The weather outside is delightful, but my Dear you are so frightful..........

.....wait.  That's not the way that songs goes, is it?

The weather IS delightful!!  low to mid 70's--my perfect temperature.  Still in the cool 40's at night.  No annuals planted in Michigan as yet--we all know about last frosts and even late snow.

I am waiting for this next weekend.  That is when I am going to haul my garden and porch decorations out of the shed, hang up the wind chimes, bring out the pots and get them situated where they belong.

I need to paint the porch steps and the railings--the squirrels I feed all winter have done a bad number on my porch railings.  Dug off the paint and gotten the railings all dirty with their little muddy paws!

Today, I worked all morning on the newest genealogy, laundry was chugging away in the washer.  Every time I took a bathroom break, I'd fold the ones in the dryer, throw in the wet ones and put another load in the washer.

At noon I took my break.  Noon news and weather, small sandwich, then my Soap and at 2:00 the TV goes off.  I usually get back to the computer work, but today I had to make a run up to the Walmart.  It was pretty quiet today.  I had to get wet and dry cat food, litter, Scotch Tape and typing paper and a tension rod for something I want to try.  Also some fruit and salad makings for me and of course, the obligatory Diet Pepsi. and gallon of milk.  HAH!
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I have never seen my Tulips open this wide!

...and the Gold Finches are back!!!!!!! 

Which reminds me, I must get my bird bath situated.

If my tension rod idea works, I will show you tomorrow.

A Good Week----------------------

Kathleen Gentile, thank you so much for the lovely card, which touched my heart, and the information clipping.  I DO get help with my Medicare insurance.  Thank Goodness.

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I am hoping to get back on the daily post bandwagon.  I'm trying to get everything  organized once again.  I cannot believe how tied to this computer I have become.  Face Book starts and ends each day.  Plus, I had 256 e-mails to go through, bills to pay and a new genealogy to start.

You know how I get when I am researching a genealogy!  Time flies by.  I am so engrossed in the search.  Just when I think I have found all that I can on a person--there's another tiny clue that needs to be investigated.  I am trying to keep myself at 4 hours on the genealogy and then get out of this room and do whatever household chores I have to do.

I forgot one item when I was spring cleaning.  I need to strip my bed and flip my memory foam topper.  I remember how heavy that thing is an how unwielding it is to maneuver.  I gotta do it though.  Don't be scared for me--I don't have to climb anything.  HAH!

Did I tell you, Karen came over on Tuesday to help me do some outside chores?  She cleaned up that large oval garden I have around my Lilac bushes--she wanted to mulch, but I have too many spring bulbs and Hosta's coming up right now--we need to wait.

Then she hefted a couple of plastic storage boxes out of my office closet for me to put things in.  Then she ironed the new office curtains while I sat in here, on my desk and put them on their rods.  What a great help she was!!!

I am done with Physical therapy.  Glad to report that my neck and shoulder are doing great.  I had 5 sessions left on Medicare for the year, so I had her work on my lower back.  Lost cause!!  All the PT did was irritate it and make it inflamed and it hurts worse now, than when she started.  HAH!!!  When a person has herniated discs, arthritis and spinal stenosis, there isn't much to be done to help.

I have heard people discussing taking Turmeric supplements to help with arthritis.  I read up on it and knew I probably couldn't take it.  Anything that has the words "anti-inflammatory" on the label is off limits for me because they all interact with the blood thinners.  So no--Advil, Alleve, Naproxen, Aspirin, Vitamin E, Fish Oil--nothing like that.  I can take Tylenol which helps hardly at all.  Even though I knew I "probably" couldn't take it, I did call the doctor to ask.  He said, "Absolutely not."

We got about 2 inches of rain yesterday and none of the predicted severe thunderstorms, thank goodness.  We did need the rain.  All of our spring flowers look much better than they did a year ago.  My Forsythia had few blooms on it last spring, this year it is loaded and gleaming beautiful bright yellow.

Guess there's nothing else going on around here.  Hope you have a great weekend.

Honey Pie

Honey Pie or HP, as her initials are on the front of her, is back from the computer hospital.  A bit longer than we thought as Honey Pie was 19% away from a massive stroke where she would have lost all her memory and everything stored in her brain.  Consequently, Honey Pie's hospital bill was about $130.00 more than expected.  

Good thing I requested she have a colonoscopy as she was stuffed with cat fur and dust.  Then she was given a new "cloned" brain and everything stored in her old brain was transferred over to that.  2GB's were added to her heart--free of charge.

She is alive and well, and faster than when she was a young girl.
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I worked on cleaning her room all day Monday and part of Tuesday, so the only time I really started missing her a lot, was Tuesday night and Wednesday. 

The house was entirely clean.  There was nothing to do Wednesday morning, but I managed to find a good documentary about the Hatfields and McCoys to watch on the History Channel.

Then I watched my Soap.  The hospital called at 2:30, with her release, but I had PT at 3:00, so I had to wait and go pick her up at 4:30.

When we got home is was raining like crazy, but I got her into the house.  I think she gained weight while she was in hospital.  What good PT did to my back was ruined by my having to lift and carry her into the house.  

But she's home and now I can get back to my computer work.  YAY!!!
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Washing Windows Video

Dusting the Monster

Quick Note.

I had a lovely Easter at daughter Karen's and Mark.  Pammie was there too.  4 of the 5 grand kids and the great grand baby, who loves and smiles at everyone except me.  She pouts and starts to pucker up when I am near her, so I stay a bit away and wave at her and make funny faces.

Ex  hubs and his wife stopped on their way home from Florida.  She is in the sun so much, her face is one mass of brown wrinkles.  She looks terrible and she is way younger than me.

My last post until probably Wednesday, when I get my computer back.  I am expecting major internet withdrawal!!!

and these two--oldest grandson Marcus and his love Morgan.  She is a ballet dancer too and I have known her since she was young.  She also is a farm kid, raising pigs, and now studying physical therapy.  She could come in real handy for this old gramma!!

Don't know where to begin...........

............so I didn't!

I looked around.

Such a mess in here!  I don't even know where to start!  Curtains have to come down and wash the windows and it is difficult to get to those windows.  Which means I have to take everything off my desk and use it to sit on to reach the windows, and brace the back of my calves when I have to stand up to replace the curtains.

Just cannot handle it right now, so.........................
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No one in their right mind would go grocery shopping on the Saturday before a Holiday.  I had no choice.  
There was a white rabbit wandering around the store, scaring all the little kids.  I told the rabbit I thought it would work better if she stood by the greeter so the kids could see her when they walked in, from a far, and then let them decide if they wanted to come up and say.  Oh no, she kept rushing over to where they were, held captive in the cart seat, and they yelled and cried.  It was a zoo in there.
================= I am going to Karen's Sunday for a late dinner, early supper?  4:00.

Monday morning I am taking my computer to the hospital and it might be in there for at least two days, so I won't be back on-line until late Tuesday or early Wednesday.

I have PT on Monday, so it looks like Tuesday might be a good day to tackle this room?

I will let you know if I survive and if I don't?  Pammie will post to let you know.  LOL.

GOOD Friday!

I had a wonderful experience this morning.  I had to run up to Brighton to get gas in my car.  I had $40.00 bucks cash in my pocket.  I put $20.00 in my gas tank and proceeded to drive on home.

As I was driving up to the light to turn left and get on Grand River, I saw a man, sitting in a small, motorized wheel chair.  He had a sign, "Homeless, Hungry, Veteran."  I thought to myself.  "Yeah,  right!  Homeless in Brighton, the city of wealthy professionals?  Probably a pan handler."  Although I have never seen a pan handler in Brighton.

But then, I got to thinking.  "What if he is for real?  I am so sick and tired of not being able to trust and doubting everyone and everything I see.  So, I turned and went around the block.

He was parked in a bad spot to get to him.  I couldn't figure out where to park.  So I went around the block again and pulled into a spot across from him.

I walked over to him.  He didn't look real old--maybe in his 60's, but he was bearded and wrinkled, with sad eyes and  when I got closer, he sure smelled like he was homeless.

I fished the twenty out of my pocket, "Hey man," I said.  "I hope this helps."

He "God Blessed" me three or four times.  I leaned over and sort of hugged his shoulders and wished him a "Happy Easter", got back in my car and smiled all the way home.

I have always been a trusting person.  Has it gotten me into difficulties?  Oh yes!  Caused me a lot of hurt?  Sure.  Over the last few years I have become cynical and doubtful.  I am a bit wary of what people say and do.  I hate being filled with such doubt about my fellow human beings.  Today, my heart felt something and I followed that feeling.

I don't care if he was a pan handler with $10,000 in the bank and he was just out trying to scam up enough money to buy a jug of booze.  I don't care if I got "taken".  I felt I wanted to do it, so I did.  On this day, of all days, when the Lord I believe in, gave it ALL for me?  I am the one who got blessed today!
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When I got home, I ran up to Gleaner's Food Bank.  Talk about being blessed!  I got a nice Choice Eye of Round roast and a Rib-Eye steak!!! Yowza.  A bag of salad greens and canned chicken to put in it.  Canned Pears and Mandarin orange segments.  A box of Cinnamon Rolls and Croissants that I like to use for my sandwiches.  Fresh potatoes, onion and carrots, box of sugar, a bag of flour, can of Salmon to make salmon patties, Ritz crackers and cheese, and more.  

I kept watch of the family in front of me, going round and round the aisles.  Great Grandma, Grandma, Mother and the cutest little tan boy about 8 years old.  He was trying to be so helpful and they never once scolded him, even when he got in the way of his Grandma.

When I got outside, they were loading up the back of their old, rusted SUV.  I walked over and asked them to take my detergent and toilet paper and a dozen eggs, that I didn't need.  "You might need extra eggs for Easter," I said.  (We are allowed a dozen eggs and I don't eat them, so.....).  They thanked me and wished me a Happy Easter and from the back seat, out scrambled that precious little boy with his tight curly black hair and big brown eyes and put his hand out to shake mine.  "Thank you, Ma'am and God Bless you,"

When I got home, I took 2 Cinnamon rolls from the package of 8 and took the rest up to Merle and Pearl's and the bag of flour over to Jackie's.  She is always baking cookies and sharing with us.  

I am ashamed to say I had nothing to give to Dar.  She has a cleaning lady come in every week for 2 hours--at $20.00 an hour.  There is nothing I could give Dar that she would want or need.
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Ya know--all of us are basically good and generous people.  Over the past few years, Presidents and politicians, movie stars and VIP's, even some churches have tried to turn us into cynical, critical people.  Boy, it's easy to sit in our homes and look out for only ourselves and family.  Life becomes "all about us."  Protect ourselves.   

Today, for some reason, I had the opportunities to put myself out there---which I haven't done in a very long time.  It turned out, I am the one that was blessed and feeling happy and had my spirit renewed.

Happy Easter.  Happy Spring!!

Another Lesson

I baby my back and shoulder--because of the pain.  You know, the more you sit to relieve the pain, the worse it gets from not using those muscles/joints.

I have found, when I "work", although my back and shoulder may hurt, they recover quite well with rest AND I feel so good at knowing that I have done something really useful (to me), that the work renews my spirit and I feel better emotionally.

Spring cleaning.  It has taken me a while to get motivated, so I made out my list of what needed doing, so as not to miss cleaning something that I get used to looking at and forget--it needs a good cleaning.

For example, the ceiling fan in the living room.  It is kind of a scary thing to do--standing on a low stool, looking up and taking off the glass shades and reaching up to wash the paddles.

 At Christmas time I bought this 3 step ladder with the hand grip on top.  I can lean my leg against that top platform and feel quite steady.

I put the glass shades in the DW, along with other colored glass,

that needed cleaning, and the fan turned out nice.

I think I told you last year about the special cloths Karen gave me to wash windows.  The blue one is for washing, the purple one for drying/polishing.

These things are a wonder!  Just use plain water and wash the window or mirror, or picture frame glass with the blue one, then dry with the purple one.  Once over, and there are no streaks--none!  The greasy film is gone and the glass absolutely sparkles!  Amazing.  Sure saves my shoulder and not spritzing Windex and then going over it with 452 thousand sheets of paper towel.

It took me less than 4 minutes to do both kitchen windows!

Another product I absolutely have to have with our rusty, calcium laden water is:

Over time, my white clothes and kitchen curtains have become a sort of rusty/beige.  Put a cup of this in the washer, put the curtains in, agitate for a few minutes, then let soak for 20 minutes, add detergent and put through the wash cycle.

This is what the curtains looked like last week.

This is what they looked like yesterday after their treatment in the soak.
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Bedroom and bathroom on Monday.  Laundry area and kitchen on Tuesday and today, the living room.  I pulled out every piece of furniture into the middle of the room and dusted it, cleaned out the table drawers, vacuumed my chair and couch and vacuumed the carpeting where they one sat.

Then put everything back and vacuumed the rest of the carpet.  Put up the new metal art that Jen gave me for Christmas, under the cross-- over there by the couch.  Everything looks so clean and shiny, the place smells good and I feel so comfortable.

Not a very good photo.  Off to the right, you can see the computer room, and the room I will tackle on Friday.  I should take a before photo just to scare you all.  LOL

Tomorrow, lunch with the Old School Gal Pals and a visit with my sister at The Farm and maybe a stop at the cemetery to say "Hi" to Fred.