Another day of Not much...

Finally decided to bite the bullet and make a dentist appointment. I think this ongoing misery I'm experiencing is more allergy-related than anything but I'm way overdue for a check up and I know it. Been a couple years. Plus my tongue continues to act up. Got my tax return so while it wasn't my intention to share it with the dentist, oh well...... this is my life.

Just finished writing  an essay for the AARP newsletter. They have a column where they invite people to write 400 words or less on a subject they choose. This month it's "What I know about dads." I figured I could write on that easy enough so I just sent it off.  It's hard to get published in that paper, though. They get a ton of entries and all the ones I read later are pretty darn good.

I just took an Allegra D. I've got my fingers crossed that it works quickly.  I hate to over-medicate myself but I've been taking this other generic allergy pill (that makes you drowsy) before I go to bed. Sure does help me sleep better. I'm conscious of not becoming dependent on them but gees, you spend enough days feeling like crap, you're ready to take anything!

I hate it when I can't get energized enough to get outside and play in the dirt.  I need to clean the garage but I'm thinking if I start stirring up the dust and dirt, I'm only going to aggravate things. So...I'm staying inside and pouting.

Was sitting here working on genealogy and noticed this large bird (maybe a hawk, maybe a seagull?) across the street over the weeds and scotch broom.  All of a sudden, it started taking a nose dive in circles (like a helicopter with engine problems). It flopped down into the tall grass and didn't get up. I think it died.  Just like that.  I'm tempted to go over there and look but sometimes it's hard to walk in that stuff. Maybe I will. I need the air anyhow. Be right back.


Well, I'm an idiot!  I walked out into the field where I thought the bird fell and this big ole hawk comes flying up with a mouse in his beak.  ICK!  Needless to say, I made a beeline home again. Nature can amuse me another day.

Think I'll get off the computer now.  Maybe I'll make some peanut butter cookies.  Doc Martin is on tonight and that always makes me smile.  Looking forward to Mad Men on Sunday too.  Yeah, my life is down to revolving around TV again. So sad.

Better now...

I doctored myself up last night by taking an allergy pill (marked 'take at night as it makes you drowsy) and I kept the humidifier on high. Also used handy dandy Vicks for under my nose and forced myself to sleep with three pillows.  Woke up feeling a lot better although I'm still plenty stuffed up so maybe I'll make a Safeway run and pick up some Allegra D. Seems like I've taken that before and felt better.

I took advantage of my early morning energy and did a lot of household chores like sweeping and vacuuming, shaking out rugs, taking out trash, loading the dishwasher and tidying up here and there. Somehow I don't feel quite as guilty spending a lot of time online if I've cleaned up around here first.
I took all my hats, gloves, neck scarves and heavy coats and moved them from the entryway closet to the back bedroom closet.

At some point today, I'll probably start in on those large pots on the back deck but mostly I think I'm gonna play on ancestry again.  I've gotten discouraged with finding Jane Downs folks so I'm going to switch over and do my mother's adopted family and biological family. At least I'll have new stuff to look at.

I wrote to the Delaware archives to see if I could get a copy of Ben Downs' will which I thought might give me clues but they wanted $15 and I'm not willling to pay that when I don't even know for sure if this is the right Ben or if it will even mention his daughter, Jane, and who she was to live with. I'd like to try for guardianship papers if I can figure out where to look for them. I'll make that another project.

And thank you, by the way, to the four people who gave me tips on lawn care, mosss removal, deer repellent and what to plant.  I do appreciate your taking the time.

The kids are staying overnight Saturday (Sammy too) so maybe I'll use that day for garage cleanup. Unless we can get it done one day this week.  Mary and Andy are bringing me some shelves to get stuff up off the cement floor so I need to get the area ready.

Gotta set up my VCR for programming tonight. I like Mr. D (Canadian), The Middle, Modern Family, Law & Order, Chicago Fire, and my favorite -- Southland.  One of my Facebook friends has a nephew on the show tonight.  Also will probably watch the 11 a.m. New Day NW on Ch. 5 today. She's interviewing Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild.  A great read, by the way.





And an interesting commerical..

And April Begins...

I finally got around to changing my calendars today.  I used to have calendars in almost every room in the house but now I'm down to three places only.  I always look forward to flipping over into a new month just so I can see what picture awaits me.

Yesterday the twins came by (with the dog) and helped me get a few chores done. We were going to clean the garage but I was suffering with a stomach virus or something.  I put my coffee pot away to force myself to NOT make a morning pot -- just to see if it would help me feel better.  I'm pretty sure I don't have a sinus infection but I am definitely dealing with headache and a sore throat caused by post nasal drip.  Trying to develop a little cough too but I suspect it's allergies more than anything else.  Yesterday I had nausea and diarrhea (yeah, I share everything!) and I was really really cold.  This was especially annoying as it was super nice outside. Just the perfect day for getting out there to play in the dirt.  I sat in my recliner for hours wrapped in a blanket and wondering why I was so dang tired.  I'm still nauseated today so I assume it's sinus-related

I've also been dealing with a sore tongue, which according to google can be anything from a food allergy to a virus to a mouth problem.  I've been gargling with hydrogen peroxide but they say if it continues for more than two weeks, you have to make a dentist appt.  Which I'm way overdue for and I know it -- but I'm still giving it two weeks.

I went to the podiatrist this morning at 7:45 to see about my foot that has been bothering me off and on for months. He ended up giving me a cortisone shot and said the symptoms I complained about were quite common and he knew exactly what was going on. (sinus tarsi syndrome)  I'm hoping it will allow me to get outdoor chores done more easily.

I have to remember that I just plain can't do as much as I used to or as much as I think I'm still capable of.  Hunter weedeated all around the fence and Maddie helped me move rocks.  We got everything moved from the west side of the house back over to the east side. This area never sees the sun but hopefully, I can get it looking better than it does right now.

I weeded the two little areas in the front and we set up more rocks for a border. Now I have to figure out what I can plant out there that the deer won't eat.

I have this old beat up box that my dad made several years ago for the back of his pickup truck and it's handy to store yard tools, sprinklers, gloves, pots, etc. in.  It doesn't have a bottom and it's really looking pathetic. Hunter feels I should take it to the dump but it's still usable.

 

Later this week I'll work little by little on the pots I have on my deck. I think I'll dump the dirt out of each and clean it up before putting in new plants.  At one point I handed Maddie a little kids hoe that has a purple handle and said: Maddie would you put this hoe in the garage?

 

Hunter laughs. Maddie laughs. Gramma looks at them and says "What?!"

 

"Put this hoe in the garage!"  ha ha ha   That was funny.  They're at that age where the word HOE is funny.

 

Maddie had an orthodontist appt about the same time I was seeing the podiatrist across the street so Jenni dropped her at Safeway where I was shopping so I could take her home and Jenni could go back to work.  Jenni treated Maddie to a doughnut (and bought one for Hunter too) and Maddie was eating it on the way home.  I looked over at her and said: "Don't you think it's kind of strange to be eating pastry right after a dental appointment.?"

 

"Oh no. It's a family tradition. We always have bakery food after the dentist."   hee hee

 

Watched a pretty good movie on Netflix last night. "Another Happy Day" with Ellen Burstyn and Ellen Barkin. My neighbor, Yvonne, called this morning to tell me she has a new apartment in Olympia. She'll be moving April 18th.

 

 And here's The Wailin' Jennys............ 

 

 



Sammy loves to Run

Had the best burgers over at Wayne & Jenni's this afternoon. (And my pumpkin pie was pretty good too!)

Sammy seemed especially happy to have everyone in the backyard.  I lent my camera to Maddie to take some pictures while I was hunting for the eggs they hid. Was surprised when I got home and saw almost 3 dozen on my camera.  Most were of my butt!  And yes, they got deleted.  I should have known better.  They both think my butt is funny.  And it is!

Stopped to take a picture by the fairgrounds on my way home. I never tire of seeing those mountains.

It occurred to me when I got home that I took a picture of the dog and video of the dog and didn't take any of the grandkids.  Uh oh..

Anyhow, dinner was delicious.  Wayne's burgers were great and Jenni made red potato salad and corn on the cob. Pumpkin pie for dessert.

Looking forward to 'Call the Midwife' tonight as the new season starts at 8 pm.  Now I have to go google "sore tongue" to find out what's going on with that.  I'll give it a week and then I'll probably have to break down and see a dentist.

Sure was nice out today. I put in an hour weeding the front area under the window but am finding an hour is about my limit for now.  Tomorrow I'll start on the pots on the porch. Maybe. 

Spring chores continue.....

I put in about an hour yesterday along the fence. Finally gave it up when I realized my tools weren't working all that great.  I had bought a Black and Decker grass cutter last spring (or the spring before) and already it's quit on me.  Last B&D product I'll ever buy!  I even took it down to Swains to see if there was something I wasn't doing right. The kid who helped me knew as little as I did but his assessment was that I needed to take it to a B&D dealer for battery replacement.  What a bunch of BS!  I had tried charging it overnight and it wasn't taking so I figured it had to be something weird as I haven't used it all that much.

I'm sending it straight to the trash can. Seems to me like I've had problems with B&D products before.  I did buy a file to sharpen up my other manual clippers and I bought a second pair of clippers too so the kids can help me.  I do have a weed eater but it's just a cheapie and you have to baby it along to get any use out of it.  It's hard enough working outside physically; I don't need challenges from my tools too.

I think I've got some allergies kicking in as well.  Feeling awfully stuffed up and crabby.  More crabby than usual, that is.

I started clipping and weeding along the east fence yesterday.  Made a huge mistake putting bird feeders there last winter. What a friggin' mess!  My fault.  Curious to me, though, why the grass along that fence is so green and lush and growing while the rest of the lawn is brown and mossy and ugly.

The neighbor to the west of me says she's bothered with moss quite a bit as well, and her lawn is also really hard and difficult to dig in.  I'm going to go over to the nursery this week and see if I can find moss killer. There must be stuff for that.

I can understand why the area between our two houses is pure moss because the sun never hits that area.  Today I'll trim some more along the fence and maybe start cleaning up the front.

And this is why I haven't been blogging as much. Nothing to yak about but BORING stuff.  And with that, I think I'll get back outside and see how many slugs I can find to gross me out.

Yard projects

Hunter cut my grass yesterday and even though it's mostly moss all the way around the house, it still looks better with a trim.  I'm not real knowledgeable about plants, flowers, trees, soil, fertilizer and such but I guess I'll have to educate myself as I go along.  I'm pretty sure the yard wasn't this moss-covered last year. The area has never been healthy looking even with the various attempts I've made at adding topsoil, aerating, watering, fertilizing, etc.

It would take a professional (and hundreds of dollars) to get the yard "pretty" but I've got other fish to fry and am not going to let it consume me.  I did spend 45 minutes this morning in prep work. That was about all my back could take and I'm determined to pace myself through the month of April as I try to get the yard spruced up a bit.

I did take some pictures this morning so I'll have "before and after" shots. First off, was my little tree on the curb.  I've thought, for sure, it was going to have to be dug up but I think the buds are coming in now and even though I don't like the 'moss-like' pieces I see on some of the limbs, I think I'll leave it be.

Here's  a view of a spot on the front lawn. Ugly close-up but tolerable from a distance.

I intend to work on three or four different areas in the front and back over the next few weeks.

 I'll be limited to what I can do here because of the deer who come in for a midnight snack -- and sometimes lunch in the middle of the day!

 My first area of attack will be along this fence that needs clippers and weeding so the tulips can thrive in a healthy spot.

 Counting pots on the side of the house that I have stored, I probably have close to 20 pots to pretty up with better soil and nice flowers. Maybe some vegetables too.  At least I can sit down to tackle this chore.

The tulips are getting close but haven't opened up yet. If the sun comes out this afternoon (or even if it doesn't) I think I'll get outside to clean up the bird feeders. I'd like to get them situated in the corner of the yard behind these tulips but the ground is like cement and I don't think I can get them staked.

Decided to pull out my CD collection and start playing them in the DVD each morning.  Took me forever to remember that I have to plug in the red,white, and yellow knobs to the front of the tv if I want to use the DVD player. Sometimes the mechanics of all the gadgets I own drive me crazy.  When I finally figured out what I was doing wrong, on comes Conway Twitty saying HELLO DARLIN'!  Made me laugh.

I watched a cute movie yesterday called 'The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.'  Featured four teenage friends who all fit the same pair of jeans and mailed them to each other all summer as interesting things happened to them while they had them on.  A girl flick, for sure, but I liked it.

Gotta get busy now. Genealogy gets the rest of my morning and then it's back to yard work.

Time for spring cleaning

I've just spent way more time than I wanted to looking for the cord that charges my electric grass clippers.  It's got an odd looking connection with three white prongs so you'd think it would be easy to spot.  I've gone through the hall closet, the outside wood box, the garage, every closet in the house, and that little bugger is nowhere to be found.  The odd thing about it is that the box it came in was sitting on the top shelf in the garage with a cord in it -- but not the right cord.  I'm hoping Hunter can find it next time he's over.

Meanwhile, as I scrounged around in boxes, bins, and nooks and crannys, it occurred to me that I have to make a Goodwill run soon as it's getting out of hand again.  Funny the stuff you keep when you know darn well you're probably not going to use it.  I'm tempted to have a garage sale advertising EVERYTHING FOR A QUARTER. I just may do it too if I can get the kids to help me.

When I sit down and really go through everything, I'm overwhelmed by exactly how much I have and don't need.  Old phones, tons of cords, coffee cans, trays, Xmas lights, toys, old boots.  I'll have to call myself a hoarder if I don't stay on top of it.

I made a Walmart run this morning. Spent over a hundred dollars counting the haircut I decided spur of the minute to get as I was exiting the store. I still look like hell but I'm learning to live with it.  After I came home, I washed a load of laundry, pulled a few stickers in the back yard, washed dishes, and sat down to work a crossword puzzle while having lunch.

I haven't went on ancestry.com today but I'm thinking I might put in an hour or two later. Which is my latest plan of attack on keeping this hobby in check.  Knowing I have yard work waiting motivates me to put a lid on the websurfing.  I don't know if anything can help the lawn. It'll look better once Hunter mows but it's pretty much moss all the way around, especially on the west side.

One of my VCRs gave up yesterday so I thankfully pulled the one Rose Johnson gave me out of the closet and sat to study how to tape.  I either did something wrong or the tape I used was rotten. I did a 5-minute test again this morning and I think it worked so we'll see how it goes.


I don't know what my problem was last night. I went to bed around 10, read for a bit, and was REALLY tired so I turned out the light and was sound asleep fairly quick.  Around two a.m. I woke up JUST TO PEE and then I tossed and turned for over an hour unable to go back to sleep. I almost gave in and got up to get on the computer but I knew I was tired so I stayed put. Finally..... I woke up at 7:45 groggy and upset by various nightmares.  Terribly weird things going on (even murder) so I don't know where that's coming from.  Perhaps I passed over to the dark side.  Eweeeee...that's scary!

Well, time to get moving.

 

Later....

 

Hunter came by to cut my lawn and he knew right away where the cord was. It had gotten switched with one of his toys.  Yay!  And I just did some reading on possible side effects from the antidepressant I started taking again.  One of the symptoms can be weird dreams, crazy thoughts, anxiety, dry mouth, nausea, headache, diarrhea....all of which I have been dealing with from time to time.  Now I have to decide if I want to continue.  I already quit them once and started again.  I think there's a word for me.  It's called hopeless.  ha ha