Painting

My big adventure wore me out and I have had a headache for two days. I dare not add that to all my other symptoms and go on-line to see what I find. Think I will just wait until I see the new doctor ..... in two weeks.

I started to feel a little more like my old self yesterday afternoon. The weather was so nice that I decided to paint the front of the building. I painted it the last time it was painted and it was no big deal. It is cedar and really sucks down the paint. First time we painted, the building sucked up 15 gallons of paint, and still needed a second coat.

We are changing the color this time and going lighter. From barn red to light gray. I decided to go with the color of gravel dust, hoping it will be easier to maintain. He Who is a sloppy painter had painted the new siding and for some reason he decided to start painting the front. Yes, he did. I did mention that he is not neat and precise, didn't I?

He decided to start to the left of the door in an area with a lot of trim. Since we are staying with the same trim color, I did not intend to have to paint it. You already see where I am going, don't you? The trim will now have to be painted. He painted just a couple of the boards beside the door, then painted another board on the outer side and the one side of the partician that separates the porch. Why, you ask, did he not start at one end or the other? I really can't say, other than, I was not surprised at all.

He did this in December, when we had that warm spell. I was incarcerated in the hospital and unable to stop him. It looked ridiculous, that goes without saying. So, yesterday, I set out to remedy the situation.

Had an audio book going and my handy paint spattered step stool and got going. I do not remember being so very slow! I had thought I would knock out one side, ceiling and all. I have done it before. I did not accomplish my task. I made a good dent in it, but I am not happy with my slow progress!

I plan to finish today. It is a beautiful day and the temp should hit 60. I am determined, just hope I hold out.

Stay Away From Big Trucks

The sun was shining brightly when I woke this morning. Most of the snow is gone. I had my bare minimum of coffee, then hit the shower. I was out the door by 11:00 .....

So, I move a little slower these days. I drove myself to the store! First time I have gone anywhere on my own in over a month. I hit four stores and took my time meandering slowly, gathering all the items on my list ...... and a few other things. My pantry was looking bare. It was time to restock the basics.

He Who loves me offered to go with me. You know, that offer they make with that look in their eye that begs you to say no? The look of relief on his face when I denied him the pleasure of escorting me was priceless.

I hate shopping with him. He doesn't shop the way I like to. I am thorough. I scan the aisles carefully, lest I miss a bargain. You never know what could be lurking in the clearance section! I have a couple of consignment stores I like to browse. Sometimes I leave with nothing, but today I lucked out. Scored a king bedspread for a mere $7! Faded light blue, but I can dye it. I end up washing mine every week. Paw prints .....

So, I had a good day, just pondered the last bit of advice from my erstwhile chauffeur as I drove along. "Stay away from the semi's." I nodded okay when he said it, as I walked out the door. Didn't really register until I was on my way. As I replayed the words in my mind, all I could think was "do what?"

I was on I-70. More semi's than cars travel that road. I have no idea how one would avoid them. Did he think I was going to pull over every time I saw a truck, or maybe I was supposed to outrun them? I still have no idea how to stay away from semi's on a main coast to coast trucking path.

Just Wondering

Insomnia had me roaming the TV channels. I wonder if Michelle Obama has ordered her commemorative Obama Chia Pet? I am a deep thinker ........

I Painted The Broom Closet!

Yesterday was a good day ....... I painted the broom closet! I cooked dinner, too. Emptied the ice trays and did the dishes. Painted the inside of a cabinet in my bedroom and refolded all my t-shirts.

I was exhausted, but I felt a sense of accomplishment when I went to bed. I snuggled down into the warmth of the blankets and was balanced on the edge of sweet slumber when he sneezed. Three sneezes and a whimper. It was Oscar and that is his signal that he wants to go out. I considered asking He Who was already sleeping to take the dog out, but the last time he did it, he would not let the poor dog drink his fill of water. Oscar whined incessantly until I got up and took him to the kitchen and the water bowl less than an hour later.

Poor old dog. Makes me wonder how he was treated while I was in the hospital. Oscar is old and will not live forever. I treat him like I hope somebody will treat me when I am old and feeble. Oh, wait, I am old and feeble ......

Never got to tell the tenants about the rate increase. One of them had his grandfather bring the rent in the form of a check from the guy's mother. The kid doesn't actually work, he is "disabled" by some obscure injury to his back or his leg. He gets what folks around here refer to as "benefits" form the state. Money and food stamps. And his mother pays his rent.

Grandfather was quite forthcoming about the character of his grandson. The mother pays the rent and the grandfather provided the RV for him to live in ........ because they do not want him in their homes. Seems he takes things that do not belong to him. I guess I know who stole the heater from the ladies' room.

The other tenant "got laid off ". Okay, but you still have to pay rent. He did not tell me his problems, but confessed to He Who is sympathetic to such announcements. He says he will "try" to get some money together when his unemployment check comes in.

I think this is an excellent way to handle things and I should give it a try next time the power bill comes in. The power bill is FOUR DIGITS, people, and the tenants in question are the reason why. I think I will have them removed as soon as I get the rent due.

Winning Arguements

Still house bound here. Watching lots of mindless TV with a dog in my lap. We have Dish with the hopper. It automatically records all the prime time shows and if you are patient, and wait 24 hours, the kangaroo will hop right over the commercials for you. The height of TV viewing laziness ...... unless you are watching CBS. CBS makes you wait a full week.

But, all this to say that I seldom watch the commercials. Except for the Wheel of Fortune, which I watch in real time. I have to know if I won the $5000. I do realize that I could tape it, then watch it later, or even look on line to see if I won. But, I don't. I like to shout at people who buy every freaking vowel when the answer is so obvious.

The local commercials are just weird. You get that stupid jingle in your head and find yourself humming it at the oddest times. The one that is bugging me lately is for a tire company. I have no idea what they were thinking, but the jingle goes, "If it's round and rubber, Lee's has it." Really, really annoying.

In other news, I must be feeling much better. I am just waiting for two of my tenants to come up and pay, just so that I can raise the rent. Just on them. They are always late to pay and both have been using electric heaters. My power bill is double what it was without them. I warned them both that the rate would go up if they chose to use electricity, as opposed to LP gas. Both will deny it, despite the fact that someone stole the heater from the ladies room. It suddenly came back after one of them was questioned by He Who noticed it gone. I am itching to argue with someone. I always win. I always win because I gather all my facts before I open my mouth. Yes, I am up for a good argument. It does not escape me that they are not buying LP ......

Night Routines

If you visit here often, you will know that my nights are a series of naps. It 's my bedfellows. Those furry critters I love so much. Every night is not the same, but similar.

Last night I was up at midnight:thirty with the old guy, Oscar. He wanted to pee one last time and get a drink of water. It is very quiet and I counted the licks one time (78). Cujo joins us for the outside part, then scurries back to the bedroom to wait for a lift up into the warm covers.

Wall-E is always in my spot upon my return. He always looks apologetic, as if to say he was just saving my place. He scurries out of the way and I crawl back into bed to recapture the slumber I left waiting. Toni Louise never gets up for the midnight adventures. She sometimes raises her head and looks as I am settling in, but she knows that night time is sleep time.

I sleep blissfully until I hear the cat flip the shade up at the window. I look over to see him standing there with his head under the shade, looking like a statue of a decapitated animal. I have tried hissing at him and shooing him away, but he is determined to go outside, no matter the frigid temperatures. He will meow and cry until I slip out of the bed and walk to the back door, where he seems to appear out of nowhere. I open the door and he slips out into the early morning darkness. It is 4:22 am.

Yawning, I shuffle back to bed to move the apologetic Wall-E out of my space and crawl back into bed. I doze off as I feel Cujo wiggling under the blanket to nestle next to me. Oscar used to do that, but he prefers to maintain some space around his self these days.

Before I know it, it is 8:30! I hear Oscar sneeze three times in a row and feel Cujo stretch next to me. This is my signal to rise up and carry Oscar to the back door (old men can't hold their pee, you know). He scurries out with Cujo and I hit the brew button on the coffee maker before I head to the bathroom (old women have bladder issues, as well). I open the door to find a trio waiting to enter. Martha, the boy cat and the two doxies.

Oscar is usually hungry, but he heads back to my bedroom this morning. Being the good dog mom that I am, I go back to bed with my babies. I was just going to lay there long enough for the coffee to brew. A good plan.

Wall-E looks resigned as he makes room for me. He goes over to He Who sleeps peacefully through the night and noses his way under the covers. Toni Louise has decided she needs some face time with me and she pushes all obstacles, breathing or not, out of her path as she comes to rest at me neck.

Toni Louise is not one to be ignored. She settles in, then uses her front paw to move my hand to her side. I smooth her silky fur and murmur "good girls" in her ear. She watches me with one eye, so close to my face that we are breathing each other's breath. I try pushing her away, but she is having none of that. She keeps pulling my hand back to rest on her. There is nothing to do, but satisfy her petting requirements.

At some point her self esteem has been quenched and she settles in with her body next to mine and her head on my arm ........ and we both fall to sleep! Until 11:01!!!

Don't remember my dreams today, but I woke up wondering why 'snow' is spelled with a 'w'. It should be an 'e'. And 'shoe' should be 'shoo'. Makes no sense, the English language!

The Monthly Bath

The monthly bath for December did not happen. I am referring to the monthly canine bath that happens here  regularly. My surprise ambulance ride to the hospital and my subsequent stay in a holding room with no access to a shower got in the way.

I have been thinking about bathing the canines since getting out of the hospital and getting a shower myself after three days without one. If I felt that bad after only three days, then the dogs must be feeling awful!

When I woke this morning, very early to let Martha, the boy cat, out to roam (we made him stay in last night due to the extreme temperatures) and shuffled back to bed, I was suddenly hit with the aroma of four dogs in my bed. I knew it was time.

He Who is not known for attention to details had offered to wash my four legged babies. Several times, he offered and I did not deny him the pleasure of helping me out with this task. He just never seemed to get around to actually performing.

He has done it before, but he makes it such an ordeal for himself and the animal. Growling and splashing and shaking accompany his voice as he will tell whichever pet to "calm down" in a not-soothing tone. It escalates into shouts of "STOP THAT" and I always have to intervene.

So, while he was sitting in his recliner late this afternoon I gathered towels and dog shampoo and cleared the kitchen counter. Yes, I bathe my babies in my kitchen sink. Does not affect the food in the kitchen, as I scrub everything down before and after. But, I am not inviting you to eat here, I am telling a story.

My old boy, Oscar squinted up at me with his foggy eyes. I am not sure how much he sees anymore, but he was quite happy to be scooped and  placed gently into the nice warm water. I lathered and scrubbed his old body and he grunted with pleasure. He has come to appreciate a good bath and massage in his old age. I carefully cleaned his eyes and ears and dried him before carrying him, wrapped in a dry towel and placing him in the lap of He Who had offered to bathe him.

The only whining during the bath was Cujo, anxious for his turn. Cujo loves a good bath. He loves the wet down, the lathering and the rinsing. He tries to drink the water and gives my hands kisses as the bath goes on. The day I met him, when the swimmer lady was going to leave him in her car while her family was in the pool, I gave him a quick bath and he offered no objections then. I think he equates being clean with being loved. He would never have let He Who offered bathe him anyway.

Next was Wall-E. Usually, the hardest part about bathing Wall-E is catching him. He will hide behind furniture and go limp and heavy like a toddler having a temper tantrum. He will whine and cry ugly iodine tears on his white fur. During one of his first baths he bit me. I bit him back and he has never tried that again. (I always bite puppies back, that is what their mothers do and it works for them.) Today, Wall-E watched the other two dogs come in fresh from the bath and he did not hide! He just watched me walk over to him and let me pick him up. Must be getting old, or he knew my energy was going fast. He is a very sensitive and loving dog and he knows I don't feel so good.

I was pretty done in after three dogs and Toni Louise was hiding behind my chair. She was watching. She thought I could not see her. I told He Who is her person to take care of his own dog.

I almost sat down as I watched him haul her from behind the chair. He got her to the sink and was trying to shove her into a sitting position. I took over. I told him he would have to help and dry her when I was done. I was thinking about the mess I would have to clean up, but I was also thinking about Toni L and her sensitive skin. Her fur is long and if you don't do a very thorough rinse she will develop a rash and start scratching and gnawing at her skin.

I am exhausted, but happy that my house does not smell like a dog kennel.

Crap Day

I felt pretty good yesterday. Because, you know, I was going to see a doctor. Despite my early rising I maintained a fairly good level of energy yesterday. Besides strolling through Sam's, I did laundry when I got home. I even did a little housecleaning and the dishes from supper before I headed off to bed.

Today is an absolute crap day. My left arm and chest are achy and my heart is beating it's own unique rhythm while I sit here trying to catch my breath. Yes, I do have another appointment scheduled ....... next month. And yes, do accept my insurance. The one from yesterday accepts United Health Care .... just not my particular plan. Which they should have known, since all my information, including a copy of my card was faxed to their office. Had they looked at the plan, they would have known.

Anyhoo, I am dragging today. The sky is gray and my toes are cold. Watching TV has become really boring. While at Sam's yesterday, I grabbed a rotisserie chicken for less than $5. I like them, but have not been buying them of late. Looks like the store in town weeds out the tiniest chickens they can find and sells them in the deli for as high as $8. I have a rotisserie and like to do my own, but trying to find a small chicken that will fit in mine is near impossible.

Only chickens on steroids are in the meat case, while the anorexic ones that died of starvation go to the deli. The chicken from yesterday was a good size and the leftovers are in the pot simmering and waiting for dumplings to join them for supper. My big accomplishment of the day.

Empty Cup Holders .... a Neccessity!

Got up early, very early. Showered before the fire was built and got ready to go. No food, no coffee. My choice, but I always go hungry when I go to a doctor's appointment. They just might want blood, you know. Always better to be ready, just in case. It is a long drive, a trip of an hour or more and if going without coffee will save another trip ...... small sacrifice.

Got there only to be told my insurance was not accepted. He Who acts as my chauffeur was not happy. He was downright pissy. I was winded from the walk from the parking lot. I could have paid up front for the visit, but any follow-up would present the same problem as far as insurance goes. So, we left. My chauffeur was hungry and I was longing for hot coffee.

We stopped for some fast food and I carried my coffee into the car with me. Had the lid secure and just popped it in the cup holder. We were headed to Sam's to get dog food and toilet paper so as not to waste the trip. I was texting with my youngest child.

I suddenly felt pain in my upper thigh. It was like a bee sting, followed by a warm sensation. The coffee had tipped sideways because He Who drives my car puts EVERYTHING he can find in the cup holder. Loose change, drill bits, nails, screws, plug adapters ....... you name it.

So, there I was, strolling through Sam's with a big coffee stain up high on my pants when I realized something. I didn't know these people, so I didn't care. I scored some nice steaks and 5 lbs of carrots and a pint of vanilla extract ( the good stuff, not the "flavored" stuff). Came home happy and called my primary care physician (PCP). I am contentedly waiting for a call back with my new referral. I think He Who Drives might be taking advantage of the 55 degree weather and cleaning out my car. If he isn't, he should be. At the very least, the cup holders!

Did I Win Yet?

Power ball is outrageous! I was so sure I would win by now! I had already planned things with all that money. Oh, well, it will just be more when I win.

I dutifully entered the HGTV dream home. So, it will be okay if I don't win the power ball. I will have a huge house with a vehicle and a boat on the Florida coastline. Oh no, now all of you will enter and my chances won't be as good! What am I thinking putting this out there?

Who am I kidding? I will be happy to win the five grand on Wheel of Fortune!

Snowed In

The first snowfall of 2016. Snowed all night and still snowing. I love the fresh blanket that covers all the ugliness of winter. I think winter should be a good cover of snow on the ground and when it melts, Spring should be here with nice green grass and daffodils every where.

Doesn't work that way. But, for now I will enjoy the white grounds (from inside my warm house). Think this calls for a big pot of soup and some crusty bread. Maybe a pie? Guess I will get up off my ample keester and head to the kitchen.

I feel good today. Hope it lasts long enough to get the cooking and some cleaning done. Think I will even put make-up on and pretend I feel great!!

Giant Thumbnail

You know that brown square of plastic you get when you buy a Pampered Chef baking item? I love that thing!!

You can clean so many things with it. All the corners have different angles to fit into different creases to scrape away baked on food. It is also great for scraping the stove top and removing paint from windows! Bet you didn't know that.

So many things this little piece of plastic is good for. I have used mine in the sewing room as well to de-crease my fabric. It is also useful for scratch-off tickets, Hillbilly Mom!!

So, next time you get a piece of baking wear and that little piece of brown plastic falls out of the box ......... do NOT listen to your husband and toss it in the trash! That thing is like a giant thumbnail, you will use it on every thing!

Sheep Herding Part 2

When we left yesterday there were three sheep grazing in the dog park. I came inside to download my pictures and send them to my kids to make them think we had acquired sheep. I like to do that. Shock my children and make them think we have finally gone over the edge. Just text the picture and say "Got us some sheep." Then answer their "why's" with "Mutton chops and sweaters."

Fun, they are so lucky to have me as a mom .... I am fun!! So what if they call me a dork? But, that is not my reason for revisiting this subject.

When the lady with the minivan drove over in the wrecked minivan with the other two sheep to wait for her husband I decided to just stay inside, still trying to catch my breath. I happened to be in the office when they left. I saw the minivan with the smashed in back, back window missing and sheep butts visible leave followed by a small sedan. I figured they had put the three sheep in there and her husband was following her to make sure everyone made it back home safely.

I was wrong. The three grazing sheep were in the back seat of the sedan!!! I kid you not. He Who will always lend a hand helped them get the sheep loaded. He Who is not afraid to ask questions and learned that these were local people who owned a truck and a cattle hauler. Yet, they chose to shove three sheep into the back of a sedan. Ponder that one for awhile.

He Who Herds Sheep!

Our park has a close proximity to the Interstate. Makes it easy for travelers to pull in for an overnight stay. One of the features that made us want to buy the park.

Close proximity to the Interstate has it's advantages ..... and disadvantages. We are usually  the first to know about a wreck. Sometimes we hear it. Most of the time we know about it when the traffic is at a crawl and drivers exit and think the can drive down the frontage road to the next entrance onto the Interstate. They don't see the "Dead End" sign until they have committed to the drive down the road. The easiest place to turn around is our driveway.

Cars will pull in and then back out onto the road, rather than drive down into the parking lot and come out the exit drive. We have had people try to drive through the grassy area between the drives during wet weather and get stuck. The big tractor trailers appreciate the big area to turn ...... well, most of them manage to navigate fine, while other will plow through my gardens. That is another story, though.

Today, a cattle truck must have been in a calamity, because we now have sheep wandering up. He Who loves a challenge is currently trying to herd them into the dog park. That dog park has come in handy! We have had horses and a stray dog or two spend the night in there. This is great because He Who loves animals is always bringing home dogs he sees in danger of heading onto the Interstate. They can spend the night in the dog park while they wait for the shelter to open. Before the dog park they stayed in my office ...... and my dogs went a little berserk.

 I decided to venture out to see the herding. The sheep are strolling down the road AWAY from the dog park.

 He Who had called reinforcements to help and learned that the sheep were being transported with two others in a minivan!!!

 See the dog park? The men got in their vehicles to herd. These sheep can run fast! I just walked along behind them and headed to the park.

 Wasn't all that hard, they just moved along, stopping to eat some grass.

 The men came along with their trucks and horns and I just sort of shooed them in.

They seem quite content. Their owner drove the bashed in minivan over while she waits for her husband to come get them.

I didn't go back out to see the van, but was told by He Who is as nosy as he is kind hearted said she was back-ended and it was smashed up pretty good ........ and the odor was appalling. Seems that sheep like to poop a lot.

My big adventure has me winded, I am left just sitting here wondering why you would stuff five sheep into your minivan.

Planned or Unplanned?

He who is in charge of the Wi-Fi network decided to make a change this year. Actually it was done last month. We were using Sprint. It was a sweetheart of a deal with unlimited usage for a set fee that was scandalously low. All was great for several years, until someone at Sprint "accidentally" turned off the Wi-Fi. When they were called to bring that error to their attention, they quickly turned it back on. The first bill after that was 10 times higher than it should have been.

Another call to Sprint. Uh-oh, that plan no longer exists! They could not just go to the contract we signed and re-instate it, because it is no longer in their "plans". A supervisor was contacted. This involved a very long wait on hold. He Who cannot be described as patient, held on in spite of the fact that precious minutes were ticking by that he could have been doing other things. He could have been mowing, or weed-eating and at one point he actually said he could have been cleaning out the barn. He did not appreciate me, the voice of reason, when I laughed and said that cleaning out the barn would take months and that he could always put his ear buds in while he was on hold and do any number of things.

The supervisor suggested that we go ahead and pay the highly inflated bill and that she would issue a credit. Really. She was told to issue the credit and that we would then pay the actual bill. Those are not the words he used. I think there was some talk of someone's head being up their butt. This went on month after month.

Then one day in December, as I was out tending my garden (it was insanely warm here and I was still harvesting tomatoes and green beans), He Who plumbs was about to leave to pick up some hydrant or something, when he place a big "X" on the lawn with yellow spray paint.

"Why are you painting my grass?" I asked. He replied, "This is where the dish is going for the Internet; the guy will be here soon, so just show him this "X". He can dig the hole here." This led me to assume the negotiations with Sprint were not going well. No, I did not ask. I was too annoyed at the location of the new dish in my yard. It creates a mowing hazard for me.

Not to worry, I will deal with it. This particular yard is inaccessible by anything other than the push mower, so lawn maintenance is mine. Forget the fact that a push mower makes lots of noise, it does not attract He Who loves gas powered equipment like the zero turn does. Why walk when you can ride?

The only bad thing about the new Internet retrieving system? He Who paints (somewhat sloppily) has not networked it yet. This means, you have to manually hook your lap top to it. Where is this hook-up located? Right next to the chair that He Who sits in. Across the room from mine. He did offer to drag a long cord to my chair, which would put it directly into the walking path that takes one from the kitchen area to the bedroom area and create a tripping hazard .....

Sprint beware, He Who is looking into another provider that will allow us to keep our phone numbers that we have had for over 15 years. I am thinking they planned this event to raise the Internet rates ........

A New Year of Deductibles

One day turns into the next as I sit and watch. Another visit to the clinic to hear the results of the marathon testing done in 2015. I still feel like crap, even without the blood pressure lowering I was subjecting myself to with a pill I once needed.

I did not have a heart attack, as proved by all the testing ..... but I do have coronary artery disease. My blood leans toward clotting and I have some calcium deposits in my arteries. Must have been all those Tums I gobbled up over the years!! I have an appointment with a cardiologist this month. Looks like I will be hitting my deductible again this year. Yay!

In the meantime, I still feel just plain bad! Fatigue and light headed. He Who loves me won't let me do much. He is painting the new siding. I had already painted the trim around the windows and such. Needs to be touched up now. He can't seem to keep the paint on the part he is painting. Drives me crazy. I ventured out to take a peek and decided it would be better if I just stayed inside until I feel well enough to tackle the touch-ups myself. I picture an endless cycle of touching up after the touch up. Black on gray, then gray on black. You see what I mean, don't you?

I feel pretty good in the early part of the day and tend to go ahead and do all the prep for dinner in case I am not feeling too good by then. He Who can cook when he puts his mind to it, but he makes such a mess. He will clean it up, but not to my liking ........ Same with laundry. He tries, but he is not much into sorting and the folding leaves a lot to be desired. On the other hand he does love to vacuum.

I think it has something to do with noise and motors. If it has a motor, it must be doing a better job! He will mop, but only spot mopping. And so, I choose not to look too closely. I did mange to change the sheets on my bed without mishap, but the folding of the clean sheets late in the afternoon left me breathless. I folded the top sheet, then waited an hour to fold the bottom sheet. I like to layer them before the last fold and tuck the pillow cases in with them. It is like a little package of bed changing necessities. I take great pride in my neat fold, as it takes up less space and space is a precious commodity in my house.

Lately, I don't care so much. I think it might be time for a little chair nap. I will kick back in my recliner with one little dog in my arm, laying on his back with his sweet little head on my shoulder. Cujo, of course. Wall-E will lay in my lap, while Toni Louise and Oscar snooze on their doggy bed right beside me.