And then it Rained

This morning after breakfast and reading the paper I emptied the dishwasher that I had started up earlier. Then knowing that it was suppose to start raining around noon today I decided to go outside and mow the front lawn. Once I got outside I went back to the garden and checked it out and then I heard this noise so I looked around and did not see anything but I started to feel moisture on my arms.

I decided to go out front and see if the lawn was dry or still too wet to mow, and it seemed to be drizzling less. I decided that if I were going to get the front lawn mowed I was going to have to do it now. I went back and got my McLane mower and by the time I got back to the front lawn it had stopped drizzling.

I got to mow the front lawn north and south and then diagonally northwest to southeast. I even mowed the west side of the driveway as well as the other side of the fence and as I was coming back to our lawn I stopped to pull some weeds and I heard rain hitting the walnut tree leaves. As I looked up to see how hard it was raining it really started to downpour, so I put the mower away and went into the house to clean up.

It drizzled most of the rest of the day until late afternoon so I knew my working outside for today was over. The mail had come while I was outside so I went out and got it. Not much there other than some information from my financial adviser from the seminar that they had earlier this week that we were not able to attend.

Tonight Kathleen made some chicken, baked potatoes and green beans for dinner, there was just a little left over for a snack or something. I have not heard from Sue how Bill did with his surgery today, but she probably has been busy at the hospital and a little worn out today, so maybe I will hear something tomorrow.

At Least it did not Rain Today

Today was kind of a dreary day just about all day long and even though it did not rain to day it looked like it might at any minute. This morning as I was putting the paper into the recycling bin after finishing reading it after breakfast Andrea call. Kathleen picked up the phone after a while so I hung up and went outside to dead head the roses. This time of year, and for the next four months, this becomes an almost daily task.

As I was taking the rose trimmings to the yard debris barrel I noticed that Andrea's SUV was on the front lawn, so I knew that she was here. As I was putting the rose pruners away Andrea and Brandon came outside, Kathleen followed a few minutes later so I got out my big McLane push mower and mowed the back lawn.

Brandon liked watching the mower and followed me with his eyes as I pushed the mower over the grass. I think that he was a little intimidated by the size of it and all the grass coming out of the front of it. This mower is so much heavier than my little electric mower but when the grass is was wet as it has been it does a really good job of cutting the grass.

The little Brill does a really good job on dry grass but even when the grass is not very high the grass is so full of moisture that it gets hung up on the cutting bar and causes the Brill to make a grinding noise just like it would if the mower cutting tall grass.

After I finished mowing, I played catch with Brandon, first with a tennis ball and then with a half size football. By playing catch I mean I would throw the ball into the air and when it stopped bouncing Brandon would pick it up and hold it out for me to come and get from him and then wait for me to throw it again.

Andrea left just before Kathleen had to leave to meet up with the lady from church and after everyone left I made myself a Sandwich with ham, turkey and Provolone. And then sat in my chair and dozed again for a while. It has gotten to be a regular thing for me; kind of my siesta after lunch.

Kathleen came home around 1730 and had stopped at BiMart to return some birdseed that I had gotten a week or so ago and picked up some thistle seed and some other things. She also stopped at Papa Murphy's and got a pepperoni and pineapple delight pizza. We both like the delight pizza a lot because there is about half the crust and we do not have nearly enough left-over; I also think that it is probably a lot healthier when compared to a regular crust pizza.

If You Do Not Like the Weather Right Now Just Wait Five Minutes

Today has been one of those days where the weather was changing continually; for one moment it would be overcast and the next it would be sunny and clear, then the wind would pick up and it felt stormy, then the sun would come out and be nice again. Of course it would rain off and on all the time. Most of the rain came this morning and there were just a few scattered showers through out the rest of the day.

It was wet enough outside today that I did not get a lot done outside. Although after Kathleen had gotten up, dressed, and eaten breakfast we went outside and she showed me where she wanted me to plant some of the plants that she bought a couple weeks ago. We also planted some seeds that we had soaked so that they would sprout faster, but I think that they soaked too long and by the time we got around to planting them were too water logged.

This afternoon I decided that I would go out to the garage and see if I needed to put the old Jeep on the charger as I have not driven it in a really long time, but to my surprise it started right up on the first crank. I was all mentally prepared to have to put it on the charger so that was a very pleasant surprise.

I did manage to get my afternoon nap in while watching Fox news; I am not sure what it is about watching Fox news that puts me to sleep but today it was probably the coverage of the South Dakota and Montana primary coverage.

Tonight Kathleen is making a macaroni and tuna casserole for dinner so that will probably last for a few meals. For lunch today I finished the rest of the lentil, barley and ham soup from that Kathleen thawed out a couple of days ago so there will be some room in the refrigerator.

I woke up feeling almost "normal" this morning and I have felt better all day than I have in over a month so maybe I am on my way to getting better. I have been a little hesitant even thinking about that possibility, but maybe it is really happening! If it is it certainly will be a welcome change.

More Weather Changes are on the Way

I woke up a little early this morning but I felt pretty good and my coughing did not last as long as it had been for the last couple of weeks. In fact after I finished breakfast and reading the paper I felt good enough to go outside and trim the arborvitaes and dead headed the rhododendron. After I finished those things I even mowed the front lawn.

When I got done about 1130 I went into the house and cleaned up. Kathleen had not come downstairs yet so I poured myself another cup of coffee and sat down at the kitchen table and opened the mail. One of the things there was Kathleen's charge card bill for her sewing equipment and it was still messed up so I took it up to her and asked that she try to call them again and try to get it straightened out.

I have been paying it on time every month and since she has two large purchases on it one for a deferred payment and one for a twelve month no interest. Since they were bought at two separate times I divided the first one by thirty-six and then when she added the second purchase I divided that one by twelve and added that payment to the first.

Ever since I have been making payments on them they have been adding more of the payment to the one that has thirty-six months so at that rate I will not have the one that only has twelve months on it paid off in time. What a mess!

Anyway, after eating some lunch, I went outside and dead headed the roses and iris that had finished blooming. Right now in the rose garden I have several roses, fox glove, iris, columbine forget-me-nots, and a couple other plants blooming so it really looks nice.

While I was out there, I also cultivated the rows of my vegetable garden as the weeds seem to be growing much better than what I planted although the tomato plants are doing pretty well. After I finished cultivating I sat down rested for a little bit before I went back inside.

After washing up I sat down in my chair and it was not too long before I had fallen asleep. I woke up when Kathleen came downstairs. She had decided to make salmon patties and tater tots for dinner. The as a side we had some sweetened cherries in syrup; kind of good but probably not the healthiest thing to eat a lot of.

I think that I felt better today than I have in about a month or so, so I hope that I am on my way to getting well. I was really getting tired of not feeling well Well it has started to drizzle again. It is suppose to be this way for the next couple of days and the weather people are telling us that it is suppose to clear up later on this week, but around here one has to see it before they can believe that it is really going to be nice out.

Junes First Weekend Wrapup

Yesterday was a nice day and after breakfast and reading the paper I went outside and mowed the back lawn and then got out my grass sheers and edged the back gardens and even the area around the back sidewalk and along the east fence. By the time I was done I was a wee bit tired so I sat out in one of our Adirondack chairs and rested for a while.

After resting for a while I filled up a bucket with some ammonia and water, got a rag and squeegee and went and washed all the outside windows on the first floor. It did not take too long, but it sure made a difference in being able to see out of the windows. Now we will just have to find some time to do the inside. I did not have to be too careful doing the outside as if I spilled a little it did not matter; inside that is not the case.

I finished up around 1800 and I was getting hungry, since Kathleen has not been feeling well I decided that I would make my own dinner and while I was doing that she came downstairs. I spent most of the rest of the evening in the living room watching TV and then went to bed early.

I slept pretty well and when I got up I felt good, but still not good enough to try and go to church as I was coughing and sniffling all morning. Today was different from yesterday as it was wet just about all day. It did not rain all that much, it just never really cleared up. Finally around 1630 I decided to go sweep off the front porch.

The birds really enjoy the bird seed from the feeder but they really make a mess of the front porch. I was noticing yesterday as I was washing the front kitchen windows that the sunflower seed shells from the sunflower bird feeder were covering the ground underneath it. I had to refill both feeders again today.

I took the third feeder down as the squirrels were climbing up it and I wanted the birds to be able to get first shot at it. I do not really care if the squirrels get theirs from off the ground but I do not want them climbing up onto the bird feeder.

Tonight Kathleen thawed out some ham, barley and lentil soup that she made last winter and we had that for dinner. There is still enough left over for at least one more meal and maybe a lunch for me next week.

Well that about covers the weekend, I am starting to feel better every day so I am hoping that I will stop coughing and having so much drainage this next week.

Saturday's Suggestions

Well with summer approaching I thought that I would pass along a few suggestions for keeping insects at bay in yards and off us. Most of these use ingredients that are readily available and are safe to use around people.

The first one is a deterrent for mosquitoes I will call it mosquito lemonade but before using it you will need to do is drain any areas of standing water to keep them from becoming mosquito breeding grounds.

Once this is done, to discourage mosquitoes from returning and keep them away try over spraying your yard 3 times a week in the evening with this mixture.

Mosquito Lemonade:

1 cup of lemon-scented ammonia.

1 cup of lemon-scented dish washing liquid

Then using a 20 gallon hose-end sprayer, pour the two ingredients into it and then fill the balance of the sprayer jar with warm water.

Biting insects are more attracted to certain bright colors and floral patterns. So wearing lighter shades, like khaki, yellow, or white, will draw less attention from buzzing and bothersome bugs and go a long way toward keeping you bite-free. Then if you are going to be outside in the evenings a dab of geranium or lavender essential oil works just as well, and you will smell good as well.

It is barbecue time so here are a couple suggestions to help keep the yellow jackets and wasps away.

If yellow jacket or wasps are ruining your barbecue, try doing a couple of things. First take a piece of the meat that you are going to barbecue and put it as far from where you are going to barbecue and eat as possible.

Then use a hand held spray bottle that you have fill with white vinegar and a squirt or two of dish washing liquid. Then shake it up, and spray those bad-news bugs that find their way to the table they will drop dead in their tracks and you should be able to enjoy your barbecue without the fear of being stung.

Toni called a couple of times today to keep us updated on their progress to Florida. The last time she called they were in Florida enjoying the warm and muggy weather down there. She is down there to go to a high school graduation of a girl that use to live next door to us and she use to baby sit for all the time. I hope that they enjoy their time down there and have a safe trip back home.

Finally a nice day!

I woke up at 0400 this morning and could not get back to sleep so finally about 0430 I got up so that I would not disturb Kathleen. I had breakfast eaten, the dishes washed and the paper read by the time the sun came up so I sat in my chair for a while until about 0930 and I went upstairs to see if Kathleen was yet, she was not, so I went back downstairs.

I knew that I needed to mow either the front lawn or the back lawn today, so I went out and mowed the front lawn and when I went inside and went upstairs to see if Kathleen was up yet, still not luck. We needed to go to Costco and we also had doctor's appointments this afternoon so I started to change my clothes to go to Costco myself.

Kathleen woke up as I was getting dressed and said that she wanted to go as well, so I went downstairs and waited for her. It got to be about noon so I made myself something to eat as I did not want to go to Costco hungry.

Kathleen came downstairs and made herself some breakfast and while she was eating I brought the mail in and recycled most of it. After Kathleen finished eating she went back upstairs to finish getting ready to go. Finally two hours after I started to leave we were out the door.

After spending more money than we should have at Costco we headed home to put everything away and then get ready to go to the doctors. The doctor said that I have acute bronchitis and gave me a couple prescriptions to get filled. While we were there we also picked up a couple things of Benadryl for Becca as she had an allergic reaction to some amoxicillin and had tiny red bumps all over her body.

After dropping the Benadryl off at Aaron and Tami's and visiting with Becca for a while, Alexis was taking a nap, we took off for home. On the way we stopped by Burgerville for something to eat. I had an Oregon Harvest Patty basket; the Harvest Patty is made up of organic black rice, sweet potatoes, Anasazi beans, carrots, mushroom, corn, onions, broccoli, celery and flax meal, and was really good.

We finally got home a little after 1900 and after putting everything away and changing my clothes, here I am.

Slow Thursday

I slept all night and did not wake up because I could not breathe for the first time in that last two weeks. I irrigated my nose last night and got quite a lot of mucus out and I think that is the reason that my nose did not clog up on me last night.

This morning after reading the paper and eating breakfast I went outside and pulled some of the vines out from the garden in front of the house; these were starts from some of the roots that I did not get out when I did it a couple weeks ago. I will probably have to keep doing this all summer as the least little bit of root that is left in the ground and they start growing again.

After I finished pulling the vines, I put in eight solar lights; three of them in the front to lead into the front steps and the rest in the back. I put a couple on each side of the trellis with the clematis growing on it, that leads to the rose garden; one by the trellis with more clematis growing on it, that leads to the vegetable garden; then the rest I just put along the front of the rose garden.

Then I went back inside as I could feel my nose starting its running stage, so I took some more medicine to help elevate the mucus problem. The mail had just come so I went out and got it but there really was not much there; is it any wonder that I fill up a recycling bin with junk mail every week?

After a bit I got hungry so I heated up some of last night’s dinner for my lunch and then went into the living room and watched some television while I finished reading a magazine. Kathleen came down stairs and made herself some breakfast and then went back upstairs; she still is not feeling any better.

I called our financial adviser and let them know that we would not be able to make their program tonight. After a while Kathleen called me from upstairs and let me know that she made a doctor's appointment for each of us. I am starting to feel like pneumonia might be setting in. I cough all day and my nose runs; it seems like I always have mucus in my throat.

Alyssa came over with the children for a while this afternoon and while Kathleen and Alyssa worked on a project I tried to keep the children a little occupied. After a while they all complained about being hungry so Alyssa and I gave them some Cheerios and graham crackers which seemed to satisfy them, at least until they left.

It was dinner time for us when they left so Kathleen heated up the rest of last night’s dinner and some apple sauce. We are both too tired to really care about what we had to eat; we just needed something to eat.

Well, I am hoping that I can get other full nights sleep, even after getting a good night sleep I am still feeling really tired and it is getting pretty old.

Not Even Close to Being a Nice Day!

Unlike yesterday when the sun actually came out in the afternoon today it turned from overcast to actual rain. It looked like rain all day and this afternoon it did.

This morning after breakfast I loaded up the dishwasher and started it up. The mail came but there really was nothing worth keeping other than one of my garden magazines, so I deposited the rest of it in the recycling.

While the dishes were washing I went outside and got my reel mower and mowed the front lawn. I even managed to mow it diagonally after I mowed it east and west but by the time I finished the diagonal cut the battery was just about dead.

When the dishes finished I emptied the dishwasher and put the dishes away. Kathleen finally came back downstairs to eat her English muffin and while she was doing that I made myself some cinnamon toast for my lunch.

After putting the dishes into the dishwasher I went and sat in my chair to read the magazine that came today. I got about half way through and my eyes got real heavy so I put the magazine down and took a nap.

Kathleen had decided that she did not feel well enough to meet with the lady from church today so she was home this afternoon while I was napping. Then tonight she made some chili and brown rice; put it in a pan and the put a corn bread mix on top and baked it in the oven.

Kathleen did not like the way that the corn bread tasted but I thought that it tasted pretty good. The chili was bean less as since the radiation I do not always do well with beans. It is too bad as I always like beans; they did not always like me, but that is another issue.

Today was a rather unproductive day for me, I thought about doing some work inside, but with my allergies/sinuses being what they are I did not think that it was too good an idea.

Stan, the fellow who is helping do our remodeling just called and it looks like he will be able to do some more work toward the middle of next month. So now we need to finish up a couple things and make a decision as to the flooring that we want.

Almost a nice day

I awoke about 0430 this morning with my nose just about totally blocked so I sprayed it a couple times with that decongestant spray and it cleared it up and I was able to get back to sleep again. When I finally got up again it was really dreary looking outside and the weather people were saying that it was going to rain.

After finishing breakfast and the paper I went and sat in my chair for a while and then I went outside and gathered up the garbage can, the recycling bin and the yard debris barrel after they had been emptied. Then I got some more bird seed and filled up the one bird feeder as it had been empty for about a day or so.

While I was doing that the mail came so I met the mail man at the street and brought it in. There was not anything for me worth keeping but Kathleen got a book from her cousin in Seattle. I had been meaning to make some adjustments on my little reel mower so I went out to the garage and worked on it for a while and then adjusted the cutting height as I had been cutting it really low because the grass was growing so fast.

I thought that I would see how it cut so I put the battery in and started it up. I thought that I had set the cutting height too high so I stopped it and lowered it a little bit. The grass was cutting pretty well so I kept cutting and finished the back yard. The battery still had some juice left so I went and mowed the west side of the driveway and the neighbor's grass just on the other side of the fence and their driveway.

When the battery started getting weak I decided to stop and put the battery on the charger. I wanted to trim the grass around the sidewalk in the back yard so I got out my little cordless line trimmer and trimmed it. I also trimmed the grass in the neighbor's driveway near the property line and around the other neighbor's house and stone wall where her son's mower did not get.

By the time the trimmer ran out of power I was tired and hungry so I put everything away and went inside and cleaned up. I made myself a sardine sandwich on jalapeño bread. I had a dill pickle to top it all off. After cleaning up my mess I went and sat down again and just as I was getting comfortable the UPS man rang the door bell. It was something that I had ordered for Kathleen for her birthday but had gotten back ordered.

For dinner tonight I made myself a hoagie sandwich with sliced ham, chicken and provolone cheese on a hoagie bun and another dill pickle. Kathleen had an online class on about her sewing machine tonight so she ate a little earlier.

Memorial Day 2008

Well today is Memorial Day and even though I am not "working" I kind of took a day off. After eating and reading the paper I emptied the dishwasher and then gathered up the towels and washed, dried, folded and put away the towels. Kathleen came down stairs when I took the towels upstairs and made herself some breakfast.

I picked up the kitchen rugs and shook them out and then swept the kitchen floor then put the rugs back down. I had been noticing that the carpeting was getting pretty dirty, fir pollen pods and needles, so I got the vacuum cleaner out and vacuumed the downstairs.

By this time it was time for me to have lunch, so I fixed myself another smoked sausage on a bun with kraut. Kathleen was just finishing her breakfast and complained about the smell; I guess that she just does not appreciate good kraut.

After finishing lunch I gathered up the dishes and loaded them into the dishwasher and then sat for a while in the living room to rest up a little. After a little bit I went out to the garage and gathered up the crushed boxes that I broke down yesterday and put them on the front porch so that I could take them up front tomorrow morning for recycling along with the plastic and paper.

Kathleen said that I should refill the bird feeder on the front porch and then she also said that she wished that she could see out of the window better; a couple weeks ago she tried to wash the windows and just smeared the dirt around and made it look cloudy. So I added some ammonia to a bucket of water and took a cloth and a squeegee out and washed the two windows on the porch that looked out at the bird feeder.

Kathleen said that it looked a lot better but the inside needed cleaning as well but she said that she would do it sometime. For dinner tonight she made a chicken breast cut it up and added it to some rice. She also made some peas to go along with it but when we started to eat she felt that something was missing so we opened up a jar of apple sauce and that did the trick.

After we finished eating I gathered up the dishes and loaded them into the dishwasher and here I sit. I was just telling Kathleen that I do not understand why my nose runs all day long and at night it is all congested. From the time I get up I start coughing up mucus and blowing my nose and then I wake up in the middle of the night and my nose is all blocked up...go figure!

Soggy Sunday

Last night we had one of the longest thunder and lightning storm that I have seen in a very long time. It reminded me of being in the mountains and having the storm rumble on and on for hours. Last night storm lasted a good hour and probably longer, we lost power briefly four or five times for just a couple seconds each time. I cut my blog a little short last night as I wanted to turn my computer off just in case.

This morning it started raining again fairly early and it rained most of the day. So after breakfast I emptied the dishwasher and then read the paper and comics. Not being able to work outside I decided that I would go out to the garage and move some things around. I have a potting bench that has been next to my Jeep and behind some other things so I have not been able to use it.

It took me quite a while before I could get to it but I finally did. In the process I was able to throw some things out and also recycle some cardboard boxes as well. By the time I got everything back so that I could use the garage I was getting hungry so I went inside, cleaned up and made a smoked sausage on a bun with sour kraut on it. I also had some kraut and a dill pickle on the side.

After resting for a while I decided that I would go downstairs and do a little cleaning up down there. I was able to clean up a little area and also found some things that I bagged for Alyssa and Aaron. I am not sure if they want it or not, but it will either be theirs or it will be thrown away. We have entirely too much "STUFF" and we need to weed through it; throw it our or give it away instead of just storing it.

Tonight Kathleen made some roast beef sandwiches with the pot roast for the other nigh and had dill pickles on them with some sea salt and vinegar chips. So far we have had three or four meals out of it and there is still some left for another meal.

Well, I finally am starting to feel better; I slept pretty well last night and was only a little congested when I got up. I did not make it to church this morning as it took me until around 1100 before I could get my coughing under control. I also feel like some of my energy is starting to come back at least I am getting a few thing accomplished.

If you have not looked Alyssa has posted a couple blogs today with some pictures.

Feeling Better Saturday

I felt pretty good this morning as I got up and so after doing the breakfast dishes I went outside and decided to sit out in the sun shine and soak up some vitamin -D-. I had kind of though about mowing the back yard but it was still pretty wet when I thought about it.

After sitting for a while I decided that I would weed along the east side of the house so I did. When I finished that the sun was going behind some clouds and it looked like it might rain. So I went inside and made myself a sandwich with some cold cuts and provolone and white American cheeses. I also had some sweet German potato salad and some pea and ham salad with a dill pickle to go along with it.

Then I sat down in my chair for a while and fell asleep. I must have slept quit a while and I felt pretty good when I got up so I went outside and weeded trimmed the grass along the whole east side of the front lawn. Kathleen came out with a banana strawberry milk shake which tasted really good. Our neighbor came over and talked with Kathleen for a while, while I finished weeding and trimming.

By the time I finished and went into the house to clean up it was after 1900 and I was really tired. I did get quite a lot of mucus out and after I did I felt much better. While I was outside I could hardly talk but as soon as I got the mucus out I could almost talk normally.

Kathleen reheated the scalped potatoes from last night and there is still a little bit left. I could have had more, but I felt full so I decided that the best thing to do would be to leave it for another day.

A Little Better Friday

I slept in a little longer this morning and when I did get up I felt better than I have in several days. On my way downstairs I took a couple laundry baskets of clothes downstairs with me and loaded up dark clothes before I made my breakfast.

By the time I finished eating and cleaning up my mess the clothes were done washing, so I put them into the dryer and loaded up another load into the washer. While everything was either washing or drying I sat in my chair for a while as I started feeling really tired.

I managed to cough up quite a lot of mucous and my throat was really getting sore from all the coughing and all the coughing made me tired. Just about the time I was dozing off the dryer went off so I took the clothes out and put the clothes from the washer into the dryer and turned it on again.

Then I took the clothes upstairs to fold and put them away. By this time it was time to take some more meds for my congestion and after I had taken that I went and sat in my chair. Before much longer the dryer went off again so I gathered the clothes out of the dryer took them upstairs, folded and put them away.

After lunch I noticed that the one bird feeder was just about empty so I took it down and put about five pounds of seed into it. Later on I noticed about a dozen small birds either on the feeder or on the porch eating seed that had fallen out of the feeder.

It has been a couple days since I have been able to talk without a great deal of pain; it seem like from about 0930 on my throat gets so sore for coughing that my throat just gets raw. I have tried expectorant cough syrup and once in a while some sore throat cough medicine and neither one seem to help much.

I have even started taking some pills that are supposed to relieve mucus drainage but they have not made much difference either. Each day when I get up I feel better than the day before but then by the middle of the day I start feeling pretty miserable again. Right now I would just like to have a whole day where I felt good all day.

Tonight Kathleen made some scalped potatoes and that helped my throat for a while, but now it is just as sore as it was this afternoon. I am kind of in between times when I can take any medication for it as I like to be able to take everything just before going to bed so that I can get a little sleep.

Not Quite as UGH as Yesterday!

I did not feel much better this morning when I got up but I did feel better. I learned from yesterday to spray my nose with the decongestant nasal spray and then take some pseudoedrine and that kind of clears up my stuffy nose for a while at least.

After breakfast I loaded up the dishwasher and added the soap and asked Kathleen to turn it on after she put her coffee mug in. Then I went outside and planted some of the plants that we got the other day at Fred Meyer. I only got half of them planted as it took me a while to prepare the soil.

After going inside and cleaning up I took a little nap in my chair and by the time I got up it was time for lunch. I made a veggie burger with a slice of onion and cheddar. As I was looking out the kitchen window I noticed all the walnut pollen pods on the front lawn and decided that I would go out and rake them up.

Once I got them all raked up and disposed of I decided that the front lawn was looking a little ragged; something that usually happens after raking the lawn. So I got the little reel mower out and mowed the front lawn I even mowed the west side of the driveway. I think that I have neglected that part of the lawn for several weeks and it was really starting to show.

By the time I finished mowing the front lawn, put the mower away and cleaned up I was really tired so I took another nap in my chair. I sleep better sitting up as my nose does not get quite as plugged up. I slept for quite a while again, so maybe I am making up for some of the lost sleep at night.

I feel like I got a little more done today and I feel better tonight than I did last night so hopefully I am starting to shake whatever it is that has been bugging me for the last week. My voice is still rather horse and my nose is still plugged up but over all I feel better.

UGH!

I tried some new meds last night and I slept a little better or at least until around 0400. At 0430 I used some nasal decongestant and that allowed me to breathe better again and I slept until around 0630; which is around the time I am usually up anyway. I have also switched to a pseudoedrine, a decongestant to help keep, my nose from plugging up.

I have been waiting too long in between taking it and then by the time I realize it my nose is either running or plugged up. It is a good thing that it has drizzled on and off most of the day as I had not gotten very much done today.

After breakfast I loaded up the dishwasher and ran a load of dishes; then I shook out the rugs in the kitchen and swept and mopped the floor. There was also a sink load of hand wash pots and pans so I washed them as well, but most of the rest of the day I just sat around and read.

Kathleen had her meeting with the lady from church today and I think I spent most of the time dozing. She stopped off at Winco on her way home and picked up a few items that we needed. Then tonight she reheated the pot roast, mashed potatoes and green beans.

Well, Back to a More Typical Oregon Spring

I was awaken this morning to the familiar sound of rain on the sky light around 0430 and I could also tell that it was going to be much cooler today than it had been.

This morning after breakfast I broke down several large cardboard boxes and took them out front for the recycling truck. Then I filled three of our bird feeders with sunflower seeds and hung them up. While I was filling one of the bird feeders a squirrel came right up to me and sniffed my foot; a couple minutes later a little chickadee flew up to me and landed only about a foot away. The birds and squirrels are getting so use to me that they do not fly or run away all the time now. The squirrels are getting really brave.

I also pounded a galvanized pipe into the ground and then a plastic rod into it to set up the new bird feeder that Aaron, Tami and the girls gave us. After putting the feeder on top of the pole I went back into the house to rest up.

While it does not sound like I did a lot, I was pretty worn out; partly because I have not been sleeping too well because of my allergies. I sleep okay for a few hours but then my nose plugs up and I wake up on a regular basis.

While I was sitting at the kitchen table talking to Kathleen I noticed a squirrel on the new bird feeder, so went I went outside I noticed that the squirrel was able to climb on the plastic rod. I guess that it is soft enough that they can get their claws into it and climb up it just as if it were made out of wood.

Now I will have to rethink how to keep the squirrels off the bird feeder; I do not mind them eating what the birds knock off the feeder, but I do not want them climbing up and helping themselves.

That is about all I got done today. I have been taking Benadryl every few hours so that has helped keep me pretty drowsy most of the day. My nose is getting sore from using nose spray so much to keep my nose open enough so that I can breath for a while.

Kathleen had a doctor's appointment this afternoon and I was feeling so bad that I told her that I do not think that I should go so I stayed here and just vegged out in my chair.

Kathleen had put a pot roast on before she left and so when she came home we had the roast, mashed potatoes and green beans for dinner.

Farmer Bob's Almanac

Today was much nicer than it had been this weekend; it only got into the eighties but it felt much cooler because it was almost one hundred degrees yesterday. I looked at the thermometer yesterday afternoon and it was just about one hundred degrees in the shade.

This morning after breakfast I went outside and planted the rest of my garden. I planted a couple different kind of lettuce, carrots, zucchini squash, and then I also panted single varieties of beets, radishes, push beans, pumpkins and cantaloupe.

I also planted some nasturtiums, marigold, sun flowers, poppies, foxglove, lupine, sweet peas, columbine, and a lot of wild flower mixes. I came across a box of seeds that we have had for a while and I thought that I would just scatter them around and if they grew, great, and if they did not I could always plant something else in a couple of weeks.

This is the earliest that I can remember having my garden all planted in a long while. The last time I planted this early I had to replant as it was too damp and the seeds just rotted. This year it seems to be drier and I am hopeful that I will not have to plant.

The twenty something tomatoes that I planted this weekend look pretty good, I have watered them every day just to give them a good start and I planted them deep enough that they should do okay when it does turn hot again.

Last night I could hardly breathe as my allergies were really kicking in even with taking my allergy medication did not really help. I sprayed my nose about every ten minutes just so that I could breath. Then this morning it started up all over again.

Tonight Zander had a t-ball game, so Kathleen and I went to watch him play and being out in the field did not help my allergies at all. By the time we left I could hardly breathe and I had forgotten my nose spray and it was too early for me to take any more allergy medication.

It was fun to watch the kids play ball, the team on the field would roam around or lay down and they always threw the ball toward first base even when another runner way right next to them. I do not think either side ever got an out; the way they play they batted the side around and then switch from offense to defense. They do not keep score...there is no need to as everyone gets on base and then they all go home when the last batter hits the ball. Very interesting!

Right now our pine tree, the fir trees and the walnut trees are all dropping pollen, so it is no wonder that my allergies are giving me fits. It would probably help if I stayed in doors, but when the weather is this nice out it is hard for me to stay indoors.

Too Early to be this Hot!

I knew that it was going to be a hot day today as I checked the temperature before I had breakfast and it was already over seventy degrees out in the shade. After eating I went out and mowed the front lawn, it was too hot already to try and do the whole yard. After finishing the front lawn I put the mower away and got out my grass shears and trimmed the grass along the edge of the gardens in the back yard.

After sitting down in the back yard for a little while to rest and cool off I went into the house washed my hands and face to get the pollens off and refresh myself a little. The mail was just getting here so I went out and got it, there really was nothing worth opening so most of it wound up it the recycling.

By this time it was getting close to lunch time so I reheated up some of the shrimp gumbo that I made the other day. Kathleen had just made it downstairs and made herself some breakfast. After a while we decided that we needed to go to Wal-Mart for a couple things we forgot the other day.

Finally a while later Kathleen came back downstairs and then we took off. I got a coupe dozen tomato plants, a dandelion weeder, some Roundup and a pair of Frisker rose shears that have a special section that removes the thorns.

We also picked up some deli cheeses from the deli and some jalapeño bread to make some sandwiches for dinner tonight. We also picked up some baby lettuce, an avocado, lemons and limes and a few other things that I cannot remember.

I think that the temperature today got up into the nineties and it is suppose to do that again tomorrow. This is much too early in the year to have that kind of temperatures. It was kind of funny to see the snow still in the foot hills and having to use the air conditioner in the car to stay cool.

Too Hot Too Fast

I read this cartoon this morning as I was reading the paper after breakfast and just knew that I would have to post it in my blog today. For those of you who do not know it, Kathleen always wears two pair of glasses and the ones that are not on her nose are usually on her head and often times she cannot find them.

http://www.comcast.net/data/comics/pickles.gif

Our neighbor's son stopped by this morning after I had finished eating and asked for suggestions as her neighbors on the other side of her were really noisy and she was not sleeping well. We talked for a while and I gave him one of the guys cell phone number.

After he left I went outside and dug out some blackberries that were growing just on the other side of the fence. Andrea, Toni and Brandon came over for a while this morning and so I went inside and visited with them for a while, but after about a half an hour I went back outside to finish what I had started.

As I was going inside again Kathleen was coming out with Brandon as they were getting ready to leave. So after cleaning up I went out front to say good bye to everyone. Then I sat in my chair for a while to rest up as I had gotten really hot while working outside. I am not sure what the temperature was today but it was getting close to ninety degrees.

I did not get much more done today as it was just too hot to do much outside and I was tired enough that I just kind of wanted to veg out. It is supposed to be in the ninety's for the next few days, but my body is not ready for that warn a temperature just yet. It usually takes a while gradually building up to high temperatures before I can handle it very well; and even then I do not usually do too well.

This would have been a good time to be at the coast, except neither Kathleen nor I have felt really that well.