A Day Like I Did Not Expect

It was a cold start to the morning so I was a little late getting out . I did get most of the chickens out but fudged on one cage of them because my foot started to hurt . So I figured 8 trips up and down the hill would be enough for one morning easing back into things.

I cleaned out 3 of the runs and mulched the rest of my hellebore bed. . I was running out of paper to stick up under the sawdust so I raided my car of every old piece of paper and junk mail and that helped. I need a little more sawdust but it will have to wait for now.

As I carried the chickens up and down the hill I noticed that the last rose bush my DH had given me was in bloom. It's hard to believe after the last two COLD nights we have had.

This always makes me so happy because I feel like he is reaching down and giving me a hug.

I have had this spot all covered up in the garden All winter long with this heavy black tarp - hoping to kill off any weeds???? I am curious to see if it will make any difference??? So , I pulled back the tarp and went to laying off my two rows of the Variegated Tomato plants. I am excited about them since I saved the seeds myself from a tomato that a friend shared with me. Then low and behold a truck pulled in.

It was my lovely daughter and her partner (the one I love) . They came to mow. She mowed the field and he mowed all around the house and the creek and driveway and he weed eated in my garden for me , where the grass had growed almost up to my waist. I had been wondering how I was going to tackle it since it had got ahead of me in the rain.

I am so grateful for these two and the hard work that they do. She wants to keep the field mowed because of snakes and of course the work that he does makes it easier for me to maneuver around the house and keep the snakes away. Plus, it makes everything look so very nice and makes it smell wonderful.

Then while they were working - MORE HELP arrived. My very shy youngest granddaughter surprised me . She helped me plant the yellow pepper plants and then she carried the cages full of chickens up the hill 4 trips to the building. lol I had to laugh when she commented that they got heavy as you carry them up the hill! .LOL  I told her that was how I had lost all my weight - by going up and down that hill many times a day. That would be ten trips for the chickens and every how many trips for all the plants and what ever work and supplies ????

I have other things I want to plant , but now it will take More Hand Digging, so I would like for the chickens to help clear some more spots for me. Where they cleared the ground and I replanted the peas after it rained -that is coming up now.

I wanted to get this planted because it is calling for rain for the next two days and that will be good for them. Then maybe I can do some more digging. I am just SO GRATEFUL to have my foot back and be able to get around I can hardly stand my joy!

Starting A New Week

I'm sorry I got "Lost in Space" the last 4 days , but they have been very miserable days for me. Remember I woke up with that foot pain and swelling? Well, it got a LOT worse. By Friday it started to swell more and by nightfall it was as big as a volley ball and Hot and Painful.

I even crawled to the bathroom on my hands and knees because I could not bear to put weight on that foot. Just touching the floor sent me through the roof in pain. I cried my way through getting my chickens all taken care of .

But I looked up my old crutches from 2004 when I had broken that leg and foot and brought them indoors so I could use them to go to the bathroom during the night.

Then this morning - the swelling started down - as suddenly as it had gone up??????? Leaving my foot all shriveled and Hot and very sore- but - hey - "Praise God" - I HAVE MY FOOT BACK! Yea!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I am beside myself to have my freedom of movement back!

It was cold here last night -down to 36 and suppose to be the same tonight. I had managed to drag my tomato plants indoors last night and have left them in today so they will be in for tonight. Then tomorrow I plan to get them set out in the garden as it is suppose to start to warm up.

But, yesterday I watched a video of a lady cooking "weeds". This has been a life-time curiosity of mine that I wanted to learn -but - had NOBODY to share their knowledge with me. She discussed and showed several different kinds of weeds that we find in our yards in usa.

Here is her link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZDY1uR2ZSc&index=7&list=PLTAXPTAcufzEDXAiQgXjrsbU9G94xO2Fi

Thursday Mutiny

These are the lovely roses my granddaughter gave me for Mother's Day. I added sugar and vinegar to the water and they are responding nicely.

I am so mad at this Older Body today. It was Suppose to be the Sewing Guild Meeting this afternoon. I really wanted to go as I am getting all the use I can out of these bum eyeballs. But  - NOOOOOOO - a foot that I shattered back in 04 woke me up at 3AM in Dire Pain. No, I did not sprain it or hurt it in any way . I was fine last night when I went to bed (except for that uti infection)  Then Bam - Pain??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

I did get my chores accomplished -thanks to the crutch I had to use when I had broken that foot and leg. It took a while but all my critters got tended to.

A shower was rough - just getting in and out of the tub was a Pain. But then after I ate a late lunch (about 3ish) it started to swell and hurt like crazy. I found a cane my DH had -much to my INSULT- and I used that to get back and forth . It hurts so bad I really want to cry-part of that from frustration

So, needless to say I missed the Sewing Guild Meeting and the chance to spend a couple of hours with a dear friend. Grrr. I did try ice on it but it did not help any and  only made the pain worse.

My body is in mutiny and I am mad at it.You would think I would appreciate a good excuse to lay back in the chair and watch tv???????????????? WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol

Hump Day

These are my little variegated tomato plants and I am so excited about them. They are suppose to be a very old heirloom plant . I cannot wait to try them this year. They are almost ready to head to the garden. Just a few days of hardening them off and away they can go. I sure do hope the aphids will not eat them totally up like they did those Italian Tree tomatoes last year!

My little pink rose is just starting to bloom and it smells SO Sweet. I always have to stop and take a minute just to enjoy the fragrance.

I went around front to check out my little blueberry tree and was caught off guard by the monster lambsquarter weed that had taken over. Instead of yanking them all out I decided to wait a few days until I feel better and then look up some of those recipes I saw online the other day for them???

These are those little delicata squash seeds that I got at that swap about a week ago. They are sure growing. I had ordered the seeds last year and then lost all of them before I even got to try them. I am hoping that will not happen this year.

These are those two monster begonias that I drug out of the house the other day. They are almost as tall as I am and the two of them take up an entire window . I know I could start small ones but these two were a gift from a very special lady who was dying and entrusted them to me -so they are very special to me. But, they really will get a haircut. lol

I was trying to get around and catch a picture of that porch roof my daughter built for my Mother's Day. I just cannot get a proper angle because of my jungle. lol

Cali was keeping me company everywhere I went. She is still the world's wildest mouser,as much as I hate it. She gets 2 or 3 every single day.

This is kinda the top view and I can't wait to get my "stuff" on there with the swing. You Know - the PLANTS!!!!!!!!!! The things I wait for all Winter long!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol  I sit in the swing and am so grateful to not be cold anymore. I will be in heaven for the next 4 months -but in the back of my head dreading Winter and the pain it causes already. But I DO LOVE the next few months.

Already those carpenter bees are trying to take it away from me. I might have to murder them because they do so much structural damage. I don't want to but they sure do not listen and stay in the outbuildings. They want the porch as bad as I do and they are not afraid to be pushy about it either.

Crystal's Daddy would be so very proud of her for doing this for me. He knew how much I loved a porch because I had begged him for one for most of our adult life. The first one he built me was 4 feet by 8 feet and I was thrilled with that. lol

It is nightime here now and it is absolutely pouring down the rain.

Monday -Cloudy and nice

It was a perfect day to work- just wish I felt up to snuff. Crystal and Tim came as it was Crystal's day off and Tim was let go from work early again.  The mulch business he works from seems to be going down hill.

It was my second attempt at cleaning the porch off when they arrived to "Mow". I certainly did not expect them to mow on her day off when she should have been resting and enjoying the company of her partner. But they both helped me scrap for a while before they mowed.

I was tickled to get to see them  I spent most of the rest of the day scraping on the porch trying to remove the paint that had just peeled up and made a mess. It was keeping the boards wet and afraid it would cause them to rot. I swept till I thought my arms would fall off and then scrap for a while. It made a big  difference.

Crystal wants to come back and seal it with something. I am just so happy to have a porch again - I am in "porch heaven". I carried two of my Big flower plants outdoors after they left and cleaned up most of my mess and then called it quits as all of the up and down and pressure was making me sick at my stomach.

But, the end of the day was perfect.I went and got Miss Rosie the Sewing Kitty from my bed where she had been evicted with the arrival of the other two cats. I put a blanket around us and crawled up on the swing with her. The reason this was so important to me was because last Summer the kitty I had kept for my granddaughter for 15 years had passed away. Now she had two places that she commanded and you would Always find her there. In the Summer it was on the porch in the swing , when she was not in the house and in the Winter it was in the computer chair.

But, after she passed , one day Miss Rosie accidentally found the porch and the swing and she was in love. That did not last long for her because that was when my friend tore it down thinking they would build me a small sunroom-but life just did not turn out that way -so when Crystal and Tim built me a porch back now I had the opportunity to let me and Rosie enjoy it once again.

She was so cute as she peeked out from under the blanket I had us covered in. Ever so gradually she would inch herself out from the blanket to where she could see better on my lap until she had her two front legs sticking out . She would life her little head and smell the Spring breeze that was blowing and it smelled so good with fresh cut grass. Then as darkness descended the hillside was covered in lighting bugs-which is early for them here as they usually do not arrive until around June??? But they sure were beautiful. So, we had a perfect ending to our day.  I hope you did too.

Start A new Week

Each week seems to roll around faster and faster . I woke up this morning feeling 50% better than yesterday. The headache was almost gone and my fever was coming down and I had got some sleep. I was still weak , but not like yesterday. Callie was in high spirits this morning. I had dosed her toy in a plastic bag with catnip over night . So, now she did not ignore it like normal. She got into some real flipping action.

Bandit even came around to give me some loving so I decided to take off and do the morning chores before the energy faded. Yea. It was nice but very Windy outdoors . I knew I was took weak to put the chickens outdoors so I fed and watered everybody and gave them a treat of some hotdog buns and left them indoors.

I carried my tomato plants outdoors to let them harden off some and watered some plants and then knew I would have to give it up . I was out of energy. So, I came in and took a shower and fixed another  garlic Pessaries and inserted it. So in 24 hours I am almost over that darn UTI. My heart really goes out to all the women  who suffer from these painful events.And make you sick as can be too.

I took a break and about an hour later my daughter and her partner came and mowed for me. Since I did not have much energy I fixed a quick snack of fishsticks and potato wedges and a honey-mustard dip.

Cali was playing with more than her toy today. She brought in a ground squirrel which I took outdoors and turned loose again. Then tonight it was two mice - which I now have over in the aquarium tank cage.??? When I take them away from her she gets mad at me and will lay and Pounce on me as if reminding me that they were hers????? We are not seeing eye to eye ??? ~smile~ Wonder how you teach a cat who was forced to live on her own -Not To Hunt??????????????????

A good sick day?

I woke up this morning at 5:30 in so much pain. I thought it was gas to start with but later on I knew it was another UTI . I hoped it would go away but it just got worse. The pain had me doubled over and then I started to run a fever.

I remembered the last time I had used a garlic enema and got rid of the first one I had ever had last year. But this time I ran across the piece of garlic inserted like a tampon. So, that was what I did and after about an hour the pain started to subside. But the fever just hung in there and it felt like you had the flu - 100degrees temp,., busting headache and aching all over.

Then my sweet daughter showed up and she and her partner went to work on that front porch for my Mother's Day gift.  She scared me to death climbing up on top of that high roof and putting on a metal roof. I will try to get a better picture of that tomorrow as I am In Love With It. I just had to have a picture of her little blue butt up on top and her partner trying to hold it steady for her as it was not strong enough to hold his manly weight and she is very light weight. But I was afraid she was going to be blown away. They got it accomplished Just as the rain arrived.

Then my sweet granddaughter showed with roses in tow for me for Mother's Day. I was thrilled to see her because she will be leaving next month to start a new life in a new state with a new partner. I am holding my breath hoping for happiness for them.

She did have her Daddy in tow or I would never get to see him - if not for her. We were having camera war. I know I looked like a hag but I really was sick and trying to pull it off -not being.

They also brought two of the smallest grandsons who were wide open. I am so blessed - granddaughter, daughter and grandsons.

I grabbed a picture of Crystal's partner who I wish would one day be my delightful son-in-law? He is so kind and sweet and thoughtful -what more could a mom wish for?

Crystal was such a good spot about romping with the boys and had them laughing and squealing at the top of their little lungs. lol My son is getting so much White in his beard. lol

You can tell that these two are just little imps!

Happy Mother's Day to Mother's everywhere.