out, got some Kerosene , poured it on the grass, and lit it to get rid of the bee hives that were hidden in that tall grass. You can be sure my dad never let the grass grow tall there again. Then a few years later it was the other twin. Only this time is was blood suckers instead of bees. We had gone fishing to a favorite spot my husband had enjoyed as a kid. The kids were told to stay out of the water in that bog area, but this one son walked in and soon came out loaded with blood suckers hooked to his skin on his legs and arms. Back then I didn`t know that all you had to do was light a lighter and hold it near them and they would release and fall off. So, I worked my hand off pulling each of them out separately. Poor kid by the time i was finished. But you can be sure he never went into water anywhere if he was warned not to, but then all his brothers and sisters watched and never forgot that episode. So, they all learned to stay out of strange water.

To get back to why I was too busy to go to the store--I had to make this baby sweater and have it finished before Sunday- project finished a short time ago. Now waiting for it to dry so I can wrap it.

The rotten boards under the one side of my wood shop needed replacing. When we started pulling off the top boards, the bottom edge of some of them was starting to also rot from sitting ever
winter in the snow. When I saw that, I decided to remove that whole wall and replace it with new boards, new insulation, new plastic, new 2x6`s for support top and bottom frame boards , new 2x4`s for building the wall and also new wall boarding inside. I decided not to re-use sheetrock and close it up with lauan board as it doesn`t get bothered as much by dampness , doesn`t have as much sawdust clinging to it and much faster to paint. I learned this when I decided to use it in place of the sheetrock for the ceiling,- also much lighter to hold up when nailing. I also found that holding the large garage broom up against the ceiling, I was able to hold it in place while one son or the future s-i-l- was nailing. Took only the one ladder that way. The lauan board is thin enough to slope a little without cracking like sheetrock would and I have a tiny slope where the ceiling of the shop and the garage wall comes together and the lauan board bent nicely to connect well. You see the building houses my garage on one side and the shop was added on later. I have a large peaked area over the garage, but the shop part is just one floor of height and has a slanted roof running off from the eave end of the garage. So, it is like an addition added to the garage. It is an old building which originally housed a Bike Shop, years later was changed into a grocery store, when the youngest son was born and I wasn`t able to run the grocery store, Hubby decided to change it back into a Bike shop. By then the building was almost 20 years old. it has been my shop for about 10 years now. So, there was around 30 years of snow piling up against the bottom edges every winter which finally did the damage. It sure has helped keep me from going crazy living here alone for the past 5 years ( Well, not entirely alone, I have my faithful Border Collie Sassy here protecting me.)
I used the T111 board for the outside wall covering. Figured the way it overlaps a speck will make it warmer inside.I hadn`t seen this board before till my carpenter son mentioned it. I liked it, so bought it. Since it is just a shop, I felt it would work there just as good for what I used it for. Well, one of my sons is a carpenter by trade and another of my sons, plus his teenage son did most all the work. The S-I-L- my daughter married in June also came over to help.
Then I had to order a large bin from my trash collector. Yesterday my son cut up all the trash boards and him and his son piled it all into the trask bin. While I had the large bin, I also cleaned out the trash boards from my shop and tossed them into the bin. I also carried out the sheet rock and cut it up and tossed that into the bin. That job is finished, now I need to call my trash collector to come after his tightly packed bin. You couldn`t fit a broom handle in it, that is how packed it is. That took care of yesterday when you add about 7 hours more knitting on the baby sweater. Mondays and Wednesdays I go to an exercise place with two of my daughters. Monday was also bank deposit day and pick up prescriptions day. Tuesday was laundry day , plus I had pounded thru a lot of the nails on the old sheetrock getting it ready to be removed without making a lot of sawdust in the shop to breath. I pulled it outside to cut up. Tuesday I also had to move all my equipment over to the other side of the shop away from the wall that had to be jacked back up to place the cement blocks under the new support boards. That meant my son needed to use the tall ceiling jacks to hold up the ceiling while the new wall frame was being built. I had the table saw, the router and table, the large band saw, my huge bench, boxes of wood, re-stack my new boards against a different wall, move the lawn tractor out back of the shop and cover it well with heavy plastic for protection, plus the trash boxes and so many other things that had to be moved to the other side of the room. That`s when you realize how much you really do have to work with. A lot has been bought in the past 5 years. Walt used to say that I had more tools than most men. I said I bet you are glad when you need a tool you never had before. Wonder what he would say today if he saw all the new tools I have added on over the past 5 years to allow me to make even better items. I never thought he felt I was smart enough to do half of what I do today, till the day I overheard him telling someone that he felt I could build a house if I made up my mind I wanted to.Of course that is an exaggeration, but it still felt good knowing he had that kind of confidence in me. His main problem was he was always afraid I would get hurt with some of the things I did. He worried way too much, but then I was just as bad worrying about him.

A lot of work and things ended up being pretty tight against each other to have enough room. So glad the wall is now finished, but now I still have a lot of painting to get done before I can re-arrange everything in my shop.
Guess now you understand what I have been keeping busy doing this past week. Of course this also has to include my cooking and housework , watering the garden boxes every night, even if it rains. The bottom section of the earth boxes needs to be kept filled with water. Have to make sure the paper baskets are all emptied, plus the small can on the porch and put into the large barrels by the driveway in time for the collector who comes early Thursday mornings. Some days I was even too tired to read the newspapers and read three days all at one time to catch up. I also need to keep the grass and weeds from my 4 flower beds plus next to the house. The morning glories keep growing and trying to wind around my porch posts. So, every day I unwind them and head them backwards down the trellis.

Well, this isn`t getting me any bread for that delicious blt. sandwich I have been hankering for. So, guess I`ll run out after the mail, check on sassy`s water and bring in her food dish and then I am off to the store. Must remember to buy a baby shower card so I won`to have to also find time to make one. Oh, I forgot to mail out the Wedding card to a nephews son who just got married. Wanted to go to their wedding, but way too far to travel alone and no one else from my area was going- it was held in North Carolina, about a 7 hours drive from here. I`ll have to remember to mail it out on Monday. we still have a rural mailman who picks up and drops off our mail in the mailbox out front.
Gee, it just dawned on me that I still haven`t stopped to eat lunch and it is already quarter to 2 pm. Only had a cup of tea with a half of a large muffin for breakfast as I didn`t want to stop long enough to fix a real breakfast. So, guess I should eat some lunch, but then mybe I`ll wait till I get back from the store as that shouldn`t take too long. Wonder if the sweater is almost dry yet? Not yet, had to replace the wet towel with a dry one. Takes longer to dry when you have washed it by hand. The expected mother won`t have to do this as she can just toss it in the washer and dryer under the delicate cycle if she so desires.
Well, I`m off.

Friday, August 10, 2007

 

Good News, Good News, Good News!!!

Hi everyone. I am happy again. I found that envelope with everything in it that I had misplaced. I still can`t believe I put it where I found it, but I know I had to be the one who put it there.

I have a small cupboard size island in the center of the kitchen floor. This cupboard has double doors on one side. inside there is a small pull out shelf near the top of the opening. I was after an envelope to make some cream sauce for vegetables and when I slid out the shelf, there staring up at me was that envelope.
That is not a place I have ever put things that weren`t food packets, so I never dreamed of looking there. As one of my daughter`s said, it was a last minute thought to remove the envelope and put it away before going out the door and that cupboard was sitting there so handy. I would never have thought I might forget I put it there. but, honestly, I still don`t remember putting them there. I do remember thinking that it was a place where noone else would ever look, so they would be safe there- I just couldn`t remember where "there" was.

Part of me is happy that I didn`t find them till this past week because I had a $100. gift certificate for Sears store to buy more craftsman router bits. Ane last week the craftsman tools were on sale. Now if I had found that envelope earlier i would have used the gift certificates before the sakle went on. With the sale, I managed to get a 30 piece carbide, heat treated Router bit set in a double glass door case that can be hung up on the shop wall. This set with ball bearings etc. was too expensive before the sale and buying each bit separately would have cost a lot more and I would have ended up with just a few bits for my money. Maybe God didn`t want me to find the gift cards until the sale started. I went to the store with a list of the bits I wanted the most and came home with a lot more. It will be fun learning some of the new designs I will now be able to do.

Rechecking this post for spelling errors got me thinking. Why do we sometimes write the same words exactly three times ( like my heading above-good news etc.) Why is it we either write it just once, or three times- never just twice or more than three times? Do you ever find yourself writing something three times?

I think bees are starting to think I must taste good as I have been stung four times this past week. First time was on my neck below my right ear while watering the garden boxes. Two days later, on the inside of my right wrist while I was talking to my youngest son while he was re-building the outside wall on my shop. Then the very next morning I got stung twice more- on the back of my left hand between the thumb joint and the wrist and on the back of my right leg above the knee. First two were from those tiny honey sized bees, third one was a hornet, didn`t see the one who stung the back of my leg, but sure felt it. I have an apple tree loaded with apples, plus as fast as i rake up under that tree it gets apple loaded again. Probably the squirrels running up the trees knocking them off. I have sprayed that tree 4 times so far this year, so it is doing much better this year. Not sure if I will end up with any good eating apples or not, but they do look promising. Taken me years of caring for that tree to get it doing this good. My youngest daughter brought the tree home when it was less than two feet tall. We almost lost it the first few winters, but somehow it managed to make it thru those winters. I even transplanted it a few times to find a place where it would grow better and have enough room to expand in. I thought we had lost it one winter and it came back split from the trunk so it grew like two trees connected at the base. I almost trimmed off one side till I remembered it takes two fruit trees for them to produce fruit and I wondered if the split effect might help. Don`t know if it worked, but I don`t think any of my neighbors ever had an apple tree near where I live. Another of God`s good work- making one tree split into two and having fruit. Some of the apples still are pitted, but many are getting quite large and so far without the pits. A few are even starting to turn red.

I am having fun trying to clean up my printer. One of the items I bought from Staples using the other gift certificate from the other twin brother was a connector so I could connect both computers to the larger monitor. With this connector I only need one monitor, one keyboard and one mouse ( have a cordless one from my youngest daughter) to work two computers. This gives me more room to work in. I removed the smaller monitor, mouse and keyboard that was working the old computer and connected it to the better monitor etc. .

Well, to get back to the printer--. I pulled out the sliding shelf the printer was sitting on si i could reach the power server some of the items were plugged into. When i pulled out one of the plugs i accidently hit the printer and it started to tumble off the shelf. I managed to catch the printer before it actually fell all the way off, but it had slanted just enough for some printers ink to start spilling. In order to clean up the printer, I had to remove both the black and the colored inks. While removing the printer off the shelf to clean the shelf, some of the black ink started dripping on my floor and all over my hands. I got some newspapers and laid them down on a plastic shopping bag and then laid a few layers of paper towels on the papers to sit the printer down onto. I was so glad I had a good coat of floor wax on my floor so just using paper towels and window cleaner the black ink wiped right off the floor without staining it. That was a relief.
Well, I spent hours yesterday trying to clean the spilled ink off the inside and outside of the printer case. I used about a full roll of paper towels and half another one before I gave up for the night. When I went to bed last night I left the printer standing up on one end to allow more ink to run out of the machine onto the paper towels etc.. When I got up this mornimng I changed the bag newspaper and more layers of paper towels and here it is evening again and there is still a little ink running out of the printer onto the paper towels. Where, oh where is all this black ink coming from. It has been over two weeks since the printer first told me the ink was low and needed to be replaced. I have done a lot of printing since then, so there shouldn`t have been much ink left to spill. And I removed both inks right after I first slanted the printer so it wasn`t leaning more than a minute or less so I didn`t think there should have been amy ink spill at all. This has me wondering - is there a hidden ink well inside the printer someplace where it can hold ink? And why is this ink able to run so easily.
I just checked and there is already three large runny ink spots on the clean paper towel so they need changing again. How can an ink printer with no ink cartridges in it keep leaking black ink? One great puzzle to figure out. I was sure it would be ready to wipe off this morning and set it back on the sliding shelf, I sure was wrong. Hope tomorrow morning finds no more ink spots running out
onto the paper. I have never seen this happen before.

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