One of Those Days

It's been one of those days...you know, the kind where nothing seems to go right?

It started early this AM, when JP texted while I was exercising to tell me that animals got into the trash down by the road over the night.  I figured that I had better go down right away to clean things up before they came to collect the trash, so I cut the exercise short.

I was planning to work with my dad starting at around 9 this morning, but thought I could get the pickles canned that I cut last night and had soaking in salt water for 12 hours before we started.  I found out, however, that I didn't have enough mustard seed, so I ran into town to stock up, and got back right at 9.

I have spent some time over the past week staining and sealing backsplashes that my dad created for the bookshelves in our great room.  The bookshelves are right over the stairs, and we have lost things over the edge in the past.  I quickly removed everything from on top of the shelves so that we could install the backsplashes.  In my haste, I knocked the chimney off an oil lamp, which shattered and left glass shards EVERYWHERE.  

We got the backsplashes installed without further incident, and I went on to work on my pickles.  J called while I was in the middle of filling jars, and announced that she was supposed to leave her job early because of a COVID scare.  Once I got the canner going and finished cleaning up the glass, she was home and I did a bit more research regarding this incident.  It seems mostly unfounded.

Next on my list of things to do was to make dessert for this weekend.  We had half a bag of apples that were getting soft, so I decided to make an apple pie, ice cream, and salted caramel sauce that I recently saw in Cook's Country.

By the time the apple pie was in the oven, it was time to go pick up L from work.  I did get home before it was supposed to come out, but apparently our oven runs a bit hot, because it was a bit overdone.  I think we will still be able to eat it though.

I spent the next hour cleaning up the kitchen from canning, cooking and baking.  I found more glass from the shattered chimney.

The remainder of my day (from 4 PM on) has been relatively uneventful.  I'm grateful.

In other news, it's been very dry here.  Rain has been forecasted on several days, but we've gotten less than a quarter of an inch over three rain storms.  I had been watering the garden every other day from our 500 gallon rain water cistern.  This is now empty, and so I am at the mercy of the weather.  We had been getting many nice cucumbers and zucchini from the garden.  The cucumbers, however, have been very bitter.  I have learned that this is due to the dryness.  Live and learn.

the grass is brown

L has this lovely little watermelon growing - it's about the size of a softball.  I hope it makes it!

I just looked down and saw something reflective on on the floor - it was 2 more shards of glass.  I give up!

Back to Work

Well, they finally called me back to work last week.  I've worked 2 weeks, and it feels good to be useful again!  I will be training in telemedicine next week, so I will be adding some of those visits to my schedule as well.

The girls also started jobs last week.  J is working at the library for the 3rd summer in a row, and L is a junior counselor at a Christian day camp not far from home.  This is her first summer job.  They were both placed through a job training program, which typically lasts for 6 weeks during the summer.  L's job only goes through July this year.

We took a little day trip to go horseback riding the week before work started.  It was a fun diversion, topped off by ice cream at our favorite place.

I have been exhausted the past 2 weeks - merely adding the 2 working days a week seems to do me in.  I haven't stopped working on stuff at home though - I think you all would know by now that I am not one who tends to sit around for the most part.

My garden is in and doing well.  The strawberries are finished, and we have moved on to blueberries.  I have been picking 1-2 gallons every other day, but they are starting to slow down too.  I canned a second batch of strawberry jam, and have frozen 4 gallons of blueberries.  We have also harvested lettuce, radishes, zucchini, yellow squash and cucumbers from the garden.  L has baked several loaves of zucchini bread.  It has been very dry for the past 2 weeks, and even though I have used the sprinkler to water the garden from the rain water cistern every other day, the cucumbers have grown extremely bitter - inedibly so.  We finally got a bit of rain last night, so maybe things will turn around.

We have been getting in the pool as frequently as we can.  A hose blew the other day right before L and I got in.  I was able to patch it up with duct tape, and ordered a new one from Amazon, which arrived today.  I swapped them out, and we should be good to go again.

I cut up some more t-shirts into yarn, and have been braiding another rug.  I like the first one so well in my bathroom (it's very absorbent by the shower) that I want to make a bigger, more oblong one for in front of the sinks.

My dad has prepared some pieces to put a back splash on the bookshelves over the stairs - we keep so much stuff up there, that we wanted something to keep them from getting knocked over.  He also prepared a board to fill in the space between the mattress and the wall on the Murphy Bed that JP has been sleeping in for the past 4 months.  The void swallows his pillows!  I stained and sealed these (have one more coat on the back side of the backsplashes) and then my dad will help me install them next week.

We did some shopping for summer clothes for the girls, and since J's idea of shopping is at the thrift store, I usually end up with some alterations to do after that - I've been getting through that slowly.  I also sewed some more masks so that the girls would have enough for at work.  The governor announced mandatory mask orders about a week ago.  

We had a fun July 4th celebration here - made what I am calling a "Chocolate Covered Strawberry Pie" for dessert and set off some fireworks after dark.  One night, before it got so hot, we made s'mores outside and then watched a movie on the veranda.

So...life remains a bit upside down, but it has honestly been a big relief to return to some sense of normalcy.  It is extremely hard that JP is still self isolating, but he is seeing positive COVID patients every day that he works, and for safety, he should quarantine for 14 days after each one.  I feel very alone, and I'm really tired of feeling this way.

I hope you all are remaining safe and healthy!

Busy, Busy, Busy

We have stayed quite busy this week!

I picked strawberries every other day.  Today I made a pie.  Several days ago, I made some jam.

L went to the oral surgeon to consult about the impacted tooth that she has, and he recommended removing it AND her 3 wisdom teeth.  (We are looking into this.)

Both girls interviewed for summer jobs.  They start July 1st.  J will be at the library again.  L is working at a day camp.

I have worked in the garden.  I have over half of it weeded and mulched with grass clippings now.

I cut Stella's hair and toenails.  L bathed her and brushed her teeth.  She also baked her minty fresh breath dog biscuits.  (Look at Stella in the background, just watching and waiting!)

I finally got the nerve up to tackle the hole in the wall in the family room.  We recently removed a corner cabinet, where we kept the DVD player and the stereo.  There was a large hole in the wall behind the cabinet through which all the wires ran, and were plugged into an outlet in the storage room directly behind it.  

First I cut a new piece of drywall to fit, and attached it with screws to 2 pieces of furring on the back of the wall.

Then I applied joint compound, tape, and more joint compound.  

I sanded and repeated with another coat twice.

After a final sanding today, I painted it.  It definitely does NOT look professional, but it beats a big old hole in the wall!

And finally, we took the opportunity to go out and watch J dance and sing with some friends!

The time is coming very soon, when we will all return to work, and I have very mixed feelings about this!

Stay well.  Stay busy.  Stay happy.

Full Speed Ahead

So this past week has been for reals the beginning of Summer Vacation.  It really feels like more of the same - just like the rest of this pandemic ordeal - except the girls aren't on the computer as much as they had been.  I have been trying to do some pre-summer prep work, to get things up and running before hand, but it didn't work out so well.

We uncovered the pool, and I hooked it up, added the appropriate amount of water and chemicals and vacuumed it the middle of May.  No matter how many bags of chlorine shock I added, the water was registering 0 chlorine.  I googled the issue, and apparently it is known as "chlorine lock," and can be caused by a fungal or bacterial infestation.  Most places recommended emptying out 1/3 of the water and refilling it.  However, I knew that the filter wasn't working well starting last year - it kept blowing diatomaceous earth back out into the pool.  So, I decide to try to replace the filter, which was a whole thing - took 2 weeks and a lot of dead ends to actually get it.  It arrived last Saturday, and I had to do a plumbing act and move all the valves from the old one to the new one - took about 1 1/2 hours, but I got it installed and running, and added more shock.  2 hours later, lo and behold, the water was crystal clear and registered chlorine!  **Pat myself on the back.**

The girls had gotten their bikes out of the garage a few weeks ago, and J noticed an issue changing gears, as well as a flat tire that wouldn't stay filled.  L had stuck brakes.  I took them down to WV about 2 weeks ago for repairs, and they were ready for pick up last week.  The girls went along with me to pick them up, and we had our first fun outing in MONTHS!  We had afternoon tea at a Tea Shoppe, complete with individual pots of tea,

a tower of tiny sandwiches, and a scone - piping hot from the oven!

JP was working this weekend, so yesterday we girls decided to take the bikes out for a ride.  We went to the local rails-to-trail bike trail, which is about a 30 minute drive away.  It was an overcast day, so not too hot, and the ride was very pleasant,  We rode over 14 miles through the wooded, honeysuckle drenched trail.

L was having some issues, so J got way ahead of us.  We stopped for a pic with the walking man on the way.  

I woke up last night in terrible pain - my low back was throbbing and I had severe sciatic pain all the way down my right leg to my calf.  Thank goodness for the adjustable bed that JP & I got right before he left to self isolate downstairs!  I was able to get in a semi-comfortable position, on a heating pad and dosed myself up with Ibuprofen.  I was horrified that a bike ride caused me that much pain, and I hope it doesn't mean the end of biking with the girls!  I woke up this morning feeling stiff and sore and 80 years old, but that is my baseline.

I've been spending quite a bit of time in the garden too.  The strawberries and asparagus need to be picked every other day.  Everything is planted now, except some more sweet corn next week (I like to plant it a couple of weeks apart so that it isn't all ready to eat at one time.)  There is lots of weeding to be done in there now, and I need to mulch things, but I am at a loss for mulching material.  The asparagus is now finished, and I have it all weeded (again) and I hauled all the straw and wood shavings from the chicken house to put around it - it covered all but the last 2 feet!

JP and I spent several hours last weekend repairing the bird netting around the blueberries, which will be the next crop to harvest...can't wait for those blueberries!

In my flower beds, the Oak Leaf Hydrangea is actually blooming this year!  I've had it for 3 years now.  

I also FINALLY have a Red Hot Poker flower blooming (Kniphofia) - I have planted probably 7 or 8 of these, the last 3 being last spring.  

Many of my flowers have white spots on their leaves (it's a bit hard to see in the photo) - this is from the dew freezing on the leaves when it got down to 26* in early May.

Well, enough rambling.  Stay well!

Going Green!

This morning, our county went to "green", meaning that we can now meet in groups up to 250, stores and restaurants can open at 50% capacity, and things can begin to return to normal.  According to my count up calendar, it's been 83 days and change since the Governor closed the schools.

It's a bit too late for some things - J's voice and guitar instructor closed his studio in town.  He will still be teaching down in WV, but the trip is too far to make on a regular basis.  She also missed prom and her show, "Seussical the Musical."  L missed her last year of Middle School Track and Field.

JP is still self isolating down stairs in the guest suite, and there is no end in sight to that bit of pandemic life.  I feel very alone.

J will be able to finish up her pottery from her class in the spring soon, and I have been given the green light to return to work at the end of June.

I am feeling something like Edna St. Vincent Millay describes in another section of her poem, "Renascence."

...And all at once the heavy night

Fell from my eyes and I could see,-

A drenched and dripping apple-tree,

A last long line of silver rain,

A sky grown clear and blue again.

And as I looked a quickening gust

Of wind blew up to me and thrust

Into my face a miracle

Of orchard-breath, and with the smell,-

I know not how such things can be!-

I breathed my soul back into me.

Ah! Up then from the ground sprang I

And hailed the earth with such a cry

As is not heard save from a man

Who has been dead, and lives again.

About the trees my arms I wound;

Like one gone mad I hugged the ground;

I raised my quivering arms on high;

I laughed and laughed into the sky...

Upcycling

I decided to embark on a project recently that would satisfy several objectives at once:  1)  Give me something worthwhile to do, 2) Clean out my closet, and 3) Make something attractive that I can use.  So, I decided to make a rug out of old t shirts.

I sorted through my closet and pulled out a pile of prospective T's.  (L stole that red one.)

Then I cut them into strips, gave the strips a little tug, and they snugged down into yarn-like strands. 

 

Here are my balls of t shirt yarn from 6 T's.

The next step took the longest - braiding all that yarn into a very long braid.

The girls helped some with this part.

After several days of braiding, I had 120 feet of braided t shirt yarn.

The final step is sewing the braid into coils.

I used an entire spool of thread, and something happened to my sewing machine on the final strip, but here is my finished rug.

I'm pretty pleased with it, and my daughter told me that I was doing a "very Mennonite thing."  So...job well done!

Rain

It got hot today.  Hot and humid.  Typical PA summer.  The weather forecast was calling for rain, but the sun shone most of the day.  I figured that the best way to bring on the rain and cool things off would be to water the garden, so I did that this morning before it got too hot.

While I was down there, I picked the strawberries and asparagus.  Don't they look beautiful?

I happened to hear part of the poem "Renascence" by Edna St. Vincent Millay read by Chris in the Morning on "Northern Exposure" the other day, so I read the entire poem last night.  It's a long one, but it's filled with beautiful descriptions like this:

...The rain, I said, is kind to come

And speak to me in my new home.

I would I were alive again

To kiss the fingers of the rain,

To drink into my eyes the shine

Of every slanting silver line,

To catch the freshened, fragrant breeze

From drenched and dripping apple-trees.

For soon the shower will be done,

And then the broad face of the sun

Will laugh above the rain-soaked earth

Until the world with answering mirth

Shakes joyously, and each round drop

Rolls, twinkling, from its grass-blade top...

It did eventually rain here a little bit this evening.  It was just enough to freshen up the air a bit.