24 Hours

I banged my head when I fell on the ice last week. I was having headaches so I went to the doctor today. He said if I hadn't had bad signs within 24 hours, it probably wasn't from the knock on the head. So I got a prescription for a sinus infection. I hope it does some good. I'm also glad I don't have a fractured skull:)

Knitting Effort

I've knitted a bunch of the ruffly scarves. But it has been so long since I've cast on for regular knitting that I had to dig out directions and try to remember how to do it. I think I did. The little brown patch is going to be a scarf. I have some prettier colors, but I thought I'd now mess it up trying to resurrect my rusty skills.

Kitty Litter

The ice is still there in patches. Where I sprinkled kitty litter the ice has melted through even in shadow.

Actually Finished this One Finally

I varnished the little wooden tray and tried gift shred instead of Easter grass. I could get the gift shred at Hobby Lobby but our Hobby Lobby closed. I guess I'll have to look for it somewhere else.

Irish Country Doctor Series

I'm on the fifth one now. It is pretty annoying to listen the them ponder everything, but it's still a good story. I used to read long narrative novels without much plot more happily than now, but I'm tired of listening to the same stuff over and over waiting for my favorite authors to crank another one out.
These stories are set in the sixties. The doctors do office hours in the morning and home visits in the afternoons and somebody is on call all the time.
The last time I remember a doctor making a home visit was in 1955. I guess that wasn't the last visit ever made in the United States. But I wonder if the Irish doctors still make them.
They have home health care here, but it isn't doctors who make the visits as far as I can tell. It's home health nurses.

Suicide

Today I heard a former student committed suicide. He had broken up with his girlfriend, so people are guessing that was the reason. I really hate it when I find out former students die for whatever reason. They should all outlive me. I taught some people older than I in adult education classes, but mostly I taught people who should have outlived me, not overdosed, rode a motorcycle into an oncoming car, whatever.
So tonight I'm sad. A young life wasted and those near to him will never get over it.

Today's Painting

I've almost finished painting the little wooden tray. I wanted to see what it was going to look like, so I fished out some Easter grass and put the eggs in. I'm giving it tonight to dry. Tomorrow I'll start varnishing it.

The little flowers I painted on the wooden tray don't show up very well in the picture, but I wasn't trying for startling. 

No school is scheduled for tomorrow, either, so I won't be volunteering.

An Irish Country Girl

I've listened to the first three books in Patrick Taylor's Irish Country series. I really didn't expect it to be a scary tale about fairies. Usually I like fantasy...but not scary stuff. I didn't care for vampire or plague stories. I read Robin Cook books until I couldn't eat fast food hamburgers for about a year. I really try to not get sucked into scary stuff.  Too late.

Cluck Cluck

When school is closed, it might not matter now that I've retired, but they close the schools when they think it isn't safe to run the buses. So when school is closed, I stay home. So I told Larry I wouldn't be going to volunteer tomorrow. He sounded indignant, saying there were just a few icy patches on some roads and I would be fine.

I repeated firmly, "I'm not going!"

There are roads, parking lots, etc. I don't see any reason to get out in this mess.

And schools are still closed tomorrow, so I'm staying home.

Maybe Wednesday will be better.

Schools Still Closed Tomorrow

Schools were closed all of last week because of snow and ice. We got over four inches of rain yesterday but the ground was still frozen so we still have ice. Schools are still closed tomorrow.

Not My Usual

The gift shop at the hospital sells donated books for twenty-five cents each. I usually like science fiction, fantasy, and a few authors that I've been reading for years.

So finding a new author is good, but not easy.

I thought I'd try this one. The price was right. When I got it home, I discovered it was the fifth one in the series. So I found the series on audible and listened to a snippet to see if the narrator drove me nuts.

I am on the third one, now. Nothing is blowing up but the characters are good. The author is actually an Irish doctor and the main characters are general practitioners in a rural Irish town. It is set in the sixties with socialized medicine. The book isn't critical of socialized medicine, but it is enough different that it is interesting.

Some of the stuff about doctors is a lot like teachers...every effort isn't a success and it hurts. The successes feel great and having somebody express appreciation is also welcome.

 

 

Leaking Roof

During our torrential rain the ceiling in my art room started to leak. I've mopped the mess off the floor with towels, and put a large plastic container to catch the dripping mess. I didn't use such a large one because it was a large leak, I just wasn't sure whether the leak would get larger. Luckily it didn't. So I have the towels in the dryer now.

Another Nasty Day

The temperature was warmer today but the ground is still frozen so the water is mostly sitting on top of the ice. The flood warning was in effect today.

Broken Bones

My neighbor told me about two people she knows who have fallen on the ice. One broke an arm and the other a couple of ribs. I was really lucky that when I slipped I didn't break anything.

Today I put out kitty litter to provide a better footing. We are getting another ice shower at the moment.

I've tried to be careful and leave my shoes at the door. The kitty litter doesn't sweep up very well.

Tomorrow the temperature is supposed to rise and this mess should be washed away in the rain we are supposed to get. They are saying possible flooding next. 

Frost Quakes

The loud sound I heard last night was happening in several counties here in Tennessee. People were on television talking about thinking it was a tree falling, etc. It was really loud and the house shook. The first thing I did when I got up this morning was bundle up and go outside to see what had happened. No sign of anything so it was a mystery until it came on television tonight with the weather.

Big Thump

This lousy picture shows a big icicle that stuck itself into the ground when it dropped off the roof. Last night, trying to go to sleep, it sounded like Santa's reindeer landed on the roof. Since that didn't make any sense, it wasn't Christmas Eve, I thought maybe a buildup of ice had ripped the gutters off the house. This morning I wasn't able to find whatever made the sound.

Chips and Dip

My husband said, "This is the first dip I've had in years."
I said, "The dip is low carb so I eat a few chips with dip. I don't eat so many chips (which are pretty high carb) and I still feel like I've had a treat."

Last Night's Snow

We got about half an inch of snow last night on top of the ice we'd gotten the night before. I managed to not fall today. I'm a little tender from splatting on the ice yesterday, but nothing seems to be permanently damaged. The schools are still closed, I haven't volunteered, just stayed home. It's supposed to be in negative numbers tonight.

Bone Density Test

I slipped on the ice and landed flat on my back, bouncing my head on the hard-as-concrete ice! Happily, nothing appears to be broken.

10 Degrees at 6 AM

It's sunny today. Maybe the crystal coating things are decorated with will go away soon. It looks like snow on the ground, but it's sparkly and hard leaving no footprints.

Scraped Road

We moved to Tennessee in 2000. It has had snow and ice several times. This is the first time they scraped our road. I think they put something out afterwards, too. That is totally amazing. They usually do the larger roads but not the back roads. I hope this is a trend:)

Birthday Meal

If the 1850's Log House Restaurant hadn't closed, we would have gone there for Larry's birthday dinner. But since it was closed, I bought tilapia to deep fry, used a few of the bag of potatoes I bought before Thanksgiving and made french fries (also in the deep fryer), and a slaw. So that was everything we would have had at the restaurant except northern beans and hush puppies. It was a good birthday meal:)

Wrong Weather

Where's my snow? Sleet and ice are not what I wanted. Nobody can make snow ice cream with sleet.

Ready for Weather

The weather forecast keeps changing for us. Yesterday it said we would get 1-3 inches of snow tonight and 4 to 8 inches tomorrow. Today it is saying less than an inch tonight and 3 to 7 tomorrow.
I bought half and half and splenda today so we can make snow ice cream if we get a nice layer:)
I'm tired of cold weather but it's still winter.

Loud Music

We haven't had loud music for a while now. At first cars passing by had their radios on loud. Then they cut the radio down before they got here and turned it back up after they'd passed. I thought that was really nice.
But tonight the music was really loud so I went outside to see because it wasn't just music that was loud. It turned out that it was an Amish buggy with music that was really loud. I was laughing about it and said it wasn't religious music. Larry asked if it was country music. But no, it was rock pouring out of the black buggy! I wonder where the kid is stashing his radio. We've also gotten fast food litter from an Amish buggy. I wonder if it's a kid about to take his year's walk about...or whatever they call it.

Little Easter Basket

These had soaps in them...cute little decorative things. I decided to paint them, stick Easter grass in them, and some eggs. Sanding them was a little awkward, but not too bad. Now I'm basecoating them with white and a little seafoam green. Then I'll figure out what to paint, maybe little forget-me-nots, then varnish them, then put the grass and carved eggs in.

WalMart's Pharmacy

With my insurance card, my thyroid medication was $9 at one pharmacy. At WalMart, the prescription was $4 without insurance and $1 with my insurance card. Shopping around for the best price isn't something I'd ever considered for prescriptions.
Today I had another excellent experience with WalMart's pharmacy. They sent an automated call to tell me my doctor had faxed my refill and it was ready to be picked up! I needed to press 3 to continue to have the automated call when I have a prescription ready. I could have gotten a text message if I'd wanted. Thank you!

Exit 87 BBQ

I've heard the owner on the radio telling about himself, from meth, to prison, to a bbq stand. It was kind of like a real-life soap opera. It sounds like he has his life headed in the right direction. Then a few months ago, his wife passed away. It seems a shame that bad things happen to people who are really trying to get it together.
Today we got a sausage, egg, cheese sandwich on a bun. It was as big as a hamburger. It was delicious and filling. The girl said she was going to give us a barbecue sandwich she'd just made. We also bought a half rack of ribs.
Everything was great. We'll certainly go back!

Scam Call

I wonder if the heavily-accented caller would get more responses if people could actually understand him.

My List

When I make a list, it has things on it that I don't have to complete, merely begin. So I did well with my list except I thought I might put off shopping yet another day. Larry brought back strawberries from his shopping foray, though, so I ended up going to the store after all...he hadn't gotten sour cream. So I ended up checking everything off my list after all.

When You Grow Up in the South

When you grow up in the South, little white specks swirling in the breeze makes me wonder what is putting out little white seeds at this time of year. It took a minute to decide that it is snow flurries.

Not a Smooth Day

Volunteering was very busy today. There were a lot of patients, newspapers to distribute, ice bags to fill, boxes of gloves to put in the rooms, helium balloons to give to swing bed patients who were about finished with their therapy. And I had to leave early because the termite company came to spray. I put a chicken on the rotisserie to cook. The electricity went off so the rotisserie went off. I thought it went off because it was finished cooking. Then I heard the generator kick on and reset the rotisserie. Then the chicken fell off the prongs. I waited until it cooled off, put it back on the prongs, and reset the rotisserie...again.
There was a strong smell of fire outside and a smoky haze over one of the fields. I tried to find out where it was coming from. It eventually went away with the fire department coming.
Eventually dinner was ready. The chicken was wonderful, the sides were, too. So the day wasn't easy, but it did finish nicely.

New Garden Gloves

My garden gloves from last year still make my nails black when I work in my tire garden thanks to the fire in that area. So I found six for $10.97 on Amazon. They fit and I hope they are comfortable to work in. They are comfortable to just try on.

Not Spending Money

Some people are more enthusiastic about shopping than I am. They ponder endlessly, buy an item, take it home, ponder some more, and then return it. 

I seriously don't like shopping. I like it better from Amazon, usually, but still, I like to keep my money.

So it leaves me with the problem of what to do with my time. I've retired, so going to work isn't going to take up my time and provide a paycheck. 

I have a lot of these wooden things that I bought from Hobby Lobby over the years. I painted Christmas ornaments for my students. I used to make ceramic ornaments but smaller children would sometimes break them before leaving the classroom. So I took folk art classes and learned to paint on wood.

When I retired, I still had a lot of these wooden pieces.

So when boredom threatens, I find a pattern I haven't done before and practice it on these wooden things.

I think these might be nice hanging on an outdoor Easter tree. When they are dry, I'll paint something on the backs, let them dry, and then varnish them with exterior gloss.

So my time is spent in an interesting manner and I'm not shopping and eating out every day:)

Black Beans and Fried Green Plantains

I tried to make my grocery list around what I wanted to eat. Then Larry helped me shop so I didn't end up with all of any of my intended meals. Larry fried the plantains yesterday. I said I had wanted black beans with them. He said that wasn't on the grocery list. I said it was on the second index card and he didn't get it. So today he bought black beans. I cooked them and they were good...but the plantains were already eaten:) Maybe next time we'll have both on the same day.

Whiny

Today's temperature is as warm as yesterday's, but it was overcast and a bit breezier than yesterday. So I painted today. I found some books in my collection about painting Victorian flowers. I couldn't trace them because I'm using a crackle finish and neither gray nor white transfer paper worked. So I sketched what I wanted. I tried to follow the directions but what I ended up with didn't look much like theirs. They looked all right, but not what I was aiming for.
The tomato was easier. Maybe I should try a cucumber next.

As Nice as Expected

I was looking forward to doing a little outside work today because of the low 60's temperature. It wasn't as wonderful at first because of the breeze. So I added another headband to keep my hair out of my face and still enjoyed my bit of outside time. I'm going to need more soil, but I got a decent start on my tires. I've brought old newspapers home from the hospital and stockpiled them in the trunk of my car. Larry thought I was really lazy since I drove to the tire garden...until he saw how many papers I had in the trunk.
The daffodils have put up greenery and buds. None of the buds are showing color yet, but they're there!

Planning for Tomorrow

Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny and in the low 60's so I bought five bags of soil to work on my tire garden tomorrow.
I took the dirt to the tire garden today and Larry tried to direct me to help him with pruning cleanup. I told him it's going to be warm tomorrow. Today it was sunny and in the 40's. He agreed to put off any outside stuff until tomorrow. I have a nice little list of stuff to do outside when it's warmer...starting tomorrow:)

Bad Dream

A friend said she'd had a really bad dream. She was in the parking lot at school and couldn't find her car.
I asked if she had her clothes on.
She said she did and then said, "So it could have been worse?"

New Rake

"Look, I got you a new rake."
"Did I want one?"
"Yes."
"Do I like plastic ones now?"
"Yes."
Then he took "my" new rake and went out to rake leaves:)

Strange Behavior

A truck with a camper drove slowly back and forth along our road. Then it pulled to the shoulder and turned off its lights. Larry called the police and asked that someone come out and investigate. About a minute later the truck's lights came on and it roared away. I wonder if it was listening to the police band.
Our front door handle stopped working. While trying to figure out what was wrong, Larry noticed scratches along the door jam about where the bolt is.
So I've called the neighbors to alert them to the possibility of a burglar in our area.
A week or so ago there were four smash and grabs in a nearby town.

Points with God

A friend said she was making a turkey sandwich for her husband. I said she is a good person. She said she is making points with God. I told her if God is a woman she is.

Pro Life or Pro Choice Phone Calls

Tonight I got a call from a very polite lady asking if I'm pro life or pro choice. I've gotten these calls before. Whatever they want to talk about isn't to everybody, it's just to people on their side. So I don't know what they want to say; they cut the questions short when I answer their first question.

Two Volunteers

 When we have two volunteers at the hospital, one can keep the gift shop open, and the other can do the things to help that require us to be somewhere else. Today we had two, so I was able to file papers for one department, deliver cards, fill the ice carts, etc.
We need more volunteers!

Slept Three Nights so Far

I keep trying to figure out how to go to sleep without being in bed awake for hours first. I've tried over-the-counter sleep aids, melatonin, prescriptions, listening to music, audio books, and a self-hypnosis sleep tape.
I think the sleep tape may be most helpful in the long run because it said sleep is a function of the subconscious. It talks about the trance state which is between awake and asleep. I think I've started to be aware of when I'm in that state and shouldn't get up to drink hot chocolate next.

Super Bowl

There was finally a football game Larry didn't want to watch. He taped it and then fast-forwarded through, stopping to watch the commercials. 

A Two-Sock Day

Today I wore two layers of wool socks. I've never done that before, but it was helpful.

A Thought

Wallowing in the mire...
Step away for a bit...
It's still there...
I can't change it...
But I don't have to stay in it all the time.