Busy, Busy, Busy

 Hubby and I are enjoying his Christmas/New Year's vacation time. He actually started early, leaving work on Wednesday, at lunchtime, and we've been productive ever since. 

I did cook a Christmas Dinner, and we have had extra goodies, but my Christmas Day was spent defrosting and reorganizing freezers. My son gave me money for Christmas, so Christmas Eve we went to Home Depot and picked me up an upright freezer. I have the side by side fridge-freezer and 2 smaller chest ones, but it has become increasingly difficult for me to reach things in the chest ones, hence getting the upright one. 

So, Christmas Day, I emptied one small chest one, and then defrosted it. That one is now breakfast stuffs, my frozen fruit "grabs" and breads. 

Then I emptied the fridge side freezer, and defrosted that one. That is now "need to use ups" and stuff for the upcoming week.

The new one is meats, fish, and all of our "batch cooked" meals that I make for our lunches (his for taking to work). 

The largest chest freezer is still being emptied, that's a slower process as many items are going to the chickens, so I'm only taking out a few things at a time. Once I get that defrosted, it's going to my granddaughter for her family.

We've also been doing more decluttering. I took my remaining Mrs Albee statuettes to Miracle Hill, dropped some books off at the library, and we took beaucoup boxes of recycles to the skips at Conestee Park.

Today, we hit up Hobby Lobby, and got a load of paints, brushes, etc for our model railway that we are finally starting to. work on. Hubby's had his trains for years, mine was a gift to myself for Christmas out of money given to me by my sis. I used to have a Flying Scotsman many many moons ago (almost 5 decades!) and had rued the day my ex had got rid of it. Now, I have that loco again, and so I am fired up to get a layout done.

We're waiting now for the glue to dry where we put a polystyrene sheet on plywood, for the base surface. I'm patiently impatient,

I'm making headway with one of the stray cats and today put flea prevention on his neck, unfortunately, the other one doesn't let me get anywhere close. He/she stays about 2 feet away, although is quite happy being at that distance and talking to us. Slow progress.                                                                                                                                             

Maybelline seems to have taken over as the ruling queen of the chickens, and herds them and acts as "the boss" when they are out. We've had to be careful letting them out recently, as the hawk has been hovering around and eying them as lunch, and I don't intend to let that happen. 

The wild birds are flocking to the 2 bird feeders outside the window, and the great-grand-cat, Snuggles, aka Brat and Madam, loves to sit on the shelf and watch them.

This nice weather has given us the opportunity for Mark to get on with some more of the brickwork for the front stoop area. He's trying to make it easier for me to be able to get down the steps with my walker, by making them longer and only half as deep.

We're just enjoying getting on with everything.

Yes I Remember Lockerbie

 Yes,

I remember Lockerbie,

the flames that lit the Winter sky

as Pam Am's remnants rained from on high, 

not knowing as we watched that night

that 4 loved friends died on that flight.

Yes, 

I remember Lockerbie,

the tears we cried, the shock we felt,

and on Christmas Day, more tears of guilt,

that we were there and they were gone,

no more to sing a Christmas song.

Yes,

I remember Lockerbie,

the shock that turned to righteous anger

when we learned that others were warned of danger,

but our friends weren't worthy to protect -

not officers or government diplomats.

Yes,

I remember Lockerbie,

and still it grates within my soul

the pain, their loss a gaping hole, 

2 children never to grow old, or be

parents, or their grandkids to see.

Yes,

I remember Lockerbie,

the tolling of that final bell -

their killer freed from his Scottish cell.

Demeaning further those lives lost

his murderous spree now with no cost.

Yes, 

I remember Lockerbie,

it's seared forever in my mind

and those of all that were left behind.

The years pass by and still we grieve

We just weren't ready for you to leave.

Yes, 

I remember Lockerbie,

As fresh as if was happening now

And stand with others as I vow

to keep your memories and say each year

We loved you Dee, wish you all were still here. 

Pan Am 103

 A chill wind blows over the desolate landscape.  

The head of the giant bird lies broken, around her, the bodies are strewn like confetti.

Innocents all.

Laughter will never again be heard from their lips,

their voices quiet but seeking acknowledgement.

The wind carries their souls in its mournful wail,

an elegy to the loss of their love

in lives around the world.

December 21st 1988, an infamous day of horrific carnage,

of pain and sorrow. 

The guilt of those of us who knew them

as we celebrated Christmas,

the joy went on

but we cried for our loss

and that of our families and friends.

Dee Woods.

Joe Woods. 

Jo-Jo and Chelsea.

Names now on a commemorative plaque,

lives ended on a Lockerbie grassland,

memories locked in hearts worldwide.

Angels forever by our side 

Playing Chef in the Kitchen

I used to love to cook, but somehow - along this journey called life - I lost that mojo and it became a chore of sorts. Recently, I've rediscovered the pleasure and today I have the crockpot on making glazed chicken tenderloins and mushrooms, and I had a flash of inspiration in Publix, and grabbed some sausagemeat to make Scotch Eggs tomorrow for dinner. I don't even remember the last time I made them. Now, with my 4 chickens laying every day, it seems like an awesome way to make use of some of their eggs.

With the colder days and evenings now, I've also started going back to an old favourite - jacket potatoes. I tend to do either a curry filling/topping, or ham and cheese. Either make a tasty and satisfying meal that's quick and easy to make (and I'm all for quick and easy!).

I have no room in the freezers at the moment, so can't be doing any batch cooking for now, but I love cooking and freezing portions of chicken tikka masala and rice, savoury minced beef and dumplings and various curries.

I'm no Chef Ramsay but I'm enjoying cooking again.

Cold Weather Woes and Life Update

The older I get, the more I respect those who have taken this journey before me, and those who do so alongside me. It is so easy, when we are young, to take it all for granted, even if we don't consciously do so. We just assume we'll stay the way we are. 

My life changed when I hit 30, but it took 20 years for doctor's to finally give me answers. 

I put on over 140lbs in 16 months, and despite going back and forth to the base hospitals in both Little Rock AR and Sembach Germany, their observations were to do with me now eating American food and needing more exercise. Nothing had changed in my life. I still walked all over the place, danced, and cooked "English" with lots of veggies and smaller portions of meat, plus since I don't like butter, marg, oil, pasta, gooey sauces, and a lot of other foods that people trying to lose weight have to "give up", I disagreed with them but had no idea what was going on with my body.

It took my current doctor, back in 2004, to test me for thyroid issues and that was the answer. Medication followed but my body responds weirdly so we had to take down the dosage, meaning my metabolism stays slow, unfortunately. My resting heartrate is 45-50 bpm, but cold affects me badly and can take it down to mid-30s which feels very scary.

Winter also aggravates my arthritis, and I joke that it's a better weather forecaster than the meteorologists on tv. Last night's rain caused me a lot of gyp. Thankfully today the pain is less, muted somewhat, for which I am very thankful.

On a good note, today I made a step forward with the feral cat we call Roger (if he turns out to be a she then it will become Roja). He followed me into my laundry room when I put his food outside, so I closed the back door. He wandered into my kitchen and began yowling loudly, and I kept telling him he was ok. He came back into the laundry room, still yowling, and I closed the kitchen door. At that point, he started to get stressed, so I stroked him a couple of times and then opened the back door so that he could go out again. My goal is to try to get him comfortable in the laundry room so that he can come in out of the cold over the next few months. Then I can also get him/her shots and spayed. I have been able to put flea and tick drops on him with no problem so his life is a little less irritated.

My chickens are laying now, we are getting 2-4 eggs daily, and we let them out of their pen to roam free when we are outside with them. We have hawks flying around so I can't let them be free range all the time or they'll become hawk entrees. Their personalities have evolved, and Maybelline is def the boss now and "herds" the others. I love the feathering on her legs  Pollyanna often goes in the opposite direction to the other. Poppy tends to be the pain in the butt when we are trying to put them back in the pen, and Henrietta has lost some of her viciousness and settles more easily when being held.

Our 2nd birdfeeder, outside the bedroom window, is a winner with the smaller birds although the cardinals still tend to go for the large block feeder.

The sun is coming out now, so I'm hoping it'll dry up some of the yard before the next lot of rain.

Have a good day

I Feel Like A Line In An Old Song

 I've been out of England a long while now, and I know they say time marches on, and yes it does, and "progress" happens, but last night about broke my heart. 

I had been looking through some pictures of old steam trains, and came across one at Liverpool Street station in the 1960s, and it transported me back to my childhood. I could smell the steam, the oil, the soot, that was a part of the station back in that era. I LOVED Liverpool Street station.

We'd catch the tube from Leytonstone, and then walk through to the Broad Street entrance, when we were going to visit Aunt Maud. She lived about a mile away, opposite the Catholic church and school on Mark Street, in what back then) we kids thought was a lovely Victorian block of flats on an old cobbled road, with bollards at the end, that we loved to leapfrog over.

It was maybe 15 years ago that I'd asked my dad if he could go over and take some pictures for me, and he told me they'd been part of slum clearance in the 1970s - and I'd been aghast at the idea they were a slum but then looking with adult eyes I realised I saw my childhood through rose coloured spectacles, as they say.

Well, last night, I found out that more of my memories had been destroyed. The station that I loved so much was now an office block. Gone was the turreted Victorian brickwork and in it's place, an ugly square block.

It seems I am not the only one who finds the newer building has less character than the old.

#broadstreetstation #memories #childhood revisited

The Week Just Gone

What a week! 

Rain, rain and more rain so my auld bones were giving me more gyp than usual, my yard was a mud-pit, UPS left my AVON box outside in the rain and it got soaked through, had another couple of pounds weight loss, went yard-saling and hauled some treasures for ye great-grands, Maybelline started laying, and I ordered some compression stockings as my legs-up-in-the-air-on-the-couch, lemon juice in my water, and lymph "brushing" isn't doing anything to cut the fluid retention on my knees and shins. 

So, the yard-saling. That was yesterday morning. Hubby and I ended up $28 lighter than we went out with, $1 of which was donated to 2 little lasses with a lemonade stand at one place we stopped at. The other $27 went on some lighthouse ornaments for me, 2 Razr scooters for Daniel and Sami, and a wooden kitchen plus a tricycle for Lily. Methinks we did well!

My pothos cuttings are all doing nicely now, in their separate pots on the front porch, as are 3 rosemary cuttings that I may repot next week. My poor spider plant, I have moved as Snuggles seems to like to chew on it and this poor plant is fighting for it's life.

We started finding a single egg, about a week ago, and since then have had one practically every day, and we know it was Maybelline as there was a tiny bit of her fluff stuck to one of them. Going to made toad-in-the-hole tomorrow, and one of Maybelline's eggs will be in the batter.

The scale has suddenly decided to become my friend again, I'd hit a plateau for a while. Now, almost 14lbs gone in the last 45 days so no complaints from me! I knew I'd been doing everything right, careful with what I was eating and definitely exercising regularly, but that scale hadn't budged in awhile. Now just hoping it continues to stay my friend and keep on that downward journey with me.

The AVON delivery was a mess but thankfully no products were damaged. The box and all but 6 of my brochures were totally soaked. They are supposed to "put on front porch" but it must have either been a new driver or one who didn't read the label. Added to which, when we had the dogs and some drivers had to leave the boxes at the gate, they'd put it in a polythene bag as protection. Not this one though. Just left in the mud-pit outside the front door with the rain pelting down. Didn't ring the doorbell to let me know he'd been, or anything. Mark came home from work and carried it in, and it was falling apart and dripping wet. Such a mess.  AVON is sending me replacement brochures so I just have to be patient.

Today is a beautiful day. The chickens decided to escape when Mark fed them this morning, so we allowed them their freedom for a while, and then herded them back in their pen. If they would go back without us chasing them, they could be out with us more often, but with the hawks here bigger than they are, we can't just let them roam free all the while.

I watered my front porch plants, and we cleared all the old pine straw off the one raised bed that I'd had cantaloupes on, so's it can air out before my next plantings on it, and planted some grape seeds in one of the long raised beds Friday once the rain stopped. Pulled one potato plant that had flowered but it wasn't ready so decided that I'll leave the others for a couple of weeks after their flowers die off. The one I pulled flowered the other week, before the rain, but all I got was such a baby potato, barely an inch across, and all by it's lonesome.  So, will delay the harvesting for longer with the remaining ones.

So that's my update for the week. Hoping the upcoming one is more peaceful ... and dryer!

Ask and ye shall receive

So, Friday night and throughout Saturday, was a humdinger. My body just did one of its "let's go askew" moments, and I spent most of Saturday napping and trying to keep my blood pressure under control. Thankfully, giving in to it and allowing my body the chance to put itself back to rights, fixed me up enough to where I was able to enjoy and accomplish stuff on Sunday.  

Hubby had spent all day Saturday at a beginner bee-keeping class, and Sunday they got hands-on experience around the hives, for a couple of hours. I had him drop me off at the gym on his way there, and pick me up afterwards. 

During the 3 hours that I was there, I indulged myself for 2 sessions each of the massage chair and hydro-massage bed, and did 45 minutes on the Intellistride seated stepper, plus did the triceps press and back extensions.

Today,  I batch cooked chicken tikka masala, chicken biryani and made egg rolls, all now in the freezer. My house still smells like a curry house!

On my way home from grocery shopping, I struck lucky. They have been building a new home and have had a pile of unused bricks that have been lying near the road for about a month, and I have never seen anyone there working. Tonight, there was one of the builders there, and I stopped and asked if the bricks were trash, and the guy said "yes", so I asked if we could come back later and grab them ... and he said we could! 

So we headed down there after I'd fed hubby his dinner, and he grabbed a load, barely making a dent in the pile. He was tired after work and ended up knackered, so we figured we can go get some more tomorrow. Just as an idea, he looked to see how much he'd saved just on the bricks tonight ... almost $80!

He's trying to build me a more level path from the house, as the rain washes away the dirt and grass, and it makes it so difficult for me to manouvre my walker around the yard. He's also building an additional step by the front porch, so that I only have half the depth and have 2 levels instead of the one.

I'm just glad that guy was there today, I definitely believe in the "ask and ye shall receive", and today I asked and tonight we gleaned and did well.

A Perfect Friday

Today has been a pretty great day.  Hubby and I decided to "do something different" to our usual "let's go somewhere" days  when he's not working, and we decided to start by indulging ourselves. We headed down to Cherrydale, to the Yoghurt Mountain down there and I had some yogurt and fruit that tasted so good. I did tiny portions of the triple chocolate, the tropical, and the strawberry , and then added strawberry pieces and  took the plunge on 4 maraschino cherries. Did I need them? No, but did I enjoy them? Oh yes! It felt good to treat myself.

Our next stop was Paris Mountain State Park, where we sat awhile and looked at the water. I wish they had some kind of disabled access down to the beach-y area, as all I can do is sit up by the building and watch people playing in the water.  It'd be nice to be down there close, and be able to listen to the gentle lapping of the water against the wooden pylons. Sitting up by the wall though, web were privy to the comings and goings of a tiny, maybe 6" long, striped lizard, who alternately sunned for a few minutes, and then clambered into cracks in the rocks, only to resurface again a few moments later.

From there we went to Traveler's Rest, to Carolina Bee Supply, where Mark will be attending a beginners bee keeping class, later this month.  We were both a bit peckish so stopped at the Burger King, and again, I indulged, this time with a plain cheeseburger and small fries with no salt. Gotta splurge sometimes, and it def hit the spot. 

Carolina Bee Supply was interesting and I ended up getting a nice bristle door mat, from there, for my front porch. We also found out that the first day of Mark's class is indoors and all theory and the second  is hands-on and outside with the bees. His dad had bees when he was young and he used to like to sit and watch them, hence why we decided to get him some bees next Spring, so's he also has a "peaceful spot" to relax in.

It's been really nice. The only thing marring it was the craziness of the drivers. I know it's Friday but it's almost as if some of them don't want to ever make it home again. How some don't crash is a miracle in itself.  We are now just vegging out and watching a tv programme on trains, home sweet home for the rest of the day.

#funFriday  #timewithhubby  #ontheroadwithmarkandrose  #whoisrosedempsey

A Smashing Weekend

Good morning all. Happy Monday!

This weekend was positively brilliant, we lazily accomplished a great deal and I love weekends like that!  The heat was a bit much through some of the day, but as the afternoons cooled, they became really conducive to me being able to do things I needed to.

On Saturday, my friend - Kwacha - came over and mowed for us, while Mark worked some more on our concrete patio-type strip for my plants. I transplanted 3 gardenia plants into one huge pot and started 6 more gardenia cuttings in diluted Miracle-Gro and rooting powder on their cut stems. My goal eventually is to have a couple, in pots on the front porch to add a fragrant whiff to the air as we sit out there, and to line the back right hand corner of the field fence line, as that is where Mark's beehive will be from next Spring. I am trying to get a bee friendly environment set up down there ready to welcome them.

Mark transplanted the 2 banana trees into larger pots. Eventually, they will go in the ground, but I haven't figured out where I want to put them yet.

Yesterday, I pulled all the old vines out of the pots. Peas, beans, cucumbers and cantaloupe. All production now ceased, so they went to the next part of their journey, the compost bin, to help replenish the soil for others, in future.

We took a second chance on allowing the chickens out to roam, while we were out there with them, and this time, they behaved themselves and gave us no problems in going back into their pen. I even got to hold and pet Maybelline for a little while.

We took a drive down to lake Greenwood, and parked close to a bank, where I could sit and enjoy the sound of the water lapping against the edge just below us. Very calming sound, that is, to me.  There was noise from partying people and others enjoying the day, but it didn't spoil my enjoyment.

We restocked AVON brochures in Ingles, in Mauldin, and delivered to a new customer up on Pelham Road, which gave us a chance to see all the changes up that way, since we had last been up there.

Sleepless Nights, and Progress Reports

For some reason, the past 2 nights have seen me wide awake in the middle of the night, and unable to get back to sleep. Monday night, from just after 2 until around 4am or so, and last night, I again woke around 2 and was still trying to get back to dreamlamd when the alarm went off at 5am. A nap in the day seems to fix the lack of hours of sleep, but it's really not the schedule that I want my body on. Oh well, hopefully tonight will be better.

Roger the Lodger (the stray cat that somehow made it's home in our yard) let me stroke his/her head on Monday and then again yesterday, twice. The second time, almost with a wanting to be petted. I've been putting iced water and food out for him/her. I wish the taming would go quicker, so that we could make a trip to the vet for shots/deworming and defleaing, in one fell swoop, and see if spaying was needed or had already - at some previous time - been done.  

I am getting on pretty well with the My Fitness Pal site, and am thankful it is quite an easy way of keeping track. I think I am going to give their Premium a try, to see if it will allow me to track all my individual vitamins and minerals. It's so hard to guesstimate where I'm at with each during the day, and I have to be on top of all of them, because of the way my body reacts to too much potassium, or B vitamins, magnesium, zinc etc. It's strange how easily one pops a multivitamin daily when younger, yet ends up being able to take only a quarter or a half , and then maybe only twice or three times a week, when older because one's body has decided to go skew whiff.

My front porch "greenhouse" is working well for me. The 2 Lychee plants are growing well. My one surviving spider plant is coming back, my pothos and her now separately-potted babies are flourishing, and I have planted 3 more Lychee pits and 3 Cherry pits. We shall see how they do. In the kitchen, I have 3 more pothos cuttings in Miracle-Gro water, waiting for them to root so that they can then be potted.

It's nice to be growing again and surrounding myself with greenery. I have missed it over the years, but this Spring reawakened something in me, and hubby built my raised beds outside, we cleared off the front porch and kind of made a sunny seated area that I'm also using as a greenhouse, and it's like I've got my groove back.

On Sunday, we spent the afternoon over at my grandson's house and my great-granddaughter, Lily, who is a very independent toddler, came and sat on my lap and we "read" a book together for about 20 minutes. This is the first time that she has even let me hold her. It was a smashing moment.

Poor Kassle, their Great Dane, hated being confined to the kitchen, because of my fear for him. We made progress too, in that, I stood maybe a foot away talking to him, at one point, and then actually stroked him before leaving. I desperately want to lose my fear so that he can relax in HIS home whenever I'm there, he is such a sweet baby, like they always say (and I told him) "it's not you, it's me".

I don't know if it's part of a long-Covid "thing", and I def did not have Covid anywhere near as badly as my husband, but it now seems that I find it harder to focus on certain things. Keeping my thoughts on track, and getting frustrated when I can't, is making working my business, more difficult. The blogs that I do for that require technical input and my brain just feels overwhelmed at even trying to put stuff together. It's annoying, to say the least.

Hubby's long-Covid, as they call it, he still has the shakes sometimes, the raised pulse, and the leg pains. He has the brain-fog and can't remember things a lot of times (joining me with the "Did I? Didn't I? " moments that have encroached on me in recent years). He also still gets the night sweats and general aches. Considering he had what the doctor says was the triumvirate of Covid - brain swelling, hardening of the tissue around the heart, and double pneumonia - as she tells him at every visit, he is a miracle, and lucky to be alive. I'm just thankful he is. I almost lost him in January, and have no idea how I would have dealt with that.

So that's where I'm at in my world, right now. I'm thankful for all my blessings and grateful to be alive.

I May Have Lost Sparkpeople But My Journey Continues

Sparkpeople closed its site 2 days ago, and after tracking all my foods/pills/nutrients/exercise on there for about 10 years, I was suddenly adrift. The idea of starting to get to know a new site and inputting all the data for my personal foods, meds and each and every vitamin and mineral that I track, is daunting, and for now I am just listing each day in an email draft and deleting at day's end. I just don't have the oomph to do all the getting stuff together to copy data off labels, right now. 

My interim system may be lacking but it's simple for right now, and I am pretty good at guestimating the nutrients that I am concerned about. The dietary "rules" I've been following for the past few years have given me that skill, and I am a quite boring foodie, I tend to eat much the same things week in and week out.

My biggest goal at the mo is getting my pedalling back up to 2 hours a day, and my gym workouts to a couple of hours each time. 

Since hubby and I had the Covid stuff going on back in December, with 2 bouts of quarantine courtesy of guys at work, and then him sick a month with it in January, and me losing taste and smell for about a week at the same time, I became quite weary, and regaining my energy has been a slow process.

I noticed I began lagging during my pedalling, and my 30 minute regular sessions weren't happening, I was barely scraping 15 minutes sometimes. I just had no oomph.

Not being able to go to the gym for a couple of months undid all the work I'd done before, and my first days back were daunting. I struggled with lesser weights on various resistance machines, and lesser times on my favourite seated stepper. I am gradually regaining both, but I am not yet where I want to be.

When I do make it to my favourite Planet Fitness in Berea, I make sure to indulge on the hydro-massage bed and in the massage chair. I use both as part of my "health" plan, they help reduce my stress levels and thus my blood pressure, which still continues to act up sometimes.

I just have to keep on keeping on. Slow and steady wins the race, as they say, and I continue to plod on.

A Stressful Week and Busy Weekend

 It just seemed like the stress was never-ending, this past week.  Between the issues with the AVON websites being down, Prisma still hounding us to pay for their drivers taking Mark to the wrong hospital when he had Covid and was in rehab (which we turned over to the States Attorney in May as fraudulent), and a screw up with ebay where our card was charged for transactions that had ebay codes but ebay did not show (THAT was weird!) plus finding out that Paypal has closed our my chicken hut dispute in the seller's favour as they had provided a proof of delivery ... yeah it wasn't very tranquil at all.

So a stress-free, relaxing weekend would have been lovely ... but we had a busy one and hubby is still fiddling with trying to put up the porch fan.  They used to say "no rest for the wicked", well we must be very wicked indeed!

We sold hubby's motorbike yesterday, to a lovely lad who came up from Georgia to get her - and had me worried as it was his first bike and he had a 2 hour ride back.  Like a nagging hen, I had him text me when he got there as I was worried about him.

With everything going on, my blood pressure stayed high, so my activity and productivity has been low, a frustration in itself. Today we have made 2 trips out, to various places, picking up things for projects that are ongoing, and I am now lying on the couch with my legs up in the air, on a stack of cushions. My knees and ankles are so swollen, I ma trying to help the fluid come back out of them.  Ah the joys of getting old.

Here's hoping the upcoming week is more peaceful and I get more done!

Keeping busy

Now that I'm disabled, my hubby would def say that I am a hard taskmaster and not much of a co-worker any more. True, I am very good at telling others what I need to be done, says she!

This weekend, hubby has been really busy, doing stuff out in the yard, and things are def coming together. Yesterday, I had my mate, Kwacha, come over to help him move some roofing tin, and mow (to save him having to) and they uncovered a copperhead. Sadly, Mark had to dispatch it, as it would more than likely have gone after my chickens at some point or one of the feral cats that we feed. I prefer to live and let live, and we've relocated snakes in the past, but this one was bigger and thus more of a danger. 

We picked up 2 banana trees yesterday, as I've wanted some for the longest time. Trying to figure out where to start them off, where (in the future) they can expand and propagate. The lady we got them from has about 30 trees and said she started with 2, and she sells them all the while. I am thinking that might be a part of our future enterprises with hubby nearing retirement.

I am in danger of losing my head if it wasn't screwed on, I think. I have a sprayer outside with a coke/oil/pepper mixture in, to stop aphids and other bugs on my outdoor plants, fruits and veggies; I have one in the kitchen with a light Miracle-Gro solution in for my cuttings ... and the Miracle-Gro one that I had on the porch for my plants there has disappeared totally. Vanished! Gone! I have no idea, I didn't take it off the spot on the window sill other than to squirt the plants, and then that was where I kept it. I have looked indoors and out but it has totally disappeared. I guess I shall have to buy another, it's just convenient for me having them readily available where I need to use them. 

Hubby has been messing with the printer as - all of a sudden - it didn't recognise our wi-fi,  Not being able to print the labels for my AVON books kind of brought my business to a standstill, as the prospect of handwriting all my information on 100 brochures was a non-starter.  My arthritis precludes me doing more than 1 or 2, and the aches for hours afterwards really aren't conducive to it being a consideration. So, I now have 15 pages of labels printed and will be labelling and bagging books, in sessions, for the next couple of days.

Thankful that I have a hubby who can fix things, or I'd be totally adrift without a paddle.

I'm also glad that he's off for the next week, for our anniversary on Tuesday.  Sadly I've had to change our plans due to my health.  My BP has been messing me around so a  long-ish road trip and a train ride, aren't possible right now. Shall just have to plan something else, closer to home. Added to which we have lots of projects going on around here to keep us busy. It's all good, the sleeping in of a morning will be awesome in itself.

Have a great week!

Oh what a week!

The past week has been extremely stressful. 2 dogs were coming into our yard, on a daily basis, and trying to get my chickens. Numerous reports to animal control achieved no success (and let's face it, they are only one person trying to answer all reports) and finally, on Saturday, hubby goes out to feed and water our 4 young hens, and these dogs have scratched and torn up my new chicken hut. 

I was out of options, and - since we live in the country - the main one left to us was to shoot them. I hated to have to do that, as these are 2 healthy looking dogs who - other than being allowed to roam - are probably someone's much-loved pets.

Thus our planned Saturday activities changed in an instant, and we made our way around Lowe's and Tractor Supply, looking for a perfect pen to go around our chicken hut, so as to make it safer for my babies, and less likely that these dogs can get into it. I was extremely upset about the damage so my first call was to the Sheriff's Department, and I filed a report. 

This was what had greeted us when we got outside.  They had even pulled the tray out and I guess used it to clamber onto the roof as it was slightly bent and wouldn't slide back in as easily.  My hubby chased them off, and I made sure to take pics before we put everything as it should be, and then fed and watered out babies.

We found a dog run at Tractor Supply that looked sturdy, and blew over $600 (thanks to our credit card) to buy it and 2 extension panels (so that we could make it a 10' x 10') and a tarpaulin to go over the top for now, as a temp cover while we figure out a sturdier solution.

The chickens love it. We still shut them up in the original hut overnight but they love the extra space in the day.

So that was our hectic Saturday, where we got NOTHING done that we'd planned on, but had spent all day trying to fix a problem that we shouldn't even have had.

So, yesterday, Sunday, we started off lazily, watching "Songs of Praise" on the telly and kind of vegging out before we even started our day. We were physically and mentally exhausted from the day before.

Hubby got motivated before I did, and went outside and mowed the yard, and then moved some of my plants onto the paved area he's been doing for me.

We still have to repaint the front but it's coming together nicely.  I found some nice edging fencing for around the paving yesterday, which we'll get some of in a week or two.

I'm feeling pretty chuffed as my lychee plants are coming up and looking healthy. 

The bigger one is about 3 weeks older than the smaller. I've planted 2 at a time, and both times, only 1 managed to grow out of each pair.  I have more pits to plant, but I want to get some nice pots for these and pop them on the porch as part of my planned greenery.

My cucumbers and cantaloupes are doing good, they are flourishing and sprawling all over. We have small cantaloupes starting and have already had 2 cucumbers off one plant and there are still more out there.

I've decided to alternate rosemary and lavender in one of my long raised beds, they complement each other well and the fragrance will be fresh and clean.  The 3 gardenia cuttings that rooted, of the 5 I had taken, are doing well in pots and I am looking at transplanting them into larger pots and having on the porch, as well. The parent bushes, up by our gate, that have spread over the years, came with us from our apartment when we moved here in 2004.  We'd had them in 2 tubs on the patio, there.

Indoors, I took 3 cuttings off my trailing pothos plant, and have them in water with Miracle Gro, and rooting powder, to get them started. I'm hoping to get one that will sprawl like the ones I had in Germany, and Florida, where they trailed all around my living room, over shelves, and looked lovely.

Last weekend's project, of clearing off the front porch and setting it up to be a cozy retreat, went well. It looks a bit bare right now, but I am working on the greenery ... it will be quite lush with plants once completed. My very own tropical paradise.

I am pleased with how everything is going and am looking forward to an upcoming productive week, and hopefully nowhere near as much stress as this last one has been.

#containergardening #lovemychickens #busyweekend #frontporch #paving #yardwork #tropicalparadise

We are officially tuckered out!

Another brilliant day.  

Hubby got the patio furniture out of the cabin and I cleaned them up, polished the rattan, and the front porch is definitely looking sorta cozy. We still have a lot to do, but it will take time and money, so improvements will be as we can afford it. 

I am now trying to figure out what plants I want to put in there.  I am thinking some dwarf banana trees in pots on the grey stand that we found by the side of the road. They'd be some great foliage at that end of the porch. I also want some scented plants, so am thinking maybe lavender, rosemary and gardenia in pots. Methinks that would be a gorgeous fragrance just hanging in the air.

Hubby took trash to Conestee, while I prepped tubs of cherries and grapes for his lunch box, and an iced brownie for each day. I try to balance his lunches and snacks for throughout each day.

It really has been a busy 3 day weekend. We have busted butt with everything. My mate Kwacha helped us yesterday, and had fun riding hubby's mower. Hubby took 2 truck loads of trash and we did some serious decluttering. To me, that's a productive effort!

A Brilliant and Productive Day

 Today has been an amazingly productive one, we got so much done and tomorrow I'm hoping will be even moreso.

I started in my kitchen, wiping off all my plastic totes that I keep all my seasonings, food trays for my bulk freezing sessions, washed and dried dishes and put away, then swept and mopped in there. I sit to do it all, I have a roll around desk chair that lets me have the freedom to do so since my standing and walking isn't good at all any more.

That took it all out of me so I had to lie down and let my body rest, let my BP go back to within normal ranges, before starting round 2, which was actually showering, and getting dressed, ready to go do running around.

Trekking out, we first hit up Lowe's so that hubby could get some more cement for the molds for the area he's doing up front, which is really starting to look good. They look like big cobblestones. We still haven't decided exactly which edging we like best, whether the decorative panels with rounded tops, or shaped bricks, and then again, whether we will finish them in red or white..

Next stop was Walmart (we HATE going to Walmart but my granddaughter-in-law had said that the carpeting we wanted for the front porch was about 1/3 the price of the same item in Lowe's. Money talks! So, Walmart it was, and we picked up a neat little area rug for it, and only $21, cannot complain at that.

Our final stop was the best, Persis Indian Grill, where we grabbed a take out of various biryanis, chicken tikka masala, another chicken curry and some tandoori chicken ... at home, we ate lunch, and I froze hubby 2 portions for work lunches, and 6 portions for me for lunches. I added frozen peas and carrots and boiled some extra white rice, and used polystyrene tubs for mine. The sort that Chinese restaurants put rice in. They are the perfect size for my lunches, allowing me to have my Indian, or my Chinese, and not overdo my calories, sodium, fat or carbs. It's MY "diet" food.

On our way home, we gleaned a frame that somebody was throwing out, and are going to pop a board across where the springs are and turn it into a nice bench for some of my plants, on the front porch.

After lunch, I rested again for a little while, then swept and mopped my living room and hallway. 

I took it easy for a little while, and hubby and I watched some telly, and then we did trip 2. We restocked my AVON brochures in Ingles in Mauldin, grabbed lottery tickets and drinks at QT (and I had an ice cream cone!) and took trash and recycles to Conestee Park. On our way home, I tossed a box of books in a couple of new areas.

Tonight, I watered all my fruits and veggies and we decided to be nice and let ye chickies out in the yard while we were out there. they stayed close ... until it was time to go back in their pen, and then hubby had to chase them for about 20 minutes to catch them and pop them to bed! They are definitely growing up now.

I have one more task to do, mop the bedroom, and then to bed! Early start tomorrow, as it's "clean off the porch and get it looking pretty" day.

#lovemylife #productiveday #outandabout

Boy! I used to walk a lot!

 Hubby has been outside, mowing, and brought in some blackberries off of one of the bushes, down by the field. They were delicious. That was all it took, and I was back to being a kid again, and going blackberry picking. 

We lived in Leytonstone, 58 Queens Rd, and would walk down to Wanstead Flats, past Whipps Cross Hospital and down to the road that led to Epping. Our destination was a wooded area in Loughton. I remember, we would pass a slimy green pond on the left, and that meant we didn't have much farther to go. My mum would have my baby brother, Graham, in the pram, and my other sister, Theresa, in a seat near the handle, and my dad would have my sister Stephanie on his shoulders. And we would walk there, pick blackberries and walk back.

We walked everywhere, it seems, back in those days.

We'd walk from ours to Aunt Irene's in Manor Park, by the graveyard where my Uncle Terry worked.

My nan and I would walk from Hoxton to Liverpool Street to visit Aunt Maud. Then, when my grandparents moved to Hackney, she and I would often walk from 9a Marlborough Avenue (now torn down and a new estate in its place) to visit her, as well as to Dalston, to Riddley Road Market, or down Kingsland Avenue to visit my granpop at work at King & Scarborough, the timber yard under the bridge by the side if the canal. Every night, he would bring his lorry home and park it out front of 9A Marlborough Avenue. The park that was there back then is now long gone, flats were built in the late 60s.

I walked to school. First to George Tomlinson which was 4/5 mile, and then to Leyton County High School for Girls, 3/5 mile away. When I was at Leyton County High, though, I was a paper girl, so had my paper delivery route to do before school - and if someone else failed to show up - I did an extra route, so I did a LOT of walking on school days.

I did a lot of walking, too, when I lived in Snettisham, and would push my kids in the pushchair, and walk to Hunstanton, and when I lived in Gaywood, walking up town to do my shopping.  

The same again, when I lived in Mildenhall, 3 or 4 days a week, walking up town to do my shopping, or, going out to dance, down at the base at RAF Mildenhall, I'd walk the 4-5 miles or so down there, dance most of the night and then walk home again afterwards.

No wonder we didn't have many people with weight issues in those days, everyone was pretty fit without even realising it. All that free exercise that was just a means of getting from point A to point B. 

I did love to walk though. Walking and dancing are the 2 things I miss most since losing the mobility and stability I once had.

#life  #memories  #childhood  #reminiscences

Lyman and Lake Cooley for July 4th

Hubby and I took a nice little mini-trip out today, to Lake Cooley and the back roads through Lyman SC, and on the way discovered a hitherto-unknown-to-us "hidden treasure". Right by the Middle Tyger Library is a beautiful section of river that I just happened to glimpse as we drove over a bridge, so we turned around and went back. What a gem. Parking in the library at the edge closest to where we had seen the water, hubby took a walk down the footpath to get a better look.  It was too steep and bumpy for me to attempt with my walker, but I was able to hear the rushing waters from the truck, and when  he brought the pictures back, I was able to see what I was missing.

Isn't this beautiful? 

Such a hidden gem!

It was a perfect stopover on our way to Lake Cooley and just added another "nice little place" to our local water areas that we like.

We went on to Lake Cooley and sat  by the lake, watching people standing up paddling surfboard-like kayaks and others rowing single seat ones. What was weird was that hubby commented on the mountains in the distance, so I decided to take a pic ... 

and the shadows of the hills didn't even show, yet when I took the second one, zooming in, they are there plain as day!

We had a lovely few hours out, and are now home and hoping to get on with some chores in the house and yard.

Happy 4th July everyone.

#LakeCooley  #LymanSC  #MiddleTygerRiver

What a week so far!

 Our problems actually began on Friday last week, when our 17 year old cat, Precious, returned from one of his usual "disappearances" looking almost skeletal, covered in fleas and with foul smelling breath. Over the weekend, we flea treated him but it seemed to no avail, so we topped it up a bit and then - on Monday - after his trip to the vet, we got him a Seresto collar.  We have bathed him a couple of times and we are still fighting to get him free of them.

The vet's gave us meds for his breath, as that was caused by some bad ulcers in his mouth, gave him subcutaneous fluids as he was a bit dehydrated, and took blood to send to the labs to see if anything else was going on, him being 17.  That came back and he has thyroid issues, so is now on thyroid meds for the rest of his life ... just like me. Well, he has always been a mama's boy.

Trying to get him built back up, giving him lots of treats to tempt him to eat. but we can see in his eyes that he is starting to feel better. They were so dull and sad looking. before and now are more alert (and he is starting to try to be a pain).  We just want him back to being as healthy he was when this pic was taken a few years back.

Tuesday Twittering

 It's one of those cooler mornings that we've been promised for the past week. The supposed "last of the rain" pelted down in a deluge, earlier, and now the birds are out, twittering away, enjoying the freshness of the morning. I've got doors and windows open, to air the house, and plan on some outdoor time this afternoon.

We had a brilliant weekend, and yesterday, hubby finished another raised bed for me, so I'm going to go out and transplant some more of the cantaloupes. Who didn't expect all of her seeds to grow? Me! That's who. I have been transplanting, and giving away, baby cantaloupe plants since they began shooting up and crowing each other. 

If I manage to empty the first planter of babies, I'll refresh the soil and plant the onion seeds from where I planted one onion and let it go to seed. At the moment, the tops containing the seeds are just on a paper towel on top of the microwave, drying.  

I'm not planning on going anywhere today, I have plenty to keep me busy here. I have a few articles to write, emails to compose and respond to, pedalling to do and phone calls to make. The nicest thing about working from home is the ability to work on my own time and take rests when I need to. My body just doesn't always cooperate, so I always intersperse my bouts of activity with lazy lying-down sessions, so that my body can sort itself out again, and my blood pressure and heart rate stay within my normal limits.

Over the weekend, we had 2 mama deer with their babies, come to visit us. One has twins, the other, we saw only one fawn. All 3 babies are no bigger than our dog, Mystery, was, when she was alive. They are so cute to watch, as they gambol around.

I am down to 2 library books, so need to go through the book lists, find some that look interesting and then reserve them. I read as I pedal, so I do a LOT of reading. I'm into all different genres but my favourite is legal/medical/detective thrillers. That's not to say that I don't meander into historical fiction, beach books or Harlequin-esque romances on occasion, just that I prefer books that keep me on my toes and trying to figure out the "who did what" before all is revealed.

Methinks also, today, I need to try to make a restart on decluttering. I am such a hoarder, it is terrible. I am sure I have plenty of stuff that I can still donate so that someone else can enjoy, and plenty of papers and boxes that can go for recycling. 

I also have AVON brochures to label, bag and box ready for my next "tossing" session.  

I plan on a busy week, and today is just the beginning. We had a lazyish day yesterday, as I had hubby home. We hadn't been sure about our weekend travel, whether we might come home Sunday, so I'd had him arrange yesterday off. I do love having him around. I wish he could retire now.

Have a wonderful day, my friends. Enjoy the blessings that come your way.

#lovingmylife  #bosslife  #AVON  #containergardening  #raisedbeds  #lifeisgood

A Beautiful Day Yesterday

 I used to attend all the local AVON "dos" until my health started getting in the way, and now that I'm beginning to stay on a semi-stable keel, when they announced the "Sip 'n' Shop" in Charlotte NC, I jumped at the chance to hang out with some of the AVON family, see new products and who doesn't love getting free swag bags?  I know I do.

I do not like traffic, and avoid Interstates like the plague, so we took a leisurely drive through Woodruff, Union, Sharon, York and Lockhart on our way from Greenville SC to Charlotte NC on Hwy 49 most of the way. We wish we had had the time to stop and explore those towns. They were so picturesque and full of history. We've definitely decided to take trips out to actually go to those places and explore them. Just passing through, the old houses and different city buildings and churches, were awesome to look at. Quaint towns that - in some ways - look untouched by progress, and are renewing rundown downtowns into some neat places to stroll around.

The weather may not have been everyone's cup of tea, but it was perfect for us, it stayed overcast much of the journey, both ways, meaning it was much cooler than it might have been. There was a slight breeze and - on the way home - a couple of sprinkles of rain.

The AVON "do" was neat and hubby and I both loved our swag bags ... and used the aloe cooling face masks out of them before we went to bed.

 Yes, I look like something out of a horror movie but it felt so good, really relaxing, and left my skin really soft and smooth. It made a perfect ending to a perfect day!

A Productive Weekend

 I love hubby's 3 day weekends every weekend, now. We manage to pack so much into them, running around, doing stuff around the house and yard.

This one has been busy, as always. 

On Friday, my day began with an AVON delivery, banking, paying bills, and dropping off trash and recycles.

We took ye bedroom cat, Snuggles, to get all her shots done. To say she was NOT happy was an understatement, her yowls of protest were loud and clear throughout the whole journey. We had been unable to find her harness (hubby jokes that she has hidden it) so he went and bought a pop-up carrier, which turned out to be a lot bigger than expected.

We also headed out to Berea, to pick up a lilac, and a couple of cherry, plants, as I add to my edibles.

Friday night was also the night that my chickie babies had their first overnight in their hen house. The night was warm, and we put pine straw in the nesting and perch area, added their smaller water bottle, and closed the door on them in there. All went well, and the next morning they were thrilled to be let out and semi-flew down the ramp to the open area. 

Yesterday, another 2 AVON deliveries began our "out and about", then taking back and picking up library books,  plus a visit to hubby's chiropractor, before dropping off some cantaloupe plants on my massage therapist.

We came home and I transplanted some more cantaloupes and my3 cucumber plants, and they are now nestled in pine straw on my new raised bed, that hubby got finished for me.

It looks good, and as the plants vine, they'll be able to lay on the pine straw as they produce their fruits. Surprising, for me, was the strong cucumber scent of the cucumber plant roots, it was very odd as I've never had  a fruit or vegetable  plant roots smell exactly the same as what they produce.

The rosemary is flourishing,

as is the lavender.

Today's outdoor activities include planting the seeds from the lychees that I has as part of my breakfast, and concocting a Dawn/Coke/hot sauce/ water and oil natural bug killer to spray all my plants with. It's supposed to rain, later, so they'll all be getting watered naturally.

And look who came to visit as well. 

Just loving my life, happiness is definitely tied to my chicks and my plants right now.

#lovingmylife #containergardening #3dayweekend #chickens #plants #happiness #contentment

My Chicks, My Yard, And Me

My chicks are definitely beginning to look more like chickens now. Their tail feathers are growing, their wings are fully feathered (and they love to try them out) although their bellies are still fluffy down. Their distinct personalities are coming through, with Poppy (the brownish one) being the definite self-proclaimed leader of the pack.

Now that they are getting bigger, I take them out to their henhouse every day, and we bring them in overnight for now. Once they are fully feathered, they will be able to stay out after sundown, and we'll just  unhook the ramp and close the front door on their nesting area.

They have fun in their "jungle" and love pecking at the grass, dandelions and clover that they don't get indoors. I still pop chick feed in with them daytimes, they need to be able to eat whenever they want to, while they are growing.

They seem quite satisfied with their new domain, and I love to just sit outside and talk to them. If ever you needed proof that I was crazy, there ya have it!

It's a part of getting a life back, that I thought I had lost forever. Being disabled, I had given up on the idea of having animals around that needed to be taken care of,  but as I regain some mobility, we figured I could handle 4 chickens in a henhouse, and it definitely makes me happy.

Likewise, I'd given up on gardening, since my attempts last year proved that, even having someone else till a piece of ground for me, did not mean that I and my trusty walker would be able to plant it. The first major obstacle was getting down to the field, the slope is too much for me to walk down and even harder to get back up. My ridearound made it down there but then decided it didn't like the slope either. Hubby had to bring the truck down to get me back to the house, and I was so flustered.

So this year we decided to try container gardening and raised beds. Hubby has almost finished the first raised bed for me, and the plants in containers are all doing well. My snow peas are awesome straight off the vine, and I snack on them outside. Sadly, the deer and the big bunny (who hangs out in the front yard) have taken a liking to my beans and all that is left of a flourishing vine are a few stalks about 4" high.

The grapevines have starting coming out of their dormant state, and the blueberry is shooting up. The blackberry (which we had moved from the patch down near the field) is very odd and withers when out in the sun, but flourishes under the car port. Yet where it came from was a place in full sun, it just makes no sense at all.

Indoors, I recently separated my spider plants and repotted some, to allow them to grow in their own pots. We also took cuttings from the gardenia and azalea bushes, and I am trying to get them to root indoors, and then I can have hubby replant them along the fence front line to create a fragrant "hedge".

Closer to the house, when we get the old holly bushes out, I want gravel beds and will then put my pots of rosemary and lavender there.

I have definitely felt a rebirth, of me, this Spring.

Poor hubby, he and my grandson have been working on the roof together some weekends, and my "honey do" list is so long.

Last weekend, we had some help from 2 missionaries from the local Mormon Church. Dax and his friend started painting the cabin shed for me, as I had only managed to do most of one side and that had been an effort. You can already see an improvement and it's going to look smashing once it's finished.

 I love the red and white. Eventually my goal is to repaint the brick , on our house, white, and repaint the shutters red to match the new roof. Slowly but surely, I am reclaiming my life and not just existing in a rut. I am beginning to be able to love my life again.

I joke that, to get the money for all the stuff I need and want to do, I def need to sell more AVON, LOL. Hubby says yeah I need to, too!

#lovingmylife #chickpics #containergardening #wildlife #Spring #rebirth #beinghappy #makingmyselfhappy #disabilitywontstopme  #whoisrosedempsey #rosedempseyAVON