Good day

It is hot and humid again, so we are all closed up inside our homes--kind of like in winter, but the A/C blower is running, instead of the furnace blower.

I'm feeling pretty content and happy tonight because, I had errands and appointments this week and now I look at a blank calendar for the rest of the month.  I just simply enjoy the feeling that I don't HAVE to go anywhere.

I scored big time at the Food Bank this morning.  I found a 2# package of ground beef that I can make up into patties, freeze and have them when I crave a hamburger AND a package of 3 Rib Eye steaks!!!!  3!!!  Also got some Sweet Corn, Cucumbers, a few cans of cat food, 6 bottles of water, 1# of sugar, a box of biscuit mix and Cherry Turnovers!  I am just so happy to get the meat.  Maybe I can make it last for a month.

Came back home and what a mess.  My neighbor across the street, Jackie, has 6 car loads of people staying at her house, during the day, until Sunday.  They have no place to park, so they park on the edge of this narrow street.  I had a hard time getting my car out and back in my driveway.

Merle has parked his car in the other spot on my parking pad, because there were 3 large trucks, parked along the street by his house.  They are putting in a ramp for Pearl.

I managed to get down our now 1 lane street and out to the Doctor's.  He had a nurse practitioner student working with him today.  I gotta tell you, she's a lot better than he is.  I got a real check-up.  I even had to get up on the table so she could listen to my tummy sounds and check my legs and ankles.  Then she sat me up and checked my heart, my lungs, looked in my ears, nose and throat and listened to my carotid arteries and checked for lumps on my neck.

When she was done, the Doc came in and said, "Your blood work is perfect again.  Are you having any problems?"

"Nope.  Just back pain and the arthritis.  I wish I could take Prednisone every day for the pain."

"I know.  I'm sorry....because you are on the blood thinner, you can't take anything except Tylenol."

"That doesn't really work very well for me."

"I know...sorry.  You're very healthy otherwise.  Now get outta here and I'll see you in February."
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On the way home, I noticed the traffic light at the main intersection was out.  So we treat it like a four-way stop, right?  Except at that intersection, we have 5 lanes of traffic on each side of the street.  A right turn lane, 2 going forward and 2 left turn lanes--going in each direction.  The lights are coordinated to let the lanes go at different times.  It was 5:00, heavy traffic.

As I got to the dead light and was going forward, people were trying to turn left in front of us and come across from the other street.  Let's just say I was lucky to get out of there alive.  Just as I proceeded to cross other street, a guy decided he was going to come across from the street on my left--I saw him, stepped on the gas hard and he narrowly missed my back fender.

When I got home I walked down to Merle and Pearl's to check out the ramp.  It comes off their narrow back porch--they had built a wider landing, which is nice, but then the ramp goes down at a steep, at least it looked that way to me, angle.   If Pearl tries that in her wheeled walker, the walker is going to get away from her and she is going to fall.  If she tries to go up it with her walker or in a wheel chair, she won't have the strength of make that steep angle.

I kept any and all opinions to myself and will wait and see what happens.

She also has a new doctor that her daughter found for her.  She doesn't like my doctor anymore because he told her the reason she can't walk very well is because she rarely walks and just sits in her chair.  He advised her to keep moving and gave her instructions to at least walk out to the mailbox everyday.

She doesn't like the new doctor either.  "I don't like her attitude," she said.

"What was her advice?"  I asked.

"She told me I had to move around more.  I had to walk more."

Which, of course, is the same advice I have been giving her for the last two years.  When she sits in her recliner 12 hours a day, then tries to get up and walk, her legs are weak and her back hurts.  She did that all winter last year and then wondered why she could barely walk this spring.

Use it or lose it, Baby!!!

I did get some advice today from the nurse practitioner today.....drink more water.  She thinks the dizzy spells I get are from dehydration AND Diet Pepsi doesn't help, because of the caffeine.  I told her I was up to one bottle of water a day now.  LOL.  She told me to work my way up to at least 3 bottles a day.   I've had two today.  I have to pee every half hour!!!!!!!!!!

DNA

My sister had her DNA tested and a few months later, I did too.  I found it strange that as siblings, our percentages of shared DNA were different.  I have 2.0% Native American, my sister has 0.2%.  She has way more Irish than I do.

Now my daughter Pam had hers tested and called me last night.

We all have the highest percentage from Great Britain.

I have French and German, Pammie has Italian and Greek. Greek?  Italian?

She has less than 1% Native American.

What is really amazing to find out, 30 years ago, Pammie was diagnosed with a very rare Hemophilia C blood disorder--1 in a million Caucasian people have it.  In her DNA results there she is listed with 2% European Jewish.  1 in 8 Jewish people have the disorder.  SO--now we know, AND she didn't get it from me--so there.

She is also 1.8% African--the Congo--she didn't get that from me either, but she is thrilled. "That must be where I got my extra curly hair from."

So now, she and I want her brother and sisters to take the DNA test and also their Dad!!!  I can't even begin to tell you how much I will laugh when he finds out he has African AND Jewish DNA!!!!!!  The man will probably have a heart attack.  HAH!

I'm not sure my son would get tested either, for the above reasons.  Karen refuses and thinks we are all nuts for "letting the government know all that stuff about you."  I had no clue Karen was so paranoid and what makes matters even more laughable, her husband WORKS for the government and has a high security clearance.  Don't you think the government already knows his blood type and DNA, and everything about his lifestyle?...and hers?  

I told Karen that these labs are confidential and secure and the only way the government could get the results, they would have to file an affidavit and why would they want to know anything about HER DNA?  And as my Pammie says, "The government can learn anything they want about me, I don't care. I ain't done nuttin' wrong."

Perhaps Karen thinks the Radical Extremist's are going to raid the labs and then go hunting for Christian's DNA.  Oh--that's right.  Your religious beliefs don't show up in your DNA.  HAH
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Speaking of Karen, here is a photo of her 2nd child, Susanna, running a 50K around Mt. Hood.  The photo is so perfect it looks photo-shopped.  The photographer sets up at that point and takes every racer's photo.  That's my little Portland, Oregon girl, who works for New Balance shoes.  A good place for her to live--she is very Liberal.  

Speaking of politics--my family is as mixed there as is their DNA.  ALL and I do mean all of my ancestor's were Republicans.  One great great grand father, was in the last days of dying and yet had himself hauled to the polling place, on a mattress on a flat bed wagon, so he could vote.

My sister is Conservative, her son is Ultra and works in our State Capitol for the Senate and is the County Commissioner.  My ex was a George Wallace fan.  The other ex, was a David Duke fan.  UGH!  My son is--I don't know what.  I think the last time he voted was for Ross Perot.  Daughter Pam was a Republican, but is now a Democrat.  Karen is a Conservative Republican.  Jennifer was a Liberal Democrat and now she is a Republican.  

I fit in no where because I am a Moderate.  I am against the death penalty.  I am also against abortion--unless in cases of rape/incest/or a severely brain damaged fetus, and I am all for birth control.  I am against guns, like AK47's and those kinds, but for gun ownership for hunters.  I don't like illegal immigrants, but am all for immigrants who want to do it the legal way.  I don't want war, but I just wish we could drop a big bomb on North Korea and go on about our business.

All this just proves that our DNA does not show a certain genetic predisposition as to our political choices.  HAH!!

It Is Well With My Soul.

This is what Becky's house looked like when they moved in.

Now there is a deck that wraps the house.

 Five years ago, it looked like this, with just a few flowers.

Three years when I visited, she had put the long garden

along the sidewalk up to the house.

This shed and the gardens around it were put in 2.5 years ago. 

She is also into photography and has received many awards from Birds & Blooms and other bird and gardening magazines.  If you'd like to see her photos, click here .

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What perfect weather we are having.  70ish, and 60ish at night.  Sleep with all the windows open.  It has been so quiet today and I have nothing to do.  How strange that feels.  Laundry and house cleaning done over the weekend.  I went outside and watered all the potted plants, for something to do.

The Rose of Sharon bushes are blooming--a bit ahead of schedule, if I remember correctly.

 At one spot, two bushes have grown together so I have pink and lavendar

 My white bush hasn't quite gotten full enough for a photo.

I cut one of my Lilies--the wonderfully scented

Star Gazer Lily.  It is my favorite, but be careful.  If you get too close for a sniff, that orange pollen on the stamens will stand your white blouse, forever!!

I also ran up to the Meijer store yesterday.  Now, what would drag me out of my house, on a Sunday, to go to the store?   10 for $10 with an 11th one free.  Then a neighbor kid just happened to be walking passed, so I bribed him ($2.00) to carry these heavy jugs inside for me.  As my back is still growling.

This morning I made an appointment with my Doc for my 6th month check in.  No problems, but he wants me to come in every 4 months, and I finally argued him into 6 months.  I will get my blood drawn tomorrow morning and the results will be at his office by Wednesday afternoon, when I show up.

In fact, the results will be available in my Patient Portal way before I go to his office, so I will know the results before he does--which is the way I like it.  If there is a wonky reading, I can Google it before I see the Doc.  

No surprises!!!

Happy Times

I had a sweet day Thursday.  Lunch with the Old School Gal Pals and a visitor came.  A girl who graduated the year ahead of us, but of course, in our small school we all knew her and besides, she was in the band, as we all were.  She is losing the battle with metastasized breast cancer and is taking no more chemo.  She is here from Montana, visiting her younger sister.  You wouldn't know there is a think wrong with her.  She ate a lot of food, laughed a lot, seemed way more stable in her mind and her walk than a couple of girls in our group.  It was wonderful seeing her.
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My sister and brother-in-law weren't home yet from their death vigil to Virginia.  My BIL's brother called a couple of weeks ago with the news he had liver/colon/pancreatic cancer.  He wanted his siblings to come for a visit so they could have some laughs and share memories.  He was quite all right for the first couple of days they were there.  Didn't eat much, but sat in his chair and laughed.  Then one day, he just slept most of the day.  Still got up to use the bathroom.  The next day, his children called in Hospice to help out.  At least the Hospice people didn't immediately inject him with morphine and put him into the "death coma", they just kind of hung around and every now and then, he'd waken and talk a bit.  He died, naturally, two days later.
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Knowing sis wasn't home, I stopped in at a woman's house--Pammie's friend--that has the most amazing gardens and bird feeding stations!!!  I spent about 45 minutes walking around and taking the tour.

This is the view from my parked car, in the back.

As I walked up to her house

 Her deck by her front door

 Her deck by her back door--this is where her many bird feeders are located

The view from the back deck down a slope to her woman cave.  Which just happens to be carpeted, a small settee, a ceiling fan and where she stores all her gardening tools.

Her back lawn continues back to the river

My gardening attempts fall far short.

 I planted three sunflowers as a back ground for my Zinnias.  They did not germinate.

 My Grape tomato plant is doing fine, but my Zinnias, planted in three rows of 36", 24" and 8", for some reason have all floated down to the north end of the planted and are coming up in a jumble of sizes all together.

 2 planters of Sweet Peas.  Lots of vines, no buds.

As well has this--Morning Glory Vine of blue and hot pink.  Lots of vines, no buds.

I just want you to know that one time, I had a 100' long garden, 6 feet wide, that extended from one edge of my front lawn to the other.  On a slight slope, where the lawn sloped down toward the road.

It was filled with flowers for every season.  I can't find a photo of it, but ....you would be impressed.  HAH!  

It's Wednesday...big deal.

When Dar's grand daughter introduced me to her two other friends,  I felt like she was going and watching me, for the shock value. She's only 18, she doesn't realize I have heard/seen/met weirder people in this long life and my face or body language does not show shock.  Because, I'm not shocked by much anymore.  I just stepped forward, with out stretched hand and said, "Sierra, Dakota, I'm so glad you all got to come to Michigan and visit us."  The two other girls went into one of the bedrooms and Dar's grand daughter sat down with me and we chatted about what she wants to major in when she gets to college, and where she works now, etc.  Just like I would with one of MY grand daughter's friends.
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Speaking of shocking things--or weird as I think of them.  I know of a woman, a dear woman, who has tattoo's over every inch of skin, except her face.  The first time I met her was in the winter, she had jeans and long sleeves on and I didn't notice any markings.  The next time I met her was in the summer.  There she was in tank tops and short-shorts.  I didn't make any comment, just hugged her as usual.  That was 15 years ago.  Now she is in her 70's, lives in Florida, so she is in tank tops and shorts most of the time.  Photos I see of her shows, still a pretty face, but the sagging, crepey skin on arms and legs, makes her look like a retired circus performer.  When the once sweet heart you had tattooed over your right breast looked okay at 16, it now does appear weird to be resting on your stomach, doncha think?
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My biases and my gossipy nature are on full view today!

Six months into this presidency and my Liberal friends are still posting nastiness on Face Book.  What possible good does that do?  It just keeps everyone riled up.  It's as bad as it was BEFORE the election.  Mellow out!

Each of us knows our friends political leanings, now that people make it so well known, which we never did in the good old days.  None of what you post is going to change a Conservative's mind, just as none of what they post will change yours.  None of what is posted is going to change what is going on in this country.  Most of us watch the news, we are intelligent enough to see it and figure it out without a constant daily reminder on FB.

It just gets so tiring to see the nasty links--from both sides, day after day, ad nauseum!  I just wish people would give it a rest and just bide our time until 2020, when we can all pick and choose again, and probably elect someone even worse.  and please, don't tell me that it is impossible to choose someone worse than this President.  I have seen and lived through worse.
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Heavy rain all day today, followed by brief moments of sun that bring on the humidity.  Severe storms predicted for later this evening and middle of the night, coming out of Iowa.  So far the bad storms have gone south and north of me and radar looks like the bad ones coming in tonight will be south.  Of course, all that may change, but......there's nothing I can do about it, so I'll go to bed at midnight and sleep through it...unless of course, my trailer blows away.  HAH!

...and the beat goes on.

Nice rainy day yesterday, but then the sun came out and it got humid.  Last night, even though it was only 65 degrees, with the humidity, I felt clammy!  Turned on the A/C to dry it out!  Now this morning, it is hot and clammy outside, so I will leave the A/C on all day and stay inside.

OOps!  Crisis mode!  I emptied the last can of wet cat food and used the last cup of dry cat food.  Not good.  More importantly, I just noticed I have about a cup of Diet Pepsi left and when I looked in the Pepsi Cupboard, it was empty.  How could I have not noticed that yesterday?  AND, I used my last cup of milk for my morning warm cocoa!
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Well, the morning went by very quickly and the next thing I knew, it was time to watch my Soap.  I kept yawning and wanted to fall asleep and couldn't figure out why...until my dim mind remembered, I had been sipping on Decafe Diet Pepsi.

Right after my Soap was over I headed out.  OhMyGosh--smothering outside.  Why?  Why?  Why?

Instead of running to the store this morning, when it was a bit cooler, I decided it would be fun to go in the heat of the day, with a car air conditioner that works intermittently, depending on how hard a bump I go over that shorts out the fan switch and send the air up to the windshield instead of into the car.

45 minutes, I was home.  Nice and cool in the store so I took my time.  Got it all plus.  

Suppose to have thunderstorms tonight and severe weather tomorrow night.  It's hard to know what MY weather will be like because the weather report comes out of Detroit and a lot of storms that affect that area come up from Ohio and never reach up this far north (60 miles).  

Well, I have a radar map that has an arrow on the precise piece of ground I live on, so I will check that once in a while tomorrow.
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BTW--I found out, Dar's grand daughter was sexually molested by her father when she was 8-10.  She declared at 12, that she was a Lesbian.  Before that, she was a thin, delicate little thing, with long dark curls and always dressed in cute dresses.  At 12, she got her hair cut boy style, put on a lot of weight, and walks rather "mannish"--almost always has a baseball cap on.  

Her "lover's" father left mother and her when she was 11.  I think their preferred lifestyle choice comes from not trusting and being afraid of men.  Much easier not to have a man involved in your life when you've had those experiences.  Much easier to dress and behave very mannish so as not to attract a man.  Right?

What bothered me the most was that Dar is elated that her grand daughter left home.  "That will serve her Mother right!, she said.

Yet, when her daughter left home, Dar didn't feel that way.

Dar and her daughter are very much alike.  Bossy, demanding, threatening, uncompromising.  Just like Dar's mother was.

Generation after generation...and the beat goes on!

Many things I don't understand.................

I have a question.  Well, I have a lot of questions.

When I went grocery shopping, I picked out 4 ears of sweet corn.  What I noticed was that, of the 4 people standing around the sweet corn bin, (including me) 3 of those people were husking the corn and putting the husks into the...I don't know what it's called, "husk receptacle"?  

Why would they take the protective husk off hours before cooking the corn?  The kernels immediately start to dry out, once the husk is removed.  Of course, on the farm, we picked it, carried it to the house, husked it and dumped it into the already boiling water.  I can't do that now, but I leave the husk on until just before I cook it.

In fact, I have lately left the husk on, lay it in the microwave and cook for 4 minutes.  Take it out, slip off the husk and man!!!  That ear of corn, even if it is a few days old, is sweet and steamed and delish.
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I have another question.  Why can't I grow Succulents?  I used to have "Hen's and Chick's" in an outside rock garden.  They thrived--even though they stayed out there all winter.  They came back in the spring, with additional chick's and sent up stems with flowers on the top.  I ignored them completely and they loved it.

Three years ago, I spent quite a bit of $$ for Succulents to put in my big coffee cup planter.  I had stones in the bottom for good drainage and I didn't water it very often.  Before the summer was over, they had all turned to mush and died.

 The one below cost $8.00 alone!

Last year I didn't buy any, but a couple of weeks ago, I was at Lowe's and their Succulents were on sale.  They look really healthy.  I even got special soil for them, a planter with a drain hole and read up on how to grow them before I planted them.

Already, my favorite one that looked like a pin-cushion (front in this photo) is turning mushy!

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Dar's 18 year old grand daughter moved out of her mother's home, because she hates her.  Her mother moved out of Dar's home, because she hates her.  Anyway, so this girl (?) came to visit grandma and I went over to say "Hi", as I haven't seen her in four years.

The one in the middle is Dar's grand daughter.  She introduced me to the other two as, "This is my best friend Dakota and my lover Sierra."    Okey Dokey.

I can't wait to hear Dar's take on the weekend visit.

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My porch pots and planters are doing well.  Today, we have had a nice, gentle, rain most of the morning.