Actually, Summer is here as of today!

 I still had lots of catch up to do today.  I've decided to stop feeding the hummers and the birds as my neighbors feed them and I am cutting my workload.  Plus, I get squirrels, raccoons, and chipmunks which is fine but then they chew my railings and get on my roof!   I took down the feeders and dumped the rest of the bird seed.  

While my daughter was here she weeded my flower beds and spread mulch.   It looks so nice.  She did a beautiful job........She also got some flowers and  planted them in the horse trough......

Everything is doing great with all the rain we've had but now it is hot and I will need to water soon.  I just ordered some fertilizer so I will wait and water that in when it comes.

 

The daises are just starting to bloom and will continue until Fall.... 
  

Something was digging under my steps and sidewalk so I stuffed it with stones and bricks....I hope that keeps whatever it is out!

I replaced a burnt out light bulb (ladder involved but I did it), made a grocery list and ordered groceries.  Since the bridge is out on Peace Valley Road that I take to get to Walmart and the detour takes much longer, I am having my groceries delivered.  I get free delivery but the driver gets a good sized tip which he/she deserves.  At this time it is worth it to me.  What ever makes my life easier, at this stage of the game, is my motto.

As you can see from my porch railing, I have lots of outdoor painting to do but I'll have to get up early to beat the heat.  But today was a good day and it's not over!  I hope you're having a nice weekend.

Happy Trails!!!
 
 

Summer is here!!!

It  may not be official yet but the rain  has ended and the sun is out and it will be in the 90's this week here in Arkansas!

I had company last week and it did not bode well with me.  I am not physically or mentally capable of entertaining.....especially not days on end nor with guests that treat me like the hired help.  But I seem to have recovered, although the doc saw me this morning and said the stress is definitely not good for me and I agree! He wants me to call him Monday and let him know how I'm feeling.  I am so blessed to have him as my doctor.  So, now that the entertaining is over with...........I'm going to be following this advice......

Years ago I read a book that talked about balance in your life and she talked about creating 9 boxes....that form a square with 3 on top, 3 in the middle, and 3 on the bottom.  Then you were to fill in the boxes with the most important areas of your life.  Things that if accomplished would keep your life balanced and harmonious.  I did it for years as I had many balls in the air.  Life is much calmer now, in retirement but I'm thinking I will go back to those boxes.  I tend to work on the same areas of  my life but never get to other ones.  It worked before and I'm hoping it will work again so that I can have balance in my elder years.  Right now my 9 boxes consist of the following areas: cleaning, finances, selfcare, creating, gardening, maintenance, decorating, learning, and clearing out.  I will try and touch on each area within each week.  

I'm on my 3rd Lorna Landvik book!  That girl can write!  Really enjoying them. Finishing up watching Doc Martin series and then it will be back to Father Brown.  Have a great weekend!

Happy Trails!!!
 

 

 
 

 

Happy June!!!

 Things are going  pretty well.   The cleaning gal last week was awesome!  She loaded all the boxes I had packed for the Thrift store into my car and I took them Tuesday.  They unload it there for me so I was able to get rid of a lot!  The only problem is the bridge is out in Ash Flat and won't be rebuilt until October so it takes twice as long to get there and back by taking a detour.

We have had so much rain that my hydrangeas are loving it!  One is as big as a dinner plate!  I don't do anything to the soil but I get the different colors anyway....they're gorgeous!

  

I'm getting ready to have company this Tuesday.  My daughter, Grayson, and Amy's SIL.  Sam can't come as he has to take an EMT exam.  He's a junior in HS but he's been taking EMT classes at the local community college.  He passed the practical exam but now has the written.  He wants to get a job for the summer too.  So, I'm busy but slow as a slug.  The cleaning gal comes tomorrow which will be great.

I feed the birds but all I get are crows, squirrels, raccoons, bluejays, and red headed wood peckers.  The squirrels take over the feeder so there's no room for the birds.  I sprinkle some on the ground trying to cover all the bases.  The deer come at night and clean up the rest...lol!  The hummers are eating/drinking like crazy.  

Well, I'm off to continue cleaning and prepping for company.  Oh, I'm loving my new Shark vacuum too!

Happy Trails!!!
   

I was sick again with a new disease!!!

 This time I had IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)...not fun and very painful but it's over hopefully.  I've never had it before and they say certain foods can trigger it.  I had some brownies which I haven't had in years so I am guessing that might have caused it.  I was napping constantly and could barely get daily chores done.  The back slows me down enough but I will keep rising up to face another day....hopefully.

We have had rain, rain, and more rain and now my porch roof is leaking.  No Memorial day activities around here.  We have storm after storm with strong winds and lightening and thunder.  I enjoy it as long the power stays on. 

I did finish my son's memorial cross  stitch.  The gal had long blonde hair...I changed it as best I could to my gray bun.  I also do not go barefoot or wear dresses but I let that part go as I am no cross stitch designer!  I still need to get it framed.  I thought it was 5 years this July but it will be 6!  I can't seem to keep up with anything.

 

I'm still working on the crochet blanket in the evenings and a few other XS projects and knitting on the 2nd Christmas sock of the pair.  

I hope you are able to enjoy the long weekend.  Here's a little word to the wise..............

Happy Trails!!!

Am I stable now???

 Finally, it seems like I am healing and getting stronger.  I think my back will always hurt after I'm on my feet for not too long but I just sit down and do handwork and rest it.  Once I sit down it stops hurting.  I had my wellness exam and all is excellent...they did blood work, chest X-ray, and EKG.  Considering all that's wrong with me I am really healthy.  He said everyone wishes they had my cholesterol! LOL!  But he said the x-ray showed I have emphysema.  He said he was surprised because I show no symptoms.  I was surprised too as I have no trouble breathing nor do I get out of breath easily.  He said he'll keep an eye on it and to tell him if anything changes but so far so good!

I have been cleaning and organizing but it takes me so long.  I hired a cleaning person to do the cleaning of toilets and tub as I can't get down there anymore not without "pain and suffering"...lol! I'm sure I'll find more for her to do besides that.

I have accomplished some things....I'm back to making my own bread again............

   

 

I finally finished the first of my 2024 Christmas sock and I am now working on sock #2 of the pair.  I'm still getting used to taking photos with my phone....

This week I was able to vacuum and wash the kitchen and laundry room floors with lots of breaks!  I made potato soup, and a Jello cheesecake.  There were lots of other chores like the regular dishes, laundry, errands, etc.  I'm hoping I can get more regular....at least weekly for blogging and daily for reading others blogs.  I'm still reading Leslie Meier's Lucy Stone mysteries.  I think I've read about 16.  I'm way ahead on my Good Reads Challenge of 52 books.  As for T.V. I finished Foyle's War series, and Agatha Raisin, and now I go between Father Brown and Death in Paradise...I love the English programs.

That's all for this week!

happy May!!!
        

and Happy Trails too!!!

Happy Easter!!!

I hope you are all well and rejoicing this Easter Sunday. 

Happy Trails!!!
 

The never ending saga!!!

 Well, just when I thought things were getting back to normal we had 5 days of storms, flood warnings, flash flood warnings and severe thunderstorms and tornado watches.  I don't mind as I don't worry about flooding where I am and we never lost power and I didn't have to go to the basement.  But when I woke up Saturday morning there was no heat and I checked the basement and the sump pump had stopped working and the basement was flooded along with my HVAC!  Ouch!  Of course, no one is open until Monday and tonight it's supposed to get down to freezing and there are frost advisories.  It's been in the 50's but now it's in the 40's and getting colder.  I've been having fires in the fireplace and it keeps the dampness and the chill off but not if we go down to freezing.  Woe is me!  I called the plumber and was able to leave a message so hopefully they will get it first thing Monday morning.  I tried to pick up things in the basement but everything was floating around and I realized that until the water left it was a futile attempt.  There is a drain but it rained all day yesterday and buckets of it!  If they come and fix or replace the sump pump, I still have to get the furnace people in to fix that but by that time it will be in the 70's!  Yep, just cold when I have no heat but once I do it will be 70's next week.

Meanwhile, I did take a photo of my crochet blanket I've been working on in the evenings.....

This is Cherry Heart's solid color Join As You Go blanket.  It is 28 squares across by 24 rows down.  I am on the 5th of the 24 rows.  It is very enjoyable but I only do about 2 squares a night so this is a long term project.  I'm using DK weight yarn and mostly Stylecraft Special DK but you could use whatever yarn you wanted.

Still having power I am able to get things done but keeping a wood fire going takes a lot of my time.

I'm hoping to sew this afternoon...that was my plan yesterday until I realized my predicament! LOL!

I hope you are all safe and well!

Happy Trails!!!

Nice day yesterday but stromy weather ahead!

 It was so nice yesterday and Luther and Shawn came and mowed the lawn for the first time. 

 I got some new sheets and guess who had to be the first to try them out..........

I made lemon bars and finished another book.  I am 8 books ahead of my Good Reads Challenge!  This book I've had for years but I will not read Oprah recommended books.  They are always about sexual assault of some kind and why she would gravitate to those types of books when she was assaulted several times, is beyond me.  It was a family saga and well written but no more Oprah for me! LOL!
 

The woodpecker was all over the bird feeder yesterday.  He came back 3 or 4 times!  There's a smaller downy woodpecker too but this was the big guy.....

The weather radio just went off so I best wrap this up.  We have every kind of warning you can imagine for the next 4 days!  This is a first...I think I should just move to the basement...permanently!  But if the power goes out and we get the predicted 12 inches of rain, I will be knee deep in water when my sump pump doesn't work!

Stay safe everyone!

Happy Trails!!!

I am hoping I am truly back now!

I can't remember where I left off after my last blog but I was on my way to my eye doctor.  He told me I did not have an eye infection but the driest eyes he's ever seen.  I am on eye drops that will lubricate my eyes.  I have Graves Disease and I've had 2 eye operations years ago and it prevented me from going blind.  But Grave Disease is another immune system disease like RA and once you have one you usually get another.  This time it assaulted my tear ducts so I have no tears and no moisture in my eyes.  I asked him how long I would have to take the drops 6 times a day or more.  He said the rest of my life!   My eyes were hurting so bad I couldn't read or even watch t.v. but they are on the mend now thus I am able to blog.

Plus, my grands were here visiting last week and Grayson showed me how to take pictures with my phone and upload to my pc!  Yay!  Sam showed me how to answer my cell phone.  I kept tapping it but he showed me I have to swipe it! LOL!  And this is the woman with the computer science degree!  Woe is me!

  

So, here is my Star cross Stitch I finally finished!!!  I think it's been 3  years or more but then I put it away several times.  I am definitely in the mood to finish things.  Presently I am working on Jim's memorial cross stitch and July it will be 5 years since he passed so I am hoping to have it done by then.  The Star XS will probably be made into a pillow.....a good size one.

I have lots more to tell you now that I can "see" but I will save it for another time.  I'm trying to keep these brief. 

I hope you are all doing well.  We are under a tornado watch and we had one last week that touched down in the neighboring town.  I'm so lucky to have a basement as most people here don't.

 

Happy Trails!!!

Out to Lunch!

 Hi y'all!  I'm doing well here in the Ozarks and the daffodils are blooming!  It's only 54 today but next week will be in the 70's!  I'm feeling good.  The back gets sore if I'm on my feet or doing too much so  I just sit down and read or cross stitch or knit and then I go back to it.   The eyes are still red and irritated so I have an eye appointment in Mountain Home Monday.  I just hope I can see well enough to get there.  Tuesday I have an appointment to get the car in.  My Tahoe is 23  years old and it just reached 100,000 miles!  It's got to last me as I have no intention of getting another car if I don't have to.

Since I don't go out to eat and  I have to watch what I eat, I decided that I would treat myself to going out to lunch on Saturdays here at home.  So, I had these for lunch......... 

You bake them and then there is a honey barbecue sauce that goes with them.  It was very  good and a nice treat for a change.

I also received a treasure this week that I ordered from Amazon......it has quilts but also other items to make like "Batilda" on the cover...I love Halloween!

This week I focused on cleaning my bedroom and I have a little bit more to go.  I also packed up 3 boxes for the thrift store and I want to look for some curtains for my bedroom.

I am just about done with the Star XS....I know I keep saying that but I really should finish it this week.  I finished the first of my Christmas pair of socks and will be starting another.  I finished 2 books this month already and I am way ahead on my Good Reads Challenge.  

That's all the news that's fit to print.  I hope you are all doing well and let me know what you've been up to!

I may have posted this before but even if I did it still makes me laugh!

Happy Trails!!!
 
 

She's a wreck from Georgia Tech!!!

 Well, it's been just about a month since I blogged last and I am praying that this time nothing more will happen.  I can't remember where I left off but since that last post.  I got sick again....couldn't keep food down or anything else for that matter.  I thought it was the flu but no fever.  I figured it was the meds again so I stopped taking the pain pills and that helped and I am no longer in pain either until my back gets tired but it's not a sharp pain just a dull ache telling me I need to sit down for a bit.  I did go to the doctor as I also got an eye infection!  I still have it and I have drops but  my eyes get tired now too. 

I remember when I first came down here and it seemed all people talked about were their illnesses and operations.....well...here I am and I am hoping that this will be the last time!

Meanwhile, I have slowly gotten back to normal and I feel so much better.  I have even gotten back to knitting, cross stitching, and crochet!   YAY!  I'm trying to figure out how to take photos on my phone, email them to myself and then copy them to this blog.  We'll see how that works out since I can no longer upload photos from my regular camera.

I hope you are all doing well.  I have been watching several series on Acorn T.V.   Agatha Raisin and Foyle's War....both very good.  Agatha is a lighthearted mystery series and Foyle's War is about A policeman in 1940's London just before WWII....excellent drama!

We've had snow here and it's been below freezing for about 2 weeks but Monday it is going to be 65!  Yay!!!  I'll be making a grocery run to Walmart for sure!

Nashville Needlework Market is in March so all the cross stitch designers are coming out with their new designs...so tempting!!!

I saw this and thought it was worth it to pass along since winter is evidently not done with us!  Hopefully, you won't need this little tip..........

I haven't tried these but I plan on it!  I love a good cookie!

 

Happy Trails!!!

      

Back in the saddle again....so to speak

 I'm having good days and nights so things are really looking up!  Not sure if I told you about RoseRed Homestead on You Tube.  They are an older couple in their  70's and they have very useful information about emergency preparedness, self-reliance, and  food security.  They had one podcast on helpful aids for the elderly.  From that podcast I bought these handles for my SUV to help me get in as I age. I have the handle above that I use to pull myself up but this gives me more leverage.  Rose was a college professor but not sure what she taught but she and her husband are very well  informed.  Plus, they never recommend anything they haven't tried themselves. I got these on Amazon for about $22 for 2.

I'm able to get back to some chores and cooking and crafting too.  I'm almost finished with the Star XS, I'm on the foot of the first sock that was the Christmas Eve cast on, and I work on the Join As You Go blanket in the evening.  Tonight the Kansas City Chiefs play the Buffalo Bills at 5:30 so I am looking forward to that.  

I've been organizing my yarns too especially my Stylecraft Special DK yarns.  Most of my crochet projects use multiple colors and once you take the label off it is a guessing game as to what color it is.  I read somewhere to put them in individual plastic bags and label the bag that way you know what it is and they don't become all unraveled.  I have mine in a laundry basket and yes, rooting through them to find a certain yarn  makes a mess.  They  also said  you could group them in a clear plastic bin by colors; like all the blues in one etc.  I think this will help a lot.  I hope so anyway.  This is the year of clearing away the clutter and organizing what's left!  Wish me luck!

Happy Trails!!!
 
 

What a month!!!

 My CT scan revealed a spinal fracture that was very painful.  They put  me on pain pills that made me throw up.  They gave me anti-nausea pills which did nothing...I still threw up.   The doctor at the hospital said there was nothing they could do so I thought it  meant that the rest of my life I would be in pain and not be able to function.  Evidently, he meant there was no surgery to fix it. I had a followup with my doctor and he said not to worry and that I would heal in 6-10 weeks.  Not sure how good I will heal or if I have to restrict certain things like no lifting or bending.  Anyway, it's been a painful month and he wanted me to get a recliner with a lift, a toilet seat with handles, and a shower chair.  Expensive and I don't  use them.  I tried the recliner as I have to sleep basically sitting up but it hurt my back even more so that was a waste of a lot of money.  I do use the shower chair but just to hang on to.  I hate showers and I miss my baths.

Thank God, my daughter, Amy,  came down and helped me until I was on my feet again.  I lost 10 pounds as I had no appetite.  We got the pills regulated and I am not in any pain now unless I twist the wrong way or over do things.  The hardest is getting up and down from a sitting position or from laying down but I am much better this week.  The county Agency on Aging is arranging for an aide to come in and do some cleaning for me...vacuuming, cleaning tub and toilets, and changing sheets.  Those are things I cannot and should not do.  I have to pay for it but it will be worth it for sure.  

So, I am healing slowly but so glad I am not in pain anymore.  I am getting back into my routine as much as possible.  Amy left the other day and she was such a big help and a blessing to me. I hadn't done any handwork but I am starting to get back into it.  I hope you are all fine and I will try and blog again on a regular basis.

Far Side sent me birthday gifts that were so lovely and really lifted my spirits.  Thank you again!

Happy Trails!!!
    

The good, the bad, and the ugly.........

The good is that my birthday is tomorrow and I will be 76!  I can't believe I've lived this long.  The bad part is I have had sciatica for 3 days now and if I move a certain way it feels like someone hit me with a cattle prod and I literally yell out loud.  It wakes me up several times in the night but today I finally called the doc and he prescribed a pain reliever as the Tylenol wasn't doing the trick.  The ugly part is that Sunday we are supposed to get an ice storm and I need to get firewood in the house and more kindling but with my back/hip I'm not sure how that's going to work.  I just got the pain reliever today and they delivered it as I can't drive in this condition....not sure I could even get into my truck.  I did manage to sweep out the fireplace a bit and bring some kindling in but I will wait until tomorrow to bring in the firewood.  I have plenty in the garage without having to go outside but I'll need kindling as once it rains there won't be any that is dry.  I pray we don't lose power.

Meanwhile, I have done some handwork.  I'm almost done with the 2nd row on my granny square blanket using the join as you go method.  There are 14 squares in each row.  This isn't mine but since I can't take pictures anymore this is the designer's blanket and I am following her colors and placement.

I'm almost done with my Star cross stitch...........I only have the last row which is 4 stars and part of a border......this photo is old and I'm not even done with the 3rd row in this picture.  I am going to work on it until it is done!

I do have a birthday start with a pattern I've had for awhile..........January Wordplay by With Thy Needle and Thread (Brenda Gervais).......she has one for every month too.....It's not too big so hopefully I can finish it this month...........

I made my Goodreads Challenge in 2024 of 52 books actually I read 54 and now I've upped my challenge for this year to 62 books.....we'll see.  I'm reading some Leslie Meier "Lucy Stone" mysteries and I'm enjoying them.

What are you enjoying in this quiet time after the holidays?
 

Happy Trails!!!

Happy New Year!!!

Did you celebrate last night?  I watched WIP parades on You Tube and read.  I was in bed by 8:00 p.m. with lights out! LOL!  I am an early morning person and always have been and it's easy since I live alone.

Do you make plans for the New Year?  I do.  Today there will be a fire in the fireplace, some hot eggnog with spiced rum and a blank notebook to write down all my categories and goals for 2025 divided by months.  This by no means indicates that I will accomplish them...I just enjoy the wishful thinking.  I alway love the time between Christmas and New Years to reflect, and plan, and dream!

Happy New Year!!!

 

Happy Trails!!!