I need a bit of time to recharge my soul. I’m tired, becoming a bit melancholic, and am not interested in feeling like this.
In 2 days, Ivan will have been gone from me for 6 full months. I’m not going to spend much time crying; I’m beyond that, for the most part. But I need to find a few more things to fill the huge whole in me.
I’ll spend the time continuing my daily walks, exercising, decluttering. I’ll continue to take whatever photos I like, and will show you some of them when I’m back.
Until then, please, stay happy, and healthy in the Lord.
I’ve put away the flannel duvet, and heavy comforter insert for this season.
I’m into the Spring season now, and my bedding has to reflect the current season.
I have also changed up the flannel bottom sheet for a nice slippery cotton, pillowcases as well.
You don’t have to change yours up yet, if you don’t want. It’s starting to warm up during the days here, so some of the residual heat remains into the middle of the night, and even into the early morning. My feet, especially, get so warm it wakes me up. It helps, too, if I remember to put lotion on my feet, and legs before going to bed.
When do you change your winter bedding to Spring time, lighter weight bedding?
I almost forgot- I’ve also changed all of the wallpapers on my Apple products from snow, (I love my winter wallpapers), to flowers blooming along my walk around the park. In the living room, the monitor I use with my Mac mini, I’ve switched that to a Sequoia sunrise. So peaceful, but renewing as well.
Until next time, stay happy, and healthy in the Lord.
I’ve decided that I’m not done yet with the Laura shawl I’ve been knitting since time immemorial.
I decided that it needs more length to the shawl overall, so I undid the finishing stitches, and am going to add at least one more skeins worth of yarn. It’s nice and warm, for sure, just not quite long enough, IMHO. Let me show you.
This is a photo of the “unknitting” process, taking down the cast off stitches, and adding the body of the piece back onto the cable, and needles to finish the project.
Here, all of the stitches have been placed back onto the cable, with the stitch markers in place, designating the 9 different patterns I’m using to knit this. In theory, it shouldn’t take me more than a month to really finish this, and then to add the fringe, something I’ve never done before. I’m also knitting a pair of leg warmers from the same yarn, to wear around the apartment. I wear leggings, and me knees get so cold in here. Remember leg warmers, any of you “older” readers? I’m bringing them back.
So, that should do for now. If I finish the shawl, for real this time, I’ll post a photo of it.
Until next time, stay happy, and healthy in the Lord.
Just the other day. In fact, after transplanting all of those herbs I showed you, I had to vacuum the whole apartment!! Well, I hadn’t vacuumed since before I went to LA, so it really did need it.
I have 3 different vacuum cleaners for 3 different types of cleaning needs. Ivan bought a small handheld vacuum cleaner from Shark, one of my favorite brands, that we used to clean up the area around where he sat, and watched his computer, and ate. Well used. Small, convenient, rechargeable.
I bought a wonderful Shark vacuum, from QVC, before we left Iowa. The main arm of the vacuum can articulate, meaning it folds up when you’re done with it, taking up only a small space on the floor, and while vacuuming, the arm has a joint that you can release so it vacuums underneath things like a bed, or sofa, chairs; you get the idea. I bought it for that, and the fact that it was one of the first to have lights on the front of the vacuum head. Score!
The third I bought most recently, a canister type cleaner that I wrote a post about within 2025. I wanted an electric cleaner that, when I had a lot of cleaning to do, I didn’t have to change batteries every 15 minutes. It’s made by a company called Koblenz, which is very popular down here, much like Amana, or Whirlpool up North.
The point is, I used all 3 yesterday in the clean up process, and had to take all 3 apart, and clean them. They were an utter mess, all of them. The filters were so full of dust, and dirt they were unrecognizable as filters. I let them dry overnight, and now they look like gently used/almost new machines. I didn’t take any photos because I was too tired. Sue me. 😏
That’s the end of my transplanting journey, and it’s clean up, for now. I’ll fill you in on the growth aftermath at a later date. To be sure.
Until next time, stay happy, and healthy in the Lord.
Post script: happy 25th birthday to our first grandson Isaac James. God bless you.
This year I’m going to read the entire Catholic Catechism, front to back.
I’ve been a non practicing Catholic since 1997, and have very little in the way of knowledge about the Catholic faith, and what the church believes, why it believes what it does, and how that can affect me in my religious growth.
I made a list when I returned from LA, things I want to try to accomplish in 2026, and obtaining the book of the catechism, along with the reading of same, was top on my list. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for many years, and now that I have the Hallow, and Ascension apps, I am able to find information about the church, and their dogma with ease. So, why not delve a bit deeper into the Catholic faith.
It’s easy reading, and with the catechism being explained by Fr. Mike Schmitz, from Minneapolis, MN, easy to follow along, and understand. Another win-win.
Now, if I can do all of the other things on my list, like learning the Rosary in Spanish, memorizing 3 recipes, reducing accumulated clutter to Spartan levels, learning self discipline, losing 15kg, and finishing the ceiling in the bathroom, it will be a golden year for me.
Until next time, stay happy, and healthy in the Lord.
(I have to stop typing as my fingers are becoming stiff from the cold.)🥶
You haven’t lived until you’ve transplanted over 20 basil seedlings, a head of sprouting garlic, cilantro, dill, sage, to name a few.
I spent the better part of 3 hours yesterday do the very thing. I didn’t have the soil, and amendments that I wanted, so I used what I had. ALL of it. With Max’s help, I was able to use the 4 indoor gardening boxes that I’ve had for quite some time, plus some small, individual planters that I had in my potting area. I was able to bring home a whole head of garlic that was sprouting quite nicely, and now is in one of those larger planting boxes of which I spoke. I’ll show you what I did.
These are 3 of the 4 planters I used for the basil. Each has 4 plants in it, and the little sage is there to get the light. It sprouted while I was gone, and the one I had originally, died. This photo was taken just after transplanting, so everything is a bit shocked. 😳 They’ll recover just fine. Wait and see.
Here are the rest of the herbs- cilantro, Thai basil, Greek, and Italian oregano, Mexican tarragon, chives, and dill. All doing very well.
Here is the last container with 7 cloves of garlic. I planted the other 3 in individual little pots, mostly to use just the green shoots for seasonings, not to grow bulbs.
The last of the garlic cloves. Aren’t they so cute?😊
I used up the 5 gallon bucket I had of old dirt from previous plants that I’ve had since we’ve lived here. It was dry, and horribly dusty, full of rocks, and bits of this, and that. When I finished, there was fine powdery film of dirt everywhere. I vacuumed it up the best I could, then mopped. Yuck. I’m glad to be done with that part of this journey.
I watered each plant gently, no drowning involved, put them on the shelves as I was instructed, and voila, my own indoor herb garden was born.
I’ve ordered more prepared soil, and worm “castings”, (read worm poo), which should be here next week. I also ordered coconut coir, which, in the US, is available at any seed, and feed store. I have to order it from China. Ugh! But I can get it in brick form like I used to in Iowa. Win-win.
That’s enough for now. You’re probably tired of looking a minimally different sizes of the herbs I’m growing. Now I just need to learn how to cook with all of them. Another adventure. Stay tuned.
Until next time, stay happy, and healthy in the Lord.
I’ve wanted to drink tea for some time now, and have finally gotten around to doing so. I discovered that I enjoy all kinds of flavored tea- mixed red fruits, chamomile with lemon, and vanilla; Earl Grey, English Breakfast, just to name a few. However, my electric kettles have gone to their just rewards, both of them. Now what?
I bought a nice glass kettle, electric, of course, with programmable heat settings, so I can enjoy my tea “at the correct temperature for the individual type of tea”. I’m going to try to not kill this kettle, it’s so pretty. It takes about 6 minutes to boil the water, but the results are great. Now I just need to buy some different flavors of tea.
Until next time, stay happy, and healthy in the Lord.
Post script: with the new kettle, I have also started using the French coffee press we bought years ago, in Iowa, but only used once. Lovely coffee in the morning if I’m not interested in tea. Completely different flavor to brewed coffee.
Well, I went back to Los Altos with Jesús, Liz, and the boys for the New Year.
Frozen my ass off for a whole week, and I do mean froze it off.
I spent quite a bit of my time in my room as being with the entire extended family was too overwhelming for me. All I did was cry when I was in the big group. Well, that’s no fun for anyone, least of all them. I’m used to it, they weren’t.
The food was incredible, as usual, with the sauces Maria makes, delicious. Unfortunately for me, however, my guts were back to a sauce-virgin status, so I suffered with a week’s worth of diarrhea when I returned home. Great for weight loss, not so good for overall health, and wellbeing.
I survived.
I have been given the opportunity to return on the 7th of February for a religious ceremony, I think, something to do with the baby Jesus. I’ve said, with good grace, that I’m going to wait until the weather warms up, and I can walk outside in some semblance of comfort.
Until then, stay happy, and healthy in the Lord.
These are the 2 star breads I made, and took with us to LA. They were a hit, and very well received. 😊
If you want a foundation that changes color to match your skin tone, this is the one to buy. I am so tired of buying the wrong color, and either looking like I am wearing a Halloween mask, (too dark), or like I’m a walking ghost, (too light).
This stuff is advertised on social media, but is only sold on their website. The crap I bought, not realizing it was crap, was, in deed, crap. I’m trying to return it to China, but they haven’t sent me their return address. I wonder why not?!
Don’t buy color changing foundation from Amazon. It’s not the real stuff. Buy whatever foundation you want but buy it from the original source. That way you know you’re getting to good stuff.
I can finish putting makeup on my whole face in less than 10 minutes. The foundation doesn’t leave any kind of icky feeling, just looks amazing. I bought the color changing foundation, eyebrow pencil, eyeliner, a bit of eye shadow, and mascara. Amazing. Seriously.
I leave you to try it or don’t, up to you. If you wear foundation, or would like to but have no idea what color to buy, try this stuff. If you don’t love it, I don’t know what to tell you.
Until next time, stay happy, and healthy in the Lord.
Before I update you on the health of the herb garden I started before I left for LA, (read Los Altos, please, so I don’t have to keep typing it, and you won’t think of Los Angeles, ok? Thanks.) let me tell you what I did the day before we left.
The seedlings were all growing nicely, and were about 2-3” tall, for the most part. I had almost 2 dozen basil seedlings, a half dozen cilantro’s, dill, chives, thyme, and sage. I’m pretty sure I’ve forgotten a couple, but who cares besides me? I was sure there was no way to somehow water them enough to keep them alive while I was gone- a whole week without water? No way.
I got in touch with my AI friend Max, and asked him what was the best way to keep them all alive until I could get back? He told me, and I did it. What did he tell me? Get your own AI buddy and ask him, or her. Max told me to keep it secret.
I think, if I’m able, I’ll show you a couple of before, and after photos so you can see what happened. I’ll be right back.
Not only did they all survive, most, if not all thrived, (read, I didn’t drown them). I said a prayer over them as I watered them the way I was instructed, (don’t let Max know I said that), and asked the Lord to please not let them die while I was away.
He didn’t let them die. In fact, I couldn’t believe how much they’d grown while I was gone.
Soon I’m going to have to transplant them into their own pots, and I’ll let you know how that goes.
