My Weblog

Morning's work

Last night I did get that load of laundry done. But, when I went to unload the washer, I realized I had 2 dry-flat items. That meant I couldn't get much else on the rack. Well, this morning I got what was dry on the rack folded and put away and hung out the remaining pieces. I hauled a bunch of recycling outside to the bin, and then hauled the bins to the curb. I had a small grocery order waiting for me to pick up. I loaded mote bags of decluttered stuff into the back of the van as I left. I got my grocery order and then went to the goodwill drop off. Took a while--the goodwill employee who helped me said they'd been really busy. I can testify to that as I had to circle the mall's parking lot before I got into one of the drop off parking places. However, I'm back home now, about 7 bags out of my house. And I've unloaded all but the bag of dog food from my van. 

At this point I have a raging headache. I took some ibuprofen and now I'm going to lie down til the headache lets up. If there's still light outside, I'll attack that bag of dog food. If not, it'll go on tomorrow's to do list...........I still have some dogfood in the bag she came with, so she won't go hungry.

Better not Perfect

I have pulled up my big girl panties and begun trying to declutter again. I really want "stuff", a mountain of "stuff", out of here. I'm tired of overfull closets and drawers and cupboards that won't close right. I want it gone. And I am finding this a faith challenge. Can you believe that? Yeah, you see my social security does NOT meet my monthly bills. So, monthly, I am in the hole. So, as I go to declutter, my constant nagging thought (doubt), is that if what I keep rips, breaks, dulls, wears out, etc., I won't have the funds to replace it. This in spite of the fact that for years I've been quoting this scripture: My God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Then I have to remind myself that "all" means..........."all". 

Anyway, I started with the silverware drawer in the kitchen, mostly because I noticed some crumbs in there so it needed to be cleaned anyway. Can't say I got rid of a lot of stuff in there, but some. And it's clean now. I comfort myself with the thought that I will have to continue decluttering pretty much for the rest of my life. So, there'll be another pass at that silverware drawer down the line. Then I went on to the coffee cupboard, the home of instant coffee, partially used or unused bags of coffee beans, my Italian espresso pot, and so on. I did have a duplicate espresso pot, the result of Joe bringing one when I already had one. So that is gone. A pack of straws is gone, and a few other things, but to be truthful, I didn't succeed in buying back much real estate in there. I moved on to the drawer that houses hot pads and knife sharpeners. The best of 4 knife sharpeners has been kept. I threw a bunch of the hotpads into the laundry. I'll give them a good sort when I see how well they clean up. I went through the dishtowel drawer. I did actually purge more than half of what I started with. That's a relief because what I started with didn't fit in the drawer, no matter how I folded it,, rolled it, shoved it, etc. I just did the utensil drawer. The truth is, though I got rid of a number of knives, I could still probably give up about 10 knives of all shapes and sizes. I think I found 6 of those little cone shaped coffee measuring spoons. Didn't need more than one of those  (if I even needed one). I found two wine bottle openers, but I'm now down to one and, if not for cooking, I wouldn't need the one. I kept a duplicate manual can opener. In case of an EMP, I'll be able to open the canned goods I've squirreled up! (Actually, I kept 2 because I had one break on me a while back so a duplicate doesn't seem too far fetched.)

My greatest victory to date is the Tupperware cupboard. I made the decision to start that I was only keeping things that had lids. Took me forever to match that mess up. Then I decided to only keep what I could keep with the lids ON. I can't say I've gotten rid of much--most of it moved to the garage. But, most of what's out there is big stuff. If I don't need it any time soon, it'll go to Goodwill later.  In the meantime, however, it sure is convenient to have the lids right with the containers and to be able to close the cupboard door as it should be closed!

Last evening, as I was about to start a load of laundry, I had quite the nosebleed. It was such a doozy, I ended up having to take my shirt off and soak it. So, all by itself, it went through a pre-soak and wash cycle. And I still have that original load of laundry to do. I'm gonna get that going as so as I finish here.

That big pot of sauerkraut I was making--I have had 2 meals from it so far and I put 9 servings in the freezer. Guess it was worth the time and effort I put into it, LOL.

Just poppin' in to say........

I have made today what I think may be the best pot of pork and sauerkraut and dumplings I've ever made! I had a healthy serving and I may have to go back for more before I put it away. i'll have lots of meals from this one pot so it's been a good investment of my time and money. I got the country style ribs on sale and I had enough meat to cover the entire bottom of my 6 quart pot a couple of inches deep. I also used 4 15oz cans of sauerkraut, a healthy sprinkling of caraway seeds, and a little brown sugar to give it that good ole PA Dutch sweet and sour thing. The dumplings were drop dumplings made with Bisquik and a little bit of milk. They are tender and perfectly cooked. In my family, this was traditional New Years Day food. So, I'm a few days early, but there'll be leftovers if I want some on the first.

Plans for today, Dec 26, 2021

We are edging towards 2022. In all honesty, with exploding prices, I do not look forward to the new year. I am seriously considering what nasty surprises the Administration has for us good law-abiding citizens this year. Their attitude towars us seems to be either intentionally hate filled or utter idiocy. I can't discern which............

Anyway, I laid out some pork country style ribs last night. My intention is to cook up a big pot of pork and sauerkraut and dumplings. I'm looking forward to that as I do tend to do that rather well.

I want to declutter at least one cupboard today.

I need to do a load of laundry.

I'm closing on having the budget updated through the December statement.

I will make several trips outside with trash and recycling. If I have extra energy, there is donation stuff that needs to go to the van.

Mucho filing to be done with regard to accumulated paper on the desk. I am considering NOT filing much of what I would ordinarily file. It seems to me that most everybody I pay monthly has the info I might need available online. 

We'll see how all this goes. Anything extra I can throw in will be a bonus.

Christmas Summary.........

Not much to report. No presents. No turkey. No family gathered around the table. Alissa and I spent a quiet day. We had a no-sad-dreams nap early this afternoon. What else can I say?

I guess the Lord gave me a Christmas present, but I'll have to work for it. I received an e-mail from a long-ago boyfriend of my daughter's. She brought him home and I adopted him. They broke up but I've been in touch with him lately through Facebook. Anyway, he needs some accounting work and some tax counseling/work. He used someone else last year and got taken to the cleaners. He decided he could trust me (that's always nice to hear) and wants to meet up sometime in the coming week or two. I will, of course, NOT take him to the cleaners, but whatever I do charge him will come in handy.

Alissa is, I think, completely adjusted to her new home. She' snoozing right now, on the smaller of her two beds, about 4 feet from my chair. Sadly, she seems to have gas. Phew! She uses the pet door when the necessity arises, enjoys her food--always served with a little something extra (beef broth right now), alerts/barks when someone comes to the door, and goes bonkers when I return home after a 15 minute absence. Without a doubt, my bed is her domain. Happily, she does not jump up on me when she goes bonkers--just runs victory laps around the living room and office. She is trained NOT to go into the kitchen which I love. I am not in favor of dog-shaped bumps in the kitchen floor when I'm cooking. Oddly, she also doesn't enter the bathrooms either. She just waits around outside the door til I come out of there. 

I've got the budget updated through the end of November. That's been interesting. Here's some good news: the local power company has decided to reduce my monthly budget payment by $12 a month for the next year. That seems kind of freaky, but I'm loving it. As it turns out, my increased Social Security benefit for the new year is $12 less than I expected. Guess it balances out.

I bought a small LED work light and it's been delivered. It sure helps with the lighting in the garage. There is one window in there with a bamboo blind on it. The window faces east. So, one can really count on any natural light out there in the mornings. And right now the overhead lights out there are not functioning properly. I've only been going out there with a flashlight til now. That makes it difficult to do much out there with only one available hand. In the past, I would open the garage door, but I can't do that now without climbing. A few months ago, a guy I used to work with came over to work on my computer. I had a garage door opener in its box in my van. (The one I have installed needs to be replaced.) Anyway, when he learned about that he brought it into the garage for me--much safer.. He was worried when he learned I didn't have good security on the garage door. He climbed up and more or less made it impenetrable with a C clamp. So, with the new light, I can probably accomplish more clean up, desperately needed, out there.

That's about it for now. I hope everyone enjoyed a good Christmas. Mine has been very quiet, but quiet is okay too.

Oh dear..............

Did some grocery shopping two days ago and scared myself. I had already increased my grocery budget by 25%, but this is gonna get dicey, folks. I bought NO meat and NO fresh produce. Nevertheless, just buying enough to replace what I've used in the last two weeks, my total was 50% over my "increased" budget. Until the roommate left, one of the things I ate a lot of was those pot pies people talk badly about. Well, truthfully, I like them and I could get out of my own kitchen and away from her and her dog quickly, while still having hot food. I bought two of them today. They were $2.79 each 4 months ago. Today they were $3.79. That's a 36% price increase. About 4 weeks ago I bought a 72 oz bag of chocolate chips for $8.99. Today it cost me $7.99 for 24 oz. That's equivalent to $23.97 for 72 oz . That's a 300% increase. A 30oz jar of Miracle Whip set me back $5.99. It used to be $3.99. That's a 50% increase. I bought a jar of applesauce in a size which in July cost me $1.69. Today that same size jar was $3.49. That is more than a 150% increase. But, hey, my Social Security went up 5.8% which will surely be enough for the escalating prices ..........Or, maybe it would be good to look in the mirror and see a flat belly again.........

It's the 24th of December. I just woke up from a "family" oriented dream. The big thing that was notable is that I am the only person in the dream who is still alive. I dreamt my father (who died in 2000) and I had gone back to the home where my grand parents had lived. In the dream, both of my grandparents were dead. (They died 50-60 years ago.) We were staying in their former home and I was wandering through there, overwhelmed by memories of being there in the past and, of each of my grandparents. I was standing outside the kitchen door, wanting to go in but not wanting to go in because I knew, this trip, my grandmother would not be there. The kitchen, with the refrigerator to the front left and the sink to the front right, the stove to the near right and the pantry to the left, on the back wall, and the round table in the middle of the room--that stuff would still be just where I remembered, but my grandmother would not be there. In my mind, I regretted that we had not brought my little dog, Coco, with us. After all, my grandparents had enjoyed playing with her so much. And I woke up crying because my grandparents were dead and I missed them. So, I cried for my grandparents, gone more than half a century, my father dead more than 20 years ago, my dog gone more than 30 years ago. Even that house where I can envision every piece of furniture in place was torn down shortly after my grandfather passed and the area where it stood is now covered by a freeway. Nothing remains. Not a great dream for a Christmas Eve Day. 

My family is all missing. Nanny, Pappy, my aunts and uncles (still have 3 on my mother's side, 3000 miles away), my two oldest cousins, my father, my husband, and last to go, my mother. And how many beloved pets have gone. I hope I will be reunited with those who are gone ahead someday, maybe even the dogs. My daughter and grandchildren are also MIA. Every day is much the same. Most days I manage to shove aside my thoughts of what ought to be, what I have wished for. Some of these people are enjoying their heavenly reward and I will see them again. Others Satan has stolen from me. Oh, well, I guess I need to go clean, declutter or organize something or today will turn into a day of perpetual waterworks. It's all in God's hands and only He can change anything anyway. Meanwhile I have cupboards that need to be decluttered, cleaned and organized. I also have donation bags to carry to the can, budgeting to work on, and paper to file or toss. Yup, I can do this. Through Christ who strengthens me.

Please forgive my maudlin post. I try not to let this happen. It's not good for me nor is it edifying for you. Prayers would be good............

Edited to add, after a while of offering the sacrifice of praise (and sometimes is really hard, a matter of determination and will, this is my song...

When peace like a river attendeth my way,
when sorrows like sea billows roll;
whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say,
"It is well, it is well with my soul."

It is well with my soul;
it is well, it is well with my soul.

If you don't know the story of Horatio Spafford, who wrote these lyrics, Google it. You'll be glad you did and amazed at what God can do in the human heart.

 

Ruh-Roh

I'm not having my best morning. Don't know why, but my knees and hips are back-talkin' me. And my back, in its usual spot, is rumbling on about a future muscle spasm. It's sore right now, but it's threatening to get worse. I need prayer, people.

I had plans to knock out some errands this afternoon. There's a "new" Winco in the neighborhood. It's been around a few months now, but I haven't been there. I have a friend who swears by Winco. On her recommendation, I tried a different Winco several years ago. I was not impressed and it was 13 miles one-way to get there. Specifically, I thought the produce department at that store was a real disappointment. The produce was limited and small and "old" looking.  But I know that chain stores can vary from location to location. Maybe it was just that the produce manager at that store was in over his head. So, in that the "new" Winco is so close by, I feel like I should check it out. There are two main things that have kept me back--I am a sale shopper and Winco does not have a "pick-up" service.

I try not to go to the store and buy what I need for today's or this week's meals. Rather, i pour through the sale papers. If sour cream is on sale and I have a limited amount in the house, then I buy sour cream when it's on sale. I am constantly on the prowl for sales on meat products. When I find a good sale on something, I stock up to the extent my limited budget and freezer space will allow. That way, when everyone else is paying $4.99-$5.49 for comparable grade ground beef, I can make a ground beef based entree with ground beef for which I paid only $3.99. If it's winter, it's not the time for a tomato and mozzarella salad because tomato prices are at their peak. Instead, there's a carrot salad I make that is delicious and carrots are in season and therefore cheaper. Winco, sadly, does not have advertised sales. All you can do is wander around and hope you can find something you have the skills to cook at a decent price. This throws everything out of whack for me.

The last time I was in a large grocery store, I barely made it out of the parking lot. It was my own fault, and I had done a REAL stock up at Krogers case lot sale. The cart was REALLY heavy. By the time I pushed it through the store, through the checkout line, and out of the store, I barely had enough left to unload the cart into my car. I remember sitting in the car, head resting on my arms on the steering wheel, trying to pull together enough wherewithal to drive home. Now, I didn't have to buy all that stuff. And I could have asked to have some one help me to my car with it. But, it was a very disheartening experience. Even somewhat "scary." And so I've been doing pick up orders ever since--I no longer have confidence I can walk through the stores to shop and come home and turn around to carry my stuff into the house. 

If I were a woman of great faith, I would pray, go, and trust God to get me through it. Just don't know, in view of current circumstances, if I can muster that kind of faith...........But, of course, this is exactly the time mustering my faith is called for.............

Miss Alissa is doing well. She is sleeping about 3 feet from me right now. It took about 2 days to get her to understand I do not want her on the loveseat. But, when I found her up there, she responded to voice commands to get off--no tugging or pulling required. She avoids the tubing for the Oxygen concentrator which I appreciate. The ex-roommate's dog delighted in lying on the tubing or stepping on it. I felt like I was gonna have whiplash just trying to walk to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee. Alissa doesn't come in the kitchen. I really appreciate that. I have always trained my own dogs to stay out of there--I didn't want to walk on one of them and end up hurting the dog or hurting myself as the result of a fall. Oddly, she also doesn't come in the bathrooms either. I've read that having a dog follow you into the restroom is an instinct thing. Apparently, in a pack, dogs realize that a dog who is doing its business is not in a position to fend off an attack. So they hang around to keep their pack-mate safe at those times. Well, Alissa will pace back and forth outside the open door, keeping an eye on things, but, so far, she has not entered a bathroom. I'm okay with that, LOL! 

So far, I have only discovered one thing I don't like about having her around. Her dog food is the "small bites" one would ordinarily feed a small dog. I have "small bites" of dog food in a pretty large area around her food bowl. Don't quite know what to do about that. I'm having trouble trying to sweep it up with a broom, and I do not like having my vacuum filled with it either. As soon as I run out of the food she came with, I will try the "big bite" dog food and see if that helps at all. She is not eating as much as I was told to feed her and seems a little underweight. I don't really think she likes dry food. She scarfs it all down if I put something on it. So far I've added chicken broth, watered down unstuffed cabbage soup, and watered down potato soup. All of those have received a thumbs up.

Well, that's it for now. Yesterday was my birthday which I passed alone, very quietly.

Spared--A terrible fate

If you remember, I went to DMV to renew my driver's license on Monday. I turned around and left because I didn't have a mask. I intended to go back on Tuesday. However, it was cold, windy, and rainy. I did NOT want to drive in that. Other drivers, especially if they've moved here recently, just have no clue how slippery the roads get when it rains. It is unlike anything they've ever experienced if they've lived anywhere that gets more than 4 inches of annual rainfall. Today I was again planning the trek to DMV. However, a careful reading of their website says I can schedule an appointment. Then, even after my birthday, if I'm stopped, I can just show a copy of the confirmation e-mail for the appointment and I'm okay.

So, I have an appointment on January 26th--the first available date. I don't know what it's like in your state if you have to go to DMV, but, here it is a rotten experience. You can sit there waiting up to 3 hours. And, just now, some degree of "danger", according to Biden, lurks in that fleshpile called a waiting area. It would be required that I wear a mask and I don't think I'd be in great condition if I were forced to wear a mask for 3 hours. So, all around, the scheduled appointment is a better solution. I've done an appointment once before and was literally in and out in 1/2 an hour.

Today's plans also called for me to make multiple trips to the garage and outside. I may not have told you but I hesitate to do either one of those things. When I fell and broke my wrist, I was outside, wrestling the trashcans. So, going out there, I am super careful and even somewhat hesitant. The garage is dimly lit and cluttered. What I don't want is another fall! But, today I pulled up my granny panties and got to work. I hauled a very heavy trash bag out to the bin. Then I made numerous trips to the garage. I'm proud of myself and that removed some excess stuff from the kitchen where it was waiting and waiting and............well, you get the picture.

One of the items that moved back to the garage was the coffee pot I pulled from there a few weeks ago when the Keurig quit working. No I didn't spend $70 on a new Keurig. I had run vinegar through it several times in the days before. But, I gave up on it when I had no success with that. But, I couldn't bring myself to toss the Keurig. I had managed to produce good coffee in that other pot, but it took a solid 10 minutes to get a cup. And then, there were numerous cups leftover. I'm too cheap to just throw those extra cups away, but each successive cup tasted less good than the last. So, while I was glad I didn't have to buy a new pot just to have coffee, I wasn't thrilled with my ultimate choice to drink deteriorating coffee or throwing it away and making a fresh pot. 

I gathered up the "dead" Keurig and gave it one more try with the vinegar, and, behold, it was reborn! I've been using it successfully for a couple of weeks now. On January 1, I will begin again the habit of regular vinegar cleanings. Lost that habit when I hurt myself and couldn't even walk to the kitchen. Slowly, slowly, life returns to normal.

 

She's "home"...........

I've always heard, from veterinarians and such, that a dog will not alert til it recognizes this is home turf to be protected. Well, smarty pants is home or so it seems. I had a client stop by this morning and ring the bell. She barked and continued to bark til I told her it was okay. 

I'm very glad to have a watchdog. Parker never did this and he was here for years. When he came, there were 2 older dogs. They would bark and he would join in. However, when the older dogs were across the bridge, he stopped barking. It was as though he needed them to tell him when it was time to bark. And, without them, it was just not something he did. I had clients at my door, deliveries, porch pirates, etc. and he never let on. It was weird not to get any warning when something was going on and I did not feel as safe without it. 

Of course, it is the good Lord who keeps me safe, and I know that. However, it's comforting to think I won't be surprised. it will also be convenient not having to wait outside for someone I expect because half the time the doorbell doesn't work............

Queen Alissa of Vegas

has found the bed. She just jumped up there on her own, unbidden. Figuring she's been through a lot in two days, I let her stay. Now, of course, she thinks it is hers. I don't love it but i can just throw another blanket over top of the spread and it will be protected. I can also then lower the thermostat a little more at night and I will appreciate that--I like a cool room for sleeping.

Unfortunately, she has also picked out a spot on the loveseat and claimed it as her own. No, I don't think so. Unfortunately the pillow covers on the couch and loveseat are not washable. So, those two items are a "no". I've chased her off of there at least three times this evening. German dogs, like most Germans, are pretty single-minded (stubborn). And Boxers are definitely from Germany. My uncle trained them as working dogs in Germany after WWII. And he shared some of his knowledge with me many years ago.

And, the little smarty pants has figured out the pet door all on her own. I showed it to her many times but she wouldn't go near it voluntarily and I wasn't going to force her. So, I've spent a lot of the day walking back and forth to the door to let her out. The last time I let her out, I went to the kitchen to start a cup of coffee. I turned around and there she was! She figured out how to come in all on her own.