Just Messing Around

Today's high temperature was: 34 degrees

50 mph wind gusts

Grey

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I wish I could take a video to show you how the trees are dancing and bending in this wind.  If it were July, I'd think we had a tornado coming at us!

I looked out this morning, checking the bird feeders, noticed that the two cats were mesmerized by something going on under the feeders, so I stepped up closer to the window and there--right in public, were two squirrels---mating!  I have never seen squirrels mate and I was fascinated.  They were on their sides--maybe they were just spooning?  I don't know for sure--but they rolled around a lot and then all was quiet, then they scampered away.

This reminded me of the time the kids and I were cleaning out our rabbit pens and a pair started mating--right in front of us.  Of course, the kids were wide-eyed and asked what was going on.  There I was, trying to explain in a normal, farm-life sort of way and the Buck must have completed his job as he fell off, onto his side and laid there.  "Is he dead?" gasped my son.

As I look back now, I should have said, "Yes!  If you ever have sex, you might die!" But instead I just said, "No--he's okay.  He's just tired."  and I took him and put him ALONE in another hutch,  however, the kids were ecstatic when one month later, we had a fluffy rabbit fur-lined nest full of baby bunnies.
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Once, in the middle of the night, a wind gust took my storm door and smashed it up against the porch railing.  Fred jumped out of bed and said, "Someone is breaking in!"  He started to run down the hallway and then came back to the bedroom, all aflutter.  I calmly sat up in bed and said, "No--I think the storm door just smashed up against the porch railing."  and sure enough.  We got it repaired, or--Fred rehung it and it never has worked correctly since (LOL), so now, just in case, I have a loop of strong twine that I tie around the storm door handle and then bring it inside, close the inner door, and wrap that string around the inside door knob.  Works for me!!!

Yesterday, my Soap was pre-empted by the Gold Medal Women's Ice Hockey game.  Ice Hockey!  Women's Ice Hockey!  BLECH!!  I just hope they replay my Soap today because yesterday was going to be a real cliff hanger.  

Decided to make another loaf of bread--this time I added an egg.

Then I set up my card table and during my Soap, I filled all my pill boxes.

Then I decided I best collect my stuff for the 2013 album.

Good grief!  I had to find pictures on my computer and print them out and....4 hours later, I was done.

So was the bread, so I decided to have a slice of warm bread, oleo and Raspberry Preserves.

...and it was so good that I decided to have another one and....as it was almost 5:00--it turned out to be my supper.  Don't preach!  I had calcium, a bit of protein and fruit! LOL

Not a very exciting day, but one in which I got a few loose ends taken care of.  Have I started washing the kitchen cupboards?  You silly billy!  I did do one door to see how the Murphy Oil Soap worked--it worked great, nice and smoother and clean looking.  But--you see--my shoulder has been acting up and the pain under the scapula and into my collar bone has come back and I haven't been to the Chiropractor and......................well, that's my story and I am sticking to it.  Maybe tomorrow?

Sunday--there is a very important college basketball game on TV.  Michigan State and Michigan are tied for 1st place in the Big Ten.  We will play each other.  

Last night MSU set a new school record for 3-pointers--we played Purdue (sorry, Melissa).  I just hope we can do something like that on Sunday against our arch enemies!!!

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Please take a moment and say a prayer for my blogger friend, Marcia.  She contracted the flu, which turned into the H1N1, which turned into pneumonia, which turned into her having pulmonary embolisms.  She is getting better, a bit, but I am very worried about her.  That's why we olders have to get our flu shots in October.  We may still get the flu, but it will be a mild case and this year, the vaccine protected against the H1N1.    Love you, Ms. Graysea/Marcia!!!

Unusual Weather Day

Today's high temperature was:  37 degrees (tonight at 10:00)

Snow, thunder,  heavy rain, wind

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I got up and checked the weather radar map on my computer.  There was blue almost over me, then along came pink, later yellow, some orange even, and green.  What does that rainbow of colors mean?  An unusual weather day here in the heart of the Mitten.

At 10:00 it all started, just as predicted.  A white-out and thunder.  At least I have clean windows with which to watch the weather this day.

Along about noon the rain started--freezing rain.

The temperature started going up and by 4:00 we were having a heavy rain and more thunder--something like a summer thunder storm.  Unreal!

Things quieted down a bit in late afternoon, but right now, at 11:00 at night, the rain has come back and we are expecting 40-50 mph wind gust all night long.

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I hate Yogurt!!!  I have tried every brand imaginable--with fruit, without fruit.  Activa, Greek, Chobani--I hate it.  It is sour and nasty tasting--like sour milk that has gone thick.  YUCK!! I may be the only person in the USA to hate Yogurt.  If we had milk like that on the farm, we would have thrown it out because it had gone bad!  BLECH!!

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I have a question.  I take fish oil--Nature Made 1,000 units Omega 3, Fish Oil.  My doc told me to take two a day for heart health, arthritis pain relief and memory.  Then, I heard that Krill Oil is better--that it more absorbable and you only take one smaller capsule.

So--I want to know.  What do you think?  Do any of you use the Krill Oil?  I know that whales main diet is the little krill found in the deep, cold ocean and...whales live a long time and seem very healthy, so...maybe I should start eating like a whale?

See ya--Jude

Fun Day

Today's high temperature was: 45 degrees

Sunny and felt like spring

Winter returns tomorrow

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Winter Weather Advisory In Effect From 10 A.M. To 4 P.M. EST Thursday The National Weather Service In Detroit/Pontiac Has Issued A Winter Weather Advisory For Freezing Rain With A Chance Of Snow... Which Is In Effect From 10 A.M. To 4 P.M. EST Thursday. Hazardous Weather...

A Mix Of Freezing Rain And Snow Is Expected To Begin By 10 Am.

Snow Accumulation Will Be An Inch Or Less But About A Tenth Inch Of Icing Is Expected Before Changing Over To All Rain During Mid Afternoon. Impacts...

Mixed Snow Accumulation And Icing Will Lead To Slippery Conditions On Untreated Surfaces. Precautionary/Preparedness Actions...

AND the Polar Vortex comes back next week.   Fun Times!!

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I got up around 9:00 this morning, fed the cats, got my hot cocoa and walked into this room.  Sun was flooding through the sparkling clean windows, warming the room.  I pulled down my new white blinds and turned on the computer.  I looked around and just sighed--I love this room!!

I "thought" I was going to the Gal Pals luncheon tomorrow, so I scheduled a hair cut for this afternoon.  My hair grows so fast--it has only been a month and yet it was long in back and on top.  Unfortunately, the only appointment time I could get was 1:45--which interfered with the watching of my Soap--oh, woe is me.

I left at twenty after one, stopped at The Salvation Army to drop off the three boxes of books and "stuff", then stopped at the post office to mail a return and then onto the beauty parlor (as we called it in the olden days.)  They had their front door open.  Now, it was only 45 degrees today--people were acting like it was summer!  In the summer, if it were 45 degrees, we'd have our houses closed up and the furnace running, but for some reason, today felt like a day to open windows and doors.

Wow--this gal is getting old!

Got my hairs cut and decided to stop at the Meijer store on the way home.  I had to get another package of the Command Stick On hooks and Diet Pepsi was on sale--10 for $10.00 with the 11th one free.  I got some Murphy's Oil Soap and another can of Pledge, and some Koegel Vienna's to put inside crescent rolls.

I knew that Dar was working so I found her cashier line and waited.  I kept my back turned in case she looked up from her other customers.  When everyone was done, I had my 11 bottles of Pepsi lined up first.  I saw her look down at them and then up at me.

"I'd like my Pepsi double bagged, please."

She started laughing.  "When I saw that Pepsi, I should have known!"

We didn't chat too much--I was afraid I might get her in trouble or make a mistake checking me out.  She is pretty slow and instead of placing items in the plastic bags, she drops them in with a loud CLUNK, but I have to give her credit.  She's 72 years old and standing on her feet 8 hours a day sure isn't easy--I couldn't do it!

As I came out of the store, I was pushing my cart toward my car.  I saw a youngish woman walking toward me, intent on her phone--texting away.  She was totally clueless to anything that was going on around her.  I noticed she was walking sort of on a diagonal--directly at me.  I pushed my cart over as close as I could get to the line of cars and she kept walking.  I could see what was going to happen so I stopped pushing my cart and BLAM, she walked right into the nose of my cart.

She looked up and gave me a dirty look, like I had intentionally ran into her and I said, "Good thing I'm not a car."  She gave me another dirty look and walked on, rubbing her left thigh where she had rammed into my cart.  I watched as she crossed the drive to the store's entrance and she didn't even look up.  Apparently she assumed any oncoming traffic would stop at the stop sign area.  She walked up to the entrance and at first walked up to the exit side, and when that door wouldn't open, over to the entrance--never taking her eyes off her phone.

I must be totally out of date--old--whatever, but it seems to me, as the years pass, people just get more and more stupid!  I did have to laugh when I got in my car, remembering her rubbing her left thigh--apparently she learned nothing from the incident.

It was nice that Dan cleared off the driveway yesterday.  When I got home today, the sun had melted all the snow--I noticed that Dar, Jackie and Pearl's driveways were still covered.

There is a lot of slush on our streets here in the park--especially this street way in the back.  Sure, the maintenance guys have plowed, but never put on any salt.  There is ice underneath all the snow and melted on top.  Coming down the street, my car kept sliding back and forth--much fun!

I am NOT going to the Gal Pals lunch tomorrow.  With the iffy weather, I don't want to be out driving 45 minutes with freezing rain and snow expected.  So, I also won't get to visit my little sister.  Haven't been up to the farm since Christmas Eve.  They live on a gravel road which will still be snow covered and worse then the street in this park.  Then of course, the spring thaw will come and they will have a mud bog on their road.  Perhaps I will get there sometime in May?

So--I had a great day and tomorrow I will start washing down the kitchen cupboards--or not.  LOL.

Spring Cleaning In Winter--Day 4--Same Room

Today's high temperature was: 35 degrees

Beautiful sunny skies all day.

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We only got a couple of inches of snow last night--not the 3-5 predicted.  It just freshened up the old snow, so that it looks nice and clean outside.

Continuing on with the rearrangement-----

When you walk in the front door and look to your right,

this is what you would see.

I got my printer and scanner off the corner of my desk

and put them and the modem/router/surge protector plug

on the cart.  I don't really like the looks of it, but

I now have more room on my desk.

I wanted to put it on the other side of the desk, but the cords wouldn't go that far, so.....

If you stuck your head in a bit further, you would see this. 

and a bit farther--you'd see this

This is the view to my right when I am sitting at my desk.

I do not like all those binders--they are on the far end

bookcase, so they are not visible to someone entering the house.

30 years of scrapbooks/pictures.

Every now and then, I use them to find an old picture or to

check on what went on in 1987--whatever.  I should probably

buy new binders-all the same color, and put on new spine labels.

The view of the cubby when I am sitting at my desk.

I like it.

and if I turned around in my chair--this is what I see

I wish I could have painted the walls--they need it, but I couldn't move this unit, nor the desk, so I just scrubbed the walls where I could reach.  I use this area when I am putting together my albums, or wrapping gifts, or need a larger space to work

I especially like this bulletin board with all the old pictures of my family

.

So--I am done and I really feel good in this room--very comfortable.  BTW--those Command Hooks work fantastic!!  I have dry wall that doesn't want to accept a nail, unless it has an anchor drilled in the wall first.  Just stick those Command Hooks on the wall and hang the picture.

Now--the next to attack will be the kitchen--I need to get some Murphy's Oil Soap and do every single cupboard door--and do not look forward to that chore at all!!

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I gotta tell you--Dan was here to clean off the driveway and car.  Yesterday Dar called and told me to have him come and do hers too.  (She has his phone number, but apparently, I am her secretary.)  So I told him and he said, "I just stopped there and she said it was going to thaw so she didn't need me."

"Oh.  She told me last night she did."

"She's weird!"

"Oh--really?"

"Yeah--really.  Half the time I don't know what she is talking about.  You ever talk to her very much?"

"Yeah."

"Do you think she is weird?"

"Yeah."

"Okay then."

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Everyone is having problems with ice dams on the edges of their roofs.  Dan has been shoveling the snow off roofs and putting down some calcium chloride to melt the ice.  I have a 2 year old roof that had special panels laid along the edges to prevent ice dams--so far I have no problem.  When the ice and snow melts--many people are going to find they have roof leaks--not a good thing.

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Have I ever told you about Mary--the lady who lives behind me?  Last year, I saw her trimming her 6 foot hedge with small hand shears, like you'd cut flowers with, so I took my hedge trimmers and trimmed if for her.

Mary has a heart of gold, but she is the dizziest woman I have ever met!  I think she maybe forgets names because she calls everyone "Honey".  One day, I walked between her house and mine to get to the other street and noticed big balls of dust hanging out of her dryer vent--on the outside.  So, I stopped in and told her she needed to clean that out or "you might have a dryer fire."  It was apparent she had no idea what I was talking about.  So, I came home, got my big round brush on the heavy wire and went over and reamed out her dryer vent.  Then I asked if I could check her dryer and she invited me in.  I checked the lint trap, it was full.  I pulled it out, cleaned it off and then came home, got my smaller vent brush and cleaned out her vent all the way down.  It was stuffed!  I told her she needed to clean it out "often".

"Well Honey, I never knew that.  I thought something was wrong with my dryer!  I had to run the clothes through at least two cycles to get them dry...and the dryer is only two years old!  My other one quit working!"   <I wonder why.>

Mary has a beautiful, large home--at least 1,600 square feet with three bedrooms, an en suite master bedroom, an open kitchen and huge dining room, a really nice living room.  Mary's house still looks like a model home because, she vacuums every day, she cleans very week and once a month....she pulls everything out from the wall and cleans behind and under all the furniture.

So--last week Mary came over.  She is selling her place and moving into government subsidized apartment in Brighton.  The same place I first checked out, before I moved here.

"They only charge you 30% of your income for rent.  I will only have to pay three hundred fifty dollars a month."  <She now pays $360.00 here, on a nice corner lot and large home.>

"How big is your apartment?

"It's a one bedroom, living room, kitchen with a dining nook.  It's seven hundred and fifty square feet.  The laundry is just down the hall about ten feet.  I am so excited!"

"Why are you moving?"

"To save money."  <okay--she will save $10.00 a month on rent.>

"Well, you won't have such a big place to clean anyway...that will be nice."

"Oh Honey, that's not why I am moving.  I am so afraid that all of my appliances are going to quit working.  One after another.  After all, I've lived here twelve years and if they all go at once....and the furnace and hot water heater....Honey, I just couldn't afford that."   <Who's to guarantee that the appliances that come with the apartment are not going to quit?  Maybe the landlord's have to replace them?>

She paid $60,000 for her place 12 years ago.  

She has just sold it for $17,000.

She likes the quietness of living out here--she is moving into an apartment with people above, below and on both sides of her--and they aren't all Seniors.  It is going to be noisy.

She is moving from 1,600 square feet to 750.

There must be something wrong with me, but I just don't get it!

<at least she won't have to worry about cleaning out her dryer vent!>

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I don't want to sound like a snob, but...honestly...I have never met women like this--like Dar and Mary and even Pearl.  They don't act like they have a lick of common sense.  The friends I went to school with, the women I've known, they aren't like these women.  I ponder on the differences.  We all grew up in the same State--at the same time--the same kind of lifestyle--the 40's and 50's.  The only difference I can see is that, my friends and I grew up near or in a small town--a lot of us were farm kids--I suppose we learned a lot about work and had common sense.  Dar, Pearl and Mary all grew up in the city.  They didn't have the "outside" responsibilities we farm kids had.  They didn't have to work in the fields, the cow barns--they went to bigger high schools.  Their Saturday afternoons were spent going to the movie or shopping or playing with their neighbors.  

Us farm kids Saturday afternoons were spent, mowing the lawn in the summer.  Helping bale hay, bringing in the cows, helping milk them, gathering the eggs, feeding the rabbits..  My nearest "kid" neighbor lived a mile away and we didn't play on Saturday's because he was helping out on his farm.  In the winter, we didn't go or do much--except the farm chores--they always had to be done.

I don't know--but these women are very different than I am.  They can't do anything on their own--they don't even know where to begin or how to finish.  It's a wonderment how they manage to live alone.

  

Spring Cleaning In Winter--Part 2.

11:00 Sunday morning.

Prepare!

Valances down-ready to clean windows and put up new blinds

How am I going to get to that middle window?

Can't move the desk--it weighs 8 tons

Maybe I can walk along the window sill?

Stuffed dirty paper towel into wastebasket.

Broken glass in there--time out to get bandaged up.

First blind up--an inch too short! 

Concentrate on filling shelves back up

 

 Cups and saucers from Mother and GrandMother's china

Lenox porcelain birds I collected 40 years ago 

Indian doll 70 years old, other Indian art from the Four Corners

a bowl of feathers I have collected and a pile of rocks

from my trip out west, plus a bird's nest 

Scale model of my first car, wooden duck carved by old

Japanese friend--as well as Loon 

Take down lower curtains to wash--don't like them off for

too long--don't want people driving by to see my electronics 

Time out to watch this 

Lower curtains back up

Now to tackle this side of study 

Monday-10:00 a.m.

To exchange blinds

Color cartridge for printer 

Rich People's store for cake and salad 

For some artificial flowers for jug 

 Blinds installed, clean curtains all back up, driftwood dusted!!

I found I could get to the middle window by, walking along the window ledge

and then bracing my calves against the desk.

I am so tall, my head kept bumping the driftwood, so I had to scrunch down

BUT

it is done!!!

Now--to put this room back together.  I still have too much stuff, but maybe it is organized better?

Snowing like a blizzard out there--3-5 expected.  I don't care, I have enough work inside to keep me busy.

Spring Cleaning in Winter

11:00 a,m,

Address the problem!

Too much stuff!

Haul everything into the living room. 

Ponder what to do.

What if.... move all the book cases over to the other wall?

Enlist the aid of helpers.

 Measure twice, move once.

28 heavy albums must be moved

before the book case

 

All three in place--fit well.  Dusted and ready to be filled. 

Nice empty cubby hole.

What shall l put in there? 

5:00 p.m.

Collapse in chair. There's always tomorrow.