day.....give me a head with hair........461

 I have a tendency to let my hair grow

    Let me restate that correctly.  I can't prevent my hair from growing.  It grows.  My ear hair and nose hair also grow, just not as fast or long as the hair on top of my head.

    I just don't remember to get it cut.  

    I do trim my nose and ears, not hat you really want to know that.  I hate seeing men with huge hairs sticking out of their nose or ears.....yuchhhh!  I can't seem to control my belly from growing either.

    So when I looked in the mirror this week I was a little surprised to see it was pretty long, so I got it cut.

    One thing I noticed is how big my forehead has gotten!  Holy cow!!  And my hair is pretty white on the temples.  Plus, I have some red spots....I have had them for years, but without hair hanging over them they are more noticeable.

    I also look like I don't have teeth, but I reallly do!

    Corki had a vet appointment today for routine shots and a check up.  She weighs 22 pounds and is in good health for a 10 year old dog.  We  stopped at Starbucks on the way home and she got a Puppychino while I got an iced vanilla latte. 

 

    As I drove home the sky looked terrible and I figured we were in for a storm.  But now, four hours later, no rain, few clouds, dry lawn, withering plants.

    Mother Nature can be so fickle.

    Hope you have a great weekend.

    Stay healthy.  Stay happy.   Stay cool.

Peace and love

day....thankful.....460

 This hot weather has made me thankful

    I heard it was 97 in Rockford today, I was in DeKalb and the car thermometer registered 93.  I was going to say it said, but it can not talk.  So there.

    I thought of things I was thankful for.  Here are 10 things, not necessarily in any order of importance.

    Swimming pools.......not that I have one.  Or use one.  We have friends who stopped inviting me to swim in their pool because after 20 years of invites I have gone in four times.  Two of them were last summer.  And I invited myself.

    Deoderant.....once I slept with a French girl.  Seriously.  Jackie and I were on a train from Paris to Bayeaux.  We were not sitting together.  After a few minutes Jackie got up and said, "Change seats.  Don't ask."  So I sat next to a rather attractive French woman who apparently did not use deoderant.  It was hot.  She was sweaty.  About 15 minutes into the ride she fell asleep.  After about 25 minutes, I fell asleep.  So technically I slept with a French girl...or I guess more accurately along side her.

    Baby powder......used in proper amounts it prevents certain anatomical parts from sticking to other anatomical parts.

    Air conditioning.....use it.  Sure, I have to sleep with an extra blanket at night and keep a sweatshirt on at various times, but Jackie is comfortable.

    Lawn sprinklers.....nothing like moving a sprinkler and having it aim directly at your crotch and then having neighbors stare at your pants as you go get the mail.

    Electric start on cars.....it would be nice to start the car while walking toward it to get the AC running, but I am the kind that would hit the button in the middle of the store and have my car run for 30 minutes while I shop.  Then I would run out of gas on the side of the road and have to walk 6 miles to a gas station in 97 (or 93) degree heat.

    Ice cream......no need to explain.

    Automatic ice cube makers on the refrigerator.....I seem to go through a lot of ice during the day.  Iced water, iced pop, iced tea......lots of ice.  

    Short hair......long hair gets uncomfortable when it is hot.  Short hair is much better.  Also, you don't have to comb it as much, dry it as long, or worry about people saying your hair has gone from blond to almost white.  Yes it has, because I am seventy-freaking-three years old!  (I used freaking because Jackie gets mad when I don't.)

    Last....I think this is 10.

    No explanation needed.

    By the way....anybody see a bug in this?  I didn't either.  But next time I will look before drinking.

    Stay cool.

Peace and Love

day...Mary, Mary......459

 My garden is not doing very well

    My cucumbers have been planted for two weeks, but no sprouts.  Same with my green beans.  The Italian beans are spotty and the peas, well, we won't have a lot of peas this year.

    I planted peas early because they do not like hot weather.  But all the others should be doing fine by now.

    So I replanted the cucumbers and the green beans after I weeded tonight.  I confess, I have not been as diligent watering this year as I have been in the past.  I will do better.

    I had some spike waterers  you put into the ground and they made a nice little circle with a gentle rain.  But the bases broke off, and they won't go into the ground.  I bought a tripod rotating sprinkler, but it does not do the same job.  So I am ordering a new stick in the ground sprinkler with a "lifetime" guarantee.  We shall see.

    I just met an ungrateful toad.  Toads don't drink.  They get moisture through their skin.  

    When I went to take out recycling, I found a huge toad by my garage door.  I took some water and gently watered it.  It seemed to enjoy the water.  When I went to pick it up to relocate it to a garden area, it jumped out of my hands and hopped under the tractor. 

    I was too tired to start the tractor and pull it out, plus I was afraid I would run it over.  I just hope I don't find a dead toad in my garage like I did a few weeks ago.

    It's hot.  It's dry.  I'm hot.  I'm dry.  I got up,  showered, then ate breakfast and went out to finish mowing.  I should not have showered in the morning.  When I came in from mowing and trimming I was soaking wet.  Since I had a meeting to go to tonight, I showered again.  Poor planning.

    In case you are wondering about Mary, Mary...quite contrary, how does your garden grow was on my mind tonight

    Stay healthy.  Stay safe.

Peace and Love

day.....found.....458

 Things don't just disappear after all

    About 2 months ago I lost my flashlight.  This is a big, bulky, size of a half a loaf of bread flashlight.

    I looked in the garage, under the bed, in the closet (even checked my shoes), in the basement, in the cars......everywhere I could think  of and didn't find it.  I looked several times, always unsuccessfully.

    Our cleaner found it behind the cable box.  She said it had been there for a while, but we haven't been home when she is here so she never asked about it.

    I remember having to unplug our cable box and plug it back in to reset it.  I must have used the flashlight to see, and just forgot where it was.

    I had thought aliens took it.  Or gremlins.  Turns out, it never left the house.

    Some pictures from the past few days....

    Pale purple coneflower...last year's planting

        The prairie smoke....it looks like smoke from a distance

    Ever hear of a hands pan?  At the market in Creston.  A really neat sound.  I do have a video.

    We have a new resident.  This creature is living under the air conditioner.  This morning it was on the deck.  This afternoon it was exploring the porch.  This explains why Corki has been doing so much sniffing lately.  (That's a lot of this!)

    I believe this is mountain mint.....it is a beautiful, spreading plant and it is loaded with bumble bees!  I have not weeded this area for a while.

    That's it.

    Stay safe.  Pray for rain.

Love and Peace

day.....fini.....457

 I have finished the prairie garden

    Everything is planted, cardboard is down, mulch is down, and my left hip hurts like hell.  Related?  I don't know.

    I can tell one of the new plants is having a tough go.  I was hoping a good rain would revive it, but we did not get a good rain.  I did run the sprinkler on the plot last night, but a good rain shower is always better.

    I have a box of pictures I don't know what to do with.  When I taught I took a lot of photos of kids doing projects, at Halloween, and at a lot of other times during the year.  Most of the pictures ended up in albums.  Most of the albums have been "harvested" for former students I can still find.

    But it has been 12 years.  I need to get rid of the pictures.  I actually put one album in the trash  for about 15 seconds, then took it out again.  I don't know why it is so hard to part with them.

    Also in the closet and in a desk drawer were several cell phones, including a Samsung flip phone, 2 I phones, 6 camera disks, two rechargable batteries for a camera I no longer have, and one thumb drive.  I found a website for selling some of the items....so we shall see!  I will have to find a card reader to check the photo disks. I may be surprised.

    And now, a TMI section.  Jackie has to wear compression socks.  My brother gave me a device that helps, but normal people putting on compression socks have an easier time than someone who can't move their legs very well, or at all. 

    So every morning I spend about 15 minutes swearing and moaning because my thumbs don't work, the socks are hard to grasp, I can't find the heel...among other problems.  

    Certainly gets my day off to a rocky start.

    And speaking of rocky starts......a few weeks ago I mentioned the out of date margarine I tossed.  Tonight I went to get some butter.  We are out.  No butter.  No margarine.  Hardly any milk.   And I went to the store today.

    A list is only helpful if you write things down on it.

    Stay safe.  Stay healthy.

Peace and Love

day....RIP.....456

 I imitated a famous character from literature today

    I guess I was tired.  Maybe from the heat, working around the house, whtever.  I slept until 10:15 today!

    I went to bed before midnight, which is usually about the time I go to bed when I get up at 8 a.m.  Today I Rip Van Winkled it, as I say.

    And the weird thing is,  I don't remember any dreams, or getting up in the middle of the night although I think I did.  Either that or the closet will really smell in a few days.

    Of course by the time I got up, got Jackie up and showered and dressed, it was just past noon.  My sister in law called and we talked for 40 minutes. At 1:15 we Skyped with Julia......and at about 2:30 we finally ate for the first time!

    Needless to say, I did not do anything today except water the garden,  And I am really tired tonight.

    My list of projects keeps growing, while my willingness to do them keeps shrinking.

    But tomorrow is a new day.....and if I get up early enough, I might even get some tasks checked off my list.

    Stay safe.  Get plenty of rest.

Peace and Love

day....takes a village....355

 Sometimes I do need a little help

    Emily helped take care of Jackie today so I could be at the market in Creston. 

    Friend Linda and I had a booth, selling vintage items and memorabilia.  I took over about 25 items and sold 10 or 11.  

    The market ran from 9 to 2, so I got Jackie up and dressed, we ate breakfast, and I told Emily I was leaving.  Emily checked on her, got Jackie lunch, and was on call for anything Jackie needed.

    Meanwhile, Linda, Dan and I sat outside in the 90 degree heat.  We did ok on sales, not great, but not terrible considering the heat, graduations, graduation parties, the heat, and the heat.

    Funny thing.  I mentioned the other day that I put sunscreen on and it burned my face.  Well, I read an article that said some sun screens  contained benzene, a cancer causing agent.  And yes, the stuff I was using had benzene.  I tried another product, and that was also on the has benzene list.  Now I wonder if it's the benzene that causes my burning!

    Dan bought brisket sandwiches for us for lunch.  I took one bite and then dropped it on the ground.  Being hungry and not proud, I scooped up the meat, put it back on the bread, and carefully ate it.  If benzene hasn't killed me, a little road tar won't.

    I did not eat the bun however.....just seemed that may have hidden gravel in it.  At least I could inspect the meat.

    Had a good dinner tonight.  I was ordering on the house phone when my cell phone rang.  Not recgnizing the number, I hit the don't answer button....or at least I thought I did.  One voice is talking to me on my cell phone, another on the house phone, Jackie is saying something and I was really getting too much noise.  I hung up the cell phone again and continued to place the order.  Cell phone rang again, same number, and I again did not answer.

    When I was done I noticed a voice mail.  It was my nephew Jason calling from Lititz PA!  So I called him and we had a nice talk.  He got the pictures I sent and told me some of them he did not remember happening.  He also asked what I ordered besides tacos and enchilladas.

    Good sale, good supper, good conversation....only negative on the day was the Cubs falling to San Francisco.  Again.

    Stay safe.  

Peace and Love