Back to writing my journal. The Birthday weekend was fun with my daughter and daughter-in-law. I had planned for us to work in the yard if weather was clement, but Amanda asked Rachel how they could break the news to me that my daughter-in-law was an indoor housework vs an outdoor gardening sort of daughter-in-law. The day was cool and the girls found a lot of the things I have needed from upstairs storage, and they organized what was up there after we went to lunch.
For lunch we went to the "new to me" bakery on main street in Yazoo City. It was very busy and service was poor. Rachel Lynne was almost finished with her quiche meal with salad before Amanda and I got our orders--she a grilled chicken sandwich with a very bland potato salad and I a gorgonzola, pecan and dried cranberry salad with a great fluffy roll that reminded me of the ones Mrs Vancleave used to serve in our cafeteria, drenched in commodity butter. Chocolate cream pie and coffee and tea served in teapots with cups and saucers were good and charming. The girls also bought a couple of petit fours to take home. It was a fun outing for me and a chance to see a new business that people have been talking about.
Pancreatitis is my diagnoses of what has been my problem which peaked on Sunday and Monday. Too much wine and rich food, I think; so back to a more simple fare. And giving up wine--at least for Lent, to see whether that is also part of the problem is my plan. Yesterday and today, Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday, are good days to rest and recuperate, but I need to get started with yard work, if only for a quarter of an hour a day. It will take so much preparation to get out there, I feel that reality itself will motivate me to stay as long as I can.
Time to do my exercises for the day.
Tuesday, February 9, 2016
Friday, February 5, 2016
A cold morning in central Mississippi! I am still completing my morning routine as I have to jump in my mattress pad heated bed and cover and get warm between little chores like making a cup of coffee, vacuuming dead Asian Ladybugs, and going to the bathroom. Aunt Marian called before 8. She and Walt are out at Lively Farms keeping Molly, and I had not talked to her since last week before her trip to Mobile. She sang me a "Happy Birthday" and after we caught up she was going to call Patricia and wish her a happy birthday. (Hope P was up early--never an early riser, sister Patricia!) We were all supposed to meet in Indianola for lunch at some nice restaurant they have gone to for years. Maybe next year for me if I'm still here, but I called G to tell her I just wasn't up to another trip this week--especially since Rachel Lynne and her wife Amanda will be here tomorrow. We plan on working for a few hours both in and out of Wee Cabin.
As a result of the cold and my late rising, I have not done my morning exercises yet, so will do those next. Maybe by that time the bathroom will be warm enough for me to take a shower. Then I will see how my little crockpot concoction is for an early lunch and continue working up the learning curve for my new tablet. Yesterday's effort was exhausting--and I have not even opened the box with my new smartphone in it!
As a result of the cold and my late rising, I have not done my morning exercises yet, so will do those next. Maybe by that time the bathroom will be warm enough for me to take a shower. Then I will see how my little crockpot concoction is for an early lunch and continue working up the learning curve for my new tablet. Yesterday's effort was exhausting--and I have not even opened the box with my new smartphone in it!
Thursday, February 4, 2016
No entry yesterday because sister Gigi and I left Benton a little before 8:30 am to drive to Starkville. In Goodman, MS we had to make an emergency restroom stop for me. I was dismayed because Goodman is a tiny community college village, but there was a converted gas station/convenience store with a tiny clean restroom and unbelievably helpful clerks and manager who helped me in and out of a tight space for a woman in a walker. Thoughtful and compassionate people who care enough to do a good job with limited resources set an optimistic tone and made me grateful for the many acts of kindness that people do.
G had a Women in Ag (Wag) meeting at 1 pm, so we arranged to pick up our sister Patricia at their new retirement cottage south of town and go to lunch together at eleven. I had never seen Patricia's and her husband George's retirement home, but that had to wait until after lunch. I was using my walker exclusively and the new house has about 6 or 7 steps to get up to the porch. We also drove a quarter mile down the road to check on niece Becca's house and her horses. Pat and George have retired near their older daughter and her husband and their combined family, but their only grandson Brogan whom they helped raise and Patricia home schooled for several years when his mom was single is their shared heart's concern. The younger daughter Margaret was recently married and living outside Atlanta, but we hope to get her and her husband Matt back closer when Costco opens a store in Mississippi.
Patricia suggested a restaurant new to us sisters. G gets to Starkville fairly often, but this was my first trip in almost 3 years--although I hope to make that more often now that I am at home, especially if G is elected President of her Women in Ag organization. There is a Wag (my acronym) conference in early March. Anyway we took P's suggestion and went to Restaurant Tyler. Everything was superb--from service to prices to presentation and taste. We 4, since George came, shared a dish of fried okra with Bar B-Que dry rub sprinkled on and remoulade as a starter. I ordered a glass of merlot and received a very generous serving in a large wine glass. Water was served in Mason jars, and the coffee with heavy cream was fragrant and delicious. Blueplate lunch choices included hamburger steak with mushroom sauce, chicken with crayfish sauce, catfish with the same sauce, fried shrimp with a cocktail sauce and a ground chicken patty were the meat choices. Sides included sweet potato fries, green bean casserole, mac and cheese, turnip greens, blackeyed peas, and several others that I cannot recall. A sweet potato corn muffin is served with the meal.
Our server Margaret Ann, on hearing this was a birthday celebration for Patricia and myself, provided us with a choice of desserts from the menu. Patricia chose the chocolate layer cake with real whipped cream on the side, and I chose crepes filled with cheesecake filling, toasted pecans and a raspberry sauce. The total bill for 4 was ~$55 dollars and G picked it up as our gift and included a generous tip to bring the total bill to ~$72. Quite a bargain, I think, especially considering the quality and quantity of the meal.
Then G went to her meeting and P and I returned to the Wee Cottage Buell in George's car. George took a nap and Patricia and I played canasta as we visited and just enjoyed each other's company until George left to pick up grandson Brogan at 3:15. Gigi's meeting ended and she bought me some cheese at the MSU Dairy store. We 3 played one game for before George and Brogan returned and after getting good hugs from sweet Brogan (5 foot 10 inches at 13 and still like to hug his great aunts).
We set out home about 4:45 pm and made it home in good time with no stops at 6:30. I am sure G's husband Hugh Leigh was a little upset for us for driving home in the dark, but G did great. It really wasn't dark until she reached roads she was very familiar with. She is a very good driver for a blind woman. Perhaps I will explain that statement in this blog one day, since it is a big chapter in the Sister Saga--another of those stories I have in me.
G had a Women in Ag (Wag) meeting at 1 pm, so we arranged to pick up our sister Patricia at their new retirement cottage south of town and go to lunch together at eleven. I had never seen Patricia's and her husband George's retirement home, but that had to wait until after lunch. I was using my walker exclusively and the new house has about 6 or 7 steps to get up to the porch. We also drove a quarter mile down the road to check on niece Becca's house and her horses. Pat and George have retired near their older daughter and her husband and their combined family, but their only grandson Brogan whom they helped raise and Patricia home schooled for several years when his mom was single is their shared heart's concern. The younger daughter Margaret was recently married and living outside Atlanta, but we hope to get her and her husband Matt back closer when Costco opens a store in Mississippi.
Patricia suggested a restaurant new to us sisters. G gets to Starkville fairly often, but this was my first trip in almost 3 years--although I hope to make that more often now that I am at home, especially if G is elected President of her Women in Ag organization. There is a Wag (my acronym) conference in early March. Anyway we took P's suggestion and went to Restaurant Tyler. Everything was superb--from service to prices to presentation and taste. We 4, since George came, shared a dish of fried okra with Bar B-Que dry rub sprinkled on and remoulade as a starter. I ordered a glass of merlot and received a very generous serving in a large wine glass. Water was served in Mason jars, and the coffee with heavy cream was fragrant and delicious. Blueplate lunch choices included hamburger steak with mushroom sauce, chicken with crayfish sauce, catfish with the same sauce, fried shrimp with a cocktail sauce and a ground chicken patty were the meat choices. Sides included sweet potato fries, green bean casserole, mac and cheese, turnip greens, blackeyed peas, and several others that I cannot recall. A sweet potato corn muffin is served with the meal.
Our server Margaret Ann, on hearing this was a birthday celebration for Patricia and myself, provided us with a choice of desserts from the menu. Patricia chose the chocolate layer cake with real whipped cream on the side, and I chose crepes filled with cheesecake filling, toasted pecans and a raspberry sauce. The total bill for 4 was ~$55 dollars and G picked it up as our gift and included a generous tip to bring the total bill to ~$72. Quite a bargain, I think, especially considering the quality and quantity of the meal.
Then G went to her meeting and P and I returned to the Wee Cottage Buell in George's car. George took a nap and Patricia and I played canasta as we visited and just enjoyed each other's company until George left to pick up grandson Brogan at 3:15. Gigi's meeting ended and she bought me some cheese at the MSU Dairy store. We 3 played one game for before George and Brogan returned and after getting good hugs from sweet Brogan (5 foot 10 inches at 13 and still like to hug his great aunts).
We set out home about 4:45 pm and made it home in good time with no stops at 6:30. I am sure G's husband Hugh Leigh was a little upset for us for driving home in the dark, but G did great. It really wasn't dark until she reached roads she was very familiar with. She is a very good driver for a blind woman. Perhaps I will explain that statement in this blog one day, since it is a big chapter in the Sister Saga--another of those stories I have in me.
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
mal
Tuesday and the weather promises to be windy and rainy with the worst weather east of I55 and north of I20. At 9:26 am we have the quiet before the storm. Even the dogs next door seem to be expectant but quieter than usual.
Gigi called to ask about the barking dog problem I had reported to her earlier in the day when just before noon, my patience with a mindlessly barking animal ran out. She said my-renter neighbors in our family house had just retrieved their 4 hunting dogs after last complaint from the neighbor on the other side that caused them to be temporarily restrained in my sister's barn because of threats from law enforcement. The barking is worse during the morning and and early afternoon as the family is away at school and work during those hours, but I dread the days when I would care to open the porch door and window which muffle the sounds now.
The wind is definitely picking up now. I always pray not to lose power, but at least the temperature forecast for today is in the 70s, but due to drop precipitously tonight. Gigi is checking with sister Patricia to see whether she could meet us for lunch in Starkville tomorrow as G has a meeting up that way, the weather should clear by then, and us girls are always looking to celebrate our birthdays during the period from late January through early February: G's being January 25 and P's and mine are on Feb 5. There are 3 years separating each of us: first me in 1948, then P, in 11951 then G. in 1954.
Gigi called to ask about the barking dog problem I had reported to her earlier in the day when just before noon, my patience with a mindlessly barking animal ran out. She said my-renter neighbors in our family house had just retrieved their 4 hunting dogs after last complaint from the neighbor on the other side that caused them to be temporarily restrained in my sister's barn because of threats from law enforcement. The barking is worse during the morning and and early afternoon as the family is away at school and work during those hours, but I dread the days when I would care to open the porch door and window which muffle the sounds now.
The wind is definitely picking up now. I always pray not to lose power, but at least the temperature forecast for today is in the 70s, but due to drop precipitously tonight. Gigi is checking with sister Patricia to see whether she could meet us for lunch in Starkville tomorrow as G has a meeting up that way, the weather should clear by then, and us girls are always looking to celebrate our birthdays during the period from late January through early February: G's being January 25 and P's and mine are on Feb 5. There are 3 years separating each of us: first me in 1948, then P, in 11951 then G. in 1954.
Monday, February 1, 2016
Cloudy and warm today with possibly severe storms on the way, according the public radio forecast. I vacuumed the many dead and dying Asian lady beetles (ALB) as I prayed that the coming weather front will help calm them down. I found more bodies than usual just between the front door and screen on the aluminum threshold, so the DemonWP Lamar sprayed may be working. I will ask Lamar to spray again in March and again in May unless the ALB stop being problem. The solution can be poured--not sprayed--on fire ant mounds. ALBs are on my mind because of the many bites I have had in the last two days. I even found one crawling in my pull-on diaper but don't think that one bit me on the butt cheek where he was found.
Sleep is my objective for change now. Just lately I turn in after supper, but I listen to radio or watch Amazon Prime or Youtube, and often do not get sleepy and actually feel that I can lose consciousness until 11 pm or later. Nine pm should be my time to curl up and drift off so that I can rise by 5 or 6. Today I woke a few minutes after seven and was up and dressed before 9 am. Up and dressed by 7 am is my goal. These changes will help with my early morning digestive tract distress, which takes about 2 hours.
My second project is to get all my tax documents for last year together, which serves as a subset of organizing and simplifying my space.
Took out some frozen boiled hen to make a small pot of chicken and dumplings.
Sleep is my objective for change now. Just lately I turn in after supper, but I listen to radio or watch Amazon Prime or Youtube, and often do not get sleepy and actually feel that I can lose consciousness until 11 pm or later. Nine pm should be my time to curl up and drift off so that I can rise by 5 or 6. Today I woke a few minutes after seven and was up and dressed before 9 am. Up and dressed by 7 am is my goal. These changes will help with my early morning digestive tract distress, which takes about 2 hours.
My second project is to get all my tax documents for last year together, which serves as a subset of organizing and simplifying my space.
Took out some frozen boiled hen to make a small pot of chicken and dumplings.
Sunday, January 31, 2016
Today marks another Sunday that I was not able to get to church by 9 am. Every week I try to prepare by going to bed earlier on Saturday (unless I know that I am too ill to even consider going or the weather will make it impossible for me due to rain or extreme cold or heat), planning and collecting what I will wear, charging my electric wheelchair,.... This Sunday was going to be propitious, I thought. I was feeling better since I used tobramycin and dexamethasone opthalmic suspension drops in my itchy eyes; I was rested; the weather was unseasonably warm with a night time low of 55 degrees. I failed, however, to factor in the Asian ladybug beetles.
These Asian critters were imported by some well-meaning individual to supplement the beneficial native ladybugs, but they have some very negative aspects that native ladybugs never presented. The Asian variety is attracted to light natural wood buildings (like my cabin) for hibernating. This being a warm winter, mine have remained active all fall and winter. People will tell you they do not bite, but they do bite and apparently I have a pretty itchy reaction to those bites. They also smell bad when touched, mashed, found floating in your beverage or food, or fried in a bug light. Yesterday, my friend Lamar sprayed the entire outside of my cabin. Last night, survivors were extra aggressive, flying into my hair and on my skin and crawling in the bed with me. Two bit me, one behind my knee and one on my back. I slept poorly, and this morning dragged around, with the result that I did not get dressed and my digestive tract calmed down until well after time to leave for church. Foiled again!
I called and finally spoke with son Tom today, since I had heard nothing from him, Sallie or the kids since early December. He says the kids are still attending Olive Branch schools, and they bought Sallie a vehicle to ferry them in. She is planning on raising food and canning this year.
These Asian critters were imported by some well-meaning individual to supplement the beneficial native ladybugs, but they have some very negative aspects that native ladybugs never presented. The Asian variety is attracted to light natural wood buildings (like my cabin) for hibernating. This being a warm winter, mine have remained active all fall and winter. People will tell you they do not bite, but they do bite and apparently I have a pretty itchy reaction to those bites. They also smell bad when touched, mashed, found floating in your beverage or food, or fried in a bug light. Yesterday, my friend Lamar sprayed the entire outside of my cabin. Last night, survivors were extra aggressive, flying into my hair and on my skin and crawling in the bed with me. Two bit me, one behind my knee and one on my back. I slept poorly, and this morning dragged around, with the result that I did not get dressed and my digestive tract calmed down until well after time to leave for church. Foiled again!
I called and finally spoke with son Tom today, since I had heard nothing from him, Sallie or the kids since early December. He says the kids are still attending Olive Branch schools, and they bought Sallie a vehicle to ferry them in. She is planning on raising food and canning this year.
Saturday, January 30, 2016
Today is Saturday and Lamar showed up at my back door at 8:15. He said my brother-in-law called and said he did not need him to help feed since they were going to Jackson, so Lamar came to me. I have missed him all this week as he was feeling "puny" with a cough and low fever, but he seems much better today. The weather is unseasonably warm and expected to top out near 70 degrees today and tomorrow, but it is also windy. We mixed the DemonWP (cypermethrin) in the gallon sprayer, and Lamar used 3 gallons to spray around my cottage. The asian lady beetles have been worse this year, swarming inside since I moved back in late October with no let up. Some really cold weather might help, but we have not had much of that, so I ordered $50 worth of cypermethrin and checked the trap in the window (which had not been set up properly at all), and set up the indoor bug zapper which I had hopefully--and prematurely, as it turned out--cleaned and put away during a small cold spell after Christmas.
I also found my round whetstone and Lamar sharpened many of the yard tools. Finally, he is out with the newly sharpened machete and whetstone cutting down bamboo that is growing inside the fence. If we can get all of it removed, I can use the riding lawnmower to keep it at bay this summer. My ultimate goal is to get everything outdoors simplified so I can do much of the day-to-day maintenance with a bit of help from friends and neighbors.
I also found my round whetstone and Lamar sharpened many of the yard tools. Finally, he is out with the newly sharpened machete and whetstone cutting down bamboo that is growing inside the fence. If we can get all of it removed, I can use the riding lawnmower to keep it at bay this summer. My ultimate goal is to get everything outdoors simplified so I can do much of the day-to-day maintenance with a bit of help from friends and neighbors.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
