WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER

WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER

This is the theme for 2020. At this time we are in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic that is world wide. There are many rules, among them are keeping at least 6 feet apart, stay at home, wear medical type masks, no large events and many things cancelled. Stores and restaurants have been closed (but that restriction is cancelled and some are starting to reopen.) About 20% unemployment in the country due to all the closings.

It is a dreary story so I am not going to dwell on it. I am doing well. I have not gone anywhere. Period. Yesterday I did go to the clinic to get my finger pricked for a protime test, but it was curbside service. The nurse came out to my van in full safety gear to do the test. My blood is at the right thinness so I can wait a month to have it done again.

I do not have a face mask since I don't plan to go anywhere, but I think I will have to break down and get one in case I do need to go somewhere. The masks are hard to find as most places are sold out. Many are sewing their own masks and I might have to resort to that.

My two Bible study ladies check up on me now and then. One offers to get groceries for me when she goes shopping for herself and her mother, and I order a lot more shelf stable groceries online. I am pretty well stocked up on those things now, it is just fresh stuff my friend has to get for me. Both gals will bring me a meal now and then and that is always a treat as I get tired of what I usually eat every day.

I don't mind the seclusion as it just seems an extension of my usual winter hibernation. I have plenty to keep me busy and no chance of boredom for me. I am working on a new afghan for the next church auction.

I can't seem to get my mind on blogging, however, so I apologize for so few posts. Maybe I can get back on track soon.

Until next time . . . . .

NOW YOU'RE TALKING

The favorite conversation, at least in this area, is the weather. Go into a store or office and at least one person working there will ask what the weather is like out there as a conversation starter.

We talk about how hot it is, how cold it is, how windy it is, the rain, the snow, if it is foggy, and the list goes on. Often it is more of a complaint and shared misery of being uncomfortable. Weather is important in this area as farmers need certain weather for their crops. This has been a year of extended extreme cold last winter, a cold and wet late spring and neighboring towns were flooded three times! My town does not flood but many people had water in their basements, and sump pumps ran all summer. The farmers couldn't get crops planted on time because the fields were too muddy to get machinery in there without getting stuck, and the ground temperature wasn't warm enough. Either that meant what did get planted might not sprout, or we have a hard frost after the plants start to come up and they are frozen, so fields have to be replanted, and that is expensive for the farmers. This year the length of the growing period before maturity was too short for the crops to produce well, so everyone was praying for a late and warm fall. Now at the end of October, the hope is that snow will not come too soon since harvesting is behind. If we get too much snow too soon, the corn may end up staying in the field all winter.

Snow? We had our first snow before October 15th! It wasn't a lot, but enough for the houses to have white roofs, and a few patches on the lawns for a brief time. At the same time North Dakota was having a blizzard! Since then we have had some very chilly days, extremely windy days, some summer like days and pretty, sunny days with hardly any wind. Normally October is a month that is one of the least windy months, but not this year.

Last week we had a bit of everything, and a very busy week for me. Monday was extremely windy and wet, and I was very happy I didn't have to go anywhere. I spent quite a bit of time working on getting our Friday morning Bible study lesson prepared.

Tuesday was windy but not like it was the day before. At 10:00 I had to be in Sioux Center to get a routine bone density scan. The report says I am normal so I don't have brittle bones and that is good news. From there I made a stop at Walmart to pick up several needed items and fill in some grocery gaps, and got home a little after 12.

At 1:00 my van was picked up to have an oil change, check up for winter, and replace a right turn signal bulb. Later in the afternoon the station owner called and said the turn signal seemed to have a wiring problem after the bulb was replaced and they didn't have time to investigate, so they would pick the van up the next morning. Awhile later he called back and said the man that brought the van back said the light was working, so we cancelled the morning appointment. I am so thankful for that as it could have been expensive.

At 2:00 my niece came to give me a haircut and we visited until 3:30 when she had to get home in time to give another lady a haircut. Barb has a beauty shop in her home, plus owns a downtown shop in a neighboring town, so she is busy. I am so thankful she is willing to come to my house because they have steps to get into the house and I can't do steps without having railings on both sides.

Then I was finally able to relax and take a nap before supper and watching my favorite tv shows.

Wednesday I had to be in Sioux Falls before 2:00 for a six month checkup with my oncologist. Everything looked normal, as usual, and made the appointment for the next six month, and last (yippee!) visit in April. Then it will have been 5 years since I had a hysterectomy for cancer, and I will be considered cancer free. That is not to say I will never have cancer in other areas but it all looks good for now.

The weather on Wednesday was dreary, but not windy. We were getting light rain at home when I left at noon, but by the time I was half way to Sioux Falls it was just a very light mist. I could count the period size drops on the windshield, just enough to keep things damp. You would have to stand outside a long time to really get wet. The 100 mile round trip went well and I was happy to be home again around 4:30.

Thursday was a nice day and temps close to 70 degrees. I didn't have to go anywhere but I did have to bake a banana cake as the ripe bananas had to be used or soon tossed. I also wanted to give some of the cake to the two gals who come for Bible study on Friday morning. Mmmm, that cake is good!

Friday was a beautiful day with hardly a cloud in the sky, and a nice day to drive in the country. Bible study was 5:45 to 7 am. At 10:30 I had to go to the clinic here in town to have my finger pricked to check how thin my blood was. The number was within the limit so back again in one month. From there I went to Orange City to renew my driver's license. I had originally thought I would do that this week, but after looking at the weather forecast for this week, I thought I needed to get it done before.

Back to the weather, this week is going to be much colder and chances of snow a couple of days. It is not supposed to be much snow but it might stick around longer and I didn't want to take a chance that roads could get icy, so the trip was made Friday and now I can put license renewal out of my mind. It has become time to get the winter coat out again. So far we had been able to just do sweatshirts or light jackets. No one is ready for winter but here it comes, regardless. I don't need to be anywhere this week.

All my medical appointments seem to fall in one week and that can be a good thing. Last week was unusually busy for me and I am not used to that. Some of you will think it wasn't that busy, and for you it probably wasn't, but it does wear me out.

'til next time. . . .

RED, RED ROBIN

That is what I should be doing! But here I am at the computer at 1:00 am, unable to sleep. This happens almost every night, or should say, early morning. There is no staying in bed because I get restless, which makes it even worse. So I live with it and try to make good use of the time.

Most of the time I lay there with my mind going all over the place. Tonight I started thinking of some blog posts I want to write and one is about robins. And then a song gets in my mind and won't stop. Are any of you old enough to remember this song?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When the red, red robin comes bob, bob, bobbin' along, along 
There'll be no more sobbin' when he starts throbbin' his old sweet song 
Wake up, wake up you sleepy head 
Get up, get out of your bed 
Cheer up, cheer up the sun is red 
Live, love, laugh and be happy 

What if I were blue, 
Now I'm walking through, 
Walking through the fields of flowers 
Rain may glisten but still I listen for hours and hours 

I'm just a kid again doing what I did again, singing a song 
When the red, red robin comes bob, bob, bobbin' along 
When the red, red robin comes bob, bob, bobbin' 
When the red, red robin comes bob, bob, bobbin' along 

There'll be no more sobbin' when he starts throbbin' 
There'll be no more sobbin' when he starts a throbbin' his old sweet song 

Wake up, wake up you sleepy head 
Why don't you get up, get up, get out of bed, cheer up 
Live, love, laugh and be happy 
What if I were blue, now I'm walking through fields of flowers 

Rain may glisten but still I listen for hours and hours 
I'm just a kid again, doing what I did again, singing a song 
When the red, red robin comes bob, bob, bobbin' 
When the red, red robin comes bob, bob, bobbin' along 
Along, along, along, along, along.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I hear not only the words but the melody as well, and you can check it out on Youtube if you want to hear it, but be careful, that melody will not leave you!

This song was popular in 1926 with Al Jolson singing it. Now, that is even before my time. But later it was recorded by Bing Crosby, Doris Day, and Dean Martin, and that is my time.

This is what I was planning to write about.

I happened to think awhile back that I have not seen one robin this year! I usually see the flocks of robins in early spring when they are migrating, and later a few that have taken up residence in the yards around me. I have never had a spring and summer that I never saw any. All I can think of is the very frigid and long winter we had, and a cold and very wet spring that might have affected the lack of robins. I keep thinking I need to ask other people if they have noticed this as well. It is just very odd.

I have not seen or heard the pair of purple finches that are always here every year, nor any of the other birds that would be searching for their next meal on my lawn. I do hear a few in the trees behind the house, but never see them.

HOW MOM USED TO COOK AND MORE

My mom used to cook with an old coal burning cook stove, except she used corn cobs as they were always available and free.

The style of this one is similar to the one in our farm kitchen but not this ornate, and it was white except for the cooking surface.

The fire box was on the left side and we had a bushel basket of cobs next to it. The cobs were kept in a shed behind the house and it was often my job to fill the basket and bring it in. It wasn't my favorite job as mice loved to live in the pile and somehow would sneak into the basket without me seeing it. Eventually it would show up in the house and the hunt was on, along with mouse traps. I never learned how to start a fire.

On the right end was a reservoir for water so that there was warm water as long as the stove was hot.

This picture shows a reservoir lid open.

It didn't hold a lot of water but at least enough to wash up with warm water without having to wait to heat some in a pan. Since we did not have indoor plumbing, there was no water heater. All we had was a cistern hand pump at the end of the big sink. Thankfully there was a drain so there was no pail to empty.

Mom never taught me how to bake in the cook stove, but she made the best bread and cakes, even angel food cakes. I don't know how she knew how to regulate the temperature for baking, but I am sure her mom taught her as well as many years of practice.

Mom would fire up the stove early in the morning during the winter as that was the only heat there was in the kitchen. We did not have a ducted furnace or thermostat. There were kerosene heaters in both dining room and living room. Heat from the chimney is all the heat that reached each bedroom upstairs. Brrrr!

But, that heat was not welcome in the hot and humid summers so most cooking and baking was done early in the morning. Air conditioning was unheard of in those days. Some old houses had a small building apart from the house that was called the summer kitchen which helped keep the main house a little cooler. 

Once the stove was hot, she made breakfast and started any baking needed for the day. By the time I was old enough to remember, we also got a propane gas stove on the other side of the kitchen and that is what I used. I loved to bake so was always making sweet things as I was born with a huge sweet tooth. I rarely cooked anything for a meal. I guess Mom always wanted to do it herself so never made a point to teach me. The only thing I remember having to do was peel potatoes and to this day I don't like to do that unless absolutely necessary.

I remember the time when Mom flew to California with her sister from Illinois to see their mother for the last time as she was in a nursing home. So Dad and I were left to do all the cooking. I tried making bacon and eggs. Well, the eggs were crispy and the bacon limp. Dad tried his hand at pancakes and he called them blow - out patches (for tires) because they were pretty rubbery. But we managed to live until she came home. Dad did not like to eat out so we ate at home for every meal. I cannot remember what else we ate, but it was possibly home canned beef on potatoes. That meat was so tender and delicious. It was very handy for a quick meal, especially if unplanned company showed up at mealtime. I miss that.

Some people had a separate building to do laundry called the wash house. Water had to be heated for washing and that was done in the wash house as well. 

We had an enclosed back porch that was just outside the kitchen
and that is where the old Maytag wringer washer was used. The water was heated in an old copper boiler (wish I still had it) on the cook stove, then carried to the  porch. Most people had wringer washers back then and I heard many stories of people getting their hand and arm caught in the wringer before they were able to disengage the rollers. That was painful! I was always very careful when I used the wringer so never got caught. After I was married I also had the Maytag wringer washer for many years. A lot of diapers were washed in it.

There were no clothes dryers in those days either. Clotheslines were strung from pole to pole in the yard and the wash was hung on them with wooden clothespins like these:

         I prefer the spring type as they are easier to use.                      
 We always had to pray it didn't rain until the wash was dry. A windy day was appreciated as the clothes were much softer after flapping in the wind. Sometimes the wind was a bit too strong and a sheet could come loose and sail away.  If it started to sprinkle there was a mad dash to get it all off the line. If it wasn't completely dry, Mom strung several lines of rope clothesline from one end of the dining room to the other, tied to large nails in the wood door trim. It was a maze getting from the kitchen to the living room, walking between the wet clothes.

The wash was even hung outside in the winter where it freeze-dried as much as possible, and fingers were frozen, as well, trying to hang the wet clothes. Again, the clothes were hung in the dining room to thaw and finish drying. At least it created a lot of humidity in the house.

These are some of "the good old days" that I don't care to see again! Laundry was very intensive labor back in the day.

SEW-SEW

It has been a long time since I had my sewing machine in use. I have a clothes basket sitting here with several things that needed a seam sewn up, some altering or repair. Plus I have a few tops hanging on the hall tree that are too big and I want to take them in. They are so stretchy that I should have gotten a size smaller to begin with, but wasn't able to return them.

So far I have fixed a pair of slacks, tightened the elastic in another pair, and shortened a new pair of slacks that I have never worn. I got it maybe two or three years ago, ordering it online. It fit fine except it was way too long. I didn't have time to mess with it at the time so hung it in the closet and proceeded to forget about it, until I unearthed it recently. I had to shorten it 4 1/2 inches! Now I am not petite, but am 5'8". I know some pants are longer so one can wear high heels with them, but I would need high platform with 4" heels! I could never have worn those even when I was young and able, and now need shoes that are flat. These slacks are rather flowing and sort of look like a long skirt, so now I need a special occasion to wear them.

I will get to the rest of the pile eventually but with the chance of thunderstorms the next few days, I have unplugged the sewing machine. These new computerized machines take extra care. I just looked out my north window and the sky is looking like there could be rain. I will have to check the radar to see if it is heading in my direction.

With that, I will sign off and shut the computer off just in case.

TIME FLIES

The saying goes, "My how time flies when you are having fun." I am afraid time flies even when not having fun, although in bad times it seems like time can go way too slow. Or if you are waiting for something or someone who is late, or waiting for water to boil, the time just drags on and on.

Here we are in the middle of July already. I almost wrote June there. Schools will be starting again in about four short weeks. No doubt the kids think they just got out of school and summer should not be over so soon. I am horrible at making any advance plans like so many of you, so I just take things day by day.

Three weeks ago I had laser done on both eyes for what is commonly called secondary cataracts, which many people get after they have cataract surgery. It just means that the membrane behind the implant becomes cloudy. The laser zaps some slits in the membrane to let the light in and vision clears up almost immediately. I could really tell the difference as I drove myself home after it was done. It took a couple of days to become totally in focus. This week I saw my regular eye doctor to see if I needed glasses after the procedure, but my vision is again 20/20 two years after the surgery. I have found that most people end up with glasses after having cataracts removed, so I am very pleased. I just need cheap readers for close up work, which I bought at Walmart for $10. I have three pair - one by my chair in the living room, one at the dining table where I work on Bible studies, and is close to kitchen if I need to read a recipe or instructions, and one by my bed for reading in bed at night. I grab the kitchen/dining pair and put in my purse when I go somewhere where I expect to have read and/or sign something.

I had to make a splurge purchase earlier this week. My laptop has been showing me a blue screen on startup saying the SMART hard disk is failing. I did keep using it for a few days, but then decided I better get it checked out before it completely dies and I lose all my files. This laptop did not cost me anything as it was gifted to me by my niece when she got a new one. At the time I really had no use for a laptop as I had a good desktop that was very handy in my tiny house. But after moving here and the only place to hook up to the internet cable was in the kitchen and there is no room for a desktop where the outlet is. So the desktop, which I am using at the moment, is in the spare bedroom far away from the tv and everything else.  I had to get a thing to plug into the computer to make it wireless as the modem and router are installed in the garage, of all places! I don't know what "brilliant" mind drew up the plans for that, which doesn't make any sense to me. Maybe they think everyone uses laptops these days.

Back to my splurge. The repairs would cost me $300-350 and I would still have an old computer and something else could quit working at any time. Or I could buy a new, basic model laptop for $495. Basic is all I need. I don't do gaming, streaming or any of the other things the young people do with their computers so having that ability would go to waste anyway. The guy called his supplier for the cheapest they had available for $495 and they had one. He said the reason it is so cheap is that it is purple. Well, that is my color! I am totally happy with that! By the time the set up fee and transfer of my data from old computer, my total cost will be close to $700. That is a lot of money for me, but right now I do have enough extra in my account to pay for it, so this is a good time to make the change. God is good!

OLD MAN WINTER

Yes, that old man insists on hanging around awhile longer. Most of South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska are having a slow moving blizzard.

So far the snow has missed us and have been getting a lot of rain. But then, during the night I heard the rain turn to sleet as the strong winds slammed it against the house. So this morning things are icy, and then later today and tonight we are supposed to get snow; not as much as in the blizzard areas, but at least 2" or more.

While I was making a \middle of the night bathroom run, sitting on the throne, the power went out! There is no window in the bathroom, so it was totally dark. Now, I keep a flashlight next to the bed and one in the kitchen for such emergencies, but none in the bathroom! For some reason the night light in the bathroom and the one in the hall next to the bathroom still had a little dim light so that I could make out the door to the bedroom. I just got in the bedroom when those dim lights went out as well. Amazing that there was enough light outside that I could see the window to get to the bed. Actually, I have made that trip so many times that I am sure I would have made it in total darkness using auto pilot.

I had no idea what time the power went off until I got up this morning and checked the electric clock in the living room. It was 2:30 am. The power came back on at 4:55 am. It is a good thing that the temperature was not as cold as it would be in the middle of winter, so that the house did not get uncomfortably cold without heat for that long.

When I checked my emails this morning, I had several messages from the county sheriff telling about several power lines that were across the roads in the county and warning to avoid those areas, so the ice and strong winds were evident.

I had two medical appointments for today. One was at 10:00 am at the dentist for my 6-month checkup and cleaning. I rescheduled that one yesterday and so glad I did as the dentist is in the next town ten miles away and it is still icy. I have an appointment at the local clinic at 2:00 pm and am going to call and reschedule that for next week. I am taking no chances when weather is like this, even if it is only 6 blocks away. I am not going to walk with the walker on surfaces that may be icy. That appointment is just for the lab and not to see a doctor, so that can wait until Monday.

One good thing about getting ice/snow/blizzard in April is that it won't last long. The weekend is supposed to be in the mid 40's and 50's and melt it all. Meanwhile we wait for the boing boing of spring to bounce back very soon.

Uh-oh, I just saw the lights flicker. I better get that call to the clinic made now in case the power goes out again and I don't have a working phone.

Brrrrrrr!

We are in the deep freeze right now. And I mean 'deep' and frozen. Actual temps are below zero and wind chill around -30 to -60 degrees. The actual low temp during the night was -20.

All schools cancelled for today and all other activities also cancelled or postponed, even though there is no snow, roads and visibility are clear. No one wants to be outside today. South Dakota and Iowa even cancelled mail delivery today so that the mailmen won't have to freeze.

There have been several snow storms in the area but they have all missed us for the most part. Last Friday it was predicted that we would be in the middle of a big storm, meaning we were surely going to get up to 8" snow after getting freezing rain and high winds, which is a triple whammy. We had 100% chance of getting this, so all the schools cancelled ahead of time. And the storm was a no show! It all stayed north of us, and south of us. Weather is always interesting around here. And it seems like the latest prediction programs miss the mark a lot more than they did before all this technology.

TOOTH FAIRY

The process of putting a used car in my mouth has begun. Had 2 teeth pulled, but the tooth fairy didn't show up.

It took awhile and some hard work for the dentist to get those teeth out, since one of them had the crown broken off at the gum line. Then he inserted the posts for the implants. Now I wait until things are healed up, and then the dentist will take impressions and have the crowns made, then installation.

I am very pleased with my dentist. I was comfortable the whole 1 1/2 hours in the chair, even though he kept telling me there would be pressure, etc. It was all painless. He warned me of swelling and bruising, but there was no bruising, and only a little swelling that first afternoon. And I only had to take tylenol right after the numbness was gone that evening. I was sure my jaw would be stiff and sore from having my mouth open so far and for so long, but that didn't happen either.

So the worst part is over, except for paying the bill, which will be the most painful!

UPSON DOWNS

Decades ago there was a popular musical duo in this area named Upson Downs that were awesome. Two men who were great singers with one who could do Elvis impersonations quite well, and the other that played trombone and I think some other instruments. I believe they spent a few years doing a show in Las Vegas, too, and later spit up with only one of them staying in this area and performing alone. But this post is not about them.

This is about the ups and downs of life, sometimes a constant roller coaster. Recently I was pleasantly surprised to find a check for $133 in the mail! It was for my service on the jury roster for two months. We got paid for each day we showed up at the court house to see if we would get picked to serve on a jury. Thankfully I did not end up one of the twelve for either case. We did all have to report three times so I was paid for those three days plus mileage. That assuaged my grumbling about not receiving the requested excusal until I had already reported for the last time and only two days before our term was up.

Just a few days later there was a huge downer. On Wednesday I had been to the dentist for my 6 month cleaning and all went well. Then on Sunday a large molar crown broke off for the second time. About 2  years ago it broke off the first time and I convinced the dentist to cement it back on, knowing that it would not last a long time but postponed a huge bill.  . . . . until now.

The best option is to have what is left of that tooth and the iffy molar next to it extracted, put in two implants with a third molar bridge to give me a good chewing surface on that side, since there was already a gap there. I asked what that would cost and he said the best he could do is between $6,000 to $8,000!! Just for replacing 3 teeth! I do not want to put a 'new' used car in my mouth!

The first house we bought was $14,000, and brand new cars could be bought for $3,000. Can you imagine what my parent's generation would think if they were still alive? They lived through the depression. Back in the 1960's when I was first married, my husband earned $67 a week and I did not work. We could by groceries for a week for $12 or so. Gas was 25-35 cents a gallon. Ground beef was 50 cents a pound and a loaf of bread was 10 cents. Now you want me to spend thousands of dollars in my mouth??

I do have two other options. One is a partial, but in order to get one to fit well I need to have a bony bump removed from my gum, which means dental surgery. I don't know how much that will all cost yet. I know it won't be cheap either, but should be less than the implants, providing Medicare will pay for the surgery. The last option is to have the two teeth pulled and then gum it for the rest of my life.

I went to get a second opinion, hoping to get things done cheaper through a health care center who has a sliding scale for low incomes, and they do have a dentist that works there. But he doesn't do implants and would send me to a specialist, and the sliding scale would not apply anyway.

My dentist does not set up a payment plan and I don't blame him as it gets to be a big hassle getting some people to make their payments, plus the bookkeeping involved, and he is not a bank. He told me about a place I could apply for a loan online but they did not accept me even though I have good credit history. There is another one that other people have told me about and I checked them out online but did not apply yet. I first need to have a consult with my dentist to get a final cost before I can really apply for a loan. There is a big different between $6,000 and $8,000. Then I will apply for a loan again, but this time I will call to explain how I plan to make the payments.

Today I am supposed to go to the neighboring town to have my 6 month checkup with the eye doctor. She wants to check my eye pressures because of glaucoma, and do a vision field test to see if that has changed more since the cataract surgery. But we are getting freezing rain and I am not going to attempt to either travel or try to walk on sidewalks that might be icy, so I am going to postpone the exam until later this week when it is supposed to warm up enough that there will be no ice. Winter just does not want to leave!

Now I need to get busy and make some phone calls and try to get life in order for this week.

CUTE NEIGHBOR

Yesterday there was a knock on my door. When I opened it there stood one of the neighbor boys from across the street. He had a paper plate in his hands with 3 cookies on it! He said he made them himself. Sweet treats from a sweet boy! And those cookies were the best, sugar cookie with chocolate chips that melted in my mouth.

Then I asked if he would do me a favor and get my mail for me. With the snow and ice we got on Monday I didn't trust getting it myself. For some time I had been thinking of asking one of them to get my mail after they got home from school, but I don't know their last name or phone number and didn't want to holler at them across the street. God does provide!

We were in a blizzard warning for a time Monday night and we got around 4" or 5" of snow. This morning it is snowing again but it is light so I don't think we will accumulate much more than maybe an inch or less. The snowflakes are larger today too, so it is a pretty snowfall.

It is time for me to hit the shower as I have a clinic appointment to have my finger poked for a protime test later this morning.

NO SPEND MONTH

Some of my blogger friends will do a no-spend month, trying to save some money. And several do a pantry/freezer challenge to use up some food that has been 'hanging around' a little too long, and again trying to save money.

I have had some large bills to pay in December and January and am now trying to catch up. My no-spend month has turned into two months and might last even longer. I am by no means lacking anything so it hasn't been so hard to do, but when I see some good sales I am tempted to shop for bargains. And those 'bargains' are for things I really don't need so they really aren't bargains after all. When I get emails telling me of big sales I just delete without reading them. Yes, I would like some new bedding as my comforter is looking pretty sad, plus could use some new pillows. But right now neither one is necessary, and there will always be other sales in the future.

In December I had to pay my annual premium for Medicare supplement insurance, which is huge. Add to that my 6 month car insurance bill, and annual home renter's insurance, car license and I forget what else. The only way I know I will have enough money for these bills is to use the cash envelope system. I also keep track of my income and spending with a computer software program, but I need that visual of cash in an envelope, even if it is play money.



In my January Walmart bill I had charges from Nov 25 and Dec. 18 for store purchases and Dec. 11 for an online purchase. Most of that was for stocking up on groceries and paper products that were needed so that I had enough on hand that I would not have to make a trip to the store when weather and roads were bad. That bill was almost $600. I have never had charges that high for one month! Thank goodness there were no charges on any other accounts for the month.

Starting the new year I have an annual deductible of $405 for my med prescriptions, and not all of my meds qualify for the deductible! Unfortunately, I needed all my meds refilled right after January 1. So that bill that had to be paid in February, which was again, almost $600 and that was for only prescriptions, nothing else. So you can see why I am in a no-spending period. And my Walmart bill was $0 so that helped a lot.

I did really well with no spending, but then I had to order a new rolling stool because the one I had has a crack in the place where the caster goes and it isn't safe for me to sit on. So my first expense on the February bill was a new stool ordered online on Jan 24, for $113, free shipping and no tax! I ordered through Walmart so I got 3% reward dollars, and I went through Ebates so got another 1% back. And I had about $53 built up from Walmart Savings Catcher, making the charge only $60, so I think I did fairly well on that deal. I tried to do my work without a stool but it just was not working at all. So the stool is a necessity.

I finally had to give in and buy groceries Jan 31. I stocked up again plus bought some winter boots for $25 and some walking shoes for $5. I really need some boots and I liked these, but when I tried to get my foot in them, it would not go in, even with the zipper on the side, so I need to return them. I forgot to take them along on my most recent trip. :( I have a high instep so I guess I will not be able to have boots for now. The charge for that trip was $215. So I went from Dec. 18 until January 31 without buying any food. And I still had plenty to eat, just needed ordinary things like milk, bread, cheese, yogurt and fresh produce. I did get a few things I think I can't do without, like my flavored coffee mixes.

On Feb 5 I ordered necessary paper products and personal needs online and my total bill for the month is $360. I made another grocery trip Feb 27 and only bought the minimum things I really needed and was able to limit my amount to $85. Now it is March 5 and I don't need anything else so far.

March is a medical month. I go in for a protime test this week, but Medicare will take care of the whole bill. Next week I see my family doctor for a med check and I might have to pay a deductible for Medicare on that bill. The next day is my 6 month checkup at the dentist and I will have to pay all of that bill. I think I had x-rays taken last time so should not have to have them done this time. I just hope the dentist doesn't find anything that needs to be fixed.

My electric bill has to be paid yet and that is $142. I think it is quite reasonable since everything is electric here. I was talking about the bills with my niece and she said their bill was over $500 for the month! But they have a large 3-bedroom house with full basement and she has a small beauty shop in her house that takes a little more power.

I hope to get through March without unnecessary spending again and see if I can get the 'cash' built up in my Rx envelope to cover my next refills. Since I have already paid toward the deductible for the year, the bill should be much less. It is really hard to increase the amounts in my cash envelopes when I do not get a bigger Social Security check. We got a 3% increase but then Medicare took out more so I am still getting the same size check that I have had for several years, but I am hanging in there.

TYPICAL MARCH

Spring?

 or winter?

March - a month of transition in this part of the country.

We have had a few days of spring-like weather with sunshine and temps in the 50's, which is a huge relief from the many, many days of below zero temps. Our January has to be one of the coldest that I can remember. February had a few warmer days, but still quite cold.

It the last few days most of our snow had melted and kids were playing outside with lighter jackets. I finally heard a few birds singing in the trees in the morning, and the hope of spring nearly here. But today. . . . winter is back. It started out as rain around 3 am this morning. Around 10 am it started turning to sleet, and now, at noon, the ground is covered again with white snow. Schools in the area started closing between 10 am to noon. There is a blizzard going on about 50 miles west of us, but we are only in a winter weather advisory which says to expect around 5" snow and some strong winds to cause some drifting and low visibility, but not as bad as a blizzard. So there goes our spring weather! At least it is warmer with temps just below freezing.

Just another normal March.

CIVIC DUTY

HERE COME DA JUDGE

I recently did my civic duty. I was part of the jury pool for January and February. I have never been on a jury or had to ever report. . . . until this year.

I had to report for a case toward the end of January. Thankfully my name was not called, not that I don't want to serve, but I would not be able to get into the jury stand because of steps and no room to put my walker. It was very interesting to see the procedure for picking jurors and the type of questions the judge asked them first, and then each lawyer asked questions. There were about 40 of us there and they called 21 people. Then one by one several were dismissed and replaced with another person. I got a bit nervous as there weren't that many of us still unpicked.

The case was a sexual assault by a Hispanic male against an 11 year old girl. It was 'merely' squeezing her butt on top of her clothes. I didn't find out the age of the girl until I read it in the newspaper after the trial was over. He was convicted and was to go to prison, a but he is an illegal so he never showed up when he was supposed to go in, and they still haven't found him. When found he will be deported after he serves his time, with the added charges of failure to appear. I would have liked to have watched the trial but was ready to go home when we were dismissed at 12:30.

After watching the jury selection, and seeing how difficult it would be for me physically, I went to the clerk of court office to ask for an excusal for the rest of the term. But, I didn't get one. So I kept calling in every Monday evening to see if we had to report Tuesday morning, and sure enough, we were told to report again on Wednesday morning, but to call again Tuesday night in case the case was settled out of court. It wasn't, so we all reported. I tried again to get an excusal but did not.

After waiting for awhile the judge came out and told us there was a delay as the lawyers were still discussing. That gave me hope that they were still trying to settle out of court. Then the judge postponed the case until the next Tuesday because the weather forecast sounded like freezing rain and snow coming the next day, which didn't happen until evening so we could have met.

We were told to call in again Monday evening to see if we still had to report, and we did. This time I was not so lucky. My name was finally called after the first twelve were called. After we were all quizzed the final 12 were called and my name was not one of them! I am sure the whole county heard my sigh of relief. The lawyers could see that I would not be able to serve without physical challenges and could hinder the proceeding.

This case was about a woman being charged with marijuana possession after the deputy was called to a home for a domestic dispute. A couple of the men who were called up did not have nice things to say about her as they knew her, so obviously they were dismissed. So she does not have a good reputation. But, since she fought so long to have a jury trial and not settle out of court, maybe she was not at fault. Again, I would have liked to sit in on the trial, but did not. I would have liked to see what evidence was given for both trials.

It was interesting that the jury selection was different than the first case. They only called up 20 people and did not select a thirteenth in case a juror had to leave before the trial was over. And there was no court reporter there like there was at the first trial. Also, the judge did not ask us all questions first.

Since our term is over March 1, the judge told us we were done and did not have to call in again, smiling as he knew that made us all happy. Both the judge and the prosecutor told us this term was unusually busy as most of the time there are no cases in the two month terms. I do think there will be some cases coming up after some of the things I have read in the paper, but it will probably be a long time before they get to court, and I hope I am not in the jury pool for those.

I have watched two trials in the past. The first one was when I still lived with my parents. My dad was custodian at the court house and he knew about a trial and asked if I wanted to go with him to watch. I don't remember what the trial was about. The second one is very memorable. The husband of my good friend had been murdered, along with his boss, both bankers in a small town in Minnesota. It made national news and a book was written about it, and a documentary tv show was made as well. I took my daughter along to court to see how the court operated. Even though it was a school day, the school allowed her to leave since it was a learning experience. She was in high school at the time.

The small court room was packed, standing room only. They finally had to lock the doors to keep spectators out. The defendant was found guilty, and later the prosecutor stated it was the first time he won a case on circumstantial evidence.

I could go on and on about that story, but this post is already long enough. I might talk about it in the future, mostly for my kids to remember as part of my life.

TWINKLE TOES

Aren't they pretty?

I couldn't get very good pictures so it is hard to tell that they are a glittery deep purple.

My two friends who come to my Friday morning Bible studies gave me a mani/pedi for a combination birthday and Christmas gift and made it a fun day!

The three of us went together. We first stopped at a small bakery coffee shop and ordered lattes and pastries to go. Then we drove to the next town and had our treats at the nail salon while my feet soaked and I tried to pick out the colors that I wanted. My friends just had manicures or we would have been there all day. As it is, we were there for about 3 hours, leaving at 12:30. Then they took me to lunch at a small cafe/coffee shop that has a very limited but very good menu. Fun, fun, fun!

And here is the result of the manicure. Again, not great pictures. It was hard to not get too much shine from the flash.

I chose a more 'sedate' color for my hands. I gravitate to the lighter rose shades so if it chips it isn't so noticeable. I wish I knew what the name of the color is but I don't think I even heard the name. I didn't think to ask. It is slightly pearlized. Then I added some silver glitter at the base and she slightly pulled it part way to the tip. The glitter sparkles with a prism of colors when the light shines on it. Of course, I also had to do the single featured nail that is so popular today, and so my ring fingers have white chevron stripes stamped on. I LOVE IT! Now I am spoiled, but it is something I can't afford so it will probably be the one and only time I will have it done.

My friends convinced me to do the shellac polish and I am so amazed that after 5 weeks (yes five!) they are still looking as good as when I left the salon. If you look really close you can see how much the nails have grown near the cuticle. But it is not noticeable because of the lighter, more natural color.

I'd say that my friends got their money's worth with their gift. Thank you so much for a very fun gift.

TURTLING

Turtling. That is what I am doing. I thought I came up with the word but when I googled it I found a few definitions and some slang usage. The first thing that came up was simply hunting for turtles. But I ask, do you call it deering when hunting deer? Or ducking if hunting ducks? I guess we do call 'hunting' for fish as fishing. There is a physical condition called turtling but it is not something I care to discuss here. And some of the slang usage is unmentionable as well.

My definition of turtling is when I pull my head and all extremities inside my shell and stay there. You might call it hibernating since we have had a severly cold winter and are in a storm watch for tomorrow. We did have one blizzard as well. I just do not go out if there is ice and/or snow as I don't want to fall and break a bone. I will even cancel a medical appointment if the weather and roads are bad.

I also have withdrawn from Facebook most of the time, and have not posted to my online group friends very often. And obviously have not posted here either. I do have some posts titled and in the drafts folder so will be sharing them eventually. What is there to write about when you don't do anything? Last week and this week I have been watching the Olympics and I don't multitask very well anymore, so I don't get much done. But they are finished in a couple of days and then I need to get busy.

A LITTLE BIT OF SWEET CHRISTMAS

There are no Christmas decorations up here. In fact, the fall things are still on display. One reason they have not been put away is that I can't get the spare closet door to slide open to get the totes. Another reason there is no Christmas displayed is that it is too difficult to bring all the totes in from the garage storage room while using the walker. And finally, I haven't been able to stir up much interest in doing either one. I pushed myself to get my annual Christmas letter written and printed along with the address labels. I had to go buy more cards since the ones I had left from last year are behind the closet door that won't open. I got the last of the cards mailed yesterday. 

Earlier this month I finally ordered some round pillow forms to finish the pillow that matches the afghan I shared earlier here .

And here is the pillow.

front

back

Can you tell the difference? This is all made in one piece and the pillow form is inserted before the last rows are done. Both the afghan and the pillow are done in a manner that I have never done before so it was interesting.

Now I am in the process of making a matching set to donate to the annual church auction. I have a little over 6 weeks to finish them so you know how I will be spending most of my time until then.

We are getting some very light snow today and predictions say 1-2", and it is supposed to stay cold so we might get a white Christmas yet. The snow always makes the Christmas lights so much prettier.

With that I will just add --

A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU.

FALLING AWAY

 We did not have a very pretty fall this year. It seems like it took longer for the trees to turn colors and then, suddenly, they were almost all pretty colors. But that didn't last long as we got some very strong winds a day or two later, and it wasn't just one day of wind but several during that week. And now most of the trees are almost naked. The picture above was taken 3 years ago when we did have a beautiful fall. It is my favorite time of year, but today it is feeling more like winter with blustery winds, overcast, gray skies and temp in low 30's. It seems fall has fallen away. I am so not ready for winter so I hope we get many nice days in November before the snow and bitter cold arrive.

I could have titled this post " Procrastinating Again" as that is what I have been doing the last couple of days. I really need to be doing some cleaning and organizing for company coming, starting Friday evening. My family has planned an open house for my 75th birthday this coming Sunday afternoon and I will have up to 8 extra people sleeping here Saturday night, and several more will be at the house on Sunday evening, after the open house, which is at the church. My son is providing supper but asked me to make a big bowl of potato salad as they love my salad.

I also have to plan a few other meals for the rest of the weekend. I plan to make pork carnitas and cole slaw for Saturday evening, along with all the extras. I can do the carnitas in the crock pot a few days before and freeze, and the cole slaw is an easy and quick salad. And then there are a couple breakfasts that will be kept very simple with cold cereal on hand and will bake some Grands cinnamon rolls. I am not going to make my own since I really don't have time nor the energy to get those made ahead. Besides, they are best fresh from the oven. One of my daughters has a wheat allergy and I found a recipe for apple cinnamon oatmeal breakfast bars that sound really good and they can be made ahead. So now I need to get to the grocery store to get everything I need.

I had planned to go to the store today as I had an eye exam at 11 in the same town I  get groceries. But since the weather is so crappy, and I tweaked my right knee when I was leaving the house, I was more than ready to go straight home and rest a bit. I grabbed a quick lunch at McDonald's drive-thru on the way home so lunch is done too. I rarely procrastinate when it comes to eating. 😤

 I could bore you with the long list of things I need to get done, so forget that. I wish I could forget that! With a houseful of people coming to stay, one bathroom could be a problem. At least it is about 3 times larger than what I had before, there can be at least 2 people doing hair and makeup at the same time. And some people will be sleeping on air mattress or sleeping bags on the floor so I guess the younger ones will have to call dibs for their floor space. Two can sleep on the floor in my room, one or two on the floor and one in the spare bed in the spare room, There is room for two on the kitchen floor and one or two in the dining area if the table is moved out a ways.  I would never have been able to do this if I had not moved here so I am well blessed.

I am going to ask some good friends from many years ago to come to the house after the open house and so will have to find extra seating as well. I have 6 dining chairs, 3 on sofa, leather chair and another upholstered chair in living room, one or two small people on ottoman, my rolling stool and the computer chair. If we need more seats I have 4 plastic patio chairs, a folding lawn chair, and even the wheel chair my daughter found to use at her daughter's wedding a couple years ago. It is 'stored' in the back of my van. I am not sure where we will be able to put all those chairs! And if I get desperate for more, there is the shower chair and the floor. But it will all work out and we will have fun. It is just too bad my birthday comes during cold weather and we could be outside, or at least in the garage, but I didn't have any say about when to be born.

Even though my family is taking care of everything for the open house, there is still a lot to be done by me. I am looking forward to seeing all my friends and family and am very thankful that I am still here at 75. My dad died at age 60 and Mom died at age 62. It is hard for me to believe I am that old as  it doesn't feel that old, even though my body is complaining in several places.

It is high time I stop procrastinating and get to work.

LET'S GET PHYSICAL

That is what I should do since I am so out of shape. But I am talking about the annual physical and I recently had mine, mostly for a med check as it is time to get my prescriptions renewed.

I have been having more problems with my back. I have arthritis in the lower back, around the waistline and lower that has bothered me for many years. It is the kind that makes it hard to stand or walk for more than a few minutes at a time. Recently something new popped up and turns out to be sciatica, making it hard to sit or lay without some pain.

I did bring it up to my doctor and she ordered x-rays of the back. She really wants to do an MRI but in order for Medicare to pay for it we have to jump through their hoops. One is x-rays, and that is done. Then it is physical therapy, so I am doing that now. I just finished my second week of that. It has helped some, but it won't make things disappear. Some days I get along quite well, and other days I can barely make it out of bed to get to bathroom. I have even brought the cane back in the house and have to use it sometimes. Not all the time, thankfully, but some days it is really needed and I don't want to take a chance of falling.

X-rays show some disc degeneration and a little stenosis, and if I understand stenosis correctly, that means bone is starting to form in the spinal nerve canal and that isn't good.

It was also time for a bone density scan as it had been a few years since that was done. The doctor said that is still good so am not concerned about that. I do eat a lot of yogurt, cheese, some ice cream and milk on cereal when I have it. Then I looked at the radiologist report and that said the numbers have gone down since the last scan, but still in normal range and the chance of a broken bone is still very low. I would guess the lower numbers are just normal aging process, and tells me I am no spring chicken anymore. Like I didn't already know that!

One other thing that I had been concerned about was my thyroid numbers. The TSH number was slightly below normal 6 months ago but the doctor was not concerned about it and said she would retest in 6 months. She may not have been concerned but I was. I knew I did not feel like I should, and my numbers have always been higher and that is why I was on synthroid. So now, 6 months later, the number had gone down even lower! She finally agreed and lowered my dose of synthroid. I have noticed a little difference already even though I haven't been on the new dose very long. It does make me wonder why the thyroid is now producing more hormone after 25 years of steady lowering.

I have had insomnia for quite some time and some nights barely get any sleep, and then end up taking a long nap during the day and that is not very productive. My energy level has always been low and that made it worse. So I agreed to take a new med, which I really didn't want to do. She suggested taking an old antidepressant that hardly anyone prescribes as an antidepressant anymore, but only prescribe it for sleeping since that is a side effect of the drug. It does seem to be helping. I don't always sleep well but seem to sleep longer once I finally get to sleep, and have not had to take a nap during the day. I also have a little more energy. So I think we have made some progress there.

Everything else looks good. Blood pressure was great and cholesterol was super good. Can you believe that I eat lots of butter? I have decided to stop eating artificial foods like margarine. I haven't completely stopped all artificial food but am working at eliminating when I behave myself.

Now, if I could only leave the sugar alone. The monster has a hold on me again and that is not good and the scale shows it. I am glad the medical community finally admits that sugar is addictive. They didn't have to tell me that as I already knew it.

Speaking of food, I see that it is time to think about what I am going to eat for supper, so it is time for me to get out of here. See you all later.

NEVER TO OLD TO LEARN

A person is never too old to learn and this summer was a learning experience for me: butterflies.

Yes, one more post on the Painted Ladies. This is the last one, I promise.

These pictures are the last ones I took before the butterflies were gone, and I was not going to post them. And then I heard something on the news.

At Denver a huge blip showed up on the radar and it was moving against the wind. It turned out to be migrating Painted Lady butterflies and it was 70 MILES across! Yes, 70 miles, not feet or yards. I saw a picture of the radar and those butterflies covered a whole county in Colorado.

It turns out that there was an extra large number of these butterflies this year. I had seen them all over and people in other areas commented on them as well. I don't remember noticing them before this year, and I am closing in on my 75th birthday.

This got me curious about these butterflies so did a little searching. I found that they migrate just like the Monarchs. Thistle is the plant they prefer, and maybe that is why they liked my plant since it is purple too. I don't know if they see color like we do, as I know some animals, insects and birds don't see colors. But my plant is the only one of mine that they fed on here. I did see them on many other kinds of plant in other areas, so assume because there were so many, they had to feed wherever they could find food, even if it wasn't what they preferred. But that is just a guess. There are a lot of thistles in this area, although farmers spray to keep them out of their crops.

Not only are the butterflies gone, but these flowers are drying up and getting ready for winter. They have turned a very dark purple and getting smaller. I just hope they won't be covered in snow for a long time. I am not looking forward to winter coming but it is getting close. We have had a lot more rain than usual already this month and some say that means we will get more than usual amount of snow. We shall see.

All the rain has delayed soybean harvest and the farmers are itching to get in the fields. This fall has not been very pretty so far. Some trees are getting bare already but the pretty colors are hard to find. The leaves are either still green or already gone. In an older post I showed several pretty pictures of all the fall colors and porch displays but I have seen nothing that is nice enough for a picture. How sad.