Week 21 - Time Spent Gardening

Be careful what you wish for from the weather gods! After last week's crazy weather, the pendulum swung in the opposite direction but that was fine by me. Beyond that, it was a quiet week of getting stuff done at home.

I woke up Monday morning to 1.5" of much needed rain in the gauge. There was more rain due at the end of the day so I got my butt outside and planted the 3 empty veg beds so they'd get watered in. I made banana bread and tetrazzini that afternoon. By the end of the day, there were tornado watches in effect and talk of big storms with hail so we cancelled knitting. Luckily we just got rain so my seeds got plenty of water to start them off.

It was 57 degrees on Tuesday so a full 40 degrees less than a week ago. I asked Ana if she wanted to come over for lunch and a movie but she was sorting boxes of her brother's stuff so suggested I go to her so I could knit while she sorted. I took lunch but didn't stay very long because she had a deadline and wasn't getting much sorted while I was there. I ran errands in town then went home to knit and stream. 

I had bought a 3 pound chub of frozen hamburger at The Warehouse so planned to do some cooking on Wednesday. First I went outside and did some weeding and puttering. I also talked to Connie, who I was happy to hear did not need me to help her plant her garden, which I'd suggested I might be willing to do because she was worried about being able to garden after her knee replacement. That saves me driving 9 hours each way and now I can concentrate on my own gardening. I made meatballs and meatloaf with mashed potatoes and broccoli then settled in for the Survivor finale.

Thursday was a busy day. For a retiree. I reclaimed the kitchen from all my cooking, ran to the vet to pick up flea stuff, got a haircut and was back for a 2:00 zoom with Paul from The Ripples Project. After a cup of tea, I went outside to plant a few more things and had book club that night. That's plenty busy for me!

It was a rainy day on Friday but I planted before the late morning rain then was back out to repot amaryllis before the 2nd round of rain. I was out again on Saturday cleaning the deck, setting up a plant stand for all the amaryllis and then dug a new wildflower bed and planted that. The hardware cloth is to stop the cats for digging in it. On Sunday I did some cooking, including a rhubarb upside down cake for Tim, whose son mows my yard. He had hinted that he loved rhubarb but hadn't had any since his grandmother died. I also planted the perennials I'd bought at Spring Affair, which were truly the last planting for this season. Unless I buy more plants. : )

I'd call that a good week. Weather was better, I got plenty done and had some fun. I'll take a few more of those please.

Week 20 - Desoto Bend Visit

The week started out super hot, which had me hunkered down, followed by 2 days of 50 mph winds. Crazy spring weather but there was lots of cooking and some fun to end the week.

It was 87 on Monday but I'd put the AC on on Sunday so the house was nice and cool. I finished watching The Pitt on Max (good show if you haven't seen it) and went to the library for knitting. I was the only one there at first so was working on the puzzle while I waited to see if anyone else would come. They did and joined me and Ana around the communal puzzle and worked on it until 7:45 before finally starting knitting. Ha!

Despite the heat, I decided to work on the messy corner in the garage on Tuesday morning. It was cool enough in there in the morning but I didn't finish so went out after lunch and by then it was broiling. I did finish it though and got right into the shower when I went in because I had a library board meeting so had to clean myself up and put on going out of the house clothes. At least it was done.

I had finally heard from the plumber that the contractor needed to look at my bathroom before he could give me a quote and he was coming at the end of the day on Wednesday so I did some cleaning before heading to the dentist at 2:00. The plumber came and I felt better about him than the contractor but still wasn't convinced he was the person to hire so after he left, I arranged for another contractor to come on Thursday late afternoon. The heat had broken overnight so I spent Thursday morning in the kitchen and had so much food that I invited Ana for lunch, which was fun. The new contractor came at 4:15 and no contest, he's the one I'll be hiring. He gave me a ballpark figure that was less than I thought it would be and said he have a quote to me soon.

Friday was my Lincoln day and I'd be having lunch at Helen's. I started downtown picking up book club books at the library commission, ran a few errands and spent the entire afternoon chatting with Helen and looking at her latest decorating projects and her garden. I stayed so long (nothing unusual there) that I gave up on any further errands, just stopping at HyVee for a few groceries before heading home.

Saturday was spinning and we were going to Desoto Bend National Wildlife Refuge for a program. In 1865, a supply boat had sunk in the Missouri River and was silted over for 100 years before it was found and excavated. Except for turning everything red, the silt had kept everything in fabulous condition, including fabric and knitted items. They were doing a special program for the spinners, pulling out items to display and asking us for any knowledge we could share on them. 

The wind had subsided after 2 crazy high wind days Thursday and Friday so a few of us decided that morning that we should bring a picnic for before the program. I packed up lunch for Andrea and me and we headed to Iowa, which was about an hour drive. Sure, the wind was less but it was still too windy to eat outside so we found a table inside. I did a quick buzz through of the museum, which is part wildlife and part displays of the things that were found on the boat - The Bertrand. The program included a power point that gave us the history of the sinking and then we got to get up close and personal with the textiles. We couldn't touch them but they had people with gloves who would turn things over and such when we needed to see more. It was fascinating.

On the way home, Andrea and I hit the Goodwill in Blair and then a Nebraska Passport stop in Bennington, where we got ice cream and a passport stamp. We then hit Aldi in Fremont and went home. It was a fun day. Sunday was my regular old chore day and some work on hoses, which are a project every year of fixing broken ends, finding the right attachments and snaking them under the deck to hook them up. That required a trip to the farm store for parts so of course I bought more flowers, which means there will be more container planting coming up.

So it was a good week. I had some bouts of productivity, made progress on hiring someone to gut my bathroom and ended the week with culture and friends. Hopefully the weather won't be so crazy for a few more weeks. Rain would be nice but not 90 degrees in mid-May please. Are the weather gods listening? Here's hoping

Week 19 - Planting My Containers

I was in full spring mode this week and spent most of it planting flowers. But what would a week in my 2025 life be without a medical appointment but I rewarded myself on that day, as usual.

I started the week working with Cindy for an hour. Lacey did say I'd be on call for life. I did some laundry and planted more containers, helped along with Lorri bringing some plants over. The Monday Night Knitters opted for the year end band and chorus concerts in the parking lot at the school instead of the library. It was hot in the sun but good entertainment plus we had yummy cheeseburgers for supper.

Most of the rest of the week was spent planting my containers, which I love doing every year. I planted all of my flower containers and even planted tomatoes in kitty litter bag lined milk crates on the driveway as an experiment because they'll get lots more sun there than in my veg beds. Those milk crates were full of sticks though so I had a fire Tuesday night to burn them all, which was fun. I haven't had a fire in ages.

On Thursday, I decided to book my ticket on Southwest for my beach week, taking advantage of their sale. I got a ridiculously cheap ticket for $264 round trip but was confused when it said I'd still get 2 free bags, which they'd been all over the news saying that was over. I went onto my Southwest account to investigate (tickets purchased before May 28th still got free bags) and noticed that it said I had a $243 credit. I dug in on that and come to find out, it was leftover credit from the Christmas 2021 ticket that I'd cancelled. Now I'd used $400+ of that credit and have flown Southwest a many times since then but didn't remember the additional credit. I called them and got that credit applied to the ticket I'd just bought so paid $21 for a round trip ticket for my beach week in August. Score! 

That night, Lorri and I went to the Southeast Community College dinner that had been postponed from February due to a blizzard. It's for culinary students and is their final project. They plan the menu and run the kitchen. It was middle eastern and absolutely delicious. Well worth the delay.

I had an appointment with my oncologist on Friday at 10:15, which was uneventful - mostly to get my Rx for the estrogen blocker I'll be on for the next 5 years. My reward was lunch with Dodie at Costco. She works from home on Fridays and lives right near there so I picked up a few things on her membership and then we ate there. We usually get a slice of pizza and ice cream but I switched it up and had a footlong hotdog. As usual, we talked for ages and had a great catch up. I stopped at Anne's for a bit then hit Goodwill, where I found a skein of sock yarn, which is a rarity and the my favorite part of thrifting. I had Costco chicken for supper then tore it apart and put the bones in the crockpot and went to bed.

I had a nice, quiet weekend that started with picking chicken bones and making soup but otherwise was knitting, streaming and doing some chores. While being retired means every day can feel like a weekend, I seem to find myself getting things done during the week and enjoying down time on the weekend. Works for me!

My containers always take a few weeks to start looking good because they're mostly geraniums and lantanas that I overwintered so they look bedraggled for a bit. So here's a pic of my first fire of the season. I hope there will be more and that I'll have friends over for s'mores instead of solo in the driveway. : )

Week 18 - Fridges and Flowers

What a week! It started out rocky but ended with flowers galore and had some nice quiet moments in between.

I woke up to find my fridge was not as cold as it should be. The freezer was stone cold but I heard no blowing so my theory was that the fan had died. This is not the first problem I've had with this 20 year old fridge so I called it fatal and started looking for a new one. 

With the size of my kitchen, a bottom freezer wouldn't work so that left me going old school with the freezer on top. I was also limited by the size of my opening so was looking for a 32" fridge. I went to the hardware store in downtown Wahoo that's known for their appliances and quick delivery. They had 28" and 36" fridges but no 32's. After perusing websites and finding pretty much the same fridge as my dead one minus the bells and whistles (because top freezers are so last century apparently), I started making calls. Nebraska Furniture Mart could deliver on Thursday for $19 but how could I last until then? The other 2 stores couldn't deliver until a week from Thursday and for $169! I called my friend Cindy, who has a truck and a super handy husband, and they agreed to pick it up at Ernie's in Ceresco and deliver if after work on Tuesday. I called and bought it over the phone.

I had a lot of work to do before Tuesday evening. I spent the day rotating stuff from the fridge to the freezer, setting a timer so nothing would freeze and then rotating other stuff. Did I mention that it was 90 degrees? Crazy and it didn't help things. Anyway, I also had furniture to move, carpets to roll up and a peach pie to make for Dave, which would be the payment for his services. I also did some general cleaning since there'd be people in my house. Cindy called when they left Ernie's, which is 15 minutes away, and I started unloading the fridge. Dave had all the tools and he and Cindy work like a well oiled machine. It was such a tight fit that I had to take the knobs off my stove and it barely made it through the doorway between the front room and kitchen. While they loaded up the old fridge to take to the metal bin at the hardware store in Wahoo, I threw things back into the fridge and then met them at Adelita's for a thank you supper. I have the best friends.

Wednesday was a new day and after running errands in Wahoo, I put the front room and kitchen back in order over the course of the day. I ignored the fridge, which was a mess with everything just thrown in, instead spending 3 hours on the phone with Janice talking about everything and nothing. I talked to Connie too after Survivor since she's on mountain time.

Thursday was a busy day that had nothing to do with my fridge. Yay! I started my May socks first things since it was a new month but was out the door early to meet Anne at the Hort Club plant sale. It was underwhelming but I found a few plants and then went to Westlake Ace to buy more. I had been craving Chinese buffet for weeks and Cindy was up for it so I picked her up and campus and enjoyed every bite. I then went home to tally for my Ravelry sock group - another thing I do the first of every month. I had a meeting at the library at 5:15 so stopped at Found & Flora just as they closed to get my first ever Nebraska Passport stamp. They were giving out zipper pouches to the first passporters and they still had some so I scored that. I hope to get lots of passport stamps this summer while tooling around the state.

The meeting was quick and I rushed home to meet a contractor who was coming to give me a quote on gutting my bathroom. He didn't seem enthused about doing it while I'm in Rhode Island later this summer and said he had to send the plumber he works with before he can give me a quote. First steps I guess but I'll be looking for other bids for sure.

I was thrilled that Friday was a rainy day, not only because we desperately need the rain but it was also an excuse to stay in. I watched YouTube knitting podcasts and knitted all day. I finished my latest pair of reading socks and started new ones. It was a lovely day and I was recharged and  ready to head outside for the weekend. 

All that rain had softened the soil, which had been so dry it was like concrete, enough that I could start some gardening. After talking to Carolyn first thing, I headed outside to clear the veg beds and get the hoses out of the garage. I also moved all the plants I'd overwintered outside to the deck. I love overwintering my lantanas and geraniums but it's always nice when they go outside along with the metal racks they were on. In order to start planting containers, I had to sift compost to mix with last year's potting soil. After planting a bunch of containers, I went inside to transplant the seedlings I'd started and made a chuck steak in the electric frying pan to end the weekend.

So while this week started with the refrigerator fiasco, that all worked out and I got to end the week finally able to work outside after the funky spring weather we've had this year. The rain was so welcome and I hope is the beginning of a rainy May. It was also the first week post-radiation, which felt like a gift. Goodbye cancer and welcome back normal life.

Week 17 - Done with Radiation

This week was all about radiation, with my third through fifth, and final, treatments. They were all first thing in the morning and I took the highway there, which is longer distance wise but has no traffic so takes much less time. After each, I had social plans and rewards too.

After Monday's, I went to The Yarn Shop, which is closing down and so had lots of sales. I bought 4 skeins there then stopped at Makit Takit (another yarn shop that also holds classes for every craft imaginable) to pick up another skein I'd bought online before heading to campus for lunch with Dodie. At my request, we didn't go to our usual place but Pho Factory instead for their wonderful spring rolls. After a grocery stop, I headed home. First treatment of the week done and I was home in time for tea on my bench before supper and Monday Night Knitting.

While I was reading that afternoon, I saw the cutest little baby squirrel on the maple in my backyard. I've always had squirrels living in that tree but in all the years of watching them, I'd never seen a small one. He was fully furred but only about 4" long without the tail. He was alone and what I assumed was his mama was across the alley and chattering so kept trying to come down the tree, which put him in cat danger territory. He was adorable to watch.

Since Tuesday was a free day, I got busy outside raking the back grass, pruning hydrangeas and clearing another garden bed. I did laundry and hung the sheets out then went to meet my new friend, Ana, for tea in the park. There was not a single lull in the conversation. Nice. When I took my sheets in to remake my bed, I found the baby squirrel on the floor of my bedroom - alive but breathing heavy. I tried to get him back into the nest in the tree but couldn't reach and he wasn't crawling in when I got him close balancing him on a rake. Andrea came to the rescue just before dark and climbed a ladder and got him back in the tree. He did perk up enough to pull himself in, which gave me hope.

I timed Wednesday's treatment and it was 22 minutes from car to car. If only it wasn't a 45 minute drive each way! I had lunch with my work friends and then made a beeline home. I was reading on the bench again and after checking a zillion times, finally saw the little dude sticking his head out of the tree so I hung some sunflower seeds and water on the side of the tree. I was a bit obsessed.

I was checking constantly on Thursday but wasn't seeing him sticking his head out. After checking on and off all morning, I found little dude dead at the base of the tree. I was so sad and buried him by the garage near Gansey and Hazel. With the forecast for rain all day, I had planned an inside day so watched Ludwig on Britbox while waiting for the rain, which didn't start until 3:00. I did transplant all the tomatoes I'd started from seed but didn't do much else. Oh well.

Friday was my last radiation and I had a full day planned. Since it was my last one, it took much longer because I had to see the doctor, the nurse in charge of the study and give blood. Despite running late, I stopped at The Yarn Shop to exchange one of the skeins I'd bought on Monday and also bought a yarn advent calendar, which was leftover from Christmas 2024 but would work fine for me for 2025. From there I went to Helen's for lunch but didn't stay as long as usual because I was meeting Lorri at Spring Affair. Unfortunately, she had texted to say she wasn't coming but I didn't see it until I got there so I could have stayed longer at Helen's. I bought a few plants, backtracked to Walmart for some milk and headed home. 

A women I knew from Friends of the Library had recently died and her son and his family had lived next door to me for a few years so I went to the visitation at the church that night so I wouldn't have to go to the funeral on Saturday. I got to talk to Glen and Tammie so I'm glad I made that decision. I had a bowl of cereal for supper and called it a day. It had been a long one.

I had a nice quiet weekend ahead to recuperate from my busy week. I puttered outside a bit and did some chores but mostly streamed and knitted. I got a fun package from Dottie with not only the afghan she'd crocheted for me (at my request) but some stocking stuffers she hadn't sent at Christmas. Also on Saturday, Anne went to The Yarn Shop, which was now at 50% off, and did a video chat with me so I could pick out more yarn. After she got me 5 more skeins, I declared a moratorium on buying yarn, with an exception for thrift shop and travel yarn, of course. 

My fridge started making odd noises on Sunday night. When I pulled it out to check the back, a stack of pie plates that was on top fell and shattered all over but at least it wasn't the other stack, which had fun Pyrex ones would have been a big loss. After all that, the back is completely sealed so there was nothing to see. Oh well.

So it was a busy week with all the radiation and subsequent social activity, which had seemed like a nice reward when I scheduled them. The yarn ended up being a tangible reward but the death of the little dude was a downer. I was glad the week was over and went to bed hoping the fridge would right itself while I slept. Cup half full baby!