"Getting rid of everything that doesn’t matter allows you to remember who you are. Simplicity doesn’t change who you are, it brings you back to who you are."

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Chuck Waters The Garden

We've been flirting with the 90's the past few days.  Believe it or not, past history tells me that this is a fairly cool summer so far this year.  The nights get into the 60's which helps with garden growth. 

April was a very dry month here.  May is picking up with "pop-up" thunderstorms here and there and if you happen to get some rain, you can sometimes get a inch out of a storm.

But with young plants growing in soil which is less than perfect (ie clay) you have to keep your eye on the prize.  If too many days go by with high heat and no rain...you've just flat-lined your veggie starts.

So Sunday morning Chuck and I watered the garden. 



The sun was do amazing things as the sprinkler did it's job.  I just couldn't resist taking pic's.  Enjoy!










Monday, May 28, 2012

Mr. Fix It

Sunday found SM dealing with what was right in front of his nose. 

(And that wasn't me for a change.  See?  I can stay out of the way!) 

I love it when he gets in this kind of mood.  I didn't ask him to do anything.  He just stopped, dropped and rolled his way through these necessary little jobs.



SM unclogged a drain in the bathroom, fixed the dishwasher (no power suddenly) and trimmed the birch limbs and leaves that were hanging on the roof line of the house.



He missed the Indy 500 with all these self-imposed tasks, but since Charlotte Motor Speedway is just down the street from us, he decided to go scrounge up a ticket for the Coca-Cola 600 Sunday night.

You GO Squeetie Man!

I, on the other hand, was on a mission to stain all the outside wicker furniture.  We have 4 chairs and this small glass topped table.  I usually use a lighter stain like Early American.  This time I tried Minwax Walnut.  A bit darker than what I'd hoped for but I kinda like it.  Once the cushions are on them, they'll POP.  (Did you notice your stain glass duck Mom?)



It's been 2-3 years since I've done this and "man o man" did the wicker suck up the stain!  I was "stained" too, splashes and drips all over me.  I went out to get some mineral spirits from the garage and SM tossed me the WD40 instead.



I sprayed it on like tanning oil and rubbed it in.  A miracle!  That stuff rubbed the stain right off my skin!  Didn't sting at all!

I also made SM a Ji-normus bowl of mustard/egg potato salad for him to munch on this week.  We grilled a ton of sausages so he'll be in summer eating mode from here on out.  Salads and sandwiches.


So he did his thing and I did mine.  He's at the races and I'm in a comfy chair with a glass of wine in my hand.

And a good day was had by all!

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Pinball Wizard

SM and I went out to poke around the garden Saturday morning.  The dogs were out in the yard too.

I'm showing SM something when suddenly he freezes..."What the Hell!?!" 

I freeze.  "What?"

"How the hell did THAT get in here?"  SM says.

I look wildly around thinking one of the dogs got in.  Nope.

Rabbit.  A full grown one too.  "Shit!"  I said walking towards it.  The rabbit starts running and bouncing off the fence like a pinball. 

SM is advancing on it too.  The dogs are zipping back and forth picking up the slack along the fence line.  The rabbit is flying now.

"Stop!"  I wave off SM.  We're at opposite ends of the garden now.  "Maybe if we just stand here he'll show us where he got in."

By this time the rabbit is actually trying to scrabble UP the chicken wire in a panic.  We pause.

The rabbit starts to run towards me, u turns and building up speed, launches himself up and over the rabbit-proof fence, clearing it and takes off, dogs in hot pursuit.





We look around for damage and find none.  "It must've just got in here."  SM points out.  "Your beans would've been mowed down given half the chance."

"Well, Crap!"  I say "Now we've got to figure out how the hell he got in here."

We walk the perimeter.  SM reinforces a few spots that are slightly slack.  If there's an opening, we can't see it.

Funny thing is, SM and I were just talking about a fellow a few blocks away that's got deer fencing up around his garden.  Easily 8-10 feet high metal fence panels with wood posts.  His whole backyard is garden.  SM points out that he grows sweet corn which is likely attracting the deer.

We've never seen deer here YET but now that the rabbits are figuring it out, can the deer be far behind?

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Whatcha Don't Know

In life, experience matters.  When you're experienced in a thing you can take measures to achieve a successful outcome.

Ignorance on the other hand, truly is bliss.

Last year was my first experience with the bastard SVB's.  Squash Vine Borers wiped out my summer and winter squashes and pumpkins.  I was ignorant about what to do about them so I ended up in failure.

This year I know what to look for.  The eggs on the leaves. 



Right now I'm simply cutting off the leaves that have the eggs.  We'll see how it goes.  In the meantime, I have my first harvest of summer squashes today! 




Yum. 

SM noticed ants all over the grapes yesterday.  Crikey!  They've eaten all the "baby grapes". 




Talk about an early harvest!  Since it's only been a few weeks since I pruned these babies back due to frost, I thought I might as well prune them again. Who knew ants would go for them like that?  Well, now I do!

I hope to stimulate another round of growth and hopefully another round of fruit by pruning them.  It''s still early.  This time though I'll watch for the ants and spray them.

We got our bathroom counter top estimate back from the contractor who works with Lowes.  $775 plus 3 sinks at $100 a pop.  Say what?

The sales guy at Lowes quoted me about $550 plus sinks.  The contractor increased the quote by 50%.

We are not happy.

I can put in granite for $1200.  Why would I put in Formica for $1100?

Back to square one with the bathroom. Geez...

Whatcha don't know.  Messes with you every time!

Friday, May 25, 2012

Flame On - Sharing The Heat

I've always been a curious observer.

Maybe it's in my nature to question.

Maybe it's 20+ years of talking to patients, but I'm always observing and dissecting symptoms in others and therefore in myself.  Whenever something happens in my body I think "Huh...what's up with that?"  Then I research the crap out of it.



Over the past few months, you've probably seen more than just a few posts about me discovering the joys of being a 50 year old woman with menopausal symptoms.  Like everything else, I just can't seem to help wanting to learn more. 

I'm on a mission you see.

Thermostat control.  My internal thermostat is wonky for sure and getting worse.  One second, I'm a Fry Baby, the next I'm chattering like I've got the flu. 




For some reason "Flame ON" at home is acceptable.  No one is there to see it except SM who, perhaps because of the newness of it, is very sympathetic.  He feels bad for me.  And while I do appreciate it, I'm trying to just shrug it off, to ignore it, which I manage to do unless it's a really, really bad flash. 





The other night I took a hot shower, mostly because I was grungy and also because of the CHILLS after a daytime flash I'd had.  Boy, was that a mistake!  Hot water and menopause don't work well together do they?  Who knew?  I didn't cool off for about an hour.  With a bright red face, I broke out the frozen peas for my neck and ate ice cream to cool off my internal thermostat.  (Like that's gonna help the spare tire I've got growing around my waist.)  Geez!

"Flame ON" in front of patients is still few and far between but I told one young guy I was working up... "Hey, if I turn beet red and start sweating I just want you to know it's not you."  He laughed. 

And if I work up a woman my age or older we vear off into war stories and tips on how to keep cool. 





I tease the girls at work that I'll likely be walking around with one of those portable battery operated fans (do they help?) and sticking my head in the lunchroom freezer before too long. 




SM was talking to his older brother, Ronnie the other day and told him that he doesn't think he'll be able to take me to the beach anytime soon.  (I hadn't thought of that.)  Ronnie told SM "Oh, they're ALL like that.."  SM laughed.

Since this is all still new to me, I've been "googling" around and found a pretty good site called FlashFree: Not Your Mommas Menopause which is a great blog name (but seems to be a bit of an oxymoron...I'm already getting the drift that there's no such thing as "flash free") and offers up posts and articles about everything menopausal. 

This is right up my alley.  I've already spent the better part of 2 hours today reading past articles.  I've been looking into wicking sheets(?), Chillows and gel pads called Coldfront.  Looks like the hot flash industry is alive and kicking in the good ol USA.

For all that these products tout salvation for up to $50 bucks a pop, I still get the feeling that none of it really helps.  Cotton sheets, some kind of fan blowing on me and a bag of frozen peas.  That's what's getting me through right now.


I'm also beginning to understand the appeal of a pill whether it's herbs, bio-identicals or HRT.  Who am I to judge what pushes one woman off the edge and keeps another one still clinging to it? 





I'm a pill-a-phobe though.  I've told SM that the only way I'll take something for this crap is if I go off the deep end.  As in I turn mean and nasty, get depressed or if my panic attacks come back.

Yeah, I gained 5 lbs overnight.  So what.  It's my new Mee-Maw shape.



Yeah, my bald spot is getting bigger.  I'm letting my bangs grow out and doing a comb over.

Yeah, I have those sleepless nights but that's why God created the Internet.

Yeah, I'm spinning hot and cold so fast that it makes SM's head spin.

All of that I can take.  Just let me keep my sense of humor. 





All in all though, I recognize this as just a passing phase, a novelty that will eventually become so normal that I won't even think about it.


Until then, please pardon me if I wax poetic about all these changes on the blog now and then.  I don't mean to annoy...just sharing the heat.



Monday, May 21, 2012

Decisions, Decisions...

I have to admit it.  I hate shopping. 

SM is a much better shopper than I am.  Every once in a great while though, I can be coerced to go out into the great big world so I can help SM make decisions on what to do about our own feathered little nest.

Yes.  It's time to remodel.  Past time in fact.

The house we live in is 20 years old.  Still a youngster compared to most.  But old enough to look a little worn and frayed around the edges.  She's definitely seen better days.

Everything is a priority though.  Look here, look there...Stuff is falling apart everywhere you look.  It's hard to concentrate on just what should happen first. 

And while it is tempting to hire someone to just come in and fix it all by tossing a bunch of money at them, SM and I just can't do it.  We don't mind being do-it-yourselvers.  This isn't Buckingham Palace after all.  And while I don't consider myself cheap, I am practical above all else.

So what's first in that long list of must be done-s around here? Everything seems important.  But we've decided to start with the Master Bathroom.  It's in the worst shape. 

The molded acrylic counter tops and sinks are yellowed and stained.  The faucets are gold (yuck) and are all chipped up.  The shower stall insert has wall partitions that are falling apart.  The window is splitting.  The vinyl flooring is also yellowing.

This is not a custom home with granite and tile.  This home was put together like many of it's generation with contractor grade features that have served it well but were never meant to last forever.  Everything is disposable isn't it? 

So SM and I have gone back and forth and forth and back over just how much we want to spend on this project.  Should we redesign?  Stone or Formica tops?  Vinyl or tile floors.  Another shower insert or tile it? 



The one thing we both decided to get rid of was the bathtub.  This fiberglass tub has never, ever been used.  What's the point?  It would take an hour to fill it up the thing's so huge.  A waste of space to be sure.  We're thinking we'd like to add an amoire here to house towels and supplies.




The other thing we both knew is that we weren't going to buy a new cabinet.  Have you priced those suckers lately?  Our old fiberboard cabinet will be painted and new door/drawer fronts made that will also painted to freshen it all up.  That by itself will save a bunch of money.

Speaking of money...When did everything get so expensive?

SM was pretty sure he wanted a solid surface counter.  That means acrylic mold (had that already), granite, marble, quartz or glass.  It's shocking how much they want for this stuff.  Our counter measure 88'' long.  Try finding a remnant that long.  The cheapest place we found wanted $1200 for it.  Hook, line and sinks.

I admit I was tempted.  SM really wanted this stuff but it bothered me that I'd have to "seal" it and use special cleaners on it.  I want no brainer stuff. Stuff I can't kill.  And I want it cheap.

Enter Formica 180 FX.

We were this close to putting money down on the granite.  We were wandering Lowes Home Improvement last month trying to get ideas on wall tile for the shower area when we came across this product that Lowes had started displaying 2 weeks earlier.

I was smitten.  Half the price with the indestructible promise that I have known and loved my whole life.  Laminate or Formica...Heck, lets call it what it is...Plastic!...has been around me my entire life.  Easy to care for, durable.  Whats not to love.

Sold!

So that's what we did.  Shopped for 3 hours and came up with 2 basic choices to work around.  Pardon the pictures, they're not the best.




Choice # 1 is the Travertine Silver countertops with bisque subway tiles and a complementing mosaic glass pattern that we can cut up for accent pieces.  The cabinet would be painted a deep brownish grey.



Or choice #2 Bianca Luna with white subway tiles plus black and white mosaics for accents.  The cabinet would be painted black.




Drum roll please...

Choice #1  Travertine Silver!  The color mosaic accents are what swayed us.  We could paint the walls anything from aqua to light blue to gray to beige.  We also have oak trim and doors throughout the house, even in the bathroom.  The beige in the tiles and countertop will help pull those in. 

Even though I loved the marble look of the Bianca Luna countertop, the black and white combination is just too contemporary for us.  Too fancy.  And it made the oak trim and doors look out of place.

We also shopped for sinks and faucets and lighting while we were there. 




I asked the lady if very many people came in with cameras to photograph ideas.  Nope.

Lowe's is having an 18 Month No Interest Sale next weekend.  We try to take advantge of those sales whenever they happen. 

So hopefully, we'll be able to get this ball rolling soon.

And then you get to hear me whining about the bathroom reno...

Sunday, May 20, 2012

No Toad Licking Allowed

It's Saturday morning, pre-dawn and the pups and I were out doing our daily 2 miles. 

I suddenly notice Ginny shaking her head repeatedly.  Then I notice her drooling and wanting to eat the grass. 

Uh oh. 

We were walking in the street at the time and there's always something to sniff at.  

And unfortunately things to eat.  My dogs are likely just like yours, vacumn cleaners on 4 legs. 

After a few minutes she carried on as usual so we finished our walk.

When we got home, I checked her muzzle, lips and gums.  No swelling, no bite that I could see.  She ate some of her food but left some behind which I picked up.

She seemed restless. 

While I was concerned about her, I was also keeping my eye on the clock.  I had 8am post-ops to do at work and needed to be on the road by 7.

I filled SM in on what I thought was going on.

"She either got bit by a snake or she decided to lick a toad."  I told SM. 

The toads are all over the place right now and are getting squished in the road by the cars.  And while a snake was a possibilty, I hadn't seen one and I would think that if she was struck by a snake, she'd have let out a yelp. 

"They (the dogs) usually leave the dead toads alone though."  I mused.  "But maybe there was one alive and she tried to put it in her mouth.  I would think if she was bit by a snake I would've seen it or heard about it.  I'm betting on the toad."

"Do you think she's hallucinating?"  SM asks looking at Ginny who was standing there looking less than perky.  (You know the old joke about getting high eating shrooms and licking toads?)

"Maybe."  I said looking at her. 

"Mr. Toad's Wild Ride?"  I asked, giggling.  SM laughed.



Ginny looked at both of us, turned and wandered out to the back porch where she promptly threw up.  

Serves us right for laughing I suppose. 

"There goes breakfast."  SM said turning away.  "At least she has the sense to go outside.  Casey will just lay there and yurp up right in front of her."

After the 3rd yurp I became a bit more worried, giving SM instructions to take her to see the Vet if she seemed to become distressed. 

"Calm down, she's fine.  Just let her get it out of her system."  SM told me.

* There's a really good reason why SM and I are grateful that we never had kids.  He can't stand the nasty side of life and I will worry myself to death over every little thing. 

SM knows that if I had my way I'd have Ginny in the car racing to the Vet.  My imagination is always on overdrive. 

SM on the other hand hates to deal with bodily waste, be it dog or child.  Me?  (shrugging)...Hey, life is dirty, clean it up.

So I toss on my scrubs, grab the keys and my purse and as I'm walking out the door I hear SM say..."Go outside, GO OUTSIDE...AH CRAP!!!" 

I almost kept going. 

Almost.

Instead I turned around and went back inside and helped him clean it up. 

Aren't I sweet?

By the time I got home later that morning, Ginny was better if still a little bit off her game.  She drank a bunch of water and kept it down. So no more "yurps".

When I made lunch for SM she tried to mooch some food...Silly dog.

By the afternoon she was back to her old self.

This is what you get when you kiss a frog, Princess.

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Good Stuff

We had lots of the good stuff this week.  That's right.



Rain. 

Over 2 inches according to TWC but it sure felt like more around here.  The garden is slowly snapping back, but with the cooler temperatures we've been having I'm not seeing the growth that I would have thought I'd see.



I have to remind myself that's it's only the middle of May.

It's a long way until I see that first tomato.

Friday, May 18, 2012

Chuck Gets A Makeover

SM and I are out at Sams Club last Saturday morning.  As we're about the leave the store, SM sees something he wants.  I toss him my credit card and say...

"I'll just take all this stuff out to the Jeep and start unloading."

Whenever we go shopping, we try to do the mother load, hitting all the stores at once.  I keep a cooler in the Jeep for this purpose so things don't get too warm. 

I've emptied most of the cart except for the huge-ass bag of dog food.  I look up and here comes SM walking towards me.

"Well, that's perfect timing."  I say.  "It's good to see you Charlie!"  (Click here to read all about Charlie/Chuck.)

SM laughs.  "Isn't this a job for Chuck?"  He asks, hoicking the dog food into the back of the Jeep.

"You think Chuck would come and help us out?"  I asked.  " Ha!  Chuck's a lazy bum.  Clearly a couch potato, in fact, I think it's high time Chuck starts helping out around here."

"Isn't Chuck your yard-bitch?"  SM asks.

"No, that's Charlie.  But come to think of it, I kinda like Charlie.  He doesn't deserve to be the yard-bitch anymore.  He's nice to have around.  Kinda like you."  I say, elbowing SM.

"So what's Chuck gonna do."  SM inquires.

"Well...Let me think about it.  There's gotta be something that Chuck'll be good for."  I respond.

Sunday morning rolls around and I'm out eyeballing the garden when I say to SM...

"You know what we need around here?"  I say waving my hand in the general direction of the garden.

"What?"  SM asks.

"A little bit of fun.  Some movement.  Where's the humor?"  I ask.

"Aren't the slugs making you laugh?"  SM counters.

"No...What I mean is we need some personality around here.  Some cheesy yard art.  Some twirly things and a few pink flamingo's to spice things up.  You know...weird stuff...like me!"  I pause.  "I know!  We should build a scarecrow!"

"Maybe Chuck should be the scarecrow."  SM adds.

"Perfect.  That'd be a great job for him.  Let's build a better Chuck." 



So that's what we did and it hardly took any time at all.

"Chuck's a big guy."  SM observes.

"He may be big, but he's outta shape."  I say, patting Chuck's belly. 

"He's got a beer gut."  SM agrees.

"Actually, that's a good idea.  Get me a beer can and we'll put it in his hand." 

So now Chuck has a job to do around here.  Perfect for his slacker mentality!

(*And THAT my friends is the weird sense of humor we have in this household.)

Monday, May 14, 2012

Garden Stroll

The garden is coming along but slowly.  The hot weather has up and walked away around here! 



Don't get me wrong...I'm not complaining about temperatures in the 80's.  I love it!  But this is April weather.  We had unseasonably hot temperatures in April and everything in the garden struggled to get started.  No rain either. 




Now it seems that we're moving into a slightly cooler cycle with wetter weather.  Rain is forecast (Yeah!) but the temperatures will hover right around 80.  Now 80 degrees might seem hot to a lot of you but we're used to 90+ degrees once May hits so this is unusually cool.  Hopefully this will allow the garden to rebound a bit.



Anyway, as I mentioned a few posts ago, my beans have popped.  I planted a LOT of beans knowing that between the slugs and the bugs I'd loose some.  Seems that one out of every 6-7 starts have been munched on.  I suppose DE can only do so much.



The tomatoes are snapping out of the shock they got when I transplanted them.  I'm seeing that the new growth is deep green and healthy.  I might loose 5 or 6 plants but that's OK since I planted 40.



Last year I was attacked by the dreaded SVB's (Squash Vine Borers).  No sign of them this year yet but it's early still.  I noticed that I've got a couple of male squash flowers and 1 itty bitty fruit starting.




The onions are going gang busters.  The yellows and reds are sizing up nicely.  The white's are a bit smaller but they may still catch up.  Time will tell.

The luffas, cucumbers and casabanas are too small to bother photographing at this point and the potatoes keep growing through the straw so there's some hope for them.

It will be a fruitless season though as my fruit trees and berries are still young and growing.  I have absolutely NO APPLES on any of my 3 trees.  Pollination issue for sure, we blossomed so early this year.  Makes me wonder how orchards assure themselves of a crop every year.  Do they all ship in hives?  The peach tree had peaches on them but they're falling off.  Not sure what's up with that.  It is a very young tree.  I haven't researched growing peaches so it may be that I need to spray or something.  I'd rather the tree grow strong though than put out fruit at this point, so I'm OK with it.

The blueberries got zapped with the late frost we had so no fruit this year.  The raspberries look like they might think about giving me some fruit.  Still too early to tell.  The strawberry starts aren't doing much other than shooting out flowers which I dutifully snip off when I see them. 

I also planted marigold seeds and Dahlia tubers to try get some more color in the garden. 

Thanks for tagging along!  I expect that over the coming weeks the garden will hit it's stride.  Can't wait for my first summer squash and green beans.  Yum!

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Mudda's Day

Here's a shout out to all the Muddas in the world. 

Big Bang Theory has the best Mom's.  Here a salute to Howards Mudda's.  



And another skit with Leonard and Penny. 

And another with Sheldons Mom.  












And another featuring Soft Kitty.  

And another.featuring Raj's parents.











Bill Cosby's salute to his childrens Mudda.  Classic!

And to wrap it up, don't forget Tim Allen's M.O.T.H.E.R.

And to my one and only...
Love ya Mom!

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Same Ole, Same Ole

Where did this week go?  Where have I been?

I feel that I have a new M.O. this week.  A new pattern.  A new modus operandi if you will.

Modus operandi (plural modi operandi) is a Latin phrase, approximately translated as "method of operation". The term is used to describe someone's habits or manner of working, their method of operating or functioning.

My work days have been split into 12 hour shifts for awhile.  12 on. 12 off. 

For some reason, taking a vacation, taking a break, downshifts you...as it's supposed to do. 

But now that I'm back ON, it just feels weird.  Like the movie Groundhog Day.  (Which is actually a pretty good movie if you can manage to stick with it.  Makes you want to pull your hair out, but that's the point.)  



Today is just like yesterday which was exactly like the day before that.

My 12 on hours are 7am-7pm at work.  Go, go, go!  Then my 12 off are here at the house to crash, play with the dogs, look at the garden grow and kiss the "Old Man "goodnight.  Snooze.  Then repeat.

What is it about the first week back after a vacation that makes you wish you hadn't bothered taking a vacation at all?  I mean, I'm re-energized for sure but "Crikey"...It's takes me all week just to play catch up from the week I've been gone.

This week has flown by and I find that I have not spent any time at all on my blog or (more importantly) looking at YOUR blogs.  None.  Zippo.  Zip.

Gosh, I miss you.

Is this the attraction of Twitter and Facebook then?  If I had those "social medias" in my life too all you'd be hearing on them right now is crickets chirping .  Silence.  I'd have been too busy doing everything else to keep up with those too.

So the week that was?  (scratching my head to remember)  Well, it turns out that YOU didn't miss anything here. 

We DID get a couple of days of "frog chokers".   SM says this when it rains so hard you can't see through it.  

So the garden got the deep soak that it needed.  But now it's turned a bit colder with highs only in the 70's, which is nice for The Human Torch (Me), but not so nice for the plants to grow. 

Seems like everything is in a holding pattern.  The only thing happening in the garden right now is that the beans popped up. 

Try making a post out of THAT.

Other than that, it's been a quiet week here.  I'm looking forward to the weekend.  Hopefully something exciting will happen.  But until then, I'm going to spend a few delightful hours catching up on what's been going on in YOUR life.

I bet it's been more exciting than mine.