Summer Stuff

 So, here is a picture of my new planter(s) that I mentioned last post.  In the background, you can see the 2nd one, just like it.  I like them because they hold the pot up so that the stuff that hangs over the side can cascade over the side really pretty.

I haven't sold much of anything, except a pair of jeans and a cool black Harley Davidson sweater.  But just selling jeans and a sweater this time of the year is good!  I also took a trunk load to Goodwill.  In getting my guest room makeover done, i got rid of one bed headboard and moved another one into place that i had in the attic.  Gave away the one with a large chest and mirror to a young man, a friend's son,  who is just getting his own place and got rid of something in my attic - win/win.  But, i had 3 large rubbermaid tubs under the bed storage boxes full of clothes and when I looked at it after being there for about 2 years I thought "I don't need ANY of this".  While, at the time I put it away, I was not ready to let go, evidently.  lol.  Basic clothes don't sell quickly or for hardly any money at all second-hand, so I mostly just give clothes away.  If you have a designer label or something really high quality (leather, jeans, coats, etc) I might try to sell, but just every day stuff (dresses, sweaters, etc) I mostly just donate most clothes instead of storing and messing with them.  But there is a time when I am ready to get rid of stuff, and when i am ready, i am ready, even a short time ago i might not be ready to get rid of.

Our tomatoes are still doing well.  Getting lots.  I froze 4 quart bags last week.  This week I will give some to family and I think make tomato soup, even though it certainly isn't soup weather!  But a nice light tomato basil will taste nice.  My sister and I drove for the day Saturday to the lake to spend time with some family.  My cousins are twins and their birthday this week.  So I took them home made bread and tomatoes and we ended up eating some of the tomatoes and people were going nuts over the "Arkansas tomatoes"!  I took big and small red ones, yellow and pink.  One of my cousins was really liking the yellow.  My mother in law likes them best too, less acid.

As for gardening, I have harvested some lettuce seed and will see if I can grow some more from seeds.  Pretty cool, huh?

I was sharing gardening stories with my aunt and cousin and so i shared this one.  This house we bought in 2014 had a pretty pink crepe myrtle directly in front of the house.  

As you can see, the plant there right near the front door, that's the crepe myrtle.  It is big, but not as big as it got before we just could'nt get around it.  Esp last summer, we had a really wet summer and it got so large that it blocked the sidewalk infront and was going up against the house, so we could not walk easily by on that side either.  So late last summer, we trimmed it way down and dug it up and moved it. Whew, it was a job!

The pretty crepe myrtle is doing fine!  We are so happy.  We really had to hack away to get it out, so we were a little concerned.  If you look in the background of this picture, you can see where it used to be.  We planted a small weeping cedar tree that we are training to curve back and forth.  I will post more pictures of it next time.

And finally, some cute dog photos

Hope you are staying cool and having a great August!  We are having a hot week, so i am just trying to enjoy summer while it lasts and not wanting to rush into fall!  

Lazy Rainy Thursday

Today we slept in.  Did yoga after golf Wed and was out if gas by 9pm!  Ran couple errands.  Walked the dogs.  I walked pup about 3 more miles after we walked 2 chi's.  Just as I got home it rained in earnest.

Great day to rearrange bookshelves.  Cleared out few more things.  Have taken trunk full each week, now I have another to take to Goodwill!

Sat with blankets and hot tea on covered back patio and read for an hour.  I like listening to the rain.  We are feeling more "pinch me" moments.  I guess it stinks in slowly,  this idea of retirement.   That's ok, I want to savor it and be in the gratitude as long as I can.

Tonight, we signed up for Netflix and binge watched Schitt's Creek.  We enjoyed it and are finally feeling like we aren't facing endless to-do lists.

I will feel better when we get our dormer windows trim replaced (couple places worn out), get edge of siding called at foundation edge and get all our trim outside painted...oh, and finally get a check.  We picked up inexpensive saw today.  We decided we want to paint our gas fire pit so we can enjoy the patio a few more weeks.  We need to ssndvoff some rust and get it spiffed up a bit.

Tomorrow's Friday, not that it matters.

Bad Days

Yesterday was sort of a crap day, so was today.  Just blah, bad attitude winter yuck.  I went to see my DGM and she has fallen a 2nd time in 2 weeks.  She thinks this is her decline.  Is hard to discuss.  I lsugh and try to have fun with her, distract her, love on her, hear stories.  Then I cry 25 miles home.

Then this morning I planned my day around 3 people.  Last min all 3 people rescheduled.  I still sold 4 tops, a purse and after our team eliminated from the play offs, we were so disgusted, we purged a box my husband has had in his closet 10 years!  Lol.  He also gave me about 20 items to sell and 2 garbage bags to donate.  1 bag to trash.  So, the day ended up fruitful! 

I also cleaned downstairs and cleaned and organized the pantry.  Tomorrow i am doing master shower and under kitchen sink! 

I cleaned house like a fiend last night/this am.  Then my cousin who came in town for work stayed at hotel because she got sick with flu. I am going to relax and enjoy all my work to get some r and r with my DH.  Supposed to get freezing rain in a.m.  Stay warm out there!

Tough Tuesday

Well, last night was my last hot yoga with my yoga instructor that I like so much.  She is moving to another location where she will have mostly day classes and possibly be able to work into something  where she can use her nutrition training.  Today I am really sore.  It was such a good class.  I am really going to miss it and miss her.  She is really sweet.  I know my GF (T) who recently had neck sx is sad she was not there to take one last class. 

So, I returned a classic white dress shirt I ordered online today.  I decided that if I ever do need a classic white button down shirt, I will find one but I don't need it now.  DH and I were talking to his brother and my SIL Friday when we met the new puppy and we were all talking about getting to be in our 50's and making career changes.  BIL is selling his beautiful new truck that he loves because he is making a career change and they are even considering downsizing their house.  DH is 63 and he thinks even finding a PT gig when we retire will be challenging.  I thought about it more and decided that I did not want to work 50-60 hours a week PLUS commute 45 min each way while DH sits at home.  He is 13 years older than I am and I don't ever want to look back and have regrets.  Our budget might be slim, but we think we can manage.  So, I feel comfortable and excited to sell me car in the spring.  I do not want to work to pay for a car.  It is crazy the switch DH and I are having as we think about this new possibility.  I am kicking my downsizing wardrobe into high gear now and even more so when winter is over.  So, about March we will be entering super-purge phase, prep'g house for sale and we will list my car.  WOW.

This past week I did some more spot deep cleaning, packed up another load to take to RH 12/22.  Listed 7 suits and a tuxedo DH owns, gave SIL a raised/covered cake plate, may have found a home for my cat (2 people who really want a cat are considering) and donated 2 large boxes of Christmas decorations/ornaments/gift bags/bows.  I also threw away a bunch of used bows and gift bags/confetti stuffing for gift bags that I have collected since late 80's.  I felt ashamed that i have wasted time/space/energy with such useless and stupid stuff.

Feel great.  I have not had dairy (again) for over a week and I think that was what was making me sick again.  Before an "experiment" trying it a little bit, i had not had it for over 2 years.  At least I am more convinced that it really is a problem for me.  Oh, well. I will deal with avoiding it.  I hope you have a great rest of your Tuesday!  It is getting really cold here, but DH took a brisk 4 mile walk with me Sunday and i loved the Vitamin D!

8 more work Mondays in 2017

10/16/17
8 more Mondays in 2017

Praying for our neighbors and my friend.  My neighbors' daughter (J) is my age and has stage four colon cancer.  She moved to another state to marry and raise her 2 children (both young adults).  It is about a 6 or 8 hour drive from here to her city.  My neighbors are my parents' (if they were both still alive) age.  For the last year, I have seen my neighbors run themselves ragged coming and going on this trip trying to help their daughter.  I really empathise with them.

My friend (R) is someone I have known since I was 4 years old.  She is suffering from mental illness and has left the home twice to go for stays in psychiatric hospital.  She is suffering and so is her family.  I have told her that I love her unconditionally and that I am here.  I have attempted to support her husband, at least in spirit.  I don't know what else to do.  Her 2 children are also young adults.  One just graduated, the other is a junior in high school. 

I feel helpless faced with such situations.  I just try to let the people know I care.  There is nothing else really I can do.  I did deliver a jar of home canned apple butter to my neighbors yesterday.  I got a text this morning saying they were enjoying it with toast and it was a nice start to their day.  I have been processing 2/3 of those apples I picked 2 weeks ago since Thursday night.  Wooooo weeeee, my back is sore!  I canned 18 quarts of applesauce and made 3 pies yesterday.  I delivered a quart of the apple butter and a pie to my work friend (B) whose farm we pick apples from.  He said next year we are welcomed to come back and pick more.  As far as I am concerned, it will be worth the 5 hour drive annually to do this.  We can visit with him and get apples, stay in touch.  More about him later, he is an interesting person!

I sold a jacket over the weekend and got ride of a couple bags of clothes/shoes.  But I also bought a new pair of walking shoes for myself and my husband, so I actually brought more in!  Plus, i must confess the store i found my walking shoes at had buy one get one half off, so i also bought a winter pair of casual walking-around sneakers.  They were not impulse buy, so that helps me keep in check.  At any rate, that is the wrong thing - bringing more in, but I got rid of my old pair and 2 pair of boots. My husband broke his in with a walk with me Sunday- worth the price!  One donated, one to sell.  I also washed sheets and towels and got a pie (froze) ready for this upcoming girls weekend.  Too busy for projects with all the apples!  But I have given out 13 jars already and have fun all winter giving and enjoying the apple butter! 

I went to see my Dear Grandmother (DG) Sat and took her and my aunt (PA) a jar.  My DG exclaimed "it is still warm!" and I barely had walked in the door when she was trying to open it and give it a sample.  I ran an errand at the store for her and so that made me feel good to help her feel good.  I won't get to see her for 2 weeks.  I have celebrated a couple of meaningful meetings with a couple of special women friends in my life and my gratitude cup is full.  I am happy for the present moment.  And then I come up with a title like today's post. Progress, not perfection.  Have a great week!

Week Day Grind

Week day grind
Still doing overtime, which is good for pocket book but making me feel a bit stretched.  I was able to sell couple items on ebay so that is good, more clearing out.  Took a couple things to thrift store donation.  Last night I cut up approx. 1/3 to 1/4 of the apples I got from my friend's farm couple weekends ago.  Wooo weeeee, my hand and back were tired when I went to bed at 9:30!  These are totally organic, so lots of holes to cut out.  I have 3 crockpots of apples cooking apple butter overnight and today.  I will prob buy another crockpot and get another one going tonight.  I picked out some of the best prospects for apple pie filling which I will do while the apple butter is cooking.  I will can apple pie filling Sat. I will can the applebutter Sunday.  It is a big job, but is nice to get it finished.  Makes great gifts!

I went on a nice walk after work Thursday and am almost finished with my latest audiobook.  It is about a woman who lost her husband and her life as she is dealing with that and deciding whether to date again in her 70's.  I did not even know what it was about when I checked it out of the library and downloaded it.  I just happenstance chose it.  But, I am enjoying her intellect and candid honesty.  She writes simply and effectively.  The subject matter just happens to resonate with me.  There was a passage I heard last night that made me stop on my walk and make note of it.  It was about how as the months have gone by and she is dealing with her loss, there are moments that she feels are almost intolerable, but just fleeting moments and then she is back from the floating feeling.  It was moving and beautiful.  I will write more on this later.  Another story for another day.  Maybe a rainy cold Sunday, writing from my office at home instead of a quick break at work, where I must be functional.  Have a great weekend!