June 11, 2015

  • My week so far...

    My cousin’s wife and daughter have been visiting China and their photos and videos of people doing tai chi were making me feel guilty. I haven’t done tai chi in several weeks. So on Wednesday night, since it was a rare day in which I had more energy than usual and my joints weren’t causing me pain, and since I had a few minutes before I needed to get ready to go to my water aerobics class, and since we’d eaten southern food for supper (everything brown and smothered in gravy), I decided I could use the extra exercise and went into the big room upstairs and started doing tai chi. It was as I was bent over to “pick up needle at sea bottom” that I noticed it; a yellow stain on the light blue carpet we’ve managed to keep remarkably clean for the past eight years. I paused and looked over at Boo. “What is this?” I asked. Boo turned his head away and pretended he couldn’t hear me. I thought back to a couple of mornings previously when I was awakened by Boo crying and scratching at the bedroom door. He’d managed to push open the door at the top of the stairs, but the bedroom door had swung shut and latched and he couldn’t get it open and there was thunder outside and he was SCARED!!! I got up and let him in, he laid down on the floor next to my side of the bed and we both went back to sleep. I decided I could forgive Boo an accident caused by fear and let it go.

    This morning I filled a bowl with soapy water, grabbed a scrub brush and some odor eliminator and went up to clean the stain out of the carpet. As I was sitting on the floor scrubbing away, I couldn’t help but notice that the carpet was in dire need of vacuuming. Once the stain was taken care of, I covered the wet spot with a washcloth, turned on the track lights so I could see better and started vacuuming. That’s when I discovered three more yellow stains on the carpet. (We really need to turn on the lights up there more often.) They were all small stains. I guess Boo was scared and running around in that room for a while before he woke me. So that’s how I started my day. Wahoo! It could have been worse, though; much worse.  (But then I probably would have noticed it sooner.)

    Monday afternoon I stopped at a farm stand and bought a flat of strawberries. Brett helped me get them prepped and on Tuesday morning I started making jam. I was so hot I had to keep drying my face with a towel and I was stepping outside in the 80 degree heat to cool off. I made two batches of jam that day and everything I wore was soaking wet by the time I was finished for the day. On Wednesday I made two more batches of jam. I didn’t get as hot that day. I ended up with 18-1/2 pints of jam. The extra half-pint was not quite full, so it went straight into the fridge.

    Today I went out to check on our little strawberry patch. We’ve had terrible luck with it over the years. The evil, thieving bunnies keep eating the strawberries as soon as they get ripe enough to pick. Brett has put up different kinds of borders trying to keep the bunnies at bay, but nothing has worked very well. So this year we decided to try a new tactic in the ongoing bunny war.

    berry owl

    That’s 20 strawberries in the basket! I don’t think we’ve ever gotten more than six at a time. It’s not 100% effective; some of the berries had been nibbled by bunny teeth. But it’s a start.

    What else have I been up to? Not much; just getting older. I took both my pairs of glasses in to be adjusted today. Neither of them has been comfortable. In fact, the pair that is usually comfortable has been downright painful lately, pinching the bridge of my nose and causing a red knot on one side. The lady who adjusted them has been taking care of my new orders and adjustments for years and she said that sometimes it’s just that we’re getting older and our skin is more sensitive to the pressure. I really didn’t need to hear that when I’m just four days into a new age number. Bah! Humbug! Who needs to see, anyway? Stupid glasses. Stupid birthdays. Stupid nose.

    Friday night, Brett and I are doing Wine & Canvas. I keep thinking that maybe this time I won’t have to drive and can actually do the Wine part of Wine & Canvas. That would be fun! I’m also hoping to find time to get a pedicure on Friday. I’ve been trying all week, but… jam…

    So that’s my week. I complain about getting older and my stupid glasses hurting my stupid nose, but I’ve been very grateful this week that my joints have not been too painful. I’ve had issues with various fingers and one wrist throughout the week, however none of those lasted more than a day or so at a time. My knees, ankles, feet and shoulders have been relatively pain-free. This is a huge blessing; I was popping Tramadol like candy for a while there, but I haven’t needed to take one so far this week.

     

Comments (6)

  • What a week! Poor Boo -- he must have been really scared! I'm glad the owl did its job and kept the bunnies pretty much under control in the strawberry patch -- hope it works in the raspberry patch as well :-) ! Am packing tonight to be ready to go to Santa Barbara tomorrow -- and tomorrow the power washers will be working on my house preparatory to painting while I'm gone next week -- how well that worked out! It's been hot and humid here -- up to 90, and nearby hurricane humid, but little rain. Glad your joints are cooperating this week -- it's easier in the summer!

  • I have felt my glasses bother my nose before too. I've only had them a few years though, but I think I am due for a new pair.
    I do hope you show pictures after the painting session again. That was so much fun to see the similarities and differences for the same subject.

  • Yummy, strawberries! I need to get some and make some shortcake. It's a favorite at our house. Dogs do weird things during thunderstorms. I wonder if it hurts their sensitive ears or maybe they think it's the end of the world again and again? :P

  • Bo was afraid but you are like a mother for him ! :)
    Janine also is making strawberries jam at this time . It smells good in ythe kitchen.
    Love
    michel
    https://fauquetmichel.wordpress.com/

  • You have been very, um, industrious. Yeah that's the word. I wish I could find the time to do stuff I want to do instead of stuff others want me to do... I have Monday June 29th off work and I'm thinking I need to come visit you! Besides I owe you a birthday lunch.

  • the strawberries are beautiful! That's a mighty scary owl ~ :)

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