Dirty and Dusty Day

Well the dry wall folks arrived a little after 0800 this morning and before they left this evening they had pit dry wall and taped on the bathroom walls and ceiling, the closet walls and ceiling, our bedroom walls and ceiling, patched the living room wall, the kitchen ceiling a one of our bedroom walls. We had dry wall dust all over the place.

Stan dropped by early this morning to make sure that everything was going alright and then took off for the other job that he was going to do today and Monday. One of the guys did all the cutting and hanging of the dry wall and then the others taped and mudded when he was done.

Andrea dropped by for a while today with the boys and she and Kathleen deposited a check in the credit union and then went to Target to pick up some Halloween candy; I think that Kathleen got enough candy for the next couple of months.

I am trying to stay loose tonight to take care of the Trick and Treaters, but so far tonight we have not had any.

Well, I am too tired to write much more tonight and I also seemed to be writing on Facebook and Blogger a lot today.

I will see if I can include a couple pictures tomorrow, but I am too tired tonight.

Bathroom Progress

Last night after I finished my blog I put insulation in the bathroom walls. Just thinking about it now makes me itch and while I probably should have gone to bed I wanted to get that done last night instead of this morning.

Stan and Pat, our plumber, were suppose to be here around 0900 this morning so after I finished breakfast I went outside to rake leaves as rain is predicted for tomorrow.

I got the front lawn raked before Stan got here and since he had some work to do inside I decided to finish raking the back yard while I had everything out. Pat arrived just as I was putting my tools in the garage and by the time he brought his tools into the house I was back inside as well.




Kathleen went to Natalie and Zander's Grandparent Day at their school, I could not do because one of the two of us needed to be here to answer questions and also help Stan run the Cat-6 wire for Kathleen's computer. As it turned out it was a good thing that I was here as Stan did not have a drill long enough to go through all the flooring and I was able to get my old lamp drill that I use to use on my lathe as it was almost two feet long.

Around noon time Pat had finished installing the plumbing hardware as well as the bathtub and took off. After Pat took off I finished putting on the connectors on the wire that we had run up to Kathleen's computer room. The other end goes to my computer but I have not hooked that one up yet.

Kathleen came home and had a good time with the grandchildren and brought home some chocolate milk and a bag of chips that she did not eat for her lunch. After she got settled back in she worked with Stan as to the placement to the grab bars for the tub.



Stan had a meeting to go to so he needed to leave early and since for the next three days the people who are hanging the drywall will be here. Since he will not be able to work on the bathroom until they are done he took his tools with him as he had a couple small jobs to do for a couple days I helped him gather up his tools and load them into his pickup and he left about fifteen minutes later than he had planned on but he thought that he would be okay in making his meeting.

After he left I took out the box that the tub had come in; it was nice not to have that sitting in the living room after a couple of days. Both Pat and Stan were amazed at how deep it was and after seeing it in place it is about six or so inches taller than our old tub.

Well, tomorrow the guys that are doing the dry walling are suppose to be here around 0800 tomorrow morning. besides the bathroom we are also redoing the lower section of our bedroom and a couple places where we had some water damage a few years ago so that is why it is taking a couple days to do that. There is also the closet in my office that we tore apart while we were doing the bathroom so that will get fresh dry wall as well.

Since they are doing our bedroom ceiling over our bed I will need to take that apart tomorrow morning before they get started. We are also having a light coating of texture added to the walls and ceiling in the bathroom, so that will probably make up the third day.

Tonight we had another dinner of the pot roast that Kathleen had made the other night; this is the third meal that we have had form that roast and there is still enough for at least one more meal.

I think that is all I can think about for tonight my eyes are itchy from the dust and insulation so I think I will sign off.

Another Day Another Doctor's Appointment

Yesterday Stan and I worked on rewiring the downstairs bathroom. First we removed all the old wiring and then put new romex in its place. I put in all new boxes as the old ones were the old small metal style and I replaced them all with deeper plastic ones to accommodate the larger wires.

We also put in all new boxes for the lights; we are adding a new recessed light over the bathtub/shower. I also purchased a fan that we installed in the bathtub/shower. When I bought the fan I also purchased a fan wall kit so we installed that as well.

While I was feeding the flexible ducting through the wall I cut my ear on the sharp sheet metal of the fan. I did not stop but the time I had the blood had dried and Kathleen thought that I had gotten some soot in my ear and went to wipe it off.

It still stung pretty good so I did not let her, but I wet an old wash clothe and took it off. I must have rubbed too hard as I noticed when I went to bed last night that I had another bloody ear.

I had a couple of my son-in-laws over last night to watch the opening NBA game, actually I think they invited themselves over, but that was okay. The game got over later than I would have liked it to and so I did not get to bed until around 2230 so I did not have a chance to blog last night.

Kathleen was over watching Aaron and Tami's girls while Tami went swimming something she does every Tuesday night. So Kathleen finally got home shortly after I got to bed but she stayed up and went onto her computer.

This morning Stan had a couple other small jobs to work on so he did not get here early and then I had my doctor's appointment at noon. Stan had not gotten here when I left, but he picked up the tub at George Morland for us as the jobs he was working on was nearby.

Stan had finished running the wires for all the switches, plugs and lights and also added some nailing boards for the dry wall. The last thing that he did was to finish installing the window.

Tomorrow our plumber is coming over to install the tub and plumbing that goes along with it, so tonight I have to put insulation around the window and along the wall where the bathtub will go.

Anyway, my doctor's appointment was primarily a follow-up to check up on my potassium level as it had been low and he had me double my prescription. He also said that my swollen feet and legs looked much better with the compression socks and was glad that I told him that many drug stores no longer carry the good compression socks.

He said that surgery was probably not an option for my back at this point in time and that for mow he would recommend trying Sam-E as there have been many studies that show that there is some positive effects and very little downside to it. So next time I go to Costco I am going to have to pick up some.

Well, I am really tired and I think I am just going to call this finished.

Miserable Monday

I slept in longer than I thought that I should have this morning and had a slight headache so I got up but still felt tired. When I went to log on to my computer I did not have internet connections so I fiddled with the cable modem turning it off and on again several times and still nothing, so I vacuumed the downstairs. Then I went and got the paper and read it.

After I finished reading the paper I checked my computer and it was on-line so I am not really sure what was going on, but was just glad that it was working. Once I knew that the computers were on-line again I went and made myself breakfast.

After eating I went out and raked the front lawn since the wind had died down. I think that the wind yesterday must have carried most of the fallen leaves into the next county because there were not all that many on the lawn.

While I was raking I noticed that the grass was getting a little long so I got out my electric reel mower and set it at its lowest setting and mowed the front lawn. By this time Stan had gotten here so I helped him unload his truck and then finished the front lawn.

Then I went and raked the back yard and mowed it after I finished raking. After putting the mower away and the battery on the charger I went into the house cleaned up and then gathered up the towels and started the washer up. Kathleen was downstairs and so I went up and took the bedding off our bed and brought it downstairs to put into the washer when the towels finished.

Somewhere along the line of coming downstairs I did not duck enough and hit my head on the downstairs doorway and I must have tagged myself harder than I had originally though as my head really started to hurt.

I finally folded the towels and put the bedding into the dryer and then read the mail. After I finished the mail the dryer had stopped so I took the bedding back upstairs and made the bed. By this time my head was really hurting and my stomach felt like I was going to get sick so went to bed and slept for about three hours.

My head did not feel much better when I got up but my stomach felt better. When I got back downstairs Kathleen put some ice in the ice bag and that helped to numb the pain to some degree but it still hurt. Part of it was a sinus headache and part of it was from hitting my head.

Kathleen had made a pot roast for dinner and while I had some I was so miserable that I did not really enjoy it. After dinner Kathleen took off for our small group gathering; I stayed home because of my head.

Well, it still hurts so I think I will just close this out for tonight.

Probabably one of the Last Nice Weekends this Year.

This weekend has been rather nice although it has been somewhat blustery. Yesterday we were gone most of the day and so I did not get a chance to work outside, but today after church I went out and raked the back yard. The leaves were so dry and there were so many of them that I wanted to get as many raked up so that the wind would not blow them around.

I did not even attempt to do the front lawn as the wind would blow the leaves away from me as I tried raking them maybe tomorrow it will not be quite as windy and I can do it then.

Tonight we had dinner with some friends from our Sunday School class and just got home a little while ago. We stopped and got gas and got twenty gallons for fifty-four dollars so that is a lot better than what we were paying a few months ago.

Well, that is about it for tonight. Here is one more photo of the bathroom with the new window roughed in.

More Remodeling

It has been a few days since I posted anything mainly because Wednesday Stan cut his finger on the saw and went to the hospital to get some stitches. That day we started re-framing the studs in an area where we had to take the old ones out, that is when Stan cut his finger.

Thursday he did not work so I cleaned up the mess on the floor and finished pulling the nails that were left when we tore the dry wall off. And I also raked the front and back lawn and blew off the driveway.

Yesterday we took out the old bathroom window and put the new window in which pretty much took the whole day. Here are a couple photos with the old window out and before the new window was put in.



Today we went to Becca and Alexis's last soccer match of the season and then went shopping for things for the bathroom. We picked up a couple light fixtures and fan for the bathroom.

Then we stopped off at Bergerville for a pepper jack cheese and bacon burger and black forest shake. Since we were just a few blocks from home we headed that way and stopped at the last farmers market at the end of our street before arriving home.

After a brief stop we took off for George Morlan plumbing and picked up a nice Koler under cabinet mount sink and Delta "Victorian" faucet set. By this time we were pretty worn out and so we headed home.

While we were there we checked up on the toilet and bath tub that we ordered and one will be in in a week and the other probably next week; just in time to be installed. The cabinets that we ordered are now in so when we are ready to install them we can pick them up.

Well, that pretty catches my up and now I am ready to eat dinner as it is a little after 1900

Remodeling Update

Yesterday Stan worked on rebuilding the flooring structure where the wood was not as structurally sound as it needs to be. While the tub we took out was probably ten times heavier than the tub that we are replacing it with the structure is now probably now ten times stronger than it was before.

While Stan was busy in the house I was outside raking; I raked the back yard two times because it was windy enough and the leaves were wet from the rain during the night that they just kept coming down.

Later on in the afternoon I raked the front lawn, and there were quite a few more leaves then there usually were. By the time I got around to raking the front lawn the wind had died down and when I finished there were no more leaves that fell.

This morning when I got up there were only a handful of leaves on the front lawn so I did not even bother to rake the front lawn this morning but I did rake the back lawn and when I finished the lawn still looked pretty good unlike yesterday.

When Stan got here he finished with the floor support and when we finished that we put down the tongue and groove plywood. Once we had that screwed down we finished pulling down the rest of the dry wall from the walls and ceiling.

I decided that starting fresh would be easier and provide a better surface with which to work. As it turned out in some areas there were five layers of really thin sheet rock and in some areas there was firtex under the dry wall so I am glad that I decided to go to the studs and put all new dry wall up.

I finally ran out of steam and so tomorrow morning I will have to carry out all the small pieces of dry wall and sheet rock. Another reason that I wanted to remove all the dry wall and sheet rock was so that we could put the outlets, switches and lights where we want them.

Well, this should catch everyone up to date with the remodeling activities. I think tomorrow after cleaning up the mess on the floor we will re-route the wiring and start building the area where the tub is going to go.

Wintering Over Perennials

This is kind of a follow-up to one of Sue's questions from my last Blog, while it is rather incomplete because I do not do a lot these are a few of the things that I usually try to do for some of my plants. I have recently change what I do based on some of my appreciation for beneficial insects and birds so keep that in mind as well when you read this.

Getting your garden ready for winter is important to the health of your plants. How and when one cut things back is determined by the individual needs of your plants, your desire to provide food and cover for wildlife, and your appreciation for winter interest.

In years gone by I use to cut everything back to the ground for a neat appearance. Then I began to realize that butterflies lay eggs on leaves, birds feed on seeds and berries, and many animals use plants as cover. I also discovered the beauty created by seed heads; grasses and perennial stems left standing for winter can be a form of a winter garden. So now my desire for aesthetics has been replaced by a concern for wildlife has changed this urge to snip everything in sight.

So now my question is, should I cut anything back? The simple answer is, yes. Plants that had a serious disease or insect infestation should be cut back and the trimmings bagged with your trash.

Plants with no winter interest should be trimmed, too and recycled when possible. Some examples would be plants like veronicas or geraniums that blacken and turn to mush at the first cold snap. Also cut back plants that vigorous reseed themselves. Some of my plants would take over my whole garden if I did not use a firm hand in fall trimming.

Here are five categories of plants that should not be cut down for winter. First, any plant you feel contributes aesthetically. Grasses give wonderful architecture to the winter garden, so wait to cut them back until spring. Interesting seed heads and branches of arching perennials and shrubs also add winter interest, so spare them, too. This is all very subjective; so cut what you do not like and leave what appeals to you.

I usually do this with my grape, that way the birds can feed on the grapes and also allows me a few months before I have to do it.

Try to avoid cutting back tender perennials or ones that are not reliably hardy such as mums, asters and ferns. The old foliage helps to protect the crowns through winter. Show discretion when cutting back plants that are late to show in the spring; some plants are notorious for worrying gardeners by sprouting later. So leave a good chunk of their stems to mark their location so you do not disturb them or plant something on their heads.

Some plants such as sun drops have attractive evergreen foliage at their base. If you prune these plants well throughout the summer, there is no need to cut them back further. Let their whorls of foliage bring a little color and beauty to your winter garden A few shrubs bloom best on new wood. The butterfly bush, for example, will bloom more heavily if you wait to prune them until spring. Spare them a fall cutting and they will deliver winter interest and a bountiful flush of new growth and blossoms.

The timing and method of cutting plants back for winter is important, too. Later is better, generally. If plants are cut down too early, it can stimulate growth, use up energy reserves and keep the plant from coming back in the spring if a hard frost hits the tender new foliage. So, avoid cutting back plants too early. This is good for those of us who are procrastinators to one degree or another.

It use to be that people would wait until the first hard frost - as early as October or November in some areas - but I usually start my fall clean-up whenever it starts to get cooler in late October or early November.

For many years I did not do not do it until December or January, but that usually had more to do with my annual two weeks off at the end of December when I worked at Boeing.

Another question is always, how low should one cut? A good rule of thumb is two to three inches from the ground. That leaves some stems to act as a marker and avoids damaging the crowns or any over wintering buds that may lurk at or just below the surface.

With the cooling temperatures and falling leaves, fall gardening is a real pleasure. Preparing your garden for winter with an eye toward preserving beauty and wildlife will make it a task that adds valuable habitat and attractive winter interest.

I guess I got a little carried away with that and a little bit down a rabbit trail. So getting back to Sue's question, something else that one can do with the leaves that they have raked up is using them for mulch.

In gardening, winter could be defined as the time of year when most perennials become dormant. This time can vary from early September in some parts of the country to late December and beyond in others.

Cold is the major factor inducing plant dormancy. Thus, in preparing for winter, it is crucial to understand just what kind of cold affects your garden.

Snow, sometimes called a "poor man's mulch," forms an insulating blanket on the garden. Temperatures in the ground beneath the snow cover always hover around the freezing point, while they can plunge below freezing immediately above the snow line. Perennials that are dormant at a constant temperature rarely have trouble surviving winter months.

However plants in areas with little snow cover can suffer during unexpected or unusual cold spells. These need a 2 to 3 inch winter mulch; preferably an organic one, such as shredded leaves, fir/pine needles; several layers of B&W newspaper could be used in a pinch, but it does not work as well unless it is kept wet as it has a tendency to want to blow around.

The mulch protects plants from unusual cold spells and helps to maintain a uniform temperature so that the soil does not thaw out prematurely and expand when encrusted with frost or ice particles.

Before one adds mulch in winter, make sure your garden bed is as clean as possible. Clear away dead foliage and pull out all weeds. Then spread the mulch just after the soil freezes.

Now, you can step back and take a look at your garden and enjoy it knowing that you will not have to work in it for a few more months. If you have been considering improvements, decide where you would like to place new perennials and put some kind of markers in those areas. You might even want to write the name of the intended plant on each marker; this will make your spring planting a little easier.

Well, I am sure that there is a lot more that I could write about but not wanting to bore anyone to death I will put a close on this chapter of wintering over perennials at least for now.

Thing to do Around the Yard in the Fall - Part 2

Last Tuesday I had my first installment of my to-do list for fall at the request of my sister Sue; this is my second installment. These are not in any particular order as depending on what part of the country one lives might depend on when they might do these things.

Today's topic is pruning and if you are like me, I prune almost all year long sometimes for artistic reasons and sometimes out of necessity. I start out with a list of some of the more common pruning tools, there are many others but these are the ones that most people might have around the house.



Pruning - The Tools You Need

Pruning trees and plants will make your yard look better while also improving plant health and growth. In this article, we’ll discuss the tools to have on hand to prune more easily and correctly. In part two in the next newsletter, we’ll discuss when and how to prune.

The tool you’ll use depends on the size of the branches you will trim and the amount of pruning you will do. As with all lawn and garden equipment, buy the best quality you can afford and then be sure to maintain the items as necessary.

Oil is one of your tools best friends along with steel wool or a Scotch Brite pads to remove sap and rust from the blades. I use kerosene frequently as well, as it contains enough oil to help prevent rust from forming.

If you have an old five gallon pail around the house fill it with sand and then when you have your oil change in your vehicle add about a quart to the pail of sand and stir well. This does a couple things: first it help clean your digging tools, shovels, spades, trowels, etc. and secondly it adds a coat of oil to the tool.

This is especially important if the tool is going to be left in the garage for a long period of time like over the winter. If you make a habit of doing this every time that you use your tools they will give your years of faithful service.

Since we are talking about pruning, be sure to use steel wool or a Scotch Brite pad each time after you prune so that the sap does not build up making pruning much more difficult. Since rust will help to dull you cutting blade on your pruners it is important to add a coat of oil to the cutting parts of the pruners as well as the moving parts. A little oil will make pruning easier the next time you go to use them.

Hand Pruners are small pruners used to cut stems up to about three-quarters of an inch in diameter. There are two types: bypass and anvil. Bypass pruners are a good choice because they have curved scissors-type blades that overlap, making a clean, even cut. Anvil pruners have a straight upper blade that cuts down on a flat lower “anvil”, which can crush stems rather than cutting cleanly.

Lopping Shears function like giant pruners. Their long-handles provide leverage and reach to trim branches on bushes and trees up to about one and three-quarter inches in diameter. Look for bypass blades on loppers.

Pruning Saws are used to remove branches that are too large for the loppers. This saw comes in various lengths with jagged teeth that also can vary in depth and how far apart they are spaced. To handle thick branches easily, choose a longer saw with the fewest deep teeth per inch. Average jobs (branches about two inches in diameter) can be handled easily with any quality-pruning saw.

Pole Trimmers give you the reach you need to trim tree branches overhead that are up to about one-and-a-half inches thick. As their name implies, most pole trimmers consist of a pole up to about 12 feet long (telescoping or set) with a bypass lopper (controlled by a rope) and a small bow saw at the top.

Flower Sheers are small garden scissors with wide steel blades that make clean, precise cuts. They are perfect for “cutting” flowers for a bouquet and trimming dead leaves and very thin branches from perennials.

Manual Hedge Clippers have long blades that help you cut evenly and long handles that give you the reach you need for hedge trimming. Some people prefer manually trimming their hedges because this method is more forgiving than other trimmers where mistakes can happen quickly.

Chain Saws are used for removing branches greater than three inches in diameters to felling trees. Before purchasing a chain saw, consider exactly what you will use it for so you purchase the right size. The longer the blade length, the bigger job it will handle. Keep in mind that chain saws are serious power equipment. Safety must be top of mind at all times.

When to Prune and How to Do it

Reasons to prune

Pruning is done to improve the appearance and health of your bushes and trees, and sometimes the safety of your home (removing tree branches that overhang your roof, for example). Prune to remove dead or diseased branches; tree branches that are too crowded or touching one another; and “sucker branches” that grow from the ground alongside the tree’s trunk or even sprout up from the side of the trunk itself. Bush pruning also promotes stronger growth and can improve blooming.

Pruning bushes

When you prune your bushes depends on whether or not they are a flowering variety. If you have a bush that blooms in spring or early summer – such as a lilac or forsythia – prune them right after they have bloomed. If you wait until late summer or fall, you will remove buds that are already set to bloom the following spring (even though you cannot see them) and you will have a bush with fewer blooms or none at all next year.

Shrubs that bloom in mid- to late summer or early fall - such as butterfly bush, many spireas and even roses – should be pruned in late fall or very early spring while they are dormant.

Bushes used as hedges or borders that are not maintained for their blooms can be trimmed in summer or fall.

Pruning trees

You will want to prune low, overhanging branches above your roof or driveway to prevent possible damage from falling limbs. You also should remove dead tree limbs and thin out branches that are crowding one another. For many tree pruning jobs – especially those that require climbing or using a chain saw – it’s best to hire experts rather than risk injury. A pole trimmer can be used to thin out small branches easily while your feet are safely on the ground.

The type of tree determines the best time to prune. Generally, prune in late fall to winter, when you can easily see the shape of the branches and the trees are dormant. Some trees, such as maples and birches, tend to release sap excessively if pruned in winter. Trim these trees in summer.

Shaping young trees

You can help a young tree establish an attractive and healthy crown with selective pruning. Trim out crowded branches, if necessary, while creating a natural shape to the tree. Some trees will grow with two “leaders” or main branches – trim away one to ensure a balanced look as the tree matures. Pruning young trees will not hurt them – just be sure you prune no more than one-fourth of the branches in any year.

Finishing the First Week of Downstairs Remodeling

This morning I felt a little tired when I got up, which surprised me seeing as I had over nine hours of rest last night. I went to bed a little after 2100 and did not get up until 0630 although I did not get to sleep right away as around 2000 last night my body finally woke up.

A little after 0900 Pat showed up to start on the plumbing and by the time I left for my doctor's appointment around 1000 he had cut out most of the old plumbing for the downstairs bathroom.

Speaking of my doctor's appointment it did go okay today. My PSA level was 0.06 which is the lowest that it has been; the previous low had been .1 and that was a month after my surgery. I still have to go back in three months but I now have some hope that instead of every three months I will be able to do it every six month or even a year instead.

After the doctor's visit we stopped at the credit union so that I could deposit a check and then on to Home Depot to look at Swanstone for our tub surround and also to get some molding to go around our whole house fan.

We did not get back until after noon and by then Pat had most of the plumbing reconnected and moved. One of the things we had him moved was our outside back yard faucet bib; it has always been in an inconvenient spot and now was a great opportunity to have it moved

Where it was before I am planning on putting in a new deck and where it is now it is on the outside of the bathroom...much more convent. Stan was also back from his early morning doctor's appointment and was building up the outside wall of the bathroom.

What was there was not sufficient and some of it was rotten and needed replacing anyway. Now it is well supported although the tub we are putting in is probably a couple hundred pounds lighter than the one we took out.

Monday I think that Stan is going to put the flooring down and then the drywall for the first part of the week. Our new cabinets are in and as soon as the tub comes in Pat will plumb it. This new week we will have to pick up our tile for the floor and walls and whatever electrical outlets, switches, fan and lights that we will want to install.

I had a little more energy today than I have had all week and I felt better, but that is all relative compared to how I think I should feel I still have a ways to go. Well, I am tired even though the only thing I did today was rake the lawn; with both Pat and Stan working in the bathroom I thought that the best thing that I could do was stay out of their way.

Remodeling Continues

Today was one of my worst days as far as energy level goes; I never had any. At one point mid morning Kathleen suggested that I go outside and rake the front lawn to see if being outside would help rejuvenate me but even after raking the front lawn and the back lawn I still could barely get out of my own way.

Luckily Stan was primarily ripping up the flooring today. We took up the particle board underlayment yesterday but the sub-flooring was bad enough that it was easier to take it up so that we could reinforce the beams, which are on twenty-four inch centers (really old code), and add a couple between them for support. We are going to lay down tongue and groove plywood and then hardy board on top of that with the tile to go on top of that.

Our plumber, Pat Bedlion, came over to see what we needed done for the bath remodel. We are replacing most of the plumbing and re-routing many of the pipes. With the floor up and the walls out it is much easier to do it now than it will be anytime in the future.

So tomorrow both Pat and Stan are suppose to be working tomorrow; I also have a doctor's appointment tomorrow morning to have some blood work done to check my PSA levels to see what is going on with my cancer. I am somewhat apprehensive that my cancer may be coming back, or more accurately reappearing somewhere else.

Well Kathleen just got back from the Lowe's and Wal-Mart so I think that I will just close as it is not the cheeriest blog that I have written.

The First Day of the Downstairs Bathroom Remodel

Well this morning I knew that I had to stay fairly awake and pain free as Stan was coming over to start the remodeling. So after breakfast I went out side to start raking until Stan got here, well I finished the front yard and then did the back yard. The back yard was not too bad as the leaves are not falling as fast as the walnut leaves in the front yard.

Since Stan was still not here I picked tomatoes as I had not done that in a couple days and then as I was getting my weeding equipment Stan drove up, so I helped him unload his truck and then let him get settled in as I continued weeding and then pruning the roses.

Here is what the bathroom looked like this morning after I had taken the sink and vanity top off before Stan Got here.



Here are a couple work in process photos:

Here is one with the bathtub almost out; we had to break it up to get it out:

Here it is finally out:

Well, I have gone past my point of exhaustion so I think that I am just going to sign off and call it a day...lots of pain medicine today!

Thing to do Around the Yard in the Fall - Part 1

Some time ago I posted in my blog on lawn care and Sue asked if I would do one on what I do in the fall to prepare the yard for winter so here is the first installment!

It is Not Fall Without Falling Leaves!

If you have trees in your yard, it is time for your annual fall ritual of leaf removal. The key to leaf management is to avoid procrastination. Instead of waiting for all of the leaves to fall, schedule two or three raking (or leaf blowing) sessions during the season. Don’t allow wet leaves to layer on your lawn because they will cut off oxygen and sunlight and eventually will kill the grass. Here are some leaf management tips:

Raking is the tried and true standby for managing leaves. Use a fan rake - wooden, plastic or light metal - and rake lightly over the grass, pulling leaves into several manageable piles. You can then bag your leaves or rake them down to your curb if you are lucky enough to have curb-side removal provided by your municipality.

Mowing over your leaves is an option if your leaf carpet is light (another reason to keep after this task!). You will have to make two or more passes to chop them up enough to leave them on the lawn as fertilizer. If you have a large yard with lots of trees, get a mulching blade for your mower – it will finely chop up grass blades and leaves that can more quickly sink into the soil and feed your lawn.

Using your leaves to make compost is great if you enjoy gardening. The good news is that leaves can be the mainstay of your compost pile. They are classified as “brown material” which should make up about two-thirds of everything that goes into a compost pile. Rake your leaves onto a tarp and drag them to the compost area***. You really don’t need a fancy bin. If you have only a few leaves, you can dig them directly into your garden and let them decompose over winter.

Enjoy your yard and all it has to offer. From raking leaves to your final pass with the fertilizer spreader, know that the time you spend pays off in a more beautiful yard every year.

***How to Start a Compost Pile

Anyone with a backyard can start an environmentally friendly compost pile rather easily. Composting keeps organic yard and household waste out of local landfills while allowing you to create a rich, excellent mulch for your flowerbeds and vegetable garden. Here are some composting basics:

• You may want to create a simple, three-sided compost “box” of wooden boards to contain your compost materials, or you can just create a compost pile in an out-of-the way corner of your yard. Your goal is to create a layered pile of organic material about three feet tall and three feet square. This will allow the organic materials in the pile to heat up inside and decompose.

• Rule of thumb: The more you manage your compost pile, the quicker you will get rich, black compost. Management ranges from simply leaving the pile (everything decays in time, but this method may take a year or more) to turning the compost once or twice a week with a garden spade so the cooler exterior of the pile is turned under.

• Keep your compost pile damp. Depending upon your weather, this may be easy to achieve naturally during some seasons. You can check for moisture by turning over the compost with a spade – the center of the pile shouldn’t dry out. Depending upon the weather, you may have to sprinkle your compost pile occasionally to keep it damp, or cover it with a tarp to prevent it from being soaked regularly.

• The interior of the pile should be warm. This indicates decomposition of the organic materials is taking place.

• There should be both "brown" (carbon-rich) and "green" (nitrogen-rich) ingredients in your compost pile. Brown components are rich in carbon and include dried leaves, pine needles, spoiled hay, straw and paper. Make sure that most of the items – about two-thirds – are brown ingredients.

• Green ingredients are rich in nitrogen. You will want to create a thin layer of green ingredients between thick layers of brown ingredients. Remember, two thirds of your pile should be brown. You can create a five-to-six inch layer of brown, topped with up to two inches of green, then another layer of brown, and so on. Common green components include grass clippings, yard refuse (old vegetable stalks, last fall's flower stalks), coffee grounds, barnyard animal manure and fruit and vegetable kitchen waste (don’t add chemically-treated grass clippings, cat litter, dog feces, or meat/fat and bones). Avoid adding protein sources from meat to a compost bin, as protein tends to smell as it decomposes, attracting pests like raccoons and other creatures. A smelly compost pile means that meat sources were added to the pile. A compost pile using vegetable matter does not produce an odor.

• A few additional tips: You can throw weeds into the compost pile (green material) because the center of the pile heats up enough to kill weed seeds. If you get lots of rain where you live, tarp your pile so it doesn’t get soaked – damp is all you want. Depending on weather, your dedication to tending the pile and the ingredients in it, you can expect rich compost in four-10 months.

Tiring Weekend

Between the wedding on Saturday and then Alyssa's family get together yesterday I got really worn out; it is not like I did anything strenuous or anything close to it but just not being able to keep me feet up very much.

I was tired enough Sunday morning that I did not make it to church; I also wanted to be a rested up for the family get together later that afternoon and I am glad that I did not try to push myself.

This morning I did not feel all that rested and not really all that awake but I got up anyway as I knew that I would not be going back to sleep either. After I ate breakfast Kathleen took off to pick up Linda from Tony and Chucky's as they were both working to day and Linda did not have to be at the airport until 1500.

After unloading the dishwasher I went outside to rake leaves as I had not done them in a couple days and they were starting to cover the lawn. I took the phone with me just in case anyone called and it is a good thing as Aaron called and he and Alexis were coming over to see Linda.

Kathleen was not home yet and I was still in the middle of raking the front lawn when Aaron and Alexis showed up. So Alexis "helped" me with finish raking and then she wanted to go out back to pick some berries. So we picked most of them but I wanted to leave a few in case Linda and Kathleen wanted some when they got here.

After we went into the house I cleaned up and then sat in my chair so that I could put my feet up and Alexis brought a book over for me to read to her. Kathleen and Linda drove up and then stayed in the SUV for a long time and finally I went out to see if they were going in so that Aaron could see them before he had to go to work.

Tami came over after a little while and had Madison with her; Madison is a seven month old that Tami watches three days a week so that her mother and father can work and finish school. They stayed until Aaron had to leave for work around 1230; Tami and Alexis stayed a little longer but not much.

After they left I went into the downstairs bathroom and started ripping out the bath tub surround. While I was doing that Kathleen made some pancakes with pecans, ham and cheese for lunch. Shortly after we finished eating Kathleen had to take Linda to the airport.

When they left I took a nap in my chair and did not wake up until Kathleen came home around 1700. I must have awakened in a start as my heart was racing for fifteen or twenty minutes afterward. She went upstairs and I lay down on the couch and dozed off and on for a couple more hours.

We were supposed to go to our small groups tonight but I was too tired to go so Kathleen took off without me. Well, I think that my brain stopped working a few hours ago so I think I will just go ahead and post this for tonight.

My Golden Years

I have been reading the "Pickles" cartoon every morning for some time and I am starting to relate to it more than I do "Dilbert". "Dilbert" use to remind me of my days at Boeing but it has seemed to changed lately and now I relate more to "Pickles". Some of the topics have reminded me of how my life is going and here is some thoughts that came to mind. It is still kind of rough yet but I just wanted to throw it out any way.

My Golden Years

I have been around about 60 years
Of that there is not any doubt,
I had heard of this thing called the Golden Years
But I do not know if I am in or out.

When I get up in the morning
My knees hurt when they bend,
Is this is the first warning
That I am getting in the trend?

If the aches and pains would go away,
It really would be nice.
But if I want a pinch of gold today
I will have to pay the price.

So now after I am totally spent,
I just rub in the old Ben-Gay.
I am told not to worry about the scent;
As old folks kind of smell that way.

Whenever people talk to me,
They seem as if they are far away.
Sometimes it is hard for me,
To hear what they have to say.

My eyes have lost their gleam.
Because the glasses that I wear,
Without them I cannot see it seems,
Why Me? It is just not fair!

I check my email every day;
To see if someone took the time to write.
But there is not any email today,
So I hope that everything is all right.

I make sure to take all the pills,
That the doctor prescribed for me.
They are supposed to cure all my ills,
But for me it is something I have yet to see.

I get out the old Jeep and go for a drive,
and go for a couple miles or so.
It is nice to get out even if I’ve,
Got no particular place to go.

Now as I watch the sun is setting in the west,
Nature paints her picture in the sky.
This could this one be the very best,
Of the thousands I have seen go by?

So I put away all my fears,
Sit down, relax, and listen to my favorite songs.
To enjoy all these Golden Years,
That I have been waiting for so long.

Beautiful Indian Summer Day

Well it is not really an Indian Summer day because we have not had a frost yet but it sure was a great day to be out and about.

I slept over an hour and a half longer than I usually do this morning and so the sun was actually out when I got up. Kathleen came down stairs before I had a chance to have my breakfast so it was something different eating breakfast at the same time.

Kathleen had said that she wanted to take a load of stuff to Goodwill today so after breakfast I loaded up the SUV and then waited for Kathleen to get ready. After an hour I decided that I would go outside and rake the front lawn.

About half way through raking the front lawn Kathleen came out front and said that she was ready. So I finished the front lawn and then put my tools away and came back into the house. It took about five minutes to unload the whole SUV load off at Goodwill and then we were off to the place where we bought our flooring upstairs and looked at their tile both for the floor and for the vanity top in the downstairs bathroom.

After getting a few ideas we came back home and I made myself something to eat. After eating I felt really tired so I went upstairs and went to bed and did not get up until about 1730.

Kathleen made a couple baked potatoes and finished the rest of the salmon for dinner tonight. She also cut up a few tomatoes to complete the meal.

Well, I am still pretty tired so I think that I will close this and call it a day.

Not Much Going on Today

This morning when I got up I felt pretty good, my finger and hand were not throbbing like they were much of yesterday. When I got into the light I could see that the swelling had gone down and not as blue as it has been for the last couple of days which was a good thing.

This morning after eating I changed clothes so that I could meet with the guys at one of their homes at 1000. We finished a little after 1230 and then I picked up a prescription for Kathleen; there were suppose to be two of them but only one was ready and the other one I knew that she did not need right away so I did not stick around and wait for it.

Then on the way home I stopped off at Goodwill and I found a fertilizer spreader for $6.99; my old one broke over a year ago and I have been using it that way for the last eight times that I have put fertilizer down. I am not sure how it happened but the lever that controls dropping of the fertilizer broke off and it was a real struggle for me to keep the lever pulled in.

As my arthritis has gotten worse it became more and more painful for me all the time. This one is almost identical to my old one except that nothing appears to be broken so next time when I need to use it I can test it out to make sure that everything is okay.

Anyway I got home a little after 1300 and then I changed into my shorts again and went downstairs and made myself a Boca Burger on toasted dark rye bread heels with an onion slice and melted cheddar cheese.

AS I was taking some recycling into the utility room I slipped on the floor and when I looked down I noticed that the almost new bottle of fabric softener had fallen off the washer and the cap had broken and spilled out all over the floor. So I got out our commercial size mop and mopped and mopped and mopped; each time wringing the mop out as best I could with sore hands.

Finally when I had gotten most of the fabric softener up I wrung it out one last time and then set it outside so that it could dry. Then I got our smaller mop out and mopped it two more times. Then left it to dry and took a couple Vicodin and went to check my email.

After that I went and sat down in my chair and fell asleep only to be awakened when Kathleen came downstairs. She had been working on Natalie's dress and Alyssa and the grandchildren were coming over for a fitting.

While Kathleen, Alyssa and Natalie tried on the dress I tried entertaining the grandsons. They played with blocks, my remote control Jeep, Kathleen's Bill Bass singing fish and the most fun thing was an empty box.

When Natalie came back downstairs she wanted me to read her some stories so I read her several Bible stories for one of our grandchildren books. Before long everyone had settled down and were either sitting on me or standing next to me to hear the stories.

The grandchildren wanted a snack so I gave them each some black bean chips and that seemed to make them happy for about five minutes. Alyssa found some of her old stuffed animals downstairs and so she took them home with her. When she first came back upstairs she got some graham crackers for them and they munched on them while I finished reading to them.

They left a little before 1900 and so Kathleen reheated the rice and green beans from last night; she also heated up some corn to go with the salmon which we had cold.

So other than mopping the utility room floor I did not get anything done today. I did not get to work outside today as shortly after I ate lunch it started raining and so that pretty much took away the opportunity to accomplish anything outdoors.

Maybe tomorrow I will have a more productive day, but right now I am just going to post this and call it a day.

Wednesday's Weariness

This morning seemed very foggy as when I looked out the living room window and the street light looked like it had a halo around it but by the sun came up I did not notice it being foggy.

This morning after breakfast I went out into the back yard and raked the leaves and then mowed. I decided to start in the back yard because I knew that I would make myself do the front yard even if I were too tired to do it; it is too easy for me to say that I will do the back yard tomorrow and then not get it done.

I was getting pretty tired by the time I finished mowing the back yard but I like having the front lawn look good so thought that I would at least rake the front lawn. So I went and raked it and kind of got my second wind so I went and mowed the front lawn as well.

By the time I finished mowing the front lawn I was really ready to call it quits. So after cleaning up I got the mail and sat down and opened it up; nothing there except my MacWorld magazine and the first installment of the voter pamphlet, everything else went into the recycling.

Kathleen came downstairs as I was finishing up looking at the mail and made herself some breakfast and since it was almost 1300 I opened up a can of sardines and made myself a sandwich.

Kathleen had her meeting with the lady from church this afternoon so as soon as she left I went back outside and got my blower and blow off the gardens in the back as well as the sidewalk, then the driveway, the front sidewalk and the gardens. By the time I finished and put the blower away, went into the house and cleaned up I was really hurting and really tired.

So instead of taking just one Vicodin I took two and then went and sat down in my chair and fell asleep in a few minutes. The doctor's office called and woke me up out of a really solid sleep and said that another couple of Kathleen's prescription had been called in and by the time I hung up I was awake enough that I could not get back to sleep.

Kathleen came home shortly afterward and had brought home some salmon that she cooked for dinner. Well my right hand has started to turn a pretty shade of blue and is pretty swollen and I still have not been able to wash off all of the old scab even though I hand washed my compression socks last night and have washed my hands a couple dozen times today.

Well, I am really tired and my hand is really throbbing so I think that I will just call it a day and say good night.

Not So Good of a Day

It rained pretty good again last night and when I woke up or at least when the sun came up everything was soaking wet but it was not raining. So after breakfast I went outside and raked the leaves in the front lawn; it did not take very long and I was going to rake the leaves in the back yard...but...!

I wanted to prune more out of the apple tree and that is where things started going bad for me. I cut one branch out and it got hung up on another branch and when I pulled it down it took a bad bounce and was headed for my head. So I went to block it with my hand but in so doing I wound up with a nasty scratch from one of the broken branches.

My hand bleed really good for a while and instead of stopping I continued trimming. Somewhere during the process I wound up with blood all over my jeans and some on my tee shirt as well.

I continued working and filled up two large garbage cans full of chopped up branches. I almost passed on at one point when I was bending over and stood up too quickly so I had to go sit down in one of our patio chairs of a few minutes until I felt better.

By the time I finished most of the blood had dried and so I had to wash my hands for a long time to get most of the dried blood off. I never did get all of it off and I still have some of it left even after washing my hands a dozen of so times.

I needed to go to the credit union to deposit a couple checks and we also needed to stop by another granite and marble counter top place, so after I grabbed something to eat for lunch and Kathleen had her breakfast we took off around 1500.

Alyssa had called and wanted to bring Natalie and her dress that she is wearing to Dan's brother Andy's wedding this week end over so that Kathleen could alter it to fit. She had said that she would not be over until after 1600 so we needed to really hustle.

When I got into the credit union there was no line and were three tellers that asked if they could help me as soon as I started getting to the place where you wait; so we were able to get on our way in a hurry.

Getting in and out of the Marble and granite place was not quite as easy, we looked at slabs of stone and then we looked at more slabs and then we looked at the first group some more. Finally Kathleen found four that she liked so we got some samples and estimate for the job and then took off for home.

By the time we got home it was after 1700 and I had not gotten a call from Alyssa and there was no message on my cell. When we got home Kathleen checked the voice messages on our house phone and shortly after that Alyssa called and said that she would be here shortly.

I needed to pay some bills so I logged on to my credit union account and paid them and then entered then into Quicken. Since Alyssa still had not gotten here yet I decided that I would match up my credit card receipts with my bill and while I was doing that Alyssa and Natalie arrived.

I finished matching them up for the two cards that I had just paid the bill on and since I had Quicken already open I reconciled my bank checking account. I do not use it very much so it was pretty easy.

While they were still here the presidential debate started and Alyssa wanted to watch it so we all went into the living room and watched it. Natalie entertained herself building a village with some building blocks that we have for the grandchildren when the visit.

During the middle of the debate Alyssa wanted to make something for herself and Natalie to eat so she and Kathleen made a chocolate peanut butter toasted sandwich for her and a peanut butter and jam sandwich for herself. Kathleen and I had a toasted chocolate peanut butter sandwich. Natalie asked for another one and this one she put some peanuts on top.

After they left I made myself a meatball sandwich with the rest of the meatballs from last night's dinner. Kathleen had to leave for Aaron and Tami's house so that Tami could go to her class so she will probably not come home until after I go to bed.

Well, I think I need to take some more Vicodin as my hand is starting to throb again so I think that I will put this to bed for tonight.

Fall is Officially Here!

Question: How does one tell when fall is officially here? When the hostas leaves turn yellow and we have more rainy days than sunny days.

This week end was pretty wet around here; it rained most of Saturday and then again on Sunday. I started wearing my compression socks again on Saturday as my feet and legs had really been swelling a lot the last few days.

My legs were really throbbing Saturday from having the sock on for the first time in several days and by the end of the day I was really glad to take them off. I do not think I got a lot accomplished Saturday except sort out some magazine and catalogs. I even throw out a dozen or so.

Sunday my side was really bothering me and so I did not go to church. Kathleen had not gotten up early enough to go either. I took a lot of Tylenol and Vicodin but I never could get rid of the pain all day.

I pretty much sat around all day; although I did go through more magazines and threw out a couple dozen. I still have a pretty good size stack left but I have managed to throw out a sizable amount of them. It is one of those things that I kept thinking that some day there might be something in one of them that I could use.

Of all the magazines that I have been going through I have only cut out a handful of articles. So much of that stuff is now on the internet that it hardly makes any sense to try to find a place to store magazine articles anymore.

My legs felt a lot better Sunday and by the end of the day my side was not as bothersome; whether it was better or the build up of Tylenol and Vicodin that finally was enough to deaden the pain. Whatever it was I was glad to be rid of the annoying pain.

Today the pain was gone so maybe it started getting better last night. I wish that I could say the same for the joints in my wrists, hips and back but at least I have gotten somewhat accustom to that pain.

This morning it was not raining out so after breakfast I went outside and picked up fir cones and branches that had fallen over the blustery weekend. Once I had them picked up I went to work on raking the leaves off the front lawn. I had not done it in a few days but there were not as many leave on the lawn as I would have expected but I think that the wind was strong enough that they blew else where.

I had intended on raking the leaves in the back yard but wanted to rest a while before I did so I went to the rose garden and pruned the roses, and by the time I finished that I did not feel like raking any more so I went into the house, cleaned up and got the mail.

It was a little after noon and since Kathleen had an appointment with her nurse practitioner at 1400 I decided that I would just read the mail and then make myself something to eat before we had to leave. There was just enough of the chicken noodle soup that Kathleen had made Saturday night and we had again last nigh for me to finish for lunch today.

After I heated it up in the microwave I ground up a little nutmeg and crushed up some saltines and had some cherry tomatoes. After I pit my dishes into the dishwasher I washed up and changed my clothes and then waited for Kathleen.

We got out of the office around 1500 and headed to the medical supply house so that I could get another pair of socks. After picking them up we went to Fred Meyer so that we could pick up Kathleen's prescriptions. While we were there we did a little grocery shopping and then finally got home just before 1800.

Well, that is about all I can think of for now...good night!

Something to Think About!

TOP TEN PREDICTIONS NO MATTER WHO WINS THE ELECTION:

1. JESUS WILL STILL LOVE YOU.

2. PRAYER WILL STILL WORK.

3. THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL STILL MOVE.

4. GOD WILL STILL INHABIT THE PRAISES OF HIS PEOPLE.

5 THERE WILL STILL BE GOD ANOINTED PREACHING.

6. THERE WILL STILL BE SINGING OF PRAISES TO GOD.

7. GOD WILL STILL POUR OUT BLESSINGS UPON HIS PEOPLE.

8. THERE WILL STILL BE ROOM AT THE CROSS.

9. THE BIBLE WILL STILL HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS.

10. JESUS WILL STILL SAVE THE LOST.

GOD APPROVES THIS MESSAGE!

And the Rain Begins

This morning when I got up it was already drizzling and it went from drizzling to real rain all day. This morning after breakfast I went outside and raked the front lawn as it was just a very light drizzle at the time, so I thought that I would take advantage and get some of the leaves up.

After I put my rake back in the garage, I cleaned up and got the mail. There was a magazine for Kathleen and a couple for me the rest went into the recycling pile. I thought that I had heard Kathleen moving around upstairs so I went up and gathered up the laundry and took it downstairs and start a load of dark clothes. Kathleen came downstairs after a while and made herself something to eat.

By the time she was sitting at the table eating the first load had finished drying so I took it upstairs, folded and put it away. Then by the time I got back downstairs the second load of laundry had finished washing so I took it out and put it into the drier.

Stan came over to refresh his memory as to what we were going to do in the downstairs bathroom and while he was here the second load of laundry finished drying so I took it out, took it upstairs, folded and put it away.

Then I rejoined Kathleen and Stan to finish going over what we were going to do. Stan and I went outside so that I could show him the color of the trim around the windows and see what he thought as far as color for the windows. I think that he and Kathleen decided that we will go with white windows and then keep the trim color the same as what we have had.

While we were outside it really started to rain hard and even standing under the fir trees I was getting a little damp. After Stan left I made myself some lunch with the left-overs from last nights dinner.

Then Kathleen and I took off to Parr Lumber to order the window glass for the new bathroom window. After Kathleen picked out what she wanted we went to a few counter top shops see what they had and try to narrow down our choices.

The last shop we went to had some really nice granite slabs and we found one that we kind of liked out in the yard and he said that we could have that piece for forty dollars, which was a really good price. While we were looking at the granite it really started raining and my outer shirt and hat got rather wet but there were no fir trees to stand under.

Anyway he also said that it would cost another two hundred and fifty dollars to cut the sink hole and faucet holes; polishing the sink hole and the cut side; that price also included the under counter sink which he would attach for us.

So for about five hundred and fifty dollars we would have a one piece counter top, that is bull nosed and an attached under counter sink.

Well, I have been a bad boy the last couple of days and not worn my compression socks and tonight after I took off my anklet socks I could see the impression from the top of the sock around my ankle so I guess that I am going to have to wear them again.

I am hoping that I can get to the point where I can wear them maybe every other day or maybe wear them two days and not wear then for a day just to get some relief. My feet are still not as swollen as they were before I started wearing the compression socks.

It is now after 1830 and I think that I am going to have to remind Kathleen that it is time for dinner and see what she has in mind tonight.

How My Afternoons Seem to Go

I read this cartoon this morning and it reminded me of how my afternoons seem to go lately except without the grandchildren.

While I am here I thought that I might as well start my blog so here goes. This morning when I woke up it was drizzling a little bit so when the sun finally made it behind the clouds I went outside to pick the tomatoes that were reddish orange or red so that they would not be split by the rain that was on its way.

As it was there were many of the cherry tomatoes that had split already, so when I got them inside and washed I separated the good ones from the ones that had split and put the split ones in a bowl. Then I checked the ones I had picked the other day and took out the ones that had split and put them in the bowl as well.

Once I finished doing the tomatoes I emptied the dishwasher and then toasted some scones that Kathleen had made a few days ago. Along with the scones I also had the bowl of cherry tomatoes and my morning coffee.

After putting my dishes into the dishwasher the friend who we went out to dinner with he and his wife Monday night called and inquired about our antenna and wanted to know if he could pick it up in a little while, so I said sure.

While I was waiting for him I went out front and raked the walnut leaves from the front lawn. He arrived while I was still raking so I stopped and helped him load it into his car and then we talked for a while.

Kathleen came out while we were talking but our neighbor said hi to her while we were talking so Kathleen went over there and visited with her for a while. She finally got home about 1230, so maybe it was more than a while.

While Kathleen was visiting the mail came so I got it and went through it and all but a magazine for Kathleen and a L.L.Bean and a Lands End catalog for me just about everything else I filed in the box for recycling.

I think I will leave this for a while to see if I get anything else to write about later on today.

Well after I left off writing my blog Kathleen made herself breakfast, and since it was a little after 1300 I decided to make myself some lunch. There was a little bit of the mashed potatoes left over from last night’s dinner so I had that and made myself a sardine sandwich. I offered to let Kathleen dunk her English muffin in the left-over sardine juice, but she declined, so I cut off the crust from my sandwich and sopped it up myself.

After we both finished eating I put our dishes into the dishwasher and then went into the living room and sorted out the magazines and catalogs that had been gathering next to my chair and on the trunk next to it.

I wound up recycling a couple dozen catalogs and a few magazines; I mostly sorted out the magazines and I am planning and will go through them and cut out the articles that I want to keep and then recycle the skeletons later.

Well, that about does it for me today; for some reason my thumb joints have really been bothering me today, maybe it is from the change in the weather. I guess it must be time for some more Vicodin.

What Me Overdo? Or was I just Giving My Vicodin a Real Workout Today!

How can this be October already? I am not sure where June, July, August and September went, but any day now we will be starting our rainy season which will probably last until next July.

Well, this morning after eating breakfast I went outside and decided to rake the back lawn seeing how I had not raked it yet this leaf dropping season. Raking was a little harder than it should have been because I had not mowed the back yard in quite a while either.

So as I finished raking the lower level I mowed it and then did the same for the middle and upper level as well. By the time I got to the upper level I was getting pretty tired but I pushed through and finished as I wanted to get it all done before it started raining in the next few days. Once it starts to rain the leaves get really hard to rake up and get heavy as well.

After I finished mowing the upper level, I rested for a little bit and then took my rake and mower up to the front lawn. There were not a lot of leaves on the front lawn but I wanted to rake them up as my old push reel mower does not mulch up the leaves very well.

So by the time I finished mowing the front lawn my hip was really starting to give me fits so when I got into the house and cleaned up I took some more Vicodin and after a while I was feeling better.

Kathleen had her meeting with the lady from church today and so after she left around 1315 I went out and got my blower out and blew the garden area and sidewalk in the back yard. Then I blew off the driveway, the front sidewalk and then the gardens in the front yard.

I noticed that our neighbor's driveway was getting covered with debris so I asked her if she would like me to blow off her driveway and sidewalk, so I did that as well. Once I finished her driveway I put everything away and went into the house and cleaned up.

Since it was now about 1430 I decided that I should make myself something to eat for lunch. So I made a brat on a whole wheat bun and had it with a dozen cherry tomatoes.

Most of the rest of this afternoon I kind of rested, and I am pretty sure that I am not going to get much of anything else done today. I think that I will take some more Vicodin, close this thing and call it done.