Month: April 2021

It actually rained the other night; finally.

We were sitting on the seat, in the bedroom, watching different things on our computers, when I looked over at Ivan, and asked him if he smelled rain. (I love the smell of rain. Have I ever mentioned that?)

Sure enough, it was raining; and hard, by the sound of it. The drops sounded quite large; not small, delicate, normal sized rain drops. These sounded like they were the size of olives. I know how that looks, reading “the size of olives”, but, that is what crossed my mind, listening to them. It was not the light, soft sound of rain; it was rain. They were not rain drops, they were rain plops.

It only lasted fifteen minutes, however, the after affects, at least in this building, lasted quite a bit longer. The power went out three times, the last time being about eleven thirty, returning a few minutes after midnight.

When it was out, we had no lights, obviously, no fans, but, I also had no working CPAP machine! I was close to having a minor panic attack, (though I cannot remember ever actually having one). It felt as if I was suffocating. I opened the bedroom window, quite a ways, to let in the fresh, cold night air. We could hear the sounds of men, downstairs; it sounded as if they were trying to “fix” something.

When the power returned, for the second time, that is, it was not at full strength. We have never experienced “partial power” restoration before. This was something new, and interesting. Not fun, however.

The two fans we use, in the bedroom, were set on medium speed, but, both sounded, and, felt like they were on low. The lights, in the spare bedroom, when turned on, blinked on, and off, like emergency lights, though not synchronized; not a continuous glow. Only three of the four ceiling lights, in our bedroom, came on. And, not all of the outlets worked; not even in our surge protector, (which is where I had the CPAP machine plugged in). What the heck?

When I could not get my CPAP to work, we tried plugging it in to several different outlets in the room; nothing happened. I thought I had, somehow, wrecked it, or maybe a power surge had fried it. What was I going to do? (I have to use the machine when I sleep, because, as the results of a sleep study I had, years ago showed, I stopped breathing, multiple times every hour. Not conducive to good health, or, longevity.) Ivan had me plug it in to an extension cord that he uses to recharge his computer, and that worked. I could finally go to sleep.

Nope.

The power went out again, the third time, for thirty minutes. This time, however, when it came back on, it was at full force, again. The fans went back to their medium setting, with the full force of the medium speed; the lights all worked, and my CPAP machine was up, and, running. NOW we could go to sleep. Finally.

Then, the alarm started.

It was outside, somewhere downstairs, in the garage area. We thought it was, possibly, a car alarm, but, by the sound of it, and the volume level, it had to have been the emergency siren. And, it when on, and on, and on, and on. I got up, shut the windows, Ivan went to the bathroom, and we went back to bed. The alarm lasted ten minutes. Now we could go to sleep.

By then, however, it was after one o’clock in the morning; the bewitching hour for me. So, no, I did not go to sleep. I was restless, tossing, and turning; my legs became jumpy, so …

I got up, took two Ibuprofen, went out to the kitchen to reset the clocks, on the oven, and the coffee maker; walked through the apartment; stretched my back; applied lotion to my feet, then put on short socks; played thirty minutes of Wordscapes, at the table, in the living room, (did not want to disturb the sleeping el señor); got back up, and, walked through the apartment, again; walked around looking at all of the plants; went to the bathroom; then, walked a few more times around the apartment, waiting for the Ibuprofen to start working. By now, it was two thirty, so, I went back to bed. Ugh!

Somewhere, after three, I finally fell to sleep.

I woke up, punctual, as ever, at seven thirty(ish), got up, started the coffee maker, as it was set for eight o’clock; finished my morning ablutions; fed everything that required feeding, and sat down to write this post.

Having had my first cup of coffee, I will finish this up, so I can get it posted. Please, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

I am going to go take a nap.

Woohoo! I got on the scale this morning, and, I am happy to report, I have lost sixteen pounds; seven kilos. (When losing weight, one should always weigh oneself in kilos, but, calculate the weight lost in pounds. Much more satisfactory that way/weigh! Hahaha.)

I am thinking it is the haircut! It has really given me….. something; an impetus, maybe, that helps me not eat at every opportunity. And, believe me, I have ample opportunities. Sitting in the living room, at my “office” everyday, the opportunities abound, about fifteen feet away; calling me; frequently.

The plants, and I, appear to still be in the “getting to know you” phase, and, we are both surviving, (schefflera excluded), in spite of my good intentions.

I repotted the rubber tree yesterday, and ended up removing all of the dirt surrounding the beauty. I am hoping I have not killed it. The dirt was so compacted in the vessel, I could not get the plant out; not without gentle surgical removal of the dirt, that is.

The roots, two of them, actually, are about a foot and a half long, with smaller offshoots from those two. They were so stuck in the dirt, there was no place for them to go. The pot had plenty of dirt, and space, but the dirt was like concrete. Not anymore.

I repotted it into a very pretty red fiberglass container, watered it gently, but this morning, when we got up, the beauty was drooping. As today is Monday, and Monday is watering day for all of the plants, I gave it a bit more water, but with a nip of coffee in it. Hopefully, it will perk up, here, in a bit. Fingers crossed. Here it is, as of this morning.

The two lighter green leaves are both new, since we got it, with a new leaf shoot growing straight up. Also, the top leaves are starting to regain a bit of umph, I believe. They do not look as sad as they were this morning.

So far, the Areca palms I repotted, and divided, are both doing alright; they appear so, anyway. The airplane plant, and the peace lily, in the bedroom, are both beautiful. In fact, I believe the airplane plant is developing an offshoot; let me show you.

That new portion was not there yesterday morning, but it was last night. I am anxious to see what it becomes. Of course I will show you; silly you.

Until then, please, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

Riding my bike has become a chore. I have discovered that this foldable bike is vastly different than a standard sized bike.

I have hit curbs, run into bushes, fallen going up a driveway entrance. It is embarrassing. I have ridden bicycles since I was four years old; how can I have forgotten how they work?

I have not forgotten; as I said earlier, this foldable bike is completely different. I think it is the driver, actually, though I am not sure, at the moment. The driver of this bicycle is older than the she was the last time she rode a bike, and her equilibrium is off, especially with the deafness of her right ear. Excuses, excuses.

Practice. I keep thinking that I will go outside, every morning, and ride around the park; quietly, in no hurry, with no traffic to concern me. Then something always comes up, (thank the Lord) to keep me from said practice. I mean well, I just do not follow through.

Then, I end up riding my bike over to the cousin’s house, to deliver a loaf of bread, and end up falling into shrubs, or hitting a curb; all in traffic I am unsure of. Very embarrassing; not to mention scary, and painful.

It is as if I have developed a palsy when riding. Something happens to the handlebars, and they go back and forth without my control. Embarrassing. It is similar to driving a large vehicle for years, a Cadillac, say, and then driving a MiniCooper. Everything is different. The center of gravity, (Lord knows my center is off), is to short; there is no room for error. So, I run into things. Practice, practice, practice. Ha.

Eventually, I will ride the darned thing without fear of doing myself irreparable harm, but until then, you know what to do. Please, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones. We are doing the same. Well, except for the bike riding, that is.

That, I have read, is the new buzz word for 2021.

None of us are depressed, or, just “existing”; we are languishing. That is a very sedate way of describing incarceration, is it not?

I do not know about you, the reader, but I definitely consider myself, and my husband, as languishing. In the dictionary, it reads “to be or become weak or feeble, droop, fade, to lose vigor and vitality, to undergo prolonged inactivity,” a state of melancholia.”

We are languishing; are you?

Originally, I thought this word did not fit our current lifestyle. After really reading the definition, I admit, now, that it is spot on. As much as we try to stay busy, the inactivity is a killer.

Some days it is hard to get out of bed; each day is the same as the last. I try to do as much as I can, especially first thing in the morning, to change things up a bit, though I do not always accomplish it. Baking is what makes the difference in a day; for me, at least.

It sounds, at the moment, here, in the apartment, that all of the others, incarcerated as well, are languishing, too. I can not hear a single sound; maybe the electricity went out. I will have to check.

Until I know for sure, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

Yes, the peace lily, and the schefflera are alive. Well, the lily, is, at least. The schefflera is alive, but, still in recovery, in guarded condition.

I bought a Houseplant Survival Manual that is a few years old, but fits my needs nicely. It did not get here until a few days ago. In it, I learned that the schefflera prefers to be on the dry side, and not drowned. To save it, I took it out of the pot, and am allowing it to dry out on newspaper, and more potting soil. Poor thing.

I learned that one must water ones indoor plants with the same water that one drinks. I did not know that, and had been watering everything with the water from the faucet. Most of the herbs have died; they did not care for icky water, is my guess. Only the chives have survived.

Now that I have started watering less, and using the bottled water we buy, things are looking up. Better than that, I have moved the large philodendrons into the office, and the spider plant and peace lily to our bedroom. That should help considerably, as they will not be where I can see them all day, and want to make sure they have enough water. (Read, drown them.)

Why not just purchase a water meter, you ask? I have. It will not arrive until mid May; must be coming from China, via India.

Speaking of India, have you read, or heard, how awful the virus is affecting them? We read, here, that they are doubling up patients, in hospitals, two to a bed. How horrible for them.

Please, do not wait to see how they fare; prevention is worth our time, and effort. Stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

That is me, alright. The last few days have been busy; making bread, repotting plants, recovering some.

I moved three of the bigger plants back to the spare bedroom, allowing much more indirect sunlight for them. It has an eastern facing window, so it gets sunlight, mostly in the afternoon, however. Because of the configuration of the buildings, the sun has to come up, and over, the top of the front of the building, so we do not receive its bounty until after noon.

Today, I have to make some kombucha. It is quite a process in the prep work, so I am often hesitant to even start it. Once I get going, though, it does not really take much time at all. Cutting up the pineapple take the most amount of time, and is quite messy. The pineapples are bright yellow, so they are both sweet, and juicy; hence the mess.

I suppose I have put it off long enough. I had better get to it. A cup of coffee first, I think.

While I build up my resolve, please, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

Luis, and Martín, were here, this afternoon. And, well, the few things they brought have, actually, left me speechless. NOT!

First, they brought in the glass tops for the hutch, and the dressers. Then, they brought in the base, for the kitchen, under the fermentation station. We discovered that they built a cutting board into the base for us. Who does these things? They do.

I have so much more space in the kitchen, and, in the pantry, that I had to stop, sit down, and write this post. My mind is overwhelmed; I am having difficulty deciding what to bring into the kitchen, and what to leave in the pantry. So much to do, so much to do. I cannot stop smiling.

Here are a few photos of the hutch, in the living room. I brought all of the dishes, and most of the glassware, and filled the hutch this morning, just before L&M arrived. I think it has turned out quite nicely.

The hutch had a solid base at the floor, but we requested they make it open, so that was changed this morning, as well. I keep trying to think of what I want to put in the drawers, but, as we only have three tablecloths, at the moment, and no placemats, I am having a bit of difficulty with this, as well. I am sure, though, that something will come to me, in the wee hours of a morning some day.

Until I figure out what will go where, please, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

I have been six hours, working in this hot kitchen today. Of course, I have a photo to show you what I mean by hot.

I could not stand to watch it keep climbing so I stopped at one hundred five degrees F. I think it is a shame that I cannot lose weight, working in this sauna. Fortunately, the breads that are being baked will be well worth the sweat! Since I no longer have long hair, I can stick my head under the bathroom faucet, and cool myself off. Yay for me.

While not in the kitchen, I spent an hour, maybe less, repotting all of the Sansevieria’s; the little ones. Tomorrow, after my silica sand arrives, I will repot the large San’s into several different spots, in one of the larger green containers that go in the large flower box. Right now, I am trying to loosen the block of dirt surrounding the roots. It cannot make a dent in it.

Until all of that happens, let me show you how nice the little ones look after having been repotted this morning. After that, please, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

Just when I think I have everything under control, I find out, usually the hard way, that, indeed, I do not.

This morning, I made my morning pot of coffee, as I do every morning, with one, very important exception; I forgot to dump the half cup of coffee left in the pot, from yesterday. Ugh!

I was going about my business this morning, trying to keep to some sort of routine, after having very little sleep last night. That is nothing unusual, however, this morning I am quite tired; down to my bones. I cannot get my head into the routine; I seem to be floating, ghost like, around the apartment. Even sitting down to type this, I am sitting on my chair, but feel like a lump of coal; zombi-ish.

I got up, opened the living room windows, and breathed deeply of the morning air; made, and drank, my (retch) apple cider vinegar with honey, and water; started a load of laundry; lit the oven to preheat it for bread baking; then, noticed the coffee, running on the countertop. (That, I should admit, to myself, at least, was a feat in itself, as the countertop is black speckled granite, if you recall.)

I mopped up the countertop, then, continued on my way. I fixed myself a cup of coffee, sat at my “office”, (the table in the living room,) got out my iPad, and started typing. Thus, what you are reading, before you, was the beginning of my day.

Fortunately, this morning was one in a thousand. I have not had such a start in quite some time. Why do you not return to bed, you ask? Simply, because, then my morning, my time of solitude, peace, reflection, is gone; utterly. I cannot retrieve it once it has passed.

Getting up, after seven thirty, or eight o’clock, is just not me. I need this time, by myself, to get my affairs in order, if you will. I can plan my day without having any distractions, (not that I would ever call my beloved a distraction!), however, if the shoe fits….

The bedding is in the washer, soon to be hung up on the clothesline in the laundry area to dry; the first loaf of bread has thirty minutes to bake; the plants are all “good morning”ed, and I am ready for a second cuppa.

That all said, please, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

I just saw this; thought it was parchment paper from the bread I just took out of the oven!)

I must tell you, that, with the higher hydration rate, and the sifting of the bran out of the Einkorn flour, I am able to make a loaf of sourdough bread that looks like this.

Personally, I prefer less perforations, as everything falls through them. However, it is the look for which most bakers strive. No longer.

I am currently making two loaves of bread that have a seventy seven percent hydration, and will let you know, tomorrow, how they turned out.

Until then, please, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.