I’m not going to rush into doing things, and buying the things needed to do those things. I’m going to take my time, and wait until after the beginning of the new year, when my finances have leveled out, and have become more stable.
Then, best not get in front of me at the checkout. I’m going to go like a house on fire.
In the mean time, I’m going to take it easy, do a little of this, and that, and make tentative plans for what I want to do, and in what order. Meanwhile, I’ve got the herbs to get on top of.
Sound good? I thought so too.
Until next time, stay happy, and healthy in the Lord.
Post script: only 7 more shopping days until Christmas. Have you finished your shopping, or do you wait for the last minute?
I just had the worst dinner I think I’ve ever made.
I had a dried out chicken breast, green beans, and “rice”. I put the rice in quotes as it was the worst replication of rice I’ve ever eaten. I won’t be eating it again.
It’s made from Lupin bean flour, etc., and was awful. I’m not sure if I’ll try to use the rest of the package in a soup, or casserole, but I sure as certain will not be eating it as a side. It was awful.
Did I mention that it was awful? Well, it was.
I don’t usually cook chicken breasts as they routinely come out dry. I checked the internal temperature, and took them out too late. They came out at 165ºF, not 145º as they were supposed to do. I was busy doing who knows what, and forgot them. Dammit.
I struggled through the chicken, and some of the green beans but couldn’t/wouldn’t finish the “rice”. It was awful.
It sure looks like rice, doesn’t it? It doesn’t taste anything at all like rice.
Next, I’m going to try making some sort of small tomato based casserole using different flavored pastas. I’ll let you know how it/they turn out. At the moment, I’m not encouraged.
Until next time my friends, do stay happy, and healthy in the Lord, won’t you?
Specifically, Genovese basil, chives, cilantro, dill, Greek, and Italian oregano, and Mexican tarragon. Nothing in the peppermint, sage, or Thai basil cells, but it’s still early days for some of these.
This morning I was able to remove the plastic wrap covering the cells to maintain moisture. I also added a second grow light over the seedlings as the dill were getting a bit leggy, IMHO. Since I’ve never grown dill, I really have no idea if they’re considered leggy, or not.
Let me show you how things look on this particular day.
I’ve had to add another grow light to the equation as I feel the dill has been leaning over to find the one light I originally had. Here’s what I’ve done.
The light on the right, (red spectrum light, for established plants), is now hanging directly over the plants wintering here from the LR, and there are now 2 grow lights, (with blue spectrum light, for seedlings), hanging directly above the seedlings. I also put the lily on the warming mat just because I could.
So, for the foreseeable future, I will definitely have Genovese basil, chives, cilantro, (which is a bit more difficult to grow than most people realize), dill, oregano, tarragon, and thyme to learn how to use in my cooking.
Until next time, stay happy, and healthy in the Lord.
It was delivered today, late morning, so I spent 2 hours getting it put together, and moving the microwave off of my very limited countertop, and onto the cart. I took everything off the small metal cart that was there, and found plenty of space for everything on the behemoth. You’ll see.
I bought this big cart because I wanted to take both appliances out of the kitchen to be placed on the cart, but the SmartOven decided it needed to be fed directly from the outlet nipple. I had to put it back on the counter. Well, getting one off the counter was better than nothing. The microwave doesn’t require as much energy evidently.
Anyway, here’s a quick peek at my accomplishments for today. I’m going to rest as I’m tired from manipulating those metal pieces by myself.
Until next time, stay happy, and healthy in the Lord.
I cannot tell you how much better I’m feeling today.
As apposed to just this past Friday, I’m terrific.
I’ve been following a different exercise routine that I’ve gleaned from the physiotherapists Bob & Brad on YT. I’ve taken 11 of their suggestions and put them into 1 workout routine that I’m going to practice on M-W-F, while walking around the park on T-Th-Sa, with a day off on Sunday.
So far, I’ve done the routine 3 times, and haven’t been this limber, and pain free in forever. Seriously. The pain in my right hip is completely gone during the morning until late afternoon, when it starts up again if I’ve been sitting at the LR table all afternoon, as I sometimes do. Then all bets are off.
The routine takes about 20 minutes, I’d guess, though I’ve never timed it. Don’t want to know, really, as it’s a comfortable workout, and I can feel the difference in my hip even while I’m practicing it. TYJ.
So, on that note I’ll say
Until next time, stay happy, and healthy in the Lord.
We have a peephole in our front door, as most front doors have.
Our peephole, however, works for someone well over 5’1” tall. (That’s me. 5’1”).
So, I’m taking it upon myself to move the damn thing down to my height. I’m the only one going to look through the thing, but the one that’s there, I’m only able to see the light on the ceiling outside the door. Well, that’s helpful.
Not that we have many people coming to the door, but on that occasion when someone does ring the bell, I’d like to have an idea who that person is before I open the door. More often than not, it’s one of the security guards bringing me a package that was delivered, and they were kind enough to receive it. Or, I’ve had the condo administrator, Ivonne, stop by with paperwork that I need to sign, or what have you.
All the same, I’m going to be able to see them prior to admitting them into the apartment. I’ve ordered a peephole that includes the drill bit, so now, I just need to buy a dowel that is the same size as the drill bit.
Field trip to Home Depot. Can’t wait.
Until next time, stay happy, and healthy in the Lord.
Post script: I found the dowels I’m going to need to fill the hole where the original viewer was. They were in the corner of the laundry room. I had completely forgotten they were there.
Happy birthday Lucas. And, happy birthday, tomorrow, to Harlow.
I think I posted a while ago that I was going to start growing, and learning to cook with fresh herbs. I have set up a grow station in my office, on the wire rack, very similar to what I had in Iowa. This time I’ve used what I already had, and making do. The only thing I’ve bought are fresh seeds, a warming mat, seed tray, and fresh soils. I say soils, plural, because I also bought soil amendments; hummus, vermiculite, perlite, and compost. I want to start with the best, not the old crumbly dirt I’ve had for the last 5 years.
The grow lights I have are the conical ones, not the tubular, shop lights like I used before. These I bought a few years ago when I had the jungle, and wanted to try to keep some of it alive throughout the winter months.
So, I’m starting my herb garden
in the winter months. How very clever.
I expect good things as my attitude is half the battle I believe. I want it to work, so it will work. The seed tray is coming on Sunday, and the seeds on Halloween. I’ve started some seeds that are “coated”, and heirloom, that I bought in 2020, so the Lord alone knows if anything will happen with them.
Let me show you my set up, then I’ll let you go.
This is the clamp that normally goes around the grow lights, but I couldn’t get the distance correct if using it. So, I took it off, but will keep it for future use.
I removed the hanging mechanism, and hung the light suspended on 3 “s” hooks. Genius, I know. Improvise, adapt, and overcome.
Oh, I forgot that I ordered a heating mat to help the seeds germinate as it’s about 48ºF at night right now. It gets up to 80º most days still, but pretty chilly at night. I also put the light on a timer to turn on at 7am, and go off at 10pm. I’ll let you know how this all works. I’d eventually like to grow a head of lettuce, or 2, and maybe some mushrooms. We’ll see.
Until next time, stay happy, and healthy in the Lord.
Since Ivan died, I’ve been doing waaaaay too much sitting.
It’s been said, recently, that sitting is the new smoking.
The pain it’s caused in my right hip has been substantial, to say the least. This morning I came out to the living room, and could barely sit, and/or stand. I had a video come up on my home page on YouTube, by Bob & Brad, physical therapists whose channel I found over a year ago when I had some trouble with my back. What a Godsend.
I watched 4 or 5 videos, they’re not very long, but put into practice immediately what they were explaining one needed to do to relieve hip pain, and release tightness in the hip joint. I kid you not. After 3 of the exercises they showed, the pain in my hip was gone completely; until I lifted my leg too far to the side that is.
All in good time my pretty. All in good time.
So, I saved at least 6 of their videos, and will do a couple of them every morning. Without fail. Before my prayers, so they become a routine, as are my prayers.
Until next time, stay happy, and healthy in the Lord.
I spent a few hours today rearranging all of the rooms on the back side of the apartment.
The only rooms left untouched were the kitchen, pantry, and the guest bedroom. Those I’ve left for another day.
Briefly, I started by moving all of my clothes out of my much loved low, long dresser, and into a medium high dresser that used to be Ivan’s. I then moved that into the empty area in our bedroom, just next to Ivan’s glider that he always sat in. I originally bought it to put in the living room at some point but with the furniture that we currently have, it wouldn’t look very nice. I need to say that next time I move a dresser, it might be easier to move it empty, rather than full. Just a thought.
Next, I moved the dresser that I had been using, the low, long dresser, underneath the window of the spare bedroom, where the medium dresser used to be. That left a nice space for the metal cart from the living room. That was quite easy to move as it’s on wheels, but it had to wait until I swept up the broken returnable beer bottle that I forgot was on the cart. Duh!
That left me to deal with everything else left in the living room. The years of dirt on the floor, underneath everything that I wasn’t able to move over the years, was incredible to say the least. I vacuumed, then mopped, then moved the chairs out from under the planter box, and put the love seat under there. So much better use of the space.
I also got to hang the painting that was done for us, given to me by a coworker, that I’ve been waiting 5 years to hang. I’ll show you.
Now I can get to the shelves, tomorrow, and get them all cleaned off, good for another 5 years of volcanic dust residue. Can’t wait. I think I might be able to use the robot vacuum cleaner soon. If I can figure out how to use it. I will. I know I will. Just a matter of time.
The biggest thing I need to do is move all of Ivan’s tools out of the living room, and put them somewhere where I can find them if/when I need them. Back in the third bathroom-cum-storage area I think will work nicely. I’m going to move out any food left in there, and make that a tool storage room. That way all of the tools, and equipment will be in one place, like your basements, or garages. I don’t have either of those areas as my disposal and the storage area on the roof is not waterproof, so the bathroom it is.
I think, until next time, that’s all I’m going to tell you for now.
Stay happy, and healthy in the Lord.
Post script: this is my 2000th post. Thanks for staying with me.
Very therapeutic, I must say. Keeps me from thinking about
things.
Then, just like that, at the snap of your fingers, I found myself sitting in my chair, crying my eyes out. I know I’m still healing, and probably always will. It’s just a bit disconcerting when it comes out of nowhere.
Anyway, I vacuumed 5 years worth of dust from the tops of the wall cabinets in our bedroom, finished taking all of Ivan’s clothes out of the closet, putting them on the bed in the guest bedroom, and found all of the towel sets we have, (we have a lot). I’m keeping 2 of the blue/green sets for the guest bathroom as they go with the shower curtain, and 2 sets of the grey, and deep purple for our bathroom. The rest are going to go to Los Altos with me at the end of the year.
I found the sweater my mother knitted for me when I was about 14, and it’s as beautiful today as it was all of those years ago. I’ll show you. I’m going to give it to Jesús’s niece in Los Altos for Christmas.
I only wore it twice because it’s made from acrylic, and acrylic sweaters itch just like wool sweaters itch. The craftsmanship, however, is exemplary. This sweater is the reason I started knitting. I wanted to be able to make patterns like mom did, but nowadays we have much nicer yarn; lovely colors, strengths, textures that far surpass anything she had back in the day.
I also boxed up some clothes that I’m not able to wear at present, and may never be able to wear, however, I’m going to give myself until next year to see if anything fits. If not, out it goes. Of the clothes I have that are not bamboo leggings, and tops, they are classic in color, and design, ageless is what I’m trying to say. Even though they’re 6 or 7 years old, some older, they are timeless, and can be worn in any era.
I moved all of the DVD’s to the same closet in the guest bedroom, all of the batteries, chargers, etc, to the top drawer of the closet in the spare bedroom, (where they started out when we first moved in here), and the blanket that has spent 5 years on top of the cabinet in our bedroom, has been relocated to the top shelf in the same closet of the spare bedroom.
I also moved the 4 printer ink replacement cartridges that are still in their boxes, that were up on top of the cabinet near the blanket, those I put in the same closet as the batteries, in the spare bedroom. That is going to be “the office”. In fact, instead of calling it the spare bedroom, I’m officially changing it, going forward, to the office. The printer is in there, the printer paper, now the ink cartridges, and with a bit of patience, I’ll take my whole set up from here in the LR, to the “office”.
The 2 dressers that are in the guest bedroom have mostly bedding for the 2 queen sized beds, and 1 drawer with some clothes of Ivan’s that I don’t want to give away. Then there’s the top drawer of 1 of the dressers that is full of cables, mice, (mouses really), suspenders, stuff I’m not ready to deal with right now.
All in all, a good day. I have actually done everything I put on my list of things to do. I lost my sleep about 2am, came out here to the table in the LR where my “office” is currently set up, and made a list of what I wanted to do today. I went back to bed about 4am, got back up around 8:15am, did my normal routine, took a nap about 10am, got up at 11am, and have been doing all of the above ever since.
I’m tired, and am going to watch a few hours of the Chosen, and all that entails.
Until next times, stay happy, and healthy in the Lord.
Have a happy, and safe Thanksgiving holiday. I’m going to enjoy a small turkey breast, with a sweet potato.
