That week between

 Life had settled down ... a nice Christmas was had and a chance to see my daughters ( separately) was great!  ... but then the weather people started talking about a storm coming to the KC area on New Year's Eve through NY Day.... with ice, rain and snow... and power outages.  Yuck!

We started planning. I set up a curbside food pickup from the grocery store for Thursday morning. Checked for candles and battery lamps. Promised myself that everything would get charged before the storm arrived. We are lucky in that our utility lines are underground. Our stove, furnace and hot water heater are all gas.... and even the fireplace is a gas insert one. So we can hunker down pretty comfortably...

We received a test from a friend who works dispatch for the electric company warning us of the storm and possible power outages...must be fairly serious if she texted her friends!!

A package arrived today containing a cutter quilt... a blogger had mentioned  she had one, did anyone want it? I thought a quilt bear would be fun to work on after New Years... so I am looking forward to opening the package!!

My husband has been enjoying hour after hour... day after day.. of Dr. Who on BBC ( I have been hand sewing bears nearby) which will have a big "finale" on Saturday.  We have been irregular followers since the first Doctor a million years ago!

Creeping closer

 

I think I have finished making cookies for the moment .. lol!!  And have started playing around on Photoshop instead...here's one result and it's not bear related!

Tomorrow Bob has a "daughter task" to complete... hanging a shelf in her bathroom.  I will be bringing cookies and dinner !!  Our daughter's non-profit/ employer is closed for the week  till after Christmas so I am sure that there will be some more tasks for Bob ! 

For those of you who worry... our daughter is very covid careful and so are we. Her house is the only other home we have been in since this all began.

Our other daughter has more people going in and out and though they are careful Santa will be leaving presents on the front lawn for them to take in.....  

Tonight I received an email saying that a company had delivered an order. I found it out in the mailbox! I forgotten about  this last part or an order... senior moment??

Speaking about senior moments... Bob and I are both over 75... supposedly on the next tier for the covid vaccine. Now we wait to see how this goes I guess....

 

cookies cookies and more cookies

 After the Christmas boxes were mailed to Bob's brothers my stash of Christmas cookies looked pretty small ! So I have been baking more... Scottish shortbread, Mexican Wedding Bells/Russian teacakes ( you choose which name you prefer!)  and so on. 

I found a recipe for Chai latte snickerdoodle cookies which I might try  and a  Canadian friend on Facebook made Nanaimo bars ( posted a picture and the link to the recipe) and we may try them if not before Christmas then afterwards!! These bars call for vanilla custard powder which I had never heard of but found that my Wal-Mart carries Birds Vanilla custard powder !

After waiting weeks, a physical gift card  I purchased finally arrived.  After waiting and waiting for this one we decided to print out other  gift cards instead... Amazon had a neat printable for their gifts cards with graphics and instructions for folding so that it doesn't look like just something from one's printer!!

Christmas break... or Winter break if you prefer ... started after school yesterday for my grandson, his teacher Mother and his Americorps tutoring sister!!  Off until after New Year !

 

 

 

 

 One of my quilting friends dropped off Christmas presents !! Love the blanket she made... it's two layers of fleece fabric tied together with square knots on all four sides!! Soft... luscious...

Christmas boxes to my two brothers-in-law were posted... 

Car full of things for Red Racks ( veterans version of Goodwill) dropped off... You don't even need to get out of the car. You  drive into their facility and men arrive with masks and remove whatever you have from your trunk or backseats !! Easy peasy..

Christmas buying at Michael's this time.... Getting close to done !!  Time to start wrapping !

Christmas things

 We always send a box of  "Christmas" to Bob's brothers.... so it was time to start baking!!  I made more homemade Chex mix ( people have been eating up the first batch) and cookies. 

I have been printing out new cookie recipes to try. One was very similar to our favorite Russian tea cakes/ Mexican Wedding Bells one but included chocolate chips....so baked a batch. Not sure whether this new recipe will replace the old ... too chocolatey for me.

Another (not new) recipe I baked was Bob's Mother's ... Wheaties cookies or "poor man's macaroons".... a family favorite.

Today I am making a chocolate cut-out cookie recipe... new to us. Can you tell that chocolate is definitely a favorite of Bob's brothers? I will make the dough and put it  "to rest' in the fridge ... tomorrow I will cut them out... stars , trees, holly leaves etc. All the old favorites.

I think I may make a batch of shortbread too! 

With all this baking... I think I may need to put the scale in a more noticeable spot !! 

Bob is my bowl and paddle "licker".... says the chocolate cut out cookie recipe dough is good!!

Christmas creeping closer??

Yesterday was another of those record breaking warm days -- over  64 degrees. So Bob got out the lights and stepladder and proceeded to "get it done!"  Nice to have them!!

Today it's cooler (44 degrees) ... rainy... foggy etc. but the lights do make things look more festive! So it was card writing... a trip to the Post Office to mail that last bear ... and stops for Christmas present buying and  a stop at the pharmacy to pick up prescription refills.

So... today was a busy one.

frozen fog

When I went out of the house to collect the newspapers from the end of the driveway I was surrounded by fog.... and it was cold enough for the fog's moisture to have frozen on the car... the railings and so on . 

 When inside my cellphone posted an all morning fog advisory!!  

Now it is gone and the sky is blue!!

greenery container

My daughter and I went to a local nursery for their workshop.... making a greenery container. All the participants wore a mask and stayed 6 feet apart. We were in a greenhouse with the doors open. At our stations a big bundle of mixed "greenery" , huge bag of potting soil , a scoop and pruning shears awaited us. Went and chose a huge pot and started to work.

DD and I finished our projects and bagged up the leftovers....  Today I made two small displays from the leftovers!!

On our way out of the nursery.... with everything on a huge cart... I noticed some Christmas cactus's.. I want one! So Bob and I are going back

Here are the two containers. The one without the bow but with berries was made from leftovers plus some berries I had saved from a wreath years ago.

We did go back to the nursery... picked up some bird food plus a small Christmas cactus with red flowers.

mistake

I needed to "get out of the house" so went with Bob on his trip to the Post Office. I sat outside in the car while he went inside to mail some packages....... all of a sudden I hear voices of a young girl and her grandmother. They open the car's back door and start to get it !!    I say, "I think you have the wrong car".

You should have seen the look on their faces.... but we all grinned at each other. They got into the car next to ours and drove off!!

Still makes me chuckle !!

Christmas shopping and so on

 Today is going to be a busy one.  Bob is doing laundry ( yes, I know... husbands don't usually do the laundry). I will fold and put away.

Then he is headed off to the metal recycling place. He has been dismantling electronic equipment and the steel cases need to go!  Plus we have aluminum pans leftover from Robb's wake. Doubt whether the steel will make him any money. The aluminum might... but getting all of that out of the basement will be a good thing.

Then he is going Christmas shopping... and I am not allowed along.

So... what should I be doing??  I have finished my online bear show page so all set for it to open Friday,

Later....Laundry is done for another week or so.  Bob went off on his errands.... made a little money at the metal recycling place which he promptly put in the Salvation Army Red Kettle at his next stop!! Helped some "little old lady" at the self-checkout.... and then came home!!

Things are starting

Of course last night was Thanksgiving leftover night... still some more left !!

This morning I dragged down the storage box of outdoor lights  and the one that has cards, table runners, tree skirt and the like. That one also has the Santa hat. Do I want to have Bob ( or one of my daughters) take a picture of me  in the hat with  the much longer covid hair?

more later...

The deck has had all the leaves that got stuck behind things bagged up.  Looks like people could actually sit outside if the weather continues to be good!  I also put up lights along the railings!! I love seeing them from the kitchen window .

Bob brought down our tree from the attic and set it up in the bay window of our living room. It already has lights  so a timer has the tree lit automatically from 4.30 pm to 11.30 pm. Nice.... I will bring down the box of ornaments shortly.

So decorating is coming along... slowly but surely.

Thanksgiving leftovers... again

busy busy busy

It has been a busy week... started the annual making of huge amounts of home made Chex mix. My family has been waiting... patiently. I was surprised to see that mixed nuts from both Aldi and Wal-Mart had pistachios . I don't think that happened last year.

Then it was the Thanksgiving apple pie ... stuffing ... and so on

One daughter brought home made cranberry sauce and cranberry breakfast bars. She came into the house alone with mask on!

The other daughter made smashed potatoes,  yeast rolls and corn casserole.

So you can see we all ate well... but separately.

I love hazelnuts.... and am waiting with "hope in my heart" that Aldi will have them again this holiday season!!

Our area is surging with covid  so have re-started online curbside grocery pick up again. We went this morning to pick up an order.....some things didn't make the list. Was it too much to expect over Thanksgiving??

Also did a drop off of "stuff" at  Goodwill. I have been filling a large black plastic leaf bag for some time. The bag just became a hazard to walk around. Goodwill has an outside socially distanced drop off.

I am almost set for my next online bear show... so maybe some Kindle reading time is in order. Thank goodness for Kindle... our libraries are all closed with curbside ordering and drop off.

Scam phone call

 We received one of those scam phone calls!!  It was supposedly our grand daughter . The caller said she had been in an accident and had been arrested. Bob listened and then asked the person if she had called her parents.... At that point the person hung up.

We called our daughter and she called our grand daughter.... Our grand daughter was at her home lying on the couch during her lunch break. She told her Mother that she was too busy with her two jobs to get arrested!

Glad Bob was too full of questions for the caller to do the usual ask for bail money! Of course our immediate reaction was one of distress and worry for our granddaughter but then reality set in!

can't find a thing..

 Bob has been rearranging the garage... not that we can keep a car in it. All his tools and wood working things are in it instead. Went to find the heavy duty stapler so that I could start putting up Christmas stuff  outside and low and behold I can't find anything!!

He found one but no staples... off to the hardware store.

Christmas lights and trees

 We went out after dark last night to pick up a curbside dinner ( delish by the way!)... when we noticed that many of the houses in our subdivision already had their Christmas lights up and lit.... and trees in their living room windows.

Usually the lights are put up after Thanksgiving.... but the way things are, it is nice to see them now!

The weather is supposed to get warm again next week... so I may have to start nagging Bob to get ours up!

My grandson's school district with be returning to total virtual schooling for high school and middle school students after Thanksgiving. He has been only "in school" for band doing the rest virtually.  Our area is spiking... this is the reason for the change.

My grand daughter works for Americorps doing preschool tutoring ( currently virtual) and loves it. She also works for Applebee's ( a chain restaurant) as a server. She told me that the restaurant has been informed that new covid guidelines are on their way.

BTW Lili has just learned how to do assessments for her little preschoolers.   This is turning out to be a gap year for her and working with the preschoolers has increased her desire to be an art teacher... off to college next fall.

Quarantine over

 My daughters and their family have been on quarantine for the last week plus. Now they are done!!My elder daughter can return to work and her nephew, my grandson, who is doing virtual learning plus band can go back to school for his daily band class.  He's been missing it.

My younger daughter teaches virtually ... so not much has been different for her other than no getting out to shop etc. But being able to does take some of the boredom out of life !!

I spent the weekend reading things about the election results etc. and watching the online bear show I was part of. Then it was doing the PayPal paper work and boxing up sold bears up for mailing.  hooray!!

There's another  online bear show next month and then I will start on Stella's sweater. I bought yarn and needles already!! One ball will be enough for either a newborn or 6 month size sweater.

We had another warm windy day... clouds came and went."They" say we will wake up to rain and colder weather tomorrow.  Maybe that will mean the end to leaves falling...

Hooray !!!

 The Biden/Harrris  ticket  has won!! 

There are huge crowds celebrating... but we are not part of any!  No super spreader crowds for us! We are celebrating at home by ourselves and online with others.

It's another gorgeous day ... definitely not a normal November one. We have had days in the low 70's with lots of sun and nice breezes. Just right for "walks in the park"!!   I have no idea how long this will last but enjoying it while it does.

We have had very little leaf color this year... just trees going brown. Some trees have no leaves on them but the oaks are holding on. Some oaks are still green!

This is a strange fall.... 

I will go to Michael's tomorrow and look at yarn for Stella's sweater.  I have been told that dusty pink is an acceptable color... good since I had been thinking along those lines..

Stella's blanket

 

I have finished Stella's blanket. I even had Bob check out whether I had gotten all the yarn tails woven in! I am pleased with it.

When I put the blanket down on the carpet to take a picture, Tigger decided he just had to be part of things ! After I took the picture I picked up the blanket and made sure it wasn't going to become Tigger's new sleeping space.

I have found a "merchant" on etsy that designs wonderful baby sweaters... and sells the patterns in a pdf file.  I will pick one soon and after the bear shows end for the year, start on a sweater for Stella.

still too many

 426 emails today....

We actually went to Wal-Mart today.  Not our idea but our daughter and her family are still quaranty-ing after the super spreader funeral  ... and her husband's pills were ready for pick-up in the pharmacy.  Plus her husband asked another favor.... while we were there could we get him a container of orange sherbert.

So off we went.... and as usual when one is in Wal-Mart, there's always someone one just has to have. Like the nuts for Christmas baking !!

We wore our masks... kept our distance and we hit the store when it wasn't busy. A win all around.

keeping busy

 our weather has done the usual Missouri thing ... going from snow to sunny 70's. Something we all like. 

Friday would have been our son's 52nd birthday....

Here's he is  as  a two year old playing football with his Uncle Terry!

We ... husband and daughters and I ... had plans for a get together.  But my younger daughter had been to a family funeral ( husband's family -  super spreader with no masks etc !) and was quarantining herself and her family. So we changed our plans . We will get together at another time.

So far two of husband's family have tested positive...

We spent our evening talking  and decorating Halloween cookies..... which was fun and delicious!

Halloween was fun... we took out a table from our deck... made a sign saying "trick or treat ... help yourself". We had no idea how many kids would come or even if any would come. For years our neighborhood had no kids and hence no trick or treaters. But houses are being sold and younger families are moving in.

We ran out of candy!!!  Had to turn off our lights and close down!! Lots and lots of little kids all wearing costumes with parents in the street watching!

The kids were safe... outside ... no close contact with adults giving out candy !! And they had a fun time !! And with Missouri weather being warm again.... it was great!! This pair of 75 plus people had fun too!!

gray days and way too many emails

 As the days continue to be gray and damp I sit and knit on Stella's blanket..... getting stiff hands as a result.  Its length grows slowly....

When not knitting I check out my emails... between yesterday morning and this morning I received 494 emails. Mostly political.... yuck... mostly asking for a donation.... more yuck !!  Delete delete delete!!

This afternoon Bob and I drive "downtown" to KC's City Market to pick up cookie decorating kits that I won at a charity auction. I am looking forward to seeing them !  

later... there was lots of traffic on the interstate but the sun came out and the sky was blue. Found our way there and home again!!

Weatherperson was right

 well... surprise surprise ! The weather person was right. It did actually snow early this morning. A whopping  1/2 inch. Mostly on the grass though the newspaper plastic bag on the driveway did have it stick!!

Actually as I looked out the computer room window I see it is snowing again.... very fine flakes and still not sticking to the driveway.

My daughter and her family will be driving to Rolla, Mo  ( about 3 - 4 hours east and south) for a family funeral tomorrow. I am hoping that the temperatures don't go much lower and that things don't freeze on the roads.  I am also hoping that they manage to keep to their plans to wear masks, keep their distances and so on. They will quarantine when they get back here.... so we won't be seeing them .

Still working on Stella's blanket .... it is about 43" wide by 20" long ( so far).  I am coming to the end of a ball but do have another. Shall I keep going ?  I do like the looks of it.

BTW ... now the blanket is a lapful  my cat Tigger the Tripper doesn't want to sit on my lap so he tries to join Jack who sits on my husband's lap ...something Jack isn't pleased about.

gorgeous versus cold and rainy

 Yesterday was a beautiful day... warm ( over 80) and sunny. I went out on the deck and removed all the dead plants from the boxes and readied the boxes for next spring. We have had enough wind recently that the deck and the back yard have loads of dead branches and the leaves are beginning to fall!

 Today is another story. I woke to the sounds of rain and dark skies. The temperature is now getting to 40 and won't get much higher. Things are dark so all the lights are on. I'm sure a second pot of coffee will be necessary.

Only good thing... having Stella's blanket on my lap while I add more rows is nice and comforting! I think I am about half way to be being done!!

Decided I wanted/needed another "ball" of yarn for the blanket so off to Hobby Lobby. Also picked up some Christmas stuff.  I wore my mask.. kept my distance and washed when I got home. But it was nice to "get out of the house"!

different day

 Today was a different one.... Bob drove me into KC to my hair salon where Mark again exclaimed at how long my hair had gotten and what did I want to do with it. After some discussion we had a plan!  

We spent the time chit chatting while he went snip snip. I've been going to him for years so I know all his back story....  I am so glad to have all that hair cut into submission.

Bob sat outside in the car and played Suduko.... luckily he wore a winter coat,

Today was cold , gray and drizzly.... and just like Missouri, it will be back to the 80's on Thursday... and then drop again.  But it was cold enough that I talked Bob into turning on the gas fireplace after dinner! Nice and cozy!!

Still knitting on Stella's blanket.... the plastic handled 32" circular needles are the pits. Yes. the stitches slide nicely but the plastic needle ends snap. I am now using bamboo ones... we'll see if they are any stronger.  The blanket is now about 15 inches long !!

knitting....babies versus teddy bears

My daughter's step-daughter is having a baby!! So I decided to make the baby a blanket... It's been a long time since I knitted for anything other than a teddy bear!! And small bears at that!!  Stella ( the baby) is due in January so I stopped at Hobby Lobby for yarn and bigger needles ( bigger than ones for teddies!).

I cast on 190 stitches and have been working on a pattern that looks like basket weave .. Knit 5, Perle 5 and after 8 rows switch to P5, K 5. There's a knit only border too.  It's looking good but it's "oh so slow"!!   My hands are "oh so tired"!

I stopped at Hobby Lobby this morning for another ball of yarn. Don't want to run out before I get to 36 or so inches long. While there I found some clearance yarn just right for teddies!!

Luckily the temperatures have dropped, it's not too warm for a lap full of knitting.  We are still sunny and the sky is blue.... BUT acorns are dropping like mad  and branches are falling. The wind gusts are strong !!  Sitting and knitting,   the acorns dropping almost sound like gun shots.

Here's Stella's blanket. Not the greatest picture is it?? It's sage green    no baby colors for Stella according to her Mother!

Another gorgeous day plus quilting

 Today has been another gorgeous day so my quilting group decided to meet again  - outside - 6 feet apart - masks for some. One member had been away for the weekend with her family so she wore a mask. Another is back to teaching in school so she wore a mask.

Lots of talking and eating. This will be the last meeting until things get better.  This area is still a red zone with new cases and deaths.

We have been lucky. ... and want to stay that way

My grandson and I were going to check out the U-pick apple orchard... so I called and was told that the trees were picked clean. Disappointing.... good for the orchard owner though!!

soup season

 The weather may be turning... today is cooler than it's been for awhile and the wind is blowing enough for my plastic pumpkin to blow across the front yard and my neighbor's sail above his deck has come "unattached" on one side.

So... the last time I went grocery shopping I bought the makings for split pea soup... tomorrow I will make some. Split pea soup is a family comfort food !!

Spiders !!

here are my spiders and their web.... I've added two more spiders down at the bottom of the stairs.

dragging down the Halloween stuff

 Since we are going to be stuck at home this Halloween I dragged down the box of Halloween decorations from the attic. Bob willingly helped me hang the spider web by the front door steps. I've attached the two spiders to it!! Then I added pumpkin lights down the handrail and a plastic pumpkin by the door wearing a witch hat and mask ... everyone has to wear masks!!

I bought bags of wrapped candy... will be get any trick or treaters? Our cul-de-sac does have a few kids now so... maybe. If we don't... I know some adults who will happily eat the candy!!  LOL

We have had days of non-fall-like weather with super sunny skies and temperatures going as high as 84. Wonder how much longer will this go on?

Burr Oak acorns

 Today is one of those gorgeous fall days... super blue sky... no wind... sunny and in the low 70's. So after dropping off one of Bob's boxes at the UPS store we decided to stop at the park for a walk around the lake. There were twice as many Canada geese "resting" along the paths as when we last walked  and a blue heron standing on the water's edge.

But under the burr oak tree was a carpet of acorns and hulls. I've never seen so many under one tree! I brought home some so I could take a picture !

Each acorn measures close to  1.5 inches in length ! Squirrels only seem to eat the hulls when they are green and not the acorns at all !

The park was busy... lots of walkers ... social distancing was followed but everyone said "hello" .  One dog really wanted to be chasing those geese. I think he envisioned a tasty meal!

ps...I've always thought that these were burr oak acorns... but now that our "parks & rec dept" has posted a sign at the tree, I am sure!!

voted..... no standing in line in November

We decided to do absentee ballots  for the November election. We "ordered" them about a month ago and they came shortly after the ballots were printed ( about the first of October). Bob poured through the instructions... the question of whether or not we needed to have them notarized was a struggle. We decided to follow the sticker on the place where it would have the notary seal which stated we did not need to do it.

So we cautiously and carefully filled in our votes.... didn't want a rejection because we hadn't completely filled in the box ... signed them, added addresses and sealed them. Off tomorrow to the Post Office to mail them.

BTW we checked off the box that said we were in the high risk group for covid... which we are.

Back from the Post Office... the ballots have been mailed. So now we won't have to stand on line in November... and it's making the line shorter for those who will be standing in line!!

 

Road trip completed!!

 Today's weather is gorgeous... sunny, big clouds and temps in the '60's !! We headed out after lunch since the wineries are only open from 1 to 6 pm on Sundays !

Our route was east on US route 24. We passed acres and acres of corn and soy beans. Some of the corn had been harvested... some was still drying. The corn is for silage, ethanol, corn syrup etc.... not for people eating for dinner!! The soy beans are still drying.  When we got closer to the wineries there were huge apple orchards ... people picking too!

We stopped and tasted at two wineries.... One was a typical tasting. We were given a list of wines available and we chose 5 or 6. Our choices were poured into wine glasses and we sipped! Picked two we liked best and bought them. The second was really covid avoidance prepared. One picked a category of wine. We chose semi-sweet and apple. We were given a tray of covered plastic containers of samples labeled with numbers to take outside and try. So try we did... picked two using the numbers and the apple and bought them!   Both wineries required masks and social distancing.

Our trip home we took the old road along the Missouri River and the train tracks ( carries loads of freight from at least Kansas City to St. Louis).  I waved at one of the trains as it past us going East !  We drove through Lexington. Wellington and Napoleon ... river towns. Lexington was also the site of a Civil War Battle and one can still see cannon ball holes on some of the buildings.

BTW ... we had fun not following the Garmin lady's directions.... she did keep  trying to get us to go her way!!

Another get together

 My "quilting" group decided another get together was just the thing for last night!  Two members also brought their high school aged sons who are friends.( they talked and played croquet).

We had loads of snacks ... from fresh fruits to luscious desserts.... and lots of talking!!  The weather made it all do-able since it was in the low 70's and being on the deck in the back of the house we were sheltered from the wind gusts!

You could tell fall was on its way... the garden plants were dying. The chestnut tree was loaded with nuts and a few were on the ground! Split tail flycatchers were squeaking above us flying after mosquitoes... and being quite successful ( thank you !).

We're hoping to do this again in two weeks .. I'm going to suggest we meet an hour earlier. It will be warmer then and lighter!

Wonder being able to see each other... get out of the house... and spend time with my daughter driving to and from!!

Off on a road trip...

 We are heading out later today to visit two wineries. it's a gorgeous sunny blue sky day... just right for a road trip!

Dominic and his Mother dropped by last night after band ( meets physically outside after school for several hours.)  with a batch of "crack pretzels" for me!!  He had to play solo for the band teacher on his Euphonium  (sp ?)  Says he did well... teacher somewhat surprised since he had never heard Dominic play other than his trombone!! 

Dominic has gotten the music for the local music competitions and is practicing!!

Crack pretzels are popcorn oil, dry package of ranch dressing and pretzel sticks... just the snack for a 6'4" fourteen year old !  

Something came up and we didn't make our road trip... trying again tomorrow

 

 

little get together

I belong to a "quilting" group that used to meet every two weeks at someone's home with snacks and something to drink. Some of us quilted... some worked on bears or cross stitch or jewelry or whatever. It was fun.

We missed the get together and each other so planned one outside. Sitting 6 feet apart earlier in the evening so it would still be light out...  still with snacks and drinks!! We didn't get much done but we did talk alot!!  The hassles of teaching  and parenting online was a major topic.  I sat there while the words whirled around me!

We sat on a deck ... lots of flowers, grass  and birds! Gold finches... both male and female were eating the sunflower seeds. A red tail hawk swooped over head looking for little field mice. The eagle didn't show and it was too early to hear the owl...

Around 8.30 mosquitoes showed up so it was time to head home!!

it seems like nothing

 It seems like nothing... but I did manage to go into Kansas City and get my hair cut. Mark, my "stylist" was amazed at how long my hair had gotten. He liked the  new look so just shaped and thinned it. I now have gray sections from the center of my head...

I also managed a trip to the cardiologist. His office is part of a hospital so there was a routine to get into the building... temp, questions etc ending with a dated green sticker to wear. The doctor seemed happy with me but has decided it's been too long since my last echo cardiogram and scheduled me for a new one next week.

My grandchildren and their mother were over today. My daughter to make a shelf for next to her computer... much needed with the online teaching... to hold stuff while she is online.

My grand daughter to talk about her college plans for next fall... this year is turning into a gap year. She "moved out' and into a house with two friends. She is working for Americorps as a preschool reading tutor and at Applebee's ( a chain restaurant) doing what ever they need. She is coping with growing up in a really weird time.

My grandson tagged along. I asked him how his schooling is going. He said the teachers are doing better... no more scheduling things that conflict with other teachers!! And he's getting his homework done....English, Biology, Geometry, History and Health .... and Band  which he actually goes into the school building for.

Felt somewhat strange having them all in our house ... all at the same time... that hasn't happened since February.

wide awake

Wasn't really asleep this morning at 7.30 when the phone began to ring.  It was raining heavily and rumbling not too far away. My daughter lives about 4 - 5 miles away and had lost her electricity... but we hadn't.

My daughter had contacted her school district since she was to start online teaching in an hour... and with no electricity, that wasn't going to happen!

My grandson was to start online high school at the same time and that wasn't going to happen either.

Told her he could come here and "go to school"! 

He was on his way ( Father driving) when my daughter called to say the electricity was back on and that my grandson and his Father were headed home....

Everything back to normal ( except for the rain) with 5 minutes to spare!!

walk?? Not today...

We had plans to take a walk "in the park" today but  it started raining off and on all night ! I thought it has finished earlier this morning... but it has started pouring... again!!

I really don't mind. We had a dry August with large cracks in the ground..

 The view out my window is of pouring rain and sun shining through it all!!   The "storm" had settled over our area for hours but is supposed to head SE....now..

Maybe all this water will have soaked into the ground by tomorrow and we can take that walk! 

ps...we had enough rain that flash flood warnings have been posted on my phone

 

braved the uknown

 I had postponed my annual eye exam twice... but decided I just had to "brave the unknown" and go! I hadn't been inside anywhere other than the grocery store since this all began.

We arrived... masks were required and temperatures taken. Bob waited in the car with a book and the morning paper. The waiting room only had 6 chairs and very far apart. People were staggered...and no one was near anyone else.

Eyes are fine... no change big enough for new glasses! Actually 20/20 in one eye and 20/30 in the other.  Cataract lens fine too!! Don't need anything for at least another year!!

Cardiologist next week for a check up.  Hope things are as well ordered.

Still don't like the idea of going in anywhere but the grocery store...

My daughter the teacher seems to be settling in. The first day of school she had only two students in the morning and none in the afternoon. Her district is red and she is teaching virtual. She teaches in a pull out program for the gifted Kindergarten through 5th grade. One grade level in the morning... another in the afternoon.  The number of students is increasing and she hopes things will settle after the Labor Day holiday weekend.

Her only complaint is that the small number of students showing up has thrown her lesson planning for a loop.

glasses

 Hunting all over for my glasses... even got Bob to help! Found I was wearing them!  Is this a senior moment??

Surprise!! Surprise!!

 I woke this morning to the sounds of thunder and rain and NO the weatherman had not predicted this last night on the news! We have had quite a bit by the time I write this - 10.00 am. Puddles have formed in the lawn and my cellphone has issued lots of storm alerts.

One load clap of thunder ( quite close) made Tigger the Tripper jump... at least a foot from a sleeping position. He looked at me with his eyes as open as possible!!

Everything needs the rain so I am not complaining... even if we are as dark as dusk and have to have ALL the lights on!

 

super hot

I'd add "same old same old" to the super hot. We have been in the mid-90's for days past and will be continuing in the same direction for days ahead. Everything is dry dry dry too!!

So... what that means is that we stay home. I did go to the grocery store this morning... we needed bread, milk, bananas ( my husband's a banana-holic) and a few other things My glasses fogged up even inside of the store! I guess others are staying home too - the store was pretty empty!

#2 daughter stopped by to color print "business" cards to send to her students... for the kids to give to their parents  with all her contact information.  Included in the letter she is sending will be a sticker  for the kids to put on their I-pads... peel off-able of course. She will be virtually teaching ... starting next week. Her  home"office" is all set up. She teaches online from 8.30 to 11am  and 11.30 to 2pm.  New world for all.

Her school district is not an affluent one and having wi-fi access can be a problem. The school district is providing the I-pad and one of the Kansas City NFL football players  ( Patrick Mahomes) is providing hot spots for all.  So virtual teaching will be accessible to all!!  Hooray for Mahomes!! BTW this is not the only good thing he has done!!

My son-in-law  wanted some more face masks -- larger than the usual size - so I have altered the pattern for him. He went to Wal-Mart and chose fabric  ( LOL). His masks now have red hot peppers all over them !

 

same old same old....

 I haven't posted lately because it seems like every day is the same... maybe a walk... maybe a trip to the grocery store... maybe we see our daughters ( one at a time lol). But that's about it.

A long time friend's husband died awhile back but they decided to wait until now to have a "celebration of life".  I'm sure the large-ish get together made her and her family feel good and that those around him appreciated his life but it would have made me feel very nervous. She said that no one had the virus and I hope she is right!!

My daughter, the teacher, is back to school. The pre-kid time where teachers have meetings, prep their rooms etc. Her district is in a red zone so she will be teaching virtual until November. It will be interesting since she teaches K - 5 gifted program... so no reading, writing, arithmetic stuff but stuff to challenge the gifted. Kindergarten kids do not join the program until 2nd semester so it will be one grade level per day... all virtual for now.

Both daughters have been doing donated food deliveries to seniors who are pretty much house bound.... makes me nervous... several times a week.

Earlier in the summer the teacher daughter had been part of her district's food to kids...

errands

I must admit getting out and running errands does lift my spirits. So tired of staying home.

Today we did curbside at Panera - two loaves of bread.. whole wheat and sourdough. Then on to Railroad Park for a walk around the little lake. The park wasn't crowded and people did distance  but greeted everyone. The temperature was in the high sixties but humid... nice for a walk.

On the way home we stopped at the hardware store so Bob could get some screws and I went next door for a specialty  coffee. Both of us wore our masks and kept distanced.

Then home...a book awaited me!!

And then it was laundry time....

busy day???

Well after a few days of nothingness it looks like today will be busy...

Bob has already been out to the vet for Jack's check up. With the virus, one takes the animal in a carrier and after calling the vet's office, a technician comes out and gets it. He/she takes the animal inside and everything is done. Afterwards the animal is returned. The payment is made over the phone via one's credit card.  Both Bob and Jack are home.  Bob is having a cup of coffee before we head out to VOTE !

Voting... I have my driver's license, crib sheet, cell phone and car keys ...

The election board moved us back to the old voting location... a church with a huge hall. There was someone to open the door for us and keep track of how many were inside. Everyone was masked and things were set up to keep people apart. Everyone gets a one use pen and each seat/table is screened from its neighbor. Somewhat busy and pretty much everyone was a senior. We do go midmorning - after the early rush and before the afternoon one!!

After voting I was given a donut and coffee by a volunteer from the church!!

We have sent away for a mail in ballot for the big Nov. election..... and found out where we can have it notarized!

The rest of the day was easy peasy ... reading for me and working on radios for Bob

still wet

It rained and rained all day yesterday...our "swimming" pools were filled again. Luckily the newspaper delivery people have figured out ( finally) the best places to throw our two papers.... and how to miss the pool in the front yard.

It rained again last night ... and it won't surprise me it we have more today. At least the temperature is lower even though quite humid.  Didn't have to water... again!!

So we have had to find things to do inside. I worked on things for the next online show and Bob played video games, "interacted" with his fellow ham operators online and worked on his radio workbench. Kept him occupied and out of the way!!  LOL

Earlier we headed out to do errands - Post Office, farmers' veggie stand and Target for the cat's prescription pills - hoping to get done before the next batch of rain. Success!!

I've turned the cucumbers from the veggie stand into sour cream, radish and dill salad. It is sitting in the fridge "marinating".

dark and gloomy

I'm sitting at my computer... everything outside is dark and gloomy... and it's pouring!!  An email has warned me that a tornado was sighted about 20 miles north of me and warnings have been posted!! Told Bob to listen for the sirens - he hears them better than I do!

Glad I went out this morning. One of my hearing aids stopped working yesterday afternoon and I needed to have it checked out. They replaced the "filter and dome" and it's working again.  My hearing aid place is in Costco so I picked up a dozen bagels at the same time!

Now it's thundering and pouring even harder.... Tigger the Tripper cat is hiding under my desk.

One good thing... I won't have to water my tomatoes and herbs!

He can fix anything

Last night the clip that connects the toilet handle to the flapper corroded into nothingness!! Bob said he would fix it today... just take the tank cover off and hand move the flapper to flush!
Today he found new replacement toilet stuff in his stash and went to work. Easier said than done since all the nuts for the handle had also corroded and he was afraid he might break the porcelain around the hole.
But my husband that can fix anything... did fix things. Tidied up and put the toilet back together!!

In the 50 plus years we have been married we have had a plumber only once ... when Robb was a baby and jammed a baby food jar lid down the toilet. Bob watched the plumber and learned how to get the john up !!
We did have

someone in to lay and connect gas lines when we switched the stove from electric to gas... but that's it!!

Three cheers for Bob !!

He 's older and grayer now but not too different!

boy is it hot!!

Not doing much at all. It has been so hot. We went out for a short walk - the walking track at our hospital. We took water and masks ( just in case we met someone). We managed one lap.... the thermometer in the car registered 97.
Today is almost as hot. We managed a trip to the grocery store. We separated - Bob did the cat stuff : food, litter etc. I managed the rest. We met up for birthday cards and the checkout lines. I was glad to take my mask off when I closed the car door and relaxed in the air conditioning!! I was glad to let Bob get gas on the way home!!

So far the blog changes are small.... some things haven't changed at all. At least not to my mind. Fingers crossed that I am right!

Here's my passport photo ... 1951

my grand daughter Lili finger painting ... about age 2

Wear masks... stay home... social distancing.... stay safe

new blogger

Guess it's my turn to figure out the new blogger format....
For sometime I have been reading on blogs about the new format and didn't have any idea what anyone meant. But then I went to my blog yesterday and there it was... the new format. I could go back to the old one but later this summer I would be automatically changed.  So... I will
 see what happens.

This is a digital scrapbook page I made ... way back when May 2006.  Lets see if it is on this new blogger post...

Well... so far so good!

life goes on

Life goes on... working on things for the next online show.... reading and so on.  Not sleeping too well. Too many dreams. Had one last night with my son as a late teenager. Not a bad dream until I remembered that there was no reason to pack up his stuff for our move... (dream story line). That made me hit rock bottom and wake up.

My daughter called... just to chat. But moved onto her will. It seems as if a lot of teachers are doing that. She downloaded a form and is in the process of filling it out and will go to the bank to get it notarized. This doesn't make her feel very good nor does her plan to daily self-quarantine if she has to go back to teaching in a building rather than online. She wants to keep her family as safe as possible.

And there we are... not able to do anything to help either of our daughters ( and their families) but listen. And keep ourselves as safe as possible so that they don't have to worry about us.

Busy day? !

Woke up and went downstairs where Bob suggested a walk in the park. So off I went to get dressed, wash face and brush my teeth... and then off to the park. It's the first time we have been since the original lock down. The parks were closed and their playgrounds.... but someone ( parks and recs I assume - City dept.) has been there. All the paths have new asphalt ! No more tripping on the cracks!
So walk we did... picking up trash as we went! Luckily there are loads of bins!
We'll be going again. There was a group "exercising" in one of the shelters... dog walkers.. and people just like us!

Home for coffee. Off to the grocery store soon.

It did look like customers at the grocery store are adjusting to the rules - in and out, masks etc. -  more that they had been. Almost everyone was wearing a mask!! Hooray. Maybe the local increases in virus numbers have actually begun to sink in ???

Even the little veggie stand across the street is doing curbside!!  I am looking forward to the cantaloupe for dinner!!

RAIN... thunder ... lightening

I woke several times last night to the sounds of thunder ... huge lightening strikes and lots of rain!
This lead to lots of strange dreams. Not bad ones, just strange. I guess the strangest included my grand daughter, as a small child, walking with me down  the Queen's lane  with horses  and cattle and a huge bull. We managed to keep the animals in their fields even when one of the smaller bulls got out and started following us. Weird? right?  No idea where this lane was ... just knew it was the Queen's!

Anyway... it has rained off and one since the middle of the night. We , again, have our own swimming pools all over the back yard!  I definitely won't have to water today !!

Bet it is going to rain again... everything is dark and we have all the lights on!!

numbers are rising

Our Covid 19 numbers are on the rise and making me ( maybe us) a little nervous. Guess we will hunker down a bit more.  Do feel the need to get OUT so we are planning walks early in the morning ( before it gets HOT). We will keep our distance if we come across anyone else.

When I say HOT... I mean hot. The weather person is talking about a heat index of 110 this weekend. My plants have needed daily watering and I am hoping for a little rain overnight. I have tomatoes on all my  plants and am hoping for more  -- there are plenty of flowers, so fingers crossed.

Dominic is enjoying his Marching Band Camp...they are outdoors for the most part and wearing hats , taking huge water bottles and being careful. Since Marching Band doesn't have trombones he is playing the baritone. He was given the baritone at the end of last school year and seems to have made a successful transition.

school ??

My grandson was to start 9th grade at the end of the summer. Our school district gave him the choice of virtual school or actual physical school. Not sure what safety precautions were to be taken but he and his parents decided that virtual learning would be his choice for at least the first half of the year. The school district will provide him with a Chromebook and one of his parents will be with him during school... not online with him but in the same room. He will be able to go to after school marching band practice which will be held outdoors with masks ( when not playing) and social distancing.
His Mother is a teacher in a near by school district - in the elementary gifted program. She is working on how she will handle this if her school district doesn't have physical school... She says this is the direction the school district is heading.

Our area's - four counties including Kansas City ( both the Missouri and Kansas sides)  - is still growing Covid 19 -wise. Parts have mask requirements.  My family - not just my husband and me - are being careful wearing masks etc.

So... it's back to mask making for me.

surprise

After watering my plants on the deck I brought in my watering can ti fill it at the kitchen sink. After a few minutes I returned to turn off the water and found this little guy sitting on the wall behind the sink!!

Who knows how his got in the watering can which was sitting on the deck two stories up!!  He's pale green and his body was about 1 1/4 inches long.  His toes have little suction cups. Caught him and took him back outside and put him into one of the plant containers.

love these signs

I go past these signs each time I head out of our subdivision... I really like them and today I managed to take a picture ( not a good one though) . ... it started with  " you matter" ... then "you are worthy" and "love your neighbor" were added.

hair cut time...

Yes it's time for a haircut.... but I haven't called my "stylist" to see how he and his salon are doing. Are they even open?  Do they require masks? ETC... So I guess I will continue to figure out how to keep this hair out of my eyes and to be surprised at how gray this pandemic is making me!!

quieter

Yesterday was finally quiet... guess everyone who bought fireworks set them off before the 4th and finished things up on the fourth!!  So many went off that it looked like we were in the midst of a fire... very very hazy and smokey.  Hard to see across the street!
Some fireworks were really really loud and the cats jumped each time one of them went off!!


We have now had many days of HOT sunny weather with occasional showers. The forecast for this week is even hotter  ... mid 90's. Everyone's air conditioners will be going full bore. Guess I will have to plan on making more bears for the August online show and doing more laps around the house... too hot to spend much time outdoors.

Looks like our family is growing.... my elder daughter's step-daughter is having a baby. A little girl due January 19th.  Lacy sent me a picture of a pair of sneakers she bought for the baby... tiny and oh so cute!!

Oliver's spa treatment

Oliver came home for a much needed spa treatment. I made him in 1993 (Vogue pattern) for my daughter to take to college... he made it through college... two grandchildren and many pets. Lately he became a chew toy and that's why a "spa treatment" became necessary.
I "opened" him up and removed lots of his stuffing. Found the pattern piece necessary and cut out two new paw pads  and replaced the chewed on ones.
Bob took him out on the deck and gave him a good wash and left him to "drain".  When he was almost dry Bob popped him into the clothes dryer  on Ultracare .  I restuffed him and sewed him closed.

 He's all done and ready to return home...

Looks pretty good for a 27 year old bear!!

Get up... get up

Bob woke me up early this morning( 6am) to the wail of tornado sirens!! We both grabbed phones ,glasses, slippers and bathrobes and headed downstairs to the basement.... sirens going off continuously.  It was also raining heavily and the wind blowing ( according to the weatherperson after it was all over) at 80 miles per hour.
I looked out a window by the front door and could not see across the street.
We hunkered down in the basement until the sirens stopped and the phone signaled an all clear. On the way back to bed we checked the local television station's radar map... lots of red and warnings all over.
 Finally went back to bed and dozed for awhile.... not a great way to start the day

No damage in our yard other than tipped over plants. Two neighbors had their wooden fences blown down and one had a tree split and half down.   No electricity down here but lots of outages all over Kansas City.

nothing new

Nothing new going on here. The weather has been mostly hot and sunny though we did have some rain during the night and later in the day Friday. So I didn't have to water the plants.  We just putter around with keep busy projects  and READING.

My younger daughter ( teacher) is working towards her Ed. Specialist degree ( I think)... taking two classes the first part of the summer and a second one the second half. All online. Her degree will be in "gifted education". I listened to her idea for a class "project" the other day... high school gifted curriculum.

I think she was using me as a sounding board....lol.  BTW she has two BA's and a MA already...!!!

My other daughter is the development director for a non-profit. The non-profit's usual way of  fund raising has been cancelled due to the virus and my daughter has been trying to find new ways... lots of grant writing for one thing. The lack of funds has been exacerbated but the increasing needs in the non-profit's clientele.

The virus stats keep on going up around here so we are left with an unsettled future....  Our family is careful especially Bob and I but the younger ones  have jobs etc and have to be out and about.



 

too early... way too early

This morning I awoke at 6 am to my neighbor's crashing and banging!! He and his family own a trash pick up business and he was throwing around and loading into his pickup truck the trash bins his clients fill for pick up. Sigh... couldn't he have waited till 7 am or later??

My plants definitely needed water... some looked really limp. We have had sun and temps  from the low to mid 80's with a day or two here and there of 90's.
Our deck used to be shaded for most of the day... but when the gum tree had to come down last fall ( it was rotten) the shade was gone for most of the day. Oh well... maybe I can get my husband to bring down a large umbrella from the attic.

The online show went well. I didn't sell out... but maybe next time, which will be in August.

The "family" will be "zooming" this evening..... Boston, Chicago and Missouri. We tried , unsuccessfully, to convince others in South Carolina and Rochester, NY to join us.
The zoom went well... some couldn't be there but the rest of us enjoyed it and will do it again!

computer hovering

I spent most of yesterday hovering over my computer so that when something sold I could change things on my website to alert other lookers... the rest of the time I spent boxing things and getting them ready for a trip to the Post Office!!
Yes... it was a good sales day and the show is still open until Monday night!
My "end of the driveway" mailbox is too small for all those packages so after lunch today we drove off to the PO to drop them off. I use USPS' "click and ship" and can pay for and print off shipping labels. This makes things so easy and no standing on line!!
Then of to Michael's Craft Store ...Bob saw an advertisement for lidded storage boxes and I needed perle cotton for bear noses. We wore our masks and were careful... first time we had been to a craft store since the beginning of the lock down.
After this we headed for a new fresh veggies stand I had seen on Facebook. Two very nice teenagers were manning it... I wore a mask and signs told me where to enter and exit.... bought cucumbers and tomatoes . It's still early season wise and was told they would be having more and to watch the Facebook page.
Then  we went on an old-fashioned road trip... not far... but we hadn't done it forever. Some things never change and some things definitely had! Nice change from being stuck in the house... nice and sunny and the temps were a little lower - low 80's.

Here's one that "left"...
Almost forgot... made another of Joanne's ( Cup on the Bus)  Crostatas ... a strawberry one this time. Yummy

bang bang bang

As I got ready for another walk around the neighborhood I heard all this banging!  I looked around and finally discovered that my neighbors to the back and left are having a new roof installed. Since the house originally had wood shakes  and then asphalt shingles, both of these had to be removed and plywood installed.
So all this has been going on all day. It looks like they are about half done . The weatherperson on TV says it will start raining early tomorrow so the roofers will probably work until dark.

My walk was tiring... again. 

I came across a squished and dried toad on the road ... a bigger one then I had ever seen outside of a zoo! It measured more than 9 inches long!! 

Tomorrow is my next online bear and friends show.... I will keep checking my emails to see if anything sold !

Tonight's dinner is not exciting to say the least ... egg and black olive salad sandwiches, apple sauce and what's left of the potato chips  ( from the potato chip omelet I made a few days ago)  Then apple tartlets for afters. I didn't feel like cooking and the tartlets are frozen and easily baked!!

 

not a do nothing today

I have become bored with the laps around my dining room, living room, family room and kitchen! So I decided to go out early - while the temps were in the low 70's - for a walk. My neighborhood was dead as a door nail... no cars parked ... almost no people. I saw two .. one going on a "run" and one heading out to his car. probably to go to work.

So now I am whipped... my stamina is gone. Guess the laps were not a good enough replacement. I am glad I didn't wait till the temps are in the the 90's later this afternoon.

do nothing day

Today was pretty much a do nothing day.. read a lot!! Then the Kindle had a hiccup... telling me any book I wanted to read had been removed from the Kindle. Couldn't figure out how to reboot it so just decided to charge the battery and wait for Bob to figure it out.  Which he did... hooray.

I did make a recipe Bob had wanted to try.... potato chip omelet. It called for 12 eggs and 6 oz. of potato chips. Way too much for two of us so I cut the recipe in half. Failure... not in making it but the end result. Super bland.. threw the recipe out ... not a keeper. Luckily I also made a nice green salad!

It's still super warm ... over 90 degrees. Probably part of the reason why today was do nothing. It looks like it will be the same till the end of the week .. plants will need watering tomorrow.

up early

well... not really early but no time for coffee and the paper. We had to be at "Big Biscuit" by 8 am!! Our first time eating in a restaurant since the lock down.  We wore masks until we were seated. Tables were spread far apart and at every other one. Our server wore a mask.  Our menus were paper table mats - hence disposable.  No huge crowds waiting for a table - they were waiting in their cars for a table to be available.  Felt pretty safe!!

Then I got a call from Target/CVS pharmacy. My three month supply of pills were ready. Target did all the right things ... cart cleaning, lines marked out, 6 foot spots at the checkout, sneeze guards etc. .... BUT the person behind me was right on top of me and without a mask... mentioned the 6 foot distancing and it was like I was speaking Greek. So I put my cart between us and MADE her back up !!  Wore my mask!!

Then when I returned home it was yard work time... moving rocks from the old rock garden. Exhausting... too hot ! Its 90 degrees out! So I quit and went inside for some peach tea !
Another reason for quitting was the wheel barrow decided to roll back and I had visions of falling down the hill flat on my back AGAIN...another broken leg?? No way!!

Lots of little stuff

Lots of little stuff going on day after day. Bob gave advice to our daughter and granddaughter on buying a new used car for the granddaughter. The hunt was successful and out granddaughter drove a new ( to her) used car home yesterday. They talked with the bank and secured a loan... talked with the car salesman and got a good trade-in for the car... and got a good  warranty too...  Everyone happy.

My daughters, my son-in-law and my grandson went to a "Black Lives Matter" rally ... not in Kansas City but a small  town to the East. Things went pretty well until a minister took to the podium where his talk descended into the abortion issue. Pretty far from the "Black Lives Matter" and the defund police issue.

The weather has been hot and sunny... the plants needed water but are growing well. My pepper plant ( only 6 inches tall) has a flower and the tomatoes are twice the size they were. The air conditioning is on but where we have set it, it only turns on in the late afternoon and evening.  Outside it was 90 degrees at dinner time but with enough breeze and shade on the deck to make eating out there nice.

I have another online show next weekend so have been working on getting ready... bears and friends made, posting on my Weebly site and getting PayPal buttons set up.

Looks like dinner tonight will be fish, roasted small potatoes, fresh green beans and another of Joanne's blueberry crostatas for "afters".

another week gone

TGIF used to be the working person's mantra... but now that we are retired and abiding ( mostly) by the social distancing guidelines it doesn't seem to be that important. Each day pretty much seems like all the rest... whine whine whine...
Yesterday Bob discovered that one of our favorite restaurants was offering a dinner special curbside. It's a set meal but with some choices as to sides. So we ordered two dinners, set up a pick up time  and waited till it was time to go.
The restaurant is about a half hour away so we got out our cooler and heated a brick in the oven...and off we went. Everything went smoothly. Dinner went into the heated cooler with the brick and home we went. The brick idea did the trick. Dinner was still hot and was great!! Bob says we will do it again.
Like most restaurants during the shut down things were hard... very very slow. So I made sure to write on Facebook just how successful our experience went...

It was good for me too... great meal.. no prep... very few dishes/utensils !

We are in the midst of a hot weather period... in the 90's yesterday and almost as hot today and since it rained ( night time) both times it was pretty muggy. More days of the same coming up. My plants love it!

Bob just finished a phone call from our grand daughter.. she needed used car buying advice. Guess her current one is dying. Glad it was Bob not me,,, I know nothing about what's a good used car to buy!!  LOL

gorgeous weather

We have been having gorgeous weather these last two days!! And next week looks the same!!
I have been planting flowers and herbs in the boxes on our deck railings... tomatoes and peppers in pots.... really looking forward to those!!
We also bought ... and assembled... an outdoor storage cabinet for the cushions belonging to our deck furniture. So glad to have a place for them and not having to worry about them getting wet when it rains!!
Bob also spent time doing the spring clean up for our grill... and exchanged the propane tank - empty for full. That evening we grilled for the first time this year!! Not the last I'm sure.

Started this yesterday and didn't finish it. Bob headed out to Home Depot to help our daughter choose a new lawn mower ( wearing his mask of course)... then life got busy.

Today I saw this on FB  (  Illustration by @Sarah Watts )

with the idea than planning the month ahead on a calendar would help those of us who's life has too much daily sameness. Help us keep track of what day it is??

didn't work

The go away rhyme didn't work.... it rained all night and the two swimming pools are deeper and a third one covers the whole end of our yard. Since we are on a cul-de-sac our lot lines in the back make a point... and that's where the new pool is!!
Our neighbor's backyard also has a "pool"  formed by the water running down the lot lines from the street !!

Later... the pools are bigger ... it rained off and on all afternoon.... Kansas City has flooding... it's like the sky is crying for  George Floyd.  The video tape that the news shows over and over is horrific. Terrible to watch. Then to be told the policeman who knelt on his neck has been in trouble BEFORE... many times before and nothing happened to him. And I get the feeling that nothing will happen to him this time either....

rain rain go away

We have two "swimming" pools... one in the front yard and one in the back.... depressions in the ground which is so saturated that the water doesn't go away!! I think it rained steadily all evening.

This morning was dry... and we put together the "outdoor storage cabinet" that Bob managed to bring home from Home Depot's curbside pick up.  It is gray plastic with two doors... textured to look like wood. Not too bad and it will hold the cushions for our deck furniture. No more stacking them in the family room when not on the furniture and no more worrying about them getting soaked when it rains!!  Surprisingly the instructions were good... no missing screws... and everything fit together!! Success!!

Last night we had a family zoom meeting...sister-in-law, nephew, niece, daughter, son-in-law, grandson and grand daughter and us... two hours flew by!! Going to do it again!!

BTW... the Missouri River is cresting just north of us... not too surprised with all this rain!!

Air Conditioning season

The air conditioning is now on.... Bob turned it on over night since the house was hot. The temperature hit 85 yesterday  afternoon. He did climb up into the attic for the two floor fans ( my job was to catch them as he lowered them down ) but I guess he didn't think they did the job... oh well... I was fine...

We took a risk and joined my elder daughter and her husband for dinner last night ( and our grand dog Harper). Great dinner !! Steak, twice baked potatoes, pasta salad, pineapple pretzel salad, pickled beets, roasted green beans with garlic, strawberry cheesecake and apple crostata (  Joanne : my s-i-l loved it). Enough food for an army .. took home some of the leftovers for tonight's dinner!

We sat out on the deck enjoying a pre-dinner hard cranberry lemonade !  After dinner it rained ... good timing on our part!!

It has started thundering outside and there have been some flooding alerts... one day of summer at a time , I guess!

Bob's bit

On my mind: plumbing. My thought: Darn. Kitchen sinks (both sides) plugged up last night. Darn and double darn. Was getting some water down so I could at least run the dish washer. Both sinks dump into a common pipe which drops down 3 feet or so to go underneath the floor into the basement and then a 10 ft or so run over to the house waste water pipe. Plug is somewhere from after where sinks join together.
So this morning, I cleaned out all the stuff from under the sinks and, because I couldn't find my longer cleanout snake, ran out to Home Depot and bought a new one. Then back home, remove one of the P-traps and run the snake in. Yeah, my poor old aching bones really enjoyed working down underneath the sink and holding up a 2 pound snake machine! Worked the head in about 8 ft and definitely hit a snag. Worked that for a while and then (after another trip to HD for a new P-trap) put everything together.
Did I mention my arms ache from hold the b****** snake housing up in the air while I worked? Not fun. Anyways got the clog partially out of the way and at least when we can use the sink. I think I need to replace the 10 ft run downstairs as it is too level - I need more drop for faster water flow. I'll tackle that in the next couple of weeks. For now, I will just collapse.

Thought you all might find what my other half does..... this is his Facebook posting!!

Apple Crostata

I bought  Granny Smith apples and decided to try making an apple version of Joanne ( from Cup on the Bus 's blog) crostata.  I added cinnamon, of course! And it did take a bit longer to cook. Not sure whether that was due to apples over blueberries or that I used more apples than the pint of blueberries.
Now Bob has to wait till it's time for "afters" this evening!!  Maybe some vanilla ice cream too?

It was really good !! Thanks Joanne...

Summer? or still Spring

Bob  was out  yesterday mowing the front and back lawns... so it must be summer right?? Well it is sunny most of the time and in the high 60's or low 70's so maybe it is still Spring.
The deck plants are doing well and I have added some basil and two types of parsleys and sage.
We have been talking about adding a raised bed in the back. We have not been able to have any tomatoes and peppers for quite a while since the tree shade was too much for them. But last fall the gum tree ( no more nasty prickly gum balls!) was taken down and now we have a large sunny area. I really missed growing tomatoes... so here we go! Raised bed... Here's hoping the millions of bunnies and squirrels we have, will cooperate!

Sent off another batch of face masks with my teacher daughter. She is actually going to be physically in the school today and Friday ... handing out senior stuff ( year books etc) today and  packing and taking her stuff that she left in her room home. She will be in a different building and program next fall... though who knows how things will be organized.

My daughter is working on her PHD in gifted education. This spring has been "too quiet" and so she has signed  up for three classes this summer ... all online !

gorgeous day... so far

It is gorgeous outside... super sunny with just a slight breeze. Our grocery store curbside pick up was scheduled for 10 to 11 am so off we went.
Everything on my list was loaded into our trunk and home we went. It was nice to actually be out of the house ! Not much has changed except everything is super green.
We lugged our bags into the house and unloaded them and put things away. Threw the plastic and paper bags away and washed our hands! Wish we could use our own bags.
We are looking forward to the salmon fillets we ordered  for dinner tonight!

I dreamed about bear making last night.... making a red. white and blue one for the Fourth of July/Independence Day.  I will have to search  through my stash and see if I have the right stuff!!

 later ...  found the red, white and blue mohair and have started work on some accessories to go with the bear. Tomorrow I will start on the bear.  Bright Star's next online show : Furry Friends  is the end of June.

The flowers I planted in the boxes on our deck railing have really gown.  I need to check out our garden center's herb plant availability.  I really like being able to zip outside for some basil.. oregano... parsley ... or what ever.

 

 

elastic came

The elastic came... was waiting for me in the mailbox this afternoon. Right on time!

Ebay notification

Ebay let us know my elastic is on its way.. tracking number and everything. Fingers still crossed!

still waiting

My elastic is supposed to arrive Friday...so I am waiting.  No point getting uptight since the seller said 15th - 17th.  Though I have read  Facebook comments where people are waiting and waiting and waiting.

So I have started working on bears and friends for the next online bear show - the end of June. Since I am here at home day after day ( except for the grocery store and Post Office) I need to keep busy !!

The other day Bob took Jack ( the gray/black striped cat) for a check up at the vet... it was all done curbside. Bob waited in the car and the vet's assistant came out for Jack in his carrier. The vet did all the usual stuff including taking a blood sample and brought Jack and his carrier back to the car. A phone call this morning from the vet told us that all the blood work was ok!! Jack has a new appointment in three months...

Dinner tonight is meat loaf, baked or jacket potatoes, carrots and a green salad...  should be pretty healthy.

the hunt for 1/4 inch elestic....

I guess the masks I made and sent with my daughter were not enough. I have been asked to make more and even have been been offered payment... nope... no way !  I have made 5 more and have run out of the 1/4 inch elastic I need.
So Bob and I did an online search... all the local stores have curb side only and are OUT OF STOCK !!  Amazon.com has loads but huge rolls of it - up to 100 yards Too much for me! And no guarantee of arrival date. Next was eBay where I could buy lots ! We chose a supplier who had 9 yards in stock and an arrival of May 15th !
Hooray... fingers crossed that we are successful!!

I may run out of fabric remnants next...

busy busy day

Today has been a very busy day...sort of like the "pre-pandemic" days! So busy that I have postponed making the butternut squash fritters until tomorrow or Sunday.

The reason for this busy day ? An online bear show.  It will last all weekend so hopefully I will be busy for days!!  I boxed up 5 bears, 1 mouse and one cat today. Did all the PayPal paperwork and made sure each box had a packing slip inside !
Then out to the mailbox... where I handed the boxes to our mail lady.... we exchanged a few words and away she went!!!

My daughter dropped by to pick up the masks I had made for her fellow teachers who volunteer by distributing food to at home students!! My daughter called on her way home to pass on loads of thanks!!

salad recipe a keeper

The Polish cucumber salad recipe is a keeper.... except for the fact that my mandolin always manages to slice my fingers each time I use it!!  But it does slice super thin to not so thin!! Managed not to get any blood in the salad and I had great thin slices of both cucumbers and radishes!!

Tomorrows recipe to try is butternut squash fritters !! The recipe is very much like that for potato pancakes - grated raw squash in stead of potatoes -  and some interesting spices!  I am going to halve the recipe since there are only two of us  and leftover fritters are not my favorite thing.

If we are stuck at home in this pandemic ... at least trying some new things helps!!  

BTW ... even if Missouri "opens" , I am not ready to resume our old lifestyle. Not yet...  Grocery shopping with mask and occasional curb side stuff is it....

Not so hot

Not that the new recipe I tried last night wasn't ok... but not OK enough to be a keeper. Luckily it did provide some techniques new to me... and I will keep them in mind when I try something else new ( that could use them).

I am trying another new recipe tonight ... a cucumber and radish salad one. We'll see how that works out.  My daughter asked for the recipe if the salad turns out to be a "keeper".

Planted the grasses and flowers that I brought home from the "plant place". It rained all that day after I bought them so it was an easy peasy job to plant them. I will go to Ace  hardware store's plant display next... they have different plants.

Went out into the backyard to pick up more of the dead branches that had fallen off the oak trees this winter and spring. There still loads of leaves to bag up ( Bob is outside working on that). Amazing how many leaves all our oaks and the huge maple can produce each year!! Way back when, people could rake their leaves into the gutter and burn them. No so anymore... against the law!!

Men Knitting

There has been a lot of talk on blogs about crafting during this pandemic. I came across this photo on Facebook!  It made me remember my Mother telling me about her Father during WWI.  Her Father was English and working for his wife's German  family business - silk ties - in Krefeld, Germany. As war broke out he was taken to a POW camp outside of Berlin where he spent the whole war, incarcerated with others, including a group of British  sailors.... who taught him to knit. When he was released he brought home sweaters he had knitted for my Grandmother.
My Grandmother was allowed to visit him... she took the train monthly from Krefeld to Berlin.  I don't know whether he knit after the war though I do know he took my Mother and my Grandmother to England ASAP.

We have been lucky food supplies-wise. Everything on my lists has been available.... not so much with cleaning supplies  and brands of toilet paper... but enough.

This  pandemic has led me to printing out recipes to try...Those that haven't been "to our liking" have been pitched!! I'm trying another today... I found I had everything I needed but rice  vinegar so , fingers crossed, I will use white. Or should I use red wine or apple cider vinegar?? Not in the mood to dash to the grocery store !
Decided to google "substitute for rice vinegar" ... recommended apple cider vinegar. So I will!