whaaat??????

 I generally don't believe in omens

    I have walked under ladders and survived.  

    Black cats have crossed my path and there has been no effect.

    I have dropped many forks on the floor.  I don't know what that means except I am clumsy.

    But tonight I am a bit spooked.

    I looked at the NOAA weather service forecast for Wednesday in our area.

    We could get a LOT of rain.  And thunderstorms.  And hail.

    Usually I take all that with a grain of salt.

    But not tonight.

    Because at the bottom of the hydrologic forecast is the word DOOM.

    Doom!!!

    I looked at another forecast on the same site and there is no word, only $$.

       Doom!!!

    I can guarantee rain because today I got all the windows washed, inside and out.  Screens too.

    Thanks to Matt and his crew, all we had to do was write a check.

    But I did have to wash and hang curtains, because Jackie says whenever the windows get washed, so do the curtains.

    I am cutting this short tonight because I have to prepare myself for the end of the world.

    DOOM!!!!!

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace

oops

 I bought some flavored water today

    I am getting tired of plain water and Gatorade.  And I am trying to cut back on pop.

    I thought flavored water would be a god idea.

    I bought 2 bottles and when I got home, I put ice in a glass, dropped the plastic bottle, picked it up and opened it and water sprayed everywhere!

    It does not say carbonated on the label.  To say I was surprised would be an understatement.

    I mowed today, probably the first time I mowed before it got too long to cut nicely.  But I think we may get rain the next few days and I did not want it to get out of hand.

    I even timed mowing the field........45 minutes.  Just seems like it takes longer than t hat.

    I planted 10 little trees about 3 weeks ago.  I think some of them have survived.  The maples and hickory seem to be still struggling, but the oaks look toast.

    I wish manufacturers would put some sort of device on these big ass trucks with the oversized wheels to indicate the driver is turning. Slowing down and suddenly turning deserves some kind o signal, so maybe car makers could put some device in those gas guzzlers.

    Yes, I am a bit grouchy.

    Did a lot today and I am tired and sticky and hot and irritated and frustrated that the Ccubs can't score runners.  It took a walk in the bottom of the ninth to get a win.  But a win is a win,

    But aside from all that, today was an ok day.

    Sam and Kevin  stopped by while I was out in the driveway.  It is always nice to see them.

    And I now have my golf cart, lawn mower, and huge yard cart all in the garage.  The house no longer looks with theBeverly Hillbillies live here.

    But oh so much more to do.

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace.

2 down

 And four to go

    We have 6 can lights in the kitchen.

    They have been in since the house was built 14 (almost) years ago.  About 2 weeks ago 1 burned out.  I did not replace it because today's bulbs have a different "color" than the ones from 14 years ago.

    Today a second one bit the dust.

    Now I have a problem.  The kitchen is dark.  Not terribly dark, but much darker than I am used to.

    I really don't want differently  hued bulbs, but I do want light.

    And I hate tossing out 4 bulbs that work, with an unknown death date.

    Sigh.

    Here's my bigger problem.

    You know I have trouble finding things because I don't put them away.

    We have 2 little Ninja machines that chop up stuff.

    I can find the motors.  I can find the tops.  I can find the canisters.  I can not find the blades.

    A normal person would've put them all together.  But the canisters were in the cabinet above the oven and the motor and tops were in different places in the pantry.

    I have looked in every cabinet, on every shelf, in every drawer but I can not find the choppers. Damn, that is frustrating.

    I have spent hours looking today.

    I found all natural dog treats that were best used by May 2024.  I tossed those.

    I found some chocolate bars.  I kept those.

    But I did not find the little choppers.

    I am going to look again tomorrow.  

    I did find all the parts to a smoothie maker, although Julia had to show me how the parts went together.  I used it last summer but just did not remember.

    I used it because we have a blender.  I made Jackie a smoothie the other day and  the blender  leaked all over the counter.  It seems the little gasket that acts as a seal is torn enough to cause a leak.  That is why I used the smoothie maker last year.  That came to me while wiping up the counter.

    Tomorrow is another day, by golly, and those blades will show up!

    I hope.

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace

stormy weather

 I predict a major storm tonight or tomorrow

    Not a tornado, but high winds.  And heavy rain.

    Why do I say that?

    Because my patio table is actually on the patio.

    Julia and I were going to put the legs on and take it out, but it started raining.

    So Emily came over later and helped put the legs on and we carried it out.  

    She also solved the problem of the cart not going together.

    Julia and I tried, but we could not get the sides to fit.

    Emily came and looked at it.

    The back of each side panel had a U shaped slot on a 90 degree angle.

    Emily took a pliers and bent it straight out instead of on a 90 degree angle and it all went together easily.

    I had thought of doing that, but I also thought it was unusual to have 2 pieces bent the wrong way, so it must be designed that way.

    Emily simply said they looked bent to start with.

    Tomorrow I will take out the chairs and umbrella and then I can begin sitting outside and watching the world go by.

    I used my new cultivator on the garden today and it was amazing how quickly I could weed the 4 beds.  Everything I planted seems to be coming along nicely except the carrots and lettuce.  I can't see a lot of carrots and I don't see any lettuce sprouts.  But it is still early.  

    The only negative of the day was Julia's dog peed in our house!  Beth has never done that before.  Emily was playing with her and Beth just squatted and peed.  I guess Beth was so excited to have someone on the floor with her that she just couldn't hold it.

    Beth did drop a load on the concrete floor part of the basement once, but she had just come here and we may not have read her "Let me out" signs correctly.

    And if that is the worst she does, I will be  a happy person.

    Hope you are too.

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace

grrrr

 I almost put my new lawn garden cart together

    I got a slow start today.  I was just really tired and had no get up and go.

    But at 3 I went out to start assembling the cart.

    All went well until it didn't.

    The sides don't fit right.  

    I can't figure out what I did wrong.  I tried reversing the sides, turning them around, but nothing seems to solve the issue.  I fiddled with it until 4:30 then took a half hour break.  I just sat on the porch, enjoying the beautiful day.

    I went back to the cart and still could not figure it out.

    So I t texted Julia and Emily and asked them for help.  One, or both, will stop over tomorrow to see what is wrong.

    They have both assembled carts.  

    Whenever that happens I think the product is defective.  Something is not in the right place or the right size and that is why I am having problems.

    Of course that is never the case.

    I also took Beth for a walk.

    I swear, she must have  peed 15 times on our little stroll.  Plus, she twice  dumped a load and tried to a third time, but nothing came of it.

    And yes, I carry bags to pick up her droppings.  I won't let her go in someone's yard, only in empty lots.  But we are running out of them.  Lots, not bags.

    We must have made a spectacle.  Her peeing, me pulling up my pants, her pooping, me picking it up and pulling up my pants.

    I was thirsty when I sat down to do this tonight.  I can't have pop, I have had my fill of Gatorade, water was not appealing.  Julia left some hard ciders in the fridge.  So. I opened that and discovered a taste I  really do not like.

    Just a topper to my day.

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace

all clear

 I think we are out of storms for the night

    Currently the sky is pinkish.  Which I think is a good sign, although I have no idea what it means.

Red sky at night, sailors' delight

Red stay at morning, sailor take warning.

    Our sky is pinkish.  That could mean the nuke plant in Byron melted down, but I don't think so.  It's the sun shining on the back end of the storm clouds, I think.

    I bought a rain gauge today and stuck it in the front at about 2:30.  I came home from a museum meeting and there was 1.5 inches of water in it!  That's a lot of rain in a little over 4 hours.

    In town some streets had standing water and on the way home ditches were pretty full, but no water on the country roads.

    I watched most of the Cubs game today.  They finally won.

    Last year the Cubs were in first place about now and the Sox were in last place.

    Today the Sox are in first and the Cubs are floundering near the bottom.  Funny how things work, eh?

    The Cubs lost 2 of 3 to the worst team in the league and the Sox won 2 of 3 from the best team.  I was surprised by both.

    I am a Cubs fan, but I am glad the Sox are winning, and winning with young players.

    There are a lot of batting and prediction sites on line.

    I am thinking of starting one called "Where does Terry hurt today?"

    I think Jackie gets tired of my complaining.  Today it's my shoulder and wrist.  Yesterday it was my back and legs.  Every day a different  part of me seems to hurt.

    I imagine someday I will just be a mass of pain.  Maybe they'll wrap  me in bandages like a mummy.

    Just leave me a straw hole for some wine.

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace

huh????

 Today was one of those days

    The plan was to get up early, finish clean up around the gardens, finish mowing and trim.

    I actually got all of that done.

    But I forgot to feed Beth!  How could I do that? 

    I had eaten, had my tea and was heading out the door when I noticed her food bowl was empty.  That triggered a response.  It was empty because I never filled it.

       Later  I went to the store and forgot my reusable bags, and  my produce bags,   I also forgot my grocery list.  Well, I didn't forget it because I never made one.

    I was planting some little greens in the garage when the Fed Ex truck slowed to a stop in front of the house.

    He backed up and pulled up the driveway.

    He was looking for an address and could not find it, mainly because he was on the wrong road.  I know!!  How does that happen??

    I told him he was not on Flagg Road and that  I thought maybe he had something for me.  He looked on his computerized list and said he did!  I got my new cushions for the porch chairs. 

    Then the rains came.

    I went into the house and sat down for a few minutes.  There was a huge boom of thunder that shook the house.

    Jackie asked where Beth was, because Beth does not like loud noises.

    I went and looked.  Not in the den. Not in the bedroom.  Not in the laundry area.

    I opened the garage door and there she was!  I had no idea she went into the garage.

    Our neighbor told me they had 1.25 inches in the rain gauge from the gusher today.

    It's raining again.

    Julia said she has standing water in her standing water.

    We have a tornado watch until 11.  I tend to get a little excited about those, but so far tonight I am ok.

    But it is early.

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace