Start of the Last Weekend of Summer

Yesterday I spent some time scrubbing down our old plastic picnic table and by the time afternoon rolled around I was really tired. I sat down in my chair for a while and was awaken when Toni called saying that they were going to come over in a few minutes. They were stopping off at Wendy's and wanted to know if we wanted anything, since I had eaten before I went to sit down all I asked for was a frosty.

They arrived shortly afterward and brought a couple extra Jr. burgers, but all I had was the frosty. After they left I took another nap and when I woke up it was almost 1900 so I called up to Kathleen to see if she was going to do anything for dinner and she said that she would be down shortly.

Since there were two burgers left she asked if that would be okay for dinner, I said sure and so we finished them off along with some cole slaw and potato salad left over form the other night.

After eating and putting the dishes into the dishwasher I logged onto my computer but I could not get my brain to think about blogging so I just kind of decided that I would skip a night.

Today was another cool day, lots of clouds mixed with patches of sunshine so after breakfast I went back outside and picked about three dozen cherry tomatoes and then brought them into the house. Then I went back out and Finished scrubbing down the remaining four chairs from the picnic set that I started working on yesterday.

After cleaning up I got the mail and went through it and put the majority of it into the pile for the recycling. Then I washed the pots and pans and some of the dishes that were in the sink.

Kathleen came downstairs and made herself some toast and I took out the recycling and the garbage as it was starting to overflow. Then I sat down and looked through a couple magazines and catalogs while she ate breakfast.

Felling like I needed to be outside I decided to get my rake and rake up the walnut tree leaves that have started to fall. If I do not stay on top of them they get really heavy from the dew and when it rains they really get hard to rake.

After putting away the rake I went back inside; Kathleen had gone back upstairs I sat around for a while and then decided that I needed make myself something to eat.

After resting for a while I though that I needed to do something else before I wasted away the whole day; so I went back outside and got out my leaf blower and blew off the sidewalks, driveway and around the front lawn.

Well, that has been my life for the last couple days, I Did get a chance to email Ben Roush and two of his sisters, Dianne and Nancy, the last couple of days and got reacquainted after almost forty years and they all said to say hi.

Run Around Day

Today was a much nicer day than the last couple of days. So after breakfast I went outside and pruned the roses and pulled the plastic chairs and table from underneath the apple tree. We had not used them at all this year and not very much last year so I wanted to scrub them up and wash them off a little so that they would not look so bad.

I also discovered our old tether ball pole with the ball still attached; I am not sure how good the cord still is as it has been sitting under the apple tree for many a year. So if any of my children would like it let me know and you can have it; if not it is going to be a candidate for Goodwill.

Well, dragging the table and chairs out and setting them on the back lawn was all I got accomplished this morning as I needed to go inside and clean up so that we could go to the doctor's an noon. I made myself some toast to carry me over until we got back and then went and changed clothes.

After the doctor's appointment we took off to take the SUV thought DEQ. We got our certificate and also our new tags for the next two years. Kathleen had thought about getting different plates but decided to stick with the ones that she had o that was a little cheaper.

Then we headed home so that I could pick up one of my medications to get it refilled at the same time that Kathleen got her new prescription filled. On the way home I stopped and got some gas as it was below a half of a tank and it does not hurt so much as it does as when it is near empty.

When we got home I made myself a brat and sour kraut and then loaded up the dishwasher and turned it on. Then we took off for Fred Meyer to get the prescriptions filled.

While we were waiting for them to fill them we went looking for a coat for Kathleen. She found one that she liked so we went ahead and bought it as she has been looking for one for over a year.

By the rime we checked out from buying the coat the prescriptions were ready so we went and picked them up and then Kathleen wanted to try to find an ice bag; we had looked at Fred Meyer but did not find one so I suggested we try Bi-Mart.

Bi-Mart did not have the size that she wanted so they are ordering a larger one and will call us when it comes in. By the time we got home it was about 1630 so I changed my clothes and checked my email.

It is now time for dinner and I just heard Kathleen come downstairs so hopefully dinner will be ready shortly.

Dreary Day

It was really overcast this morning again when I got up and it never did get much better although later on in the afternoon the sun did make an appearance between clouds.

I did go outside for a while when I took the recycling out to the container and also the kitchen recyclables out to the composter. I managed to pull out just about all of the remaining mole plants although I am sure that twice that many will soon take their place.

This afternoon I sat around most of the time although I did go through several magazines and tore out the pages that I wanted to keep and recycled the rest of the magazines.

Kathleen left around 1500 to meet with one of the ladies from church and I went upstairs to try and take a nap and try to loose my headache but no such luck. My mind kept running though the things that needed to get done and if I did not do them they do not get done.

So after trying for a while I finally got up and went outside and dug out a shrub that had started to grow alongside of one of our climbing roses along the fence west of the driveway. I am pretty sure that I cut it down a few years ago but this time I tried to dig out as much of the root as possible.

Once I had the shrub out I could see several dead branches on the rose so I pruned them off and also several suckers that I try to keep cut off. While I had the area cleaned up a little I was able to see several fir cones that I picked up and put in a bucket to take back and grind up in my chipper when I get around to it.

Well, my headache has not gotten any better; it did not bother me as much while I was working outside but now that I have stopped it has really started bothering me again. I am not sure what has been causing them but they are really annoying and can get rather intense at times.

Finally got to go Grocery Shopping Today!

This morning it was pretty overcast when I got up from raining last night; I thought that it might clear up after a while but it really never did. After breakfast I went outside and picked up a few apples, most of them are coming down rotten already and there are a lot fewer of them than there were a couple of weeks ago.

While I was out there I picked and ate a few raspberries as my second crop is starting to come one now. There where only a few ripe enough to pick and eat so I did even though they were a little mushy from having been rained on last night.

Since I dead headed the roses for a couple days I did that; I also cut off the stems of the lilies that had finished blooming and pulled a few weeds while I was at it. I had noticed a couple blackberries popping up in the grapes from the other side of the fence so I got my shovel and went around and dug a dozen or so out. They are so intertwined with the grapes that for now I can just dig them out below the surface; I will have to wait until after the grapes drop their leaves so that I can really see what I am digging up.

Having a little bit of energy left I went out front with my landscape rake and smoothed out the piles that I had dumped there Saturday. Little did I realize that in a couple hours the mailman would drive over it and put a nice trench through the middle of it.

We have a substitute mailman as our regular carrier is on vacation, but even so he had to drive up and over something that was eight to ten inches higher than the roadway...some things I just cannot figure out.

About 1130 I went upstairs and gathered up the trash form upstairs and Kathleen decided that it was time to come downstairs and eat breakfast. So by the time I finished taking out the trash and putting the garbage can, the recycling container and the glass recycling bin up front it was time for me to make myself some lunch.

Since we had some left-over chicken, rice and zucchini I decided to reheat it and have that for lunch. After I finished eating and putting the dishes into the dishwasher I went through the coupons, sorted them out, through out the ones that had expired and clipped the ones that we needed to the shopping list so that we would have them handy for our shopping trip.

Finally around 1430 we got out the door and headed toward the credit union as I had a couple checks that I have had for almost a month that I needed to deposit. So after a quick trip there we headed back to Winco.

We had not been there for over two months; we had gotten things at Trader Joe's, Fred Meyer and Wal-Mart during that time but not a full fledged grocery shopping trip. After taking all the groceries into the house and putting them away I went upstairs and changed my clothes.

After spending a while on my computer I looked up and it was almost 1900 so I called up and asked if she were ready to eat. We did not have to cook anything as we had gotten some chicken and JoJo's at the deli counter for dinner tonight as Kathleen knew that she would not feel like doing anything more tonight.

Sunday's Snoozing

Well today has been one of those days where I did not get much done other than go to church and Sunday School. I felt pretty good when I got up other than my back was really sore from moving all that dirt yesterday. But the longer that I was up the more I realized that I was still extremely tired.

I felt more tired the longer I sat in church and by the time Sunday School rolled around I had to keep rubbing my eyes as they felt like they were full of grit. The fact that it was really muggy feeling did not help me at all. I could not wait until I got home and was able to put on my shorts and tee shirt.

After a while I reheated some left-overs and then read the paper. I just barely finished the paper and put it into the recycling pile and this time when I sat down in my chair I fell asleep.

I did not feel much more rested when I awoke so I have a feeling that it is going to be an early night for hitting the sheets. It is suppose to start raining a little tonight and I am hoping that it will clear the air and make it not so muggy out.

This next week we need to get Kathleen's SUV to pass DEQ inspection and then renew the license for another couple of years.

Well, since I did not get anything done today there is not much to write about, maybe this next week will be better.

Sweaty Saturday

I must have felt pretty good this morning when I got up because after breakfast I went outside and picked a couple dozen cherry tomatoes and one early girl that had started to rot on the bottom side. After I brought the tomatoes inside I went back outside and pruned the roses and then mowed the back yard and since I was feeling pretty good I went ahead and mowed the front lawn as well; that is something that I have not been able to do for several months.

I was pretty tired when I finished and so I went into the house cleaned up and sat for a while. Before I knew it, it was about 1330 so I reheated the rest of my shrimp gumbo and had that for lunch. Since there was not a lot of it I sliced the bad part off the tomato with a lot extra just to be safe and then cut the remainder into slices and put them onto a couple slices of wheat bread and added a few slices of mozzarella cheese on top and them broiled it in the toaster oven.

Kathleen came downstairs and made herself a couple left-over pancakes for breakfast; I had four of them for breakfast myself and there are still enough for breakfast tomorrow. After we both finished eating I loaded the dishes into the dishwasher and turned it on and then went into the living room and took a nap.

When I woke up I had a feeling that I wanted to get a little more done and so I went back outside thinking that I would just work out in the garage for a while; butttttt, since it was such a nice day outside I decided that I would shove some of the soil from the west side of back part of the driveway and move it to the front part of the driveway.

By the time I finished not only was I pretty exhausted but I had a pile of dirt about a foot high and four foot wide by ten foot long. I just did not have enough left in me to level it out so that will have to wait for another day.

It is almost time for dinner so I think that I will go upstairs and see what Kathleen is planning for dinner. While she is doing that I think that I am going to hit the shower and clean up and cool off.

Fabulous Food Friday

Since Alyssa has not posted one of her fabulous foods I thought that I would give it a shot. Since this is the time of year when everyone is either trying to give away their extra zucchini or trying to figure out what to do with the over-sized squash that some one unloaded on them.

The Simple Zucchini

Zucchini, a summer squash, is one of the easiest vegetables to grow. It is inexpensive, versatile and tasty. Although it is not especially high in any specific nutrient, it is low in calories, and it contains antioxidants and 2.5 grams of fiber per one-cup serving.

The long, green summer squash is most familiar to us and is easy to prepare. Toward the end of summer, many people tire of it and look for new and interesting ways to cook it. If you grow zucchini, you are most likely need more recipes for cooking it, since the plant has a reputation for growing “out of control” overnight, producing a great number of squash that can grow very large.

There are thousands of recipes using zucchini available on the Internet. You can use large or small zucchini for Zucchini-Crusted Pizza recipe, which is delicious and low in carbohydrate. The crust is made by shredding the zucchini, a good way to re-introduce it to people who don’t like seeing the seeds when it is cut into “moons” or chopped.

Here is something you might try. Enjoy this unusual pizza for breakfast, lunch or dinner and for a healthy snack.

Ingredients & Preparation

Zucchini-Crusted Pizza Ingredients:
2 cups packed grated zucchini (about two 7" zucchini)
2 eggs, beaten
¼ cup almond flour or almond meal
½ cup grated mozzarella
2 tablespoons grated parmesan
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasonings, or 2 teaspoons combined of minced fresh basil, thyme, oregano and parsley
Topping
1 large ripe tomato, thinly sliced
2 ounces goat cheese
1 thinly sliced fresh or roasted red pepper
8 olives, sliced

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400°.
Spray a 10" pizza or pie pan with vegetable oil cooking spray.
Combine zucchini, eggs, almond flour, cheese and herbs in a bowl and mix well.
Spread crust mixture in the prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven, but leave oven on.

When the crust has cooled for about 10 minutes, use a spatula to loosen it from the pan, so it won’t break when serving.

Top the crust with the vegetables and goat cheese and bake at 400° until heated through and cheese starts to color.

Makes 6 servings


Serving Suggestion:
Additional suggested toppings:
Sliced raw or sautéed mushrooms
Chopped artichokes, water packed or marinated
Sliced onions
A layer of pesto
Fresh leaves of spinach or Swiss chard
Fresh or roasted garlic
Chopped fresh or dried herbs such as basil, mint, parsley and thyme
Make a breakfast pizza by layering thin slices of Canadian bacon, shredded cheddar cheese and diced pineapple.

Nutrition at a Glance (per serving)
Calories 140
Total fat 9g
Saturated fat 3g
Carbohydrate 8g
Dietary fiber 2g
Protein 8g

Good luck and enjoy!

Almost an Ideal Day Weatherwise

I woke up later than I did yesterday; yesterday I was up by 0400; so that was not too hard to do and it was still half way dark outside but it looked like it was going to be a pretty nice day.

By the time I made myself breakfast the sun was out and not many clouds in the sky. So after putting my dishes into the dishwasher I took the recycling outside and then went for a walk. After my walk I went out back and picked a dozen and a half of the cherry tomatoes. For some reason they seem to be the only ones that are ripening in any quantity right now.

There are about three early girl tomatoes that are turning red but I notice that they are also starting to rot from the bottom. The roma tomatoes are starting to get pretty good size and should be ripening soon.

After taking the tomatoes into the house I went back outside and raked more of the front lawn. I have just about all of it raked now and about two-thirds of it thatched. I would have liked to have finished it today but I am starting to figure out when I am pushing myself too much and trying to stop before I pass the point of being exhausted.

So after putting my rakes away I decided that I would do a little pruning on the apple tree in the back yard. Since most of the apples are gone now I thought that it would be a good time to trim some branches that the squirrels use to go from the golden mountain ash tree to the apple tree.

I filled two large garbage cans with branches and then dumped them into the recycling container. That container really holds a lot as the two garbage cans did not even fill it up. Maybe with this larger container I will be able to get rid of some of the yard debris that I do not usually get to get rid of.

By the time I finished pruning I was really getting tired so I put my pole pruner and my loppers into the garage and went into the house and cleaned up I was really sweaty and tired.

After resting for a while I reheated some more of that shrimp gumbo and had that for lunch. I reheated the remainder thinking that I would finish it today but I finished about half of it so I will have the rest of it for lunch some other day. I am trying to eat slowly enough so that when I do get full I know it and can stop before I eat too much.

After putting the rest of the gumbo in the refrigerator and my silverware into the dishwasher I went into the living room and sat down for a while before I fell asleep. I knew that I was pretty tired but I was surprised at how quickly I fell asleep.

After waking up I went checked my email and tried to stay awake. I had thought that I might have been able to go out and finish raking this afternoon or do some more cleaning in the garage but no such luck. I am really tired of being so tired all the time.

A Mixed Bag Weatherwise

Today it was almost a nice day with a lot of ugly looking clouds that looked like they were going to dump lots of rain on us but it never did. After breakfast I loaded up the dishwasher and started it up. While it was running I went outside and picked about a dozen tomatoes, pruned the roses and pulled some weeds in the back yard and then I went out to the front yard and picked up fir branches and cones.

While I was out front I noticed that the front lawn was looking pretty sad so I decided that I would rake it and get the walnut leaves. Once I started to rake I found out that I was actually thatching the grass as well.

The grass and ground was still pretty saturated from all the rain the last few days and while I could see how much the lawn needed thatching it was sticking together too much to make raking very efficient.

I was wearing myself out faster than I wanted to do so I only wound up doing half of the front lawn. So I put the rake away and got out my leaf blower as I thought that if I took a break from raking I might be able to finish the lawn.

Unfortunately I was more worn out than I had thought and by the time I got done blowing off the driveway and sidewalks I was too tired to finish the lawn. Maybe tomorrow the grass will be drier and will rake easier; the weather is suppose to be much warmer and drier.

By the time I finished putting every thing away and got cleaned up it was almost 1330 so I emptied the dishwasher and then I reheated some of the shrimp gumbo that I made yesterday. As I was heating it up Kathleen finally came downstairs for breakfast so we were able to have time at the kitchen table together; I for lunch and she for breakfast.

After putting our dishes into the dishwasher I went into the living room and laid down on the floor and put my feet up on one of the ottomans so that I could keep my feet above my heart. I dozed off in that position and when I went to get up I could not get up without going over to the couch to help me up.

It was just about time for dinner so I called up to Kathleen and asked if she had any ideas for dinner. She brought up some frozen chicken from the freezer in the basement and thawed it out. The she cut up a zucchini that we got from Alyssa on Sunday and fried it with some onion, garlic and sun dried tomatoes. She also cooked some rice to finish off the meal.

For Some Reason the Cool Wet Weather Seem Kind of Nice after too much Hot Weather

It rained again last night but it still feels kind of muggy out. This morning after eating breakfast and reading the paper I went outside and picked up some fir branches and cones that had fallen during the night. We were supposed to have some pretty strong winds last night; I slept right through them if we did.

Kathleen's SUV has needed washing for some time but it has either been too hot or I have been too tired to do it; so since I was outside and it had stopped raining for a while I decided to fill up my wash bucket and give it a lick and a promise. It is such a big rig that I had to get the small step stool out so that I could wash the top of it.

I like washing the vehicles either during a light rain or right afterwards as the rain helps loosen the dirt and makes it much easier to wash. Today was such a day so I took advantage of it. I try to avoid washing them when it is hot out as the soapy water dries too fast and I have to wipe it down as I am rinsing it off.

The mail came just as I was finishing up so I went out and got it, but there was not much there, just a few catalogs and a magazine.

Kathleen left to meet with one of the women from church and a few minutes after she left Chucky's mother called and talked for ten minutes or so. I had just started to make myself some gumbo so I was glad that the call was as short as it was.

I made it with rice, green bell pepper, a grated carrot and celery stick, onion, garlic, okra, an eighth of a cup of Worchester sauce and the same amount of Sriracha Hot chili sauce and about a half a pound of shrimp.

I made enough so that I will have some for the next couple day’s lunch. Kathleen does not care for it, she does not like okra and I know that she would not like it as hot as I made it either.

Well, Kathleen is still gone; she and Andrea were going to go to Ikea this afternoon so I am guessing that she just met Andrea there after her meeting. I cannot think of anything else to say so I think I will go back to lying on the couch with my feet up to see if I can get the swelling down.

What a Change in the Weather!

Boy the weather certainly has changed over the last couple of days; Last week it was hot and dry with the temperatures in the hundreds and this week it has just barely made it into the seventies and it has been raining off and on.

This morning was very overcast but not really raining, it had done that last night. Yesterday it drizzled off and on most of the day and I did not get much of anything done in the afternoon.

Today after I ate breakfast I took a walk, I had not done that for a while as it had been so hot. Today it was very nice walking weather even though it looked like it could rain any minute; it did not or at least not that I am aware of.

After I got back from my walk I worked out in the gardens pruning the roses and pulling weeds. I checked on the tomatoes but there were not any more ready to pick; yesterday I picked over a dozen some of them I would have left for today but with the threat of more rain I picked them a little early.

Even though some of the tomatoes were not as ripe as I would have liked they still tasted much better than the ones in the stores. That is one of the main reasons that I like to grow tomatoes or any vegetables for that matter there is just something about that fresh out of the garden taste that you can only get right out of the garden.

My carrots are looking good as well and I am going to have to pull one or two of them up one of these days to see how big they are getting. With carrots the baby ones taste so good it is hard to wait until they get full grown.

Any way after I finished in the garden I went into the garage and sorted, rearranged and threw out things for about an hour and a half. I would like to get the garage so that I can do more than get my Jeep into it. I would like to be able to do some woodworking in it and also other things.

When I got back into the house it was 1230 and I was surprised at how late it was. After a while I made myself a Boca burger on toasted wheat bread with an onion slice and some melted cheddar cheese. I also had some multi-grained tortilla chips that are really good.

This afternoon I mostly rested and did some work on my computer. I had kind of thought that we might go grocery shopping today, but Kathleen decided to pick up her sewing machine instead.

Well it is almost 1830 and I think I will check with Kathleen to see what she wants to do for dinner tonight. Last night I thought that using a whole wheat Boboli crust and putting a can of Hormel's no bean chili on top instead of pizza sauce. Then for topping we put olive slices and sun dried tomatoes covered with mozzarella cheese. We did not have any artichoke hearts that I normally like to have on pizza.

We will have to see what we can come up with tonight...always the challenge!

Finally some COOL WET Weather!!

Saturday was kind of a crazy day, it started out rather normal but that did not last too long. I made myself some French toast and a couple sausage links for breakfast and then put my dishes into the dishwasher. Then I worked out in the yard most of the morning until it got too hot for me to do anything else.

About 1300 I shaved and took a shower as we had a wedding to go to at 1400. By the time we finished at the reception it was a little after 1600 and we took off to do a little shopping.

Well by the time we got done it was early evening and by the time we got home it was almost 2000. So by the time we had dinner I was too tired and hot to even think about blogging.

Then yesterday we started out pretty normal with church and Sunday School and then home. After changing my clothes I made myself something to eat for lunch and then read the paper.

It was a really muggy day but at least it was the first day that it was not over a hundred degrees that we have had in a while even though it was in the mid to upper eighties. So after reading the paper I dozed off for a while as I had not been sleeping really well due to the hot nights.

Alyssa was having a birthday party for Hayden starting at 1600 but she said that if people wanted to come over earlier to go swimming that would be okay as well. So we left her a little after 11500.

We were the first ones to arrive, what a shock that must have been, and so we helped Alyssa get ready for the party. Hayden got several "big" trucks some remote control others just made a lot of noise. We got him a really big Tonka dump truck, it did not make any noise and had no remote control but it should last him a life time.

I had hoped to leave a lot earlier than we did but that did not happen and while we were sitting out in the yard we could hear the thunder rolling around in the hills and every once in a while it would start to rain, but nothing very hard or long.

We finally made it home and it was about 2100 so again I was too tired to do any blogging. I got a much better night sleep as the weather was a lot cooler and it even rained a little during the night.

This morning it has been raining off and on but I managed to get a little yard work done before it started raining too hard to stay outside. Seeing how I could not do anything outside I came inside and emptied the dishwasher, and loaded it up again. Then I gathered up the throw rugs and shook them out, swept and mopped the kitchen floor and then the downstairs carpet.

They just announced on the noon news that we got .14 inches of rain which is more than we have had in the last month or so. Well, it is getting close to the time I start thinking about lunch; Kathleen just made it downstairs so I think that I will just go ahead and send this off.

Hot!!

Well the temperature when I got up was seventy-five degrees outside so it did not take long for it to heat up and become really uncomfortable. I mixed some strawberries, blueberries and a banana with my cereal this morning; I was suppose to go out for breakfast with the guys but my bowels had other ideas so I loaded up the washer with a load of dark cloths and had breakfast.

After putting my breakfast dishes into the dishwasher I took the clothes out of the washer and put them into the dryer and then added a load of light clothes into the washer. So by 0930 I had washed, dried, folded and put away two loads of laundry and by the time I had finished the temperature was approaching ninety degrees so I am glad that I did it as early as I did.

Then I went outside and gathered up some more little chunks of wood to put into the garbage can. I also dead headed the roses and pulled a few weeds. I also noticed that several more tomatoes are starting to ripen; unfortunately these are just the cherry tomatoes but the roma, early girl and beefsteak tomatoes are starting to get big.

It was starting to get too hot outside but I wanted to put the Jeep battery on the trickle charger and get it back up to full strength so I did that and then went into the house and got the mail.

There was not a lot there and I thought that I would go out to the garage and straighten up in there for a while as I noticed it was not quite as hot in the garage as it was outside. Unfortunately I had to keep going outside and I was only able to work on that for about an hour as I was really getting overheated.

It was about 1230 by the time I got back inside and cleaned up so I made myself a brat and some cold rhubarb sauce. After cleaning up my lunch dishes and Kathleen's breakfast dishes I decided that I would take some of the boxes from my upstairs room back down to the basement as we have pretty much finished the remodeling upstairs.

I keep my sanding tools and paper in a couple plastic boxes, my plumbing tools in a canvas bag and a plastic box and my electrical tools in a couple canvas bags and about four boxes. I also have a bag of carpentry tools and a couple plastic boxes of carpentry tools and odds and ends.

I had to make about ten trips from upstairs to the basement and by the time I got most everything down into the basement I had worked up a pretty good sweat and was huffing and puffing pretty good. There are still a few boxes that I need to take down into the basement but at least now I can get into my room without putting my life on the line.

After moving all that I decided to sit down and relax in the living room; that was a couple hours ago and now it is getting close to start thinking about dinner.

To Hot to Write

I did not write to my blog yesterday because I was running around most of the day and by the time I got home I was too hot and tired to get my brain working. The weather folks keep reminding us that the temperature is going to be above a hundred degrees until Sunday, and then it is suppose to be in the high eighties.

I have been spending my mornings watering my gardens and then at noon I have been going to church to cut up fruit for the basketball camp that our church is helping organize. This morning I had my first tomato from my garden this season; there is nothing like a fresh tomato right out of the garden.

Yesterday afternoon Kathleen and I went over to the other side of the river and ran around for a few hours and then spent the rest of the time in traffic. I was able to pick up my prescription at Fred Meyer yesterday and we also got a few groceries. I brought some coupons so that half of what we got was free. The clerk even asked me where I got some of my coupons...I have my sources!!

This morning I just had cereal with blueberries and a banana as it was already too hot to cook eggs and hash browns. After eating I put my dishes into the dishwasher and gathered up everything else that I could find and then turned it on.

I went for a walk before it got really hot, although it was warm enough that I did not want to walk too far or too fast. Then shortly after I got back I changed clothes and went to church to cut up fruit.

I was the first one there; so what else is new; and I had three quarters of the fruit cut up before most everyone else showed up. The was one lady that showed up shortly after I did but I spent more time showing her what to go and trying to work around her that I finally asked that she just take the fruit that I cut up into the trays.

The last fellow showed up just as we were finishing up and asked if there was anything that he could do, so I suggested that he transport the fruit to the place where the b ball camp was being held.

Then when everyone else left I cleaned the knives, cutting boards and sinks. Then I dried everything off and then before I left I mopped the floor. By the time I went back outside it was really heating up in fact Kathleen's SUV did not really cool down enough for me by the time I got home.

Once I got home I changed back into my work shorts and tee and went back downstairs and had some lunch. Kathleen did not finish her ham hoagie from last night so I had that along with some deli salads and a dill pickle. After eating I emptied the dishwasher and then put my lunch dishes into it.

Since then I have not done much moving around as it is just too hot. It was over ninety degrees by noon today and they are telling us that the temperature will probably stay in the mid seventies tonight.

Well the 1600 news just came on and we have set another temperature record. They just said that tomorrow it is suppose to set another record and is supposes to be the hottest day in over a decade. Where is all that cool rainy weather when we need it?

I think that I am going to call it a day as my butt is getting too hot to sit here any longer!

Another Day at the Doctor's

This morning started off quite overcast but it was starting to wear off by 0800 and by 0900 it was starting to get pretty warm. Kathleen came downstairs while I was eating breakfast as she was going to go across the river to see if she could get her glasses to fit better and also to pick up her diamond ring and wedding band that she was having made smaller.

So when I finished eating and reading the paper I put my dishes into the dishwasher and washed the pots and pans. Then I took the recycling outside and worked at picking up some of the small junk in front of the garage. I gathered up a couple small bags of mostly small chunks of wood but also some dry wall and a few nails.

After I put the bags into the garbage can I went into the back yard and straightened up a little, pulled a few weeds and apples. I found a couple pieces of pipe that would fit over the plastic stake that I bought a couple weeks ago to set the bird feeder on and cut them to fit. Now I just need to see if the squirrels can climb up on it!

I was getting pretty sweaty and since I had a doctor's appointment this afternoon so I stopped before I got too involved and it got too late for me to take a shower. It was already noon by the time I got inside and so I gathered up the bed linens and put them in the washer.

After doing a few other things I made myself a couple roast beef sandwiches for lunch and looked through a couple catalogs that had come in the mail today. Then I put them into the recycling container and put the bed linens into the drier.

Then when the drier buzzer went off I gathered them up and remade the bed. By this time it was getting late enough that I decided to shower and get ready for my appointment.

Since Kathleen had not gotten dressed yet I was guessing that she was not going to head across the river, since traffic gets pretty hectic with rush hour traffic if one does not plan their trips around the traffic patterns. So I asked her if she wanted to go to the doctors with me and she said she would.

The appointment went pretty well and the doctor said that my self diagnosis was pretty accurate and said that about the only thing that he could recommend was foam so he wrote me a prescription for some.

So after we left there we went to Fred Meyer to have it filled. Well, I guess that what I have is rare enough that the last time they had ordered it was a couple years ago and they did not have any at the store but they would have to order it from their warehouse and it should be here tomorrow.

While we were at Fred Meyer we picked up some more deli salads, a pace of brats and some buns. I think that we are going to have some bean less chili on buns tonight for dinner along with some of the salads.

Speaking of dinner I think that I am going to have to check with Kathleen to see if she is going to cook dinner or if I am going to have to do it. Since it is after 1800 I think it is time to get serious about dinner, I hate to eat dinner too late in the evening and if I do not do something soon it will be late!

More Recycling

This morning I slept in a little longer than I usually do and it felt good! I could tell it was going to be a nice day as I got up and saw that the sun was shining in the windows already.

Before eating breakfast I went outside and picked a couple handfuls of blueberries for my cereal and then emptied the dishwasher before I sat down to eat. After eating I put my bowl and spoon into the dishwasher and then sat down to read the paper and finish my coffee.

After I finished the paper I gathered all the paper, plastic and metal recycling and took it out to the recycling container. Since I had not had time to pick up all the apples yesterday I went back to gather them up, but surprisingly there where not a lot of them.

While I was out there I started going through all the "stuff" that was under the apple tree that had to do with potting. I use to have my potting bench set up there but I have since moved it but there are still a lot of old plant pots back there and I never will use all of them. So I saved out a few of each size and recycled the rest of them.

I even took the pots that I had used for container planting and dumped the dirt out of them and either recycled them or put the good ones together for use later. I also found some pots that I had some bulbs planted in that I took out and planted where the old apple stump was and recycled the pots.

Since I could now see what was there I gathered up some old Tiki torches and threw the bamboo into the yard debris and the metal fuel cans into the recycling. I even put an old barbecue into the recycling.

While I was in the front of the garage I gathered up the rest of the "stuff" that I had set next to the garage and either put it in the back, in the garage or recycled. By this time I was getting pretty worn out so I sat in the sun for a while and drank some of the water that I brought out earlier.

When I finally made it into the house it was almost noon so I went and brought the mail in. There was not much, about the only thing I kept was the credit union monthly statement. By the time I had gone through the mail and returned a phone call it was about time for me to make myself something for dinner.

I made my self a roast beef sandwich using some of the roast beef from yesterday's barbecue. I also made myself a salad with some dried cranberries and roasted walnuts on top. After I finished eating I gathered up my dishes and put them into the dishwasher.

Since I had the credit union statement in my hand I went and logged on to the credit union website and opened up my copy of Quicken and reconciled my savings and checking accounts.

Kathleen just came downstairs and wanted ideas for dinner so I suggested that she use some of the roast beef and some potatoes, so she did. Well it is time for dinner so I am just going to post this and have dinner.

Where did the Day Go?

I got up this morning I made myself a pot of coffee and then after emptying the dishwasher I made myself a raisin nut English muffin for breakfast. Since I had slept in a little longer, I stayed up too late watching the Olympics; I had only a short time to get ready for church. Kathleen had not made it downstairs yet but when I got up there she was dressed and heading downstairs to get something to eat.

I changed my clothes and want downstairs and waited for Kathleen to finish eating. We managed to get there on time this morning something that does not happen too often when we both go to church.

Attendance was down a bit from last week, I guess the honeymoon of the new pastor is over already, but it was still pretty full by the time the service started. For our Sunday School class we sang hymns from the hymnal, something that we do not do very often any more in church.

After church we came home and changed clothes and then headed back to church as Aaron and Tami's class was putting on a barbecue for the whole church. This is the third year that they have done this. They roast a few roasts in the ground and then have some salads and cookies.

Kathleen and I were one of the first to venture outside as most of the people stayed inside, what kind of barbecue does one have inside? Anyway after a while Tami brought Becca and Alexis outside to sit with us while she went back inside to slice up some more roast. After awhile she and Aaron joined us along with several of their friends.

We had a good time and after visiting for a while we decided that we needed to leave, they were folding up the tables and taking down the canopies, we eventually got the hint.

A friend of mine has not been coming to class for a while as he is having a lot of hearing loss, he has a lot of fluid in his ears and just a couple weeks ago had tubes put in his ears. He is a little embarrassed by the whole thing and had kind of isolated himself for others.

So I called him to see if they were going to be home for a little while as we wanted to stop by for a while. His wife answered, so we went over and visited for an hour or so.

By the time we left and got home again it was 1630 and both of us were really tired. I changed my clothes and decided to get some work done on my computer and my blogging.

It is getting close to dinner time, so I think I will wrap this thing up and see what Kathleen has in mind for dinner if anything.

Sore Saturday!

When I woke up this morning not only was my back still sore, although not as sore as when I went to bed, but my legs were really sore. I made it downstairs and was glad that I made it down without my legs giving in on me.

I had a Discipleship Ministry Team meeting this morning and it seemed like it took me forever to get going. I finally made it out the door with a few minutes to spare, or so I thought.

When I went to start my Jeep all I got was a week attempt by the started to turn over. So without even thinking about it I got my jump starter, which I had charged up, and jump started it. I took it along just in case I would need it after my meeting.

The poor Jeep does not get driven enough to keep the battery charged and if I do not think about starting it up once in a while I wind up with a weak or dead battery. Luckily after the meeting it started right up just like it is suppose to do.

I got home about 1130 and since I did not have very much for breakfast I had the rest of the cold pizza from last night and a slice of lemon cake. While I was eating I went through the mail that had come today.

About 1500 I got hungry again so I made myself a couple English muffin pizzas. Since I had not done any hand wash pots and pans for a couple days I decided to gather up all the pots and pans and get them washed.

I had poured a couple containers of water and added the drops to take the chlorine out of the water a couple days ago so since I had the counters and stove top relatively cleared off I decided to give my beta a "bath".

It is amazing how quickly the water turns green in that vase that I keep him in. It does not seem like it was that long ago since I changed the water, it must be the time of year and the amount of light that the water is exposed to.

I am doing this early so that I do not fall asleep before I get a chance to do it later on tonight. Say, did anyone else watch the opening of the Olympics last night? Kind of amazing, but at the same time very sad when one considers the poverty in that country and the amount of money spent on it.

A Nice Cool Day

This morning when I got up it was really overcast, little did I know at the time that it was a sign of the rest of the day. I guess that I have lived on the beach long enough to think that the overcast would just burn off around 0900 or 1000 and then be nice and sunny the rest of the day until evening when the fog would roll back in.

So after I finished eating breakfast I decided to go outside since it was still pretty overcast and do some chipping. I hate doing it when it is sunny and hot as all the dust from the chipper settles on me and I look almost like a tree without leaves. As it turned out this was an excellent day to do this as the temperature only got up to the high seventies today.

Anyway, I thought that I would try to pick up as many fir cones as possible from the front and side yard as possible so that while I was chipping branches I could also chip up the fir cones as well. I filled up a fifty gallon barrel with just fir cones (95%) and walnut shells (5%); I could not believe how many there were.

I spent from around 1030 until about 1330 chipping branches and cones, I had two really large garbage cans full of small branches, three or four feet long, and several larger branches from a pile that I had stacked up a couple of weeks ago.

After I finished chipping and putting the chipper away I drug out an old picnic table umbrella and took it apart separating the metal parts for everything else. I put the metal parts with the recycling stuff and the rest I just put into the garbage can.

By the time I finished putting away everything, went into the house and cleaned up it was a little after 1400. I went and got the mail as I had not had an opportunity to get it before and then I realized that I was so tired that I could hardly stand up, so I sat down in the kitchen and then after resting a little bit I got out the lemon cake and cut a slice for my lunch.

That was all that I had the energy for but after a little while longer I asked Kathleen if she wanted her left over salmon and salad from last night and she said she did not so I ate that cold. There was not much left, but it was just enough for me at the moment.

I noticed that my back had really started to hurt, I had not picked up anything heavy but I had been bending over a lot picking up fir cones and then loading the chipper for over four hours so that is probably what was causing it. I guess I will have to take some extra Tylenol today.

Not having a lot of energy left I decided to go through some of my catalogs and magazines that have come in the mail the last couple of days. Kathleen needed to run to Montavilla Sewing Center to pick something up so I suggested that she pick up a Papa Murphy's pizza on the way home. We both like their delight style pizzas so she ordered a three meat for her and a veggie delight for me. That was one pizza split in half.

We had a couple pieces leftover so I will probably have that for lunch tomorrow. Right now I am so tired that I am already having a hard time staying awake. I am fighting going to bed because if I went to bed now I would be awake in the middle of the night and I really do not want to do that.

Run Around Day

This morning felt cooler when I got up and after I finished eating breakfast I loaded up the dishwasher and turned it on, then I went outside and picked up apples. I also gathered up more junk and put it into the garbage can.

The weather folks said that we might get some rain this afternoon so I did not bother watering, but found some weeds that were trying to sneak into the gardens so I pulled them and put them into the yard debris container.

As I was putting the weeds into the container I spotted the mailman so I went out front and got the mail from him. Then I went into the house, cleaned up and opened up the mail. About ninety percent of it was junk so I added it to the junk mail pile and then went back into my office and sorted out some more paperwork.

I had a lot of old Boeing things that I had been saving and decided that while I was working there it was a good place to earn a living but I had given Boeing too much of my time already and now was as good a time as any to start getting rid of memories.

Kathleen had taken off to Montavilla Sewing Center to trade her sewing machine for another one. Hers has been in and out of the shop more than she has been able to use it so they finally agreed to give her another one.

While she was gone I went through some of my old paperwork and threw out about twenty pounds of paper. A lot of it was stuff that I had been saving from Boeing and a lot of it was just stuff that I should have thrown out a long time ago.

Anyway Kathleen got home about 1045 and grabbed something to eat so that we could take off for her sleep doctor appointment at 1130 over in Tigard. After her appointment we stopped of at the jewelers where I bought her diamond ring so that she could get it and her wedding band resized. She has lost so much weight that her rings are too big for her.

After we finished there we stopped of at the place where she got her glasses so that they could exchange her frames. Her old ones had some of the rhinestones fall out and they just replaced the old ones with new ones for her.

We got home about 1545 and after bringing her sleep machine into the house I made myself a Boca burger on dark rye toast with an onion slice and melted cheddar cheese. I kind of vegetated the rest of the afternoon. I think that I finally have my computer working close to how it was before it lost it's mind on my a week or so ago.

Tonight for dinner we had cold left over salmon and some deli salad that Kathleen had picked up yesterday at Fred Meyer. The temperature only got up to the mid eighties today which almost seemed cool after the last four days in the upper nineties.

Well my mind is starting to wander, usually a sign that I am getting tired so I think that I am going to publish this and call it a day.

Not as Hot but Really Muggy

This morning when I got up I left the fan on as the temperature inside and outside were about the same. The first thing I did when I got downstairs was to make a fresh pot of coffee. I had not had any in a couple days because my stomach was so messed up and I did not want to upset it with coffee.

While the coffee was dripping I went outside to pick some blueberries to have with my cereal. After eating breakfast and reading the paper I went outside where I picked up apples, sorted the barrels of branches and fir cones; I kept the fir cones and larger branches to run through the chipper and the smaller ones I put into the yard debris container.

I also pulled out all of the spent poppy plants, I like them when they bloom but they look rather ugly once the petals fall off. I also picked a few more blueberries to snack on before going into the house to clean up.

For lunch I got a frozen pizza and baked it in the toaster oven. They are not my favorite meal but I have pretty much run out of other options as we need to go grocery shopping.

This afternoon Kathleen took off to meet with the lady from church and I kind of dozed off and on most of the afternoon. After her meeting Kathleen went to Fred Meyer to pick up a prescription and she also picked up some salmon for dinner.

After dinner I put the dishes into the dishwasher and then caught up on my e-mail as I had not done that this afternoon. Then I read Zander's and Alyssa's blogs and now I am doing my own.

Too Hot to Do Much of Anything

This morning when I got up turned on our whole house fan and then went outside and watered the vegetables and berries as it was suppose to be in the upper nineties again today. When I got back inside I opened some windows and left the back door open to let as much cool air in the house as possible.

When I checked the indoor/outdoor thermometer it read over seventy-five degrees inside and only seventy degrees outside so I wanted to get as much of the cool air inside before it started warming up.

I made myself some hash browns and egg beaters for breakfast and after emptying the dishwasher I loaded my breakfast dishes into it. Then I went outside and picked up apples and ate some blueberries. I also sorted out some of the potting pots that I have been "collecting" and now when Kathleen comes out we can decide if we want to keep any of them.

It was starting to get a little hot for me so I went inside and cleaned up again. I did not get much done today other than what I did this morning except I did sort through some magazines and catalogs. They have a way of piling up and I need to get a handle on them before they get out of control...if that is possible!

Well, the last temperature high that I heard for today was only ninety-seven degrees, the house only got up to a little over eighty degrees so opening the windows and having the fan on early this morning helped a lot. I had to shut the windows and turn the fan down around 0900 so as not to suck in too much warm air.

Now tonight when the outside temperature get to be about the same as the indoor temperature I will turn the fan on and hopefully tonight remember to open the windows before I go to bed. Last night I was too tired and my brain was not working very well.

I am starting to feel better today and I did not spend nearly as much time in the bathroom today as I had the last couple of days and nights. Well, I am getting brain fog and I need to say good night!

The Day After

Yesterday was the first day for our new pastor and between services we held a reception for him and his wife. Afterwards Kathleen and went home, I had not felt quite right that morning but I wanted to go for his first service so I pushed myself a little. Then at 1330 our class had our annual picnic and croquet tournament.

I did not feel any worse so I went, but shortly after I finished eating my stomach started cramping up on me and I had to leave. Kathleen wanted to stay so I put our stuff into the SUV and went home by myself. I spent most of the rest of the afternoon and evening in the bathroom and by the time Kathleen got home I was really exhausted.

I did not feel like eating anything that evening and went to bed early. When I got up this morning I belt much better but still not really great. Between last night and this morning I finished a two liter bottle of lemon-lime soda.

Since I had not picked up apples yesterday I did that this morning and then picked up some leftover junk and put it into the garbage. Then I went into the house, cleaned up and read yesterdays paper. I felt so awful yesterday that I did not read the paper.

After reading the paper I went upstairs and went to bed and took a nap for a while. Andrea had called earlier and wanted Kathleen to go with her to the doctor's to watch Brandon and Christian. It turns out that she has a staff infection in her leg and so she got several things to try to get it cleared up.

I had just come downstairs when they drove up. The stayed a little while and then Andrea had to leave as John was on his way home from work. So for dinner Kathleen heated up the leftover salmon and rice for the other night.

I am starting to feel better tonight but I am still really tired, I got a pretty good night sleep last night and took a nap this afternoon yet I still feel like I need to go to bed.

Another REally Nice Day

It was still pretty overcast when I woke up this morning, but it was not raining and the weather forecast was for cloudy morning and the sun coming out this afternoon; strangely enough they were correct.

This morning I sliced up a banana and a peach to have with my cereal and the peach was just the right ripeness and was as sweet as could be. After eating I emptied the dishwasher and then put my breakfast dishes in.

Since I had not picked up apples yesterday, I though that I had better get outside and pick them up before they all got squished. It took about twenty minutes to pick them up, it is too bad that they ripen and then get really soft so quickly because if they can be picked and eaten right away they do not taste too bad.

Since it had been a while since I had watered and the little amount of moisture that fell yesterday did not do much good I thought that I had better water today. I not only watered the berries and vegetables but I also watered the roses and flowers in the back garden.

After I watered I did a little pruning on the roses and a little weeding in the rose garden. While I was watering I noticed a blackberry that had started to come through into the rose garden so I also dug it out.

I was all set to go into the house when I saw that I still had not finished weeding around the tree rose by the gate to the driveway so I got my tools and finished weeding that area.

While I was down in that area I thought that I would pull out the violets and the mint that was growing along the fence by the basement stairs. Part of it I got from the back sidewalk and the rest of it I stood in the stairway and pulled them. I really like the idea of pulling the weeds from the upright position...it is much easier on my back.

By the time I put my tools away and cleaned up it was after 1300 so I decided to make myself some lunch. Since I still had some salmon from last night’s dinner I decided to have that along with a sardine sandwich.

About 1530 we got a phone call reminding us about a dinner we were having with some friends; it is a good thing we got the call as Kathleen had next Saturday marked for the dinner. So Kathleen had to rush off to Winco to pick up something to bring.

While she was gone I shaved and showered as I was a little dirty from working out in the yard for over four hours. I normally do that just before going to bed as it is kind of refreshing and relaxing.

That is the reason that I am blogging this early; I do not think that I will be feeling much like doing it when we get home tonight.

It almost Rained Today!

When I got up this morning it was really overcast and when I got downstairs I could see that it looked a little damp outside. Since Kathleen had picked up some bananas the other day I had a sliced up banana with my cereal this morning. After eating I loaded up the dishwasher and when Kathleen finished eating I put her dishes in and turned it on.

Then I tackled the pots and pans; I had not cleaned out the pan that the salmon was cooked in last night and when I came downstairs it really smelt like salmon so I thought that I needed to wash it first. The rice cooker had not been cleaned out other than just the cooking bowl so I took it apart and gave in a little cleaning.

Since I was meeting with the guys today at 1000 I went upstairs and changed my clothes and then took off. It was drizzling a little, but not enough for me to have to run the wipers.

After I left Manny's house I went to Costco as I had a couple coupons that expired Sunday and that place is really a zoo on the weekends. I was worse than I had seen it in a long time and I was lucky in that a line just opened up as I was getting ready to check out.

So when I got home I changed my clothes and then got the mail, not much of anything interesting so I went to my office to pay a few bills. None of them were due right away and so I had the credit union to send them just a few days before they are due. That way I get to keep my money a little longer and earn some interest on it.

After a while Kathleen came down and said that her sewing machine was ready to pick up and she wanted to know if I wanted to go along as well. I thought that since we were out anyway we could stop by Newport Bay and get some thing to eat for dinner.

Kathleen asked me if it had rained today as she heard on the radio that it had but she was not aware of it. I told her that it did not really rain but drizzled off and on for a while this morning, but this is the first time we have had any significant precipitation in a month.

Kathleen had a shrimp Louie and crab salad and I had some Alaskan Coho salmon and a cup of fisherman's soup. I had a good size piece of salmon left over and Kathleen had a lot of her salad left over so we took home three boxes for tomorrow's lunches.

Well I did not get much done today, I am getting closer to getting my computer monitor looking like it should, it is still not quite correct, but it is a lot better than it was last week end.