Equine Epiphanies

Retirement (with Raspberries)

2016-10-27T14:31:00.001-05:00

Man, have I missed you guys!! I can honestly say that for a while there (and it was a long, long, LONG while), I was beginning to wonder if I would ever make it back here - talk about insanity squared! I have really been struggling to find some kind of balance (and sadly, I'm still not there :oP For whatever reason, this school year has been particularly brutal, with a hectic pace throughout every period and classes scattered all over campus. By the end of the day, I am absolutely fried and frequently catch myself just staring blankly at the wall trying to drum up enough energy to make it to the car and drive home. I don't have much computer access compared to last year either, so my ability to write a post in small snippets over the course of a few days to a week is blown. To compound matters even further, DH has done The Deed. He is officially Retired (though I'll cop to saying it Ree-taard on a regular basis ;o) For those of you wondering what on earth that has to do with my ability to write a blog post, well let me tell you...
Photo Inset: Taya, who looks tubby enough to rate her own zip code.

DH retired the very same day I went back to work. He decided to wait a few months to look for something to do part time; choosing instead to relax and hang out at home. All. The. Time. Since then, he has gained magic skills to rival those of David Copperfield. I have yet to figure out how the man can be in every room of the entire house at the same time, but he is. Clean laundry in hand, I'll zip by him kicked back in the recliner ~~snoring~~ er, watching the news in the family room, only to have him scare the pants off me two minutes later when I plow right into him as I leave the bedroom closet. Sometimes he forgoes the teleporting and just follows me all over the house. Drives me batty. Pretty sure I threatened bodily injury at one point. Now don't misunderstand me; I love my husband, but the man is in desperate need of a hobby, a job, something (anything!) that gets him out of the house [read: my hair] once in awhile. If I pick up the laptop to try to work on the blog at home, he suddenly has a list of 42 things he forgot to tell me. If it's not that, he has a completely different list of things he'd like me to look up for him on the internet. Exciting things; like tractor or truck part numbers and mechanical how to's. *yawn*

Then DH got a phone call with some wonderful news - his/our friend Ron, was moving back to the area. You may know Ron better by his nickname: Brains (this post). I shall now state the obvious: Brawn has proven to be largely incapable of functioning without Brains. Although DH has made a few attempts at tackling all the things he was going to get to when he "ree-tard", he hasn't made much in the way of a dent so far. Hopefully, now that his brain is back where it belongs, things will start to pick up. Well, maybe ;o)

Some other good news? After all the cooking and cleaning up of Thanksgiving Day was over, I actually managed to stuff in (get it? ba-dump-bump ;o) some Christmas DIYs. I was only able to work in fits and starts, so I didn't have time to do a fun little series of photos as things progressed - apologies!! I don't know about you, but I always like to watch things come together. Anyhoo, I have a close friend (who has had a lot of challenging things going on in her life), and she and I have had many discussions about choosing to be joyful as a Christian - something that is a lot harder than you'd think. At some point, she told me she had put little signs up all over her house to remind herself to "choose joy". Isn't that a great idea? Thinking it would be neat to incorporate it into Christmas, I dug through my thrift/craft store inventory to see what I could find. I already had most everything on hand, but made a gun run to Hobby Lobby for some unpainted .99c letters.

As someone whose default mode is too often of the gloom and doom variety, I loved the idea of a visual reminder. This version is also aesthetically more pleasing than having it tattooed backwards on my forehead (something I have periodically considered ;o) I wanted to add a little "joyful" reminder to our holiday decor this year (mostly because it popped into my head as I was putting up decorations). Funny that I just happened to have those three (totally tacky) little wooden plaques on hand from the '70's that I picked up at a thrift shop... somewhere. Scrounging through my hardware bin I hit paydirt with (would you believe it?) three little decorative hangers. Slap on the paint, glue on some Christmas scrapbook paper, add the letters, some ribbon, some more ribbon, the peel-n-stick felt backing so it won't kill the walls, and... Ta Da! A fun and festive reminder to myself to choose joy. Not quite finished, but getting there!

Have you guys seen the recycled picture frame wreaths? They're very different, and I just love them! I'd never even heard of them until I stumbled across one on Pinterest (yes, I know, I really need to stay away from there). It just so happened that I knew of an OTD frame (older-than-dirt) that had been ~~decomposing~~ *Ahem* languishing in our garage (for the past twenty years). It was a big, gorgeously ornate frame that came from the living room of my childhood home. It was fabulous, but far and away too fancy-schmancy for our house. I was so excited to finally have a purpose for it! After cleaning it up and adding some scrap wood to the back for stability, I gave it a hefty coat of some pretty gold spraypaint. It had quite a bit of damage down the left side, but that just made the decision of where to put the greenery an easy one. I'll have the finished photos for you next time. Lord willing, it won't take me anywhere near as long to get to that post ;o)

I have one more Christmas idea that I'm playing with, but I think I'll save that one for next time too (goodness knows, I've yammered more than enough this time, right? ;o) As always, thank you so much for reading this far and have a blessed day!

Rerun Fun

2016-09-11T08:41:00.003-05:00

Because I still haven't found my rhythm (to the extent I am able, anyway ;o)
AND
Because the spoil of this particular victory has been parked in the visitor area for a distressingly long time (as I wait for DH to make the much needed repairs to the Outhouse)

I have decided to do a re-post:

"The Potty Post"

I am a good wife. I am. Sometimes this statement is verified in strange ways, but it is [basically] true. I do not, however, understand the workings of the male mind (wait: is that an oxymoron?) but after more than 20 years of marriage, I can generally decipher the writing on the wall. Remember the *ahem* pot-tay that someone gave us? (here). Well, sadly the tank had a hairline crack and it leaked. It wasn't fixable, and don't you hate it when stuff like that happens? *sigh*. So it was off to the Habitat for Humanity ReStore to [hopefully] find another commode (click here to see if there is one in your area). If you've never shopped there, I can only tell you it is a treasure trove of unbelievable bargains if you are building, remodeling, replacing or decorating (and we all know how much Jen looooves a bargain, right?) Contractors donate leftover items from new construction and homes being professionally remodeled; even better, stores send their shiny new overstock items and/or things that are discontinued. It's most awesome.

My husband, Redneck that he is, pretty much leaves the furniture and fixture decisionmaking up to me (thankfully ;o) Every once in awhile, however, he will deviate from pattern pigheadedly and without warning. It isn't often, but when he does the best I can hope for is some kind of [boggy] middle ground. When I called the ReStore, the woman who answered said they had several commodes there; one was nice enough that had she needed a toilet she would have bought it herself. Since it was going outside, we really just needed non-leaking and functional. On the way to the store, I laughingly told DH that I wouldn't mind finding one in that ugly Harvest Gold because it would be a great match for our "rustic" western theme, and if it got a little dusty from time to time you probably wouldn't even notice. The downside of the store is that it is basically a big stuffy old warehouse, crammed full of all kinds of items (and rummaging around with no air circulating, I can tell you it is HOT in there). Three steps in the door, and everything you have on is stuck to you; three more steps and you are soaked completely through - Yuck! :oP

We no sooner walked through the door, than I saw it: a homely little mustard colored potty sitting right there waiting for me in (you guessed it) Harvest Gold. Laughing, I clasped my hands together in delight and announced it was absolutely perfect. A horrified expression on his face, DH flatly refused to acknowledge my happy find and beaming smile. Instead, his gaze was riveted on "The Throne" which sat glistening seductively in a stream of sunlight a few feet away. This is the point where we completely and totally parted company. The conversation went something like this:
DH: "This one."
Me (incredulously): "Really honey? That one? It's a bit much for an outhouse style bathroom, don't you think?"
DH: "No, I like it."
Me (so not following the thinking): "But it's white, dear."
DH: "Uh-huh."
Me (completely bewildered): "And it has a fancy-schmancy porcelain handle."
DH: "Yep."
Me (now sputtering): "But-but-but we're putting it OUTSIDE. Do you know how fast it will get dirty?"
DH: "You can clean it."
**I should like to interject at this point that I racked up MAJOR marital points for not shooting the man in the middle of the store for that statement alone.**
Me (getting desperate): "Honey, this looks like a $500 toilet; you know how much I appreciate a good deal and all just as you do (it was $15), but are you seriously going to put a pure as the driven snow white la-di-da commode with a shiny white porcelain handle in an outhouse style bathroom on a rustic looking concrete floor that I just stained 'Vaquero Brown'???"
DH (grinning widely): "Yep."
Me (last ditch effort): "Can't we just get the gold one? Please?"
DH: "NO. This one."

Well we bought "The Throne", but I can't say I was anywhere near as thrilled as DH (my sense of the ridiculous being firmly entrenched in the Harvest Gold camp). Happily, inspiration struck on the way back to the house. I had to whine, beg, wheedle and cajole, but I finally got DH to agree to install his monument to the Sunday paper in the family room bathroom and let me go back for the gold one the next day ;o) Since DD's toilet needed to be replaced anyway, I suggested a win-win scenario via a round of musical pot-tays *grin*. The family room toilet would go into DD's bathroom (it matched), "The Throne" would go into the family room bathroom to be loved and admired by all *rolls eyes*, and the gold one would [finally] go into the outhouse. It turned out to be a good thing we did this, as the flange under the commode in the family room had cracked (so water was seeping underneath the flooring - EEW) and it needed to be replaced. Ultimately I guess we both got punished; DH having to do a lot more plumbing work than he'd planned and me having to rip up and replace the vinyl floor in the family room bathroom. Not really feeling the love for those parquet tiles, but they were the least expensive so they won hands down for this unplanned project. Maybe we shoulda stuck Snow White in the outhouse after all, dang it. Oh well.

The return visit generated a much shorter conversation, as DH had to work so DD accompanied me on the return trip to the ReStore in her little pickup truck:
DD: "Mom, that is seriously ugly."
Me: "I know, isn't it great?"
DD (rolling her eyes): "If you say so."
I had to bribe her with a vanilla milkshake, but we got it loaded up and back to the house without incident (she made me drive though, as she refused to be seen hauling a toilet in her truck ;o)

While we're under construction, we have all three commodes communing in our garage (hopefully, we will NOT have anyone come through there for a few days *laugh*).

Oh, and for those of you that noticed the extra cheesy happy face drawn on the [to be replaced] seat cover of the gold one? I said I was a good wife - I never said I was perfect ;o)

Thanks for reading it all over again (if you were here for the original) and have a truly blessed week everyone! Maybe next week I'll figure out where my rhythm is...

Ummm, yeah. About that...

2016-08-20T09:32:00.003-05:00

Sooo I didn't exactly make it to an actual post this week either, BUT I do have something to share (at least you know I thought about you this week, right? ;o) School hit the ground running full tilt this year; we're all still trying to catch our breath. Okay, maybe it's more like we're hyperventilating... I got the brilliant (?) idea to share the rest of my zoo trip photos via slideshow. Ha. Why does this stuff always turn into a federal production? I've used up all my freebies through Cincopa, and now I find that Google has killed off the best feature of Picasa: The embeddable slideshow. So if, bright and early this morning, you happened to hear someone bellowing ugly sentiments at their computer in the distance... well... it was probably me. Sometimes I really hate technology. *sigh* So, we learned (I hope, I hope!) how to use the slideshow feature in Photoshop Elements. Probably. Maybe. Hopefully. Here goes nothing:

Aaaand nothing was what we got. So, we tried again:

Nope, didn't quite make it that time either. Okay, let's try this:

Clearly the third time was NOT the charm. What about this:

That would be a NO. Four? Anybody? Anybody at all. Do I hear four?

After several hours of unbelievable aggravation, the ditching Photoshop altogether (I couldn't get the file size low enough to appease Blogger), saying 3,482 bad words, wasting an additional 45 minutes on Smilebox only to throw my arms up in disgust, this is what I came up with:

Click here to view the Album on Google

*snarl*

Signed,

MUD

Post? Post? What Post?!?

2016-08-13T11:13:00.001-05:00

So, well....yeah. Um, summer suddenly just wasn't anymore and I had to go back to work. Please excuse me for swearing. Caught me a little off guard (okay, a LOT off guard) this year. Anyhoo, it's been a very hectic couple of weeks since my last post. I offer my profound apologies to all of you who are scratching your head and looking for me in the dairy department (via milk carton). What can I say? Oh, right. Sorry. Already said it ;o)

To CLASS-ify (haha) my recent reality check, I am adding a visual summary from last month's zoo trip. I'll be the buffalo and you can be the peacock ('cause they're so pretty). Here you go:

Peacock: "Dude. You snore."
Buffalo: "MMMMPH"

Have a big hug (and a bigger smile!). I'll be back just as soon as I can figure out exactly which end is supposed to be up. At the moment, I can't quite seem to find the end...

*facepalm* :oP

Katy gets her comeuppance and commencing countdown

2016-07-16T14:14:00.001-05:00

Now that I have a phone with a well-functioning camera, (the overly touted Galaxy S4 having been a crushing disappointment) I have been thoroughly enjoying the ability to take actual photos with my phone. My sister-in-law introduced me to the LG V10 (earlier this year when I was searching for a replacement phone) and I absolutely love it! I have to say that it's nice to always have a camera on hand. Although the OIS (optical image stabilization) is not of the same caliber as my still camera (a Canon), it is enough for me to take decent pictures fairly consistently (though no selfies, thank you). Even macro shots (which I love!) have come out pretty darn well (photo below). The Lord has blessed with some amazing photo opportunities over the past week or two, likely because I started asking what He would have me share each time I venture out. Most of the recent photos have been in the garden, since that's where I've been working. Occasionally, when I snap a picture, it takes me a minute to figure out exactly what it is I'm looking at. The other day, however, it took me several. Photo inset: A tiny baby Anole lizard looking up at me from the Chocolate Mint; the leaf he's sitting on is only about an inch long. Isn't he just too cute?

I was outside one afternoon lamenting the recent decimation of my Ageratum, (clearly, Katy had passed along our address) when I spotted a tiny white (?) something on the Garlic Chives. I whipped out my cell, squatted down, and took a picture. I blew it up and looked at it, scratched my head, and looked again. Initially, I thought it had to be the strangest looking bug I'd ever seen. I couldn't quite figure out the coloration and conformation, though it sort of looked like some kind of spider. It appeared to have a pair of "googly eyes" on top of its head, and some sort of green something-or-other sticking out in multiple directions from both sides of its middle. I could even swear I saw a tiny fang, but I couldn't be sure. Imagine my surprise (and delight ;o) when I realized that the green that was sticking out on both sides belonged to none other than Katy - or one of her evil kinfolk (this post). If you click on the photo to blow it up, you can just barely see the edge of the brown stripe; that and those knobby knees are what helped me finally figure out exactly what I was seeing. One evil beastie snack coming right up. At least I'm 99.999% sure that's what it is. After that? Well. Then it was Ah-HA. Ha, HA, HA!! Take that, you greedy heifer! And I saw it with my own eyes, I thought with malicious glee. Not to mention managed to capture it for posterity; what a great day in the garden, eh? ;o) Gosh I sure hope he decides to stay awhile... Ooooh, maybe he'll give his friends our address. Evil beasties beware!

I've recently learned, while thinking about "takeaways" for our visitors (e.g. handouts, fun sheets, our website, this blog, and the Facebook page) that Instagram actually has people over the age of 15 that post real photos. While I don't mind things like family photos, a well-taken shot of a delectable dinner, a decorative dessert, or a cute pic of a couple (G-rated anyway), I find the perpetual "selfies" to be annoying and utterly ridiculous. I get the profile picture thing, I even understand that you might want to change it once in awhile, maybe you got a new haircut or neat glasses. I can even see taking one or two while trying on hats for fun and the like. What I just don't get, are all those [attempted] sultry moues. Really people? The new term is "duck lips" (and ew). I put it in the search bar awhile ago. I was curious to see just how rampant it really was: would you believe there are 810,976 photos with that hashtag?!? That's only those that were spelled correctly; there were 7,000+ more who forgot to add the "s", not to mention all the other variations on the theme. I did find a photo or two with actual ducks, but most were more foul than fowl (and ACK my eyes! ;o) I know for a fact I would look like an idiot, and I have exactly zero interest in verifying that with a camera; not to mention plastering it on a digital billboard that would probably haunt me for all eternity. For every person that can actually pull that sexy pout off (e.g. Marilyn Monroe), there are countless attempts plastered all over social media that leave people looking like they either got their lips caught in a shop vac hose, smashed in the mammogram machine (because they were way shorter than the tech realized), or maybe had some sort of freak botox accident. Not trying to be ugly here, and I certainly hope I didn't offend anyone, but I just don't get the selfie craze. Do you?

Okay, okay that's enough. End quasi-rant and apologies all around. *wince* The point (which I totally missed by having that soapbox moment) is that I am now posting fairly regularly on Instagram and have gotten some really neat photos (in addition to the two posted above) that I want to share. I planted some Rue (in the bed from this post) to attract butterflies, and boy-oh-boy did it work! At last count, there were six - insert excited SQUEE here - Black Swallowtail caterpillars eating their way around in the Rue. I'm hoping I can keep taking photos as they develop; only one has matured to the last instar so far (photo inset - taken with my fabulous phone). I'm also hoping the Rue holds out, since it's still a pretty young plant. Isn't he just too cool? The caterpillars are all in various stages of development. I even found a couple of tiny eggs underneath the leaves; though they've hatched. So awesome. I can hardly wait; I sure do hope we get to see the butterflies! If you'd like to see more of the cell phone photos, you can either look for Epic Farms on Instagram (it's epic_farms), click on the "view on Instagram" button (right-hand side of this blog; click here for email friends), or, if you've "liked" us on Facebook I've added the Instagram feed there (just don't ask me how ;o)

I have quite a few more photos (from the regular camera) I'd like to share too, if time allows. I have an awful lot left to do, and precious little time left in which to do it. There are now less than two weeks until the start of a new school year: Let the countdown begin. Oh, I'm sooo not ready yet. *sniffle* Have a blessed week, and (as always) thank you so much for reading this far!

Infatuation, Irrigation and a DIY Extravaganza

2016-07-09T13:44:00.005-05:00

Pinterest is a VERY dangerous place. It's one of those sites that's like a ginormous black hole in cyberspace. First comes the infatuation, then the gravitation; and once you hit that gravitational pull? Ha. WOOSH! It sucks you right in and the next thing you know it's five hours later. Nothing on your list has gotten done, but hey! you've now discovered 500 new and wondrous things to add to a brand new board full of "schtuff" you totally have to do. In your spare time. Of which you have none. Right then. Idiot. *facepalm* On top of that, you're now horribly late for something you completely forgot about and (to make things more interesting) your derriere has fallen fast asleep in the chair. Sometimes I think I need professional help. Do you do stuff like that? To top it off, Pinterest has now started sending me "ideas I might like". To date, that has generated a short squeal of fear and and immediate deletion of the notification (but it's rapidly becoming a growing challenge not to at least take a peek). Although I've managed to accomplish a handful of things I've seen indoors and out; like the repurposed wheelbarrow (here), and the jazzing up of my light switches (here), there are - literally - hundreds more and me with medium-rare motivation (though I do have my moments ;o)

On the one hand, I have come up with some really neat ideas that were inspired by things I came across on Pinterest. On the other? Well, I have figured out I definitely need to sprout way more hands than two if I want to achieve even a microscopic portion of all the things I've gleefully pinned. One of the pins (site here) I came across that I really, really, liked was using recycled water bottles to create a root watering system for plants. They also introduced me to the "plant nanny" which I'll explain further down. Since we all know Jen can't leave anything alone, I had to put my own creative spin on it. I don't drink bottled water anymore but I do drink juice, so I started saving the big bottles. DH enjoys a glass of wine in the evenings, so I started saving those bottles too. You know, in case I came across something else that they would come in handy for (and is it any wonder my house is terminally cluttered?) Turns out I did find a great use for them. Several, actually. Mmmph.

For the juice bottles, I poked two tiny holes on the plant side at the very bottom and buried them a short distance from the plant. I filled them with water, and went on my merry way. Checking the water levels every day got annoying in very short order (I couldn't tell where the line was, so I had to open each one to check). Tedious and time-consuming. Grr. Nope, not happening. As much as I hated the neon orange, it was easily solved with some inexpensive fishing bobbers. Now I can see where the water line is from just about anywhere I stand. I also didn't like the yellow caps on the bottles. Since they don't need to be tight, I opted to swap them out for some plain white ones from empty supplement bottles (thankfully, that idea hit just as I was about to throw several empties in the trash). Since we have a more rustic theme in the back, I went with black caps back there. Then I spent some time wondering how I could jazz up the tops a bit more. I didn't like all of that "sameness". I mean, it's not like I could just LEAVE IT ALONE, right? Yeesh. Painting was too much trouble, and any embellishment glued on there would probably just fall off. Then I thought about all those spectacular cabinet knobs at Hobby Lobby. You know, the ones they regularly put on sale for half price? Not only would they add something unique to my gardens, it would make it easier to handle the tops. WOO! Now we're talking!

I had a field day picking up decorative knobs over the past few months - I tried to stick with porcelain and other things I thought would (I hope) survive outside. Here's what they look like:

Although the juice bottle idea worked like a charm in the supersized planters and flowerbeds, I still had a number of smaller planters scattered everywhere. As much as I love my plants, it will be tough to keep up with it all once reality sets back in (back to school) at the end of the month. Enter the nifty little invention I mentioned earlier: the "plant nanny". It's a terra cotta spike that will hold large bottles in an inverted position; since terra cotta is porous, it allows the water to seep slowly into the roots. An automated potted plant watering system? Boo-Yeah. Now we're talking! (See? I knew I should totally save all those wine bottles ;o) If you click on the picture to blow it up, you can just see the top of the spike in the soil. The downside (of course there had to be one) is that they are hideously expensive at around $20 for a box of four. *gulp* I found one that was a little less; I think it was called the "plant minder" or something like that anyway.

I still had the other half of DD's crib; the first end being ensconced by the front beds (here) and its springs adorning the wall outside the feed room (here). I decided the shape of the crib end might make a neat little backbone piece for a potting area of sorts. After searching until my eyeballs bled, I opted to "go it alone" and make some kind of a small stand to use on the patio. I painted the crib end a nice rustic red and just stared at it for awhile. Walked around it. I'm pretty sure I burned up quite a few brain cells pondering and percolating, as I eyeballed it from all angles. In order to keep things complicated, I also tried to make use of multiple leftovers from other P-words (projects). There might have been a day or two where I was absolutely certain that DIY actually stood for, "Delusional Is YOU" and nobody ever told me that's what it really meant. Eventually I got it all figured out right down to the small rolled up piece of leftover chicken wire I kept moving around to get it out of the way (you know the thing, it's too small to use for anything, but too big to throw away?). Hobby Lobby put their Spring Shop items on sale at 66% off, and I made a beeline for some fabulous art deco brackets (photo) that I had been drooling over (they wound up being $5.44 each - WHOOP! :o) I also found a decorative piece with multiple hooks for half price to hang my tools and gloves. I chose to hang it improperly, of course, with part of it sticking up above the top of the crib end. It gave it a nice finished look - at least I thought it did.

It was really hard to get a clear picture with the patio all shady and so much light behind it. Even though it was raining, the light was too much and I wound up taking flash pictures which made the color look a little funky. The photo below is a bit better. Overall, I was delighted with the way it turned out, although I may need to go back and paint those bottom pieces...

I bolted it to the post behind it for stability, since it only has two legs. It's pretty unobtrusive, which I like (I'll have a real potting bench in the garage eventually - It's on The List. *eyeroll*). I just needed a small space to store gardening things and somewhere to pot up any cuttings I might have to share with our visitors. The chicken wire (though annoying) added a bit of rustic flair. It also meant that I got rid of something else that was laying around - Hooray!!

Even though I had to add a scrap piece of 2x4 behind it to make it work (the leftover shelf piece was too narrow for the brackets) I decided the raised shelf in the back worked great for smaller garden related items. Things like an old spice jar full of eggshells for new plantings, plant tags to label shared cuttings (held in one of DD's wood practice pieces from college), and a little pot with all the informational thingies from my plants and flowers, among other things.

Next to the potting stand, one of my favorite MSU's (make somethin' up ;o) so far this year has to be the butterfly bath planters. I had two old Christmas tree stands sitting in the garage. I think I spent about two months just looking at them. I knew I could use them "as is" for planters, but I didn't really like it that way. They took up too much room for one thing (too clunky) and, well, I just didn't like it. At some point, I flipped them over and stared a bit more before the AHA moment hit (don't you love those?) I could plant multiple plants in it if I turned it upside down. A handy bonus? The extra large eye bolts used to stabilize the tree in the stand would offer some additional stability in its inverted position. Initially, I thought to put a flowerpot on the center "shelf" creating a tiered look, but then inspiration struck again and I decided to use a flowerpot saucer to make a butterfly and bee bath instead. To paraphrase what's-his-face from the A-Team, "I love it when a plan[ter] comes together". Bwahahaha. *snort* Yeah, I know, I'm corny and my age is showing :oP

I drilled some holes for drainage, got out my trusty spray paint and went to town (again, with the less expensive base coat followed by the outdoor metallic paint). Some sparkly paint and stepping stones for the bees and the butterflies coming right up!

Since bees and butterflies can drown (and garden lifeguards are in short supply), some pretty pieces of hexagonal glass from Hobby Lobby made the perfect stepping stone. My friendly neighborhood feed store (Ace is the place ;o) was nice enough to put some $2 flats of Gaillardia right by the door where I'd trip over them on my feed run and.... Viola! Do you like it?

It will look better, I'm sure, when the flowers "fill in" a little bit more. SO...I'm pretty sure that's more than enough for now. I'm all talked out, and I'll just bet you're tired of reading (or you fudged it and mostly just looked at the pictures ;o) If you're a picture person, feel free to look us up on Instagram (there's a shot of our very first visitor to the butterfly bath on there). Have a wonderful weekend and a beautifully blessed week!

I've said the "P" word a LOT lately...

2016-07-02T05:09:00.000-05:00

Growing up, the word Project (always with a capital P) was tantamount to a swear word in our house; particularly when it was spoken with great enthusiasm by my father. If I'm honest, I will tell you that my left eye still twitches when I hear him say the word. (I also have to fight an overwhelming urge to flee ;o) Why? Because his idea of a "Project" was enough to instill fear in even the staunchest of hearts. I think the worst one I ever had to do was the brick walkway. There was a straight brick path leading from the patio to a circular bricked garden complete with benches and a birdbath, then a second straight path [opposite the first] that led to a pergola. It was very pretty to look at, beautiful really, but I grew to hate it. In the spring I had to dig up every single brick, clean off any and all [unwanted] moss and "dirty" sand, then put each brick back in the same place making sure they were both level and uniformly spaced. When I was done, my dad would stop whatever P-word he was working on and pour in fresh sand to refill the spaces. In hindsight, I can't help but wonder why on earth the man didn't just buy some concrete and be done with it (because talk about tedious - Yeesh!)

And now? Well, now I find myself using that very same word with increasing abandon (then glancing over my shoulder in trepidation and apologizing profusely for using such language in the event someone actually heard me). For some reason, however, my own projects don't seem quite as horrifying as those inflicted upon me so many years ago (though I will own up to periodic panic-induced ponderings [Ha] - usually along the lines of: "Hello? What in the world were you thinking when you thought this was a good idea Jennifer? Does this LOOK like a good idea? Are you mental?"). Of course DH - if and when he gets dragged into the middle of one of them - is usually all too happy to question my sanity for me.

My largest ~~act of lunacy~~ DIY Pro- um - Undertaking so far this summer has been adding a super-sized container garden to the back yard. We had six (count 'em, six) garbage cans left over when the county switched to an automated trash pick up system. What was I supposed to do with all those cans? Did you know it's virtually impossible to throw out a garbage can? Not to mention the overflowing landfill issue. I decided to commit an environmental nicety and turn them all into ginormous planters. Not as nice as the kind I would love to have, certainly, but I can't afford the amount they charge for any of those great big beautiful things (nope, nary a one - and I've looked). Since this bed would be largely made up of our old garbage cans and wheel-less yard carts, I decided to entertain myself by dubbing it the "Recycling Plant" (I thought it was pretty darn punny myself; ba-dump-bump ;o) I haven't made the sign for it yet, but it's on the list. DH let me raid the lumber stash we were saving for the boys stalls; there was a reason we had gotten it at a steep discount, and most of it had turned out to be unusable for any structural endeavors so it was just sitting there in a big pile.

Since it was just a "spot in the yard", I didn't take a picture at the very beginning. It occurred to me to snap a photo about the time I had the first garbage can painted and buried and had already hauled several other items around to their new home. I wound up digging the first can I planted back up and burying it in a different spot. What can I say? Clearly, I am mental. *laugh* I drilled about a bazillion holes for drainage, and honestly didn't think I'd ever finish painting it all. Although I went with all brown, several were in metallic shades (which I love). To save money, I used regular paint in a close color for the base coat then topped it off with the metallic paint (that stuff's too darn expensive to use for multiple coats!) Then when I finally did get all done, didn't we just have to have that crazy hail storm out of the blue? ACK!! It messed up my paint jobs in several places. Big, fat raspberries to that. Hopefully, nobody will notice once the plants get going; or should I say get growing? *snicker*

Don't you wish things would actually progress as easily at they appear to in photos? Although it may not look like it, this particular P-word turned out to be quite labor intensive. I'm sure my neighbors wondered initially what in the world I was doing lugging all that big ugly junk to the same place though....

Pine cones, in case you're wondering, make an excellent natural filler for large containers (dirt gets expensive to buy, I can only dig up so much, and we've got pine cones in spades - Ha - I'm on it today, eh? ;o) I put a layer of pine cones in the bottom of the old water trough (above left) as well as the other big stuff. They will break down eventually, so I'll probably have to add a bit more dirt when they do, but for now it's quite helpful in pinching what's left of my pennies (both of 'em ;o)

Having learned my lesson the first go-round (a rare, yet happy occurrence) I spent some time playing around with the rest of the containers and moving things around to see where I liked them the best before I buried anything else...

Tractor Supply was kind enough to put their [cheapest] fake barrel planters on sale, and I found my first XL "rescue" plant at Lowe's (a Gaillardia for $2)

I honestly thought I'd never finish painting them all, but I did. I only painted what showed; as you can see by that awful yard cart green peeking out in the above photo. *laugh*

On one of the days, the only thing I did was move the bird bath. It took me forever to flip the base end over end from its point of origin to the flowerbed. The route from Point A to Point B had just enough incline to it that rolling it was a no-go. All that bending over to roll - then standing up because ACK, my back! - made me really dizzy. *laugh* Why do things always get so darn complicated? That joker was heavy. The top part I could carry without too much trouble; it was just a little awkward. Whew!

I had to wait for DH to come lend a hand with the left and right ends though; those 6x6's are a little too much for me to do all by myself (particularly the cutting with a chainsaw part ;o)

I put down a layer of feed bags to keep the grass and weeds from creeping up through the mulch; they're every bit as good as cardboard, which I didn't have. But feed bags? Got lots of those (though I obviously had a leeetle bit of trouble getting them all fully tucked under that front stack on the left end - oops). I'll go back with a knife and trim them eventually. Probably. Maybe....

I added the other half of the cypress log (the first half being in the front bed) to the right side and...

TAH DAH! So what do you think? It looks a little funny right now with some of the plants being so small in such big containers, but they'll grow. Salvaged plants notwithstanding, everything else was in the smallest container they had; which was the only way I could swing it. Well, that and spreading it out over multiple paychecks. *sigh* Hopefully they'll grow soon. Very soon. Tomorrow's good for me, actually. Day after at the latest. I may add a few more things here and there if I find anything else I can't resist (because who doesn't love a good bargain basement special, right? ;o)

On another (and completely irrelevant) note, look who I found hiding out in the tool shed:

Thanks so much for reading this far. Have a safe and happy Fourth of July and a beautifully blessed week y'all!

Let me just tell you what Katydid...

2016-06-25T05:09:00.000-05:00

For some reason, any time I hear the word "Katydid" I can't help but think, "Who is Katy and what did she do?" *laugh* Well, I'll tell you what Katy did: That little heifer (with some help from her cousin Bubba) ate HUGE holes all over my Bee Balm, that's what. For something so little she sure does have a voracious appetite. From what I can discern, this itty-bitty evil beastie is a juvenile Meadow Katydid. I shot this photo on the macro setting, and you can tell how tiny she is because you can actually see the individual hairs on the leaf. Small, but mighty - and a TOTAL pig. *scowl* Where is Cedric when I need him? The Bee Balm should (if I can keep them clear of cretins, that is) flower sometime in mid summer. Both plants are growing well - in spite of all the holes - but no hint of blooms as yet. Raspberries. :oP

I found this fun sign at Tractor Supply the other day (too true, too true!) I didn't have anywhere to put it, or I might have brought it home with me:

I painted the springs from DD's old crib, and DH helped me hang it on the wall by the feed room bed. I plan to get a narrow decorative scroll of some sort to put at the top. The plant in the planter is a Heucherella. I've been calling it the "sneeze plant", because A) I have an awful time remembering the name of it; and, B) for some reason every time I hear someone say Heucherella, I feel the urge to say "Gesundheit". *giggle* This particular variety is known as "Redstone Falls". It's a groundcover vine/cascading version. Should be gorgeous when it fills in - I can hardly wait! *bounce*bounce*bounce* I know, I know: see the sign Jen. *sigh*

I did manage to get a couple of decent shots of one of the male Cardinals - we have two or three families living just up the hill. I've been stalking him forever, but he's super quick and highly skilled at evasive maneuvers. He looks quite stoic sitting there, don't you think?

Awwww, look. He posed (just for us :o)

I also caught one of the Mockingbirds (who was - for once - not squawking at me). They relocated from the Dogwood to the Camellia bush by the kitchen window. Mr. and Mrs. chastise me daily for having the unmitigated gall to water my plants when they are busy feeding Junior. Excuse me? Did I tell you to move your nest into the front flowerbed where I spend large quantities of time bright and early? Nooo, I most certainly did not. And hello? Exactly when is that kid of yours NOT eating?!? Sheesh.

I probably could have jazzed them up a bit more, but (except for slapping on the vignettes) I left them as is straight out of the camera. I love my camera :oD

I also managed to get a shot of this long-legged fly parked on the Sweet Mint - he was bright and shiny and so very, very tiny! Ha. Rhymed it.

I'll leave you with several shots of Junior [the juvenile] Cardinal. Must be my week for juveniles, eh? I decided he just had to be a teenager. Aside from the crazy hair, he couldn't seem to sit still at all. He had a mouth crammed full of food and talked incessantly; probably about his latest crush (and isn't that just like a teen?) I thought it was interesting how his coloring shifted and changed as he hopped and popped around in the light.

He almost dropped his dinner at one point, but looked rather proud of his quick recovery (the last two shots). He finally flew off, still yammering away. I wonder if he'd like some Katydid for dessert...

As always, thanks so much for reading this far! Have a great weekend and a beautifully blessed week.

Thy cookie? It hath crumbleth.

2016-06-18T08:25:00.001-05:00

I haven't thought about that phrase [That's how the cookie crumbles] in a really long time. Now that I do, I realize that you don't hear anybody use it anymore. At least I don't, do you? Not sure why really; I guess it just fizzled out. Sometimes I just get so darn discouraged when umpteen things go wrong at once. Tired. I have to remind myself that this life is supposed to be kind of... Well, Crummy (ha). If it wasn't, we wouldn't go looking for the Lord. At least I know I sure wouldn't have - are you kidding? I've got stubborn independence (to the power of stupid) goin' on up in here ;o) Some days I have to continuously remind myself that in Heaven there are no grouchy, mean, rude, obnoxious or sneaky people, no health problems, no junk mail, no eyeball-crossing kidney stones (thank you chemo), no spam, no leaky roofs (yep, we found it), no fire ants, no weeds, and NO icky invisible spider webs suspended at face level smack in the middle of your path (ACK!). I'll toss in the hailstorm we had last night (which was really scary). Thankfully, we all came through unscathed.

If you've never read (or listened to) Randy Alcorn's Heaven, (here) I highly recommend it. So very, very encouraging! We had a church bible study that I couldn't make, but my friend Lori loaned me her set of CDs to listen to in the car. It was so good I turned around and bought the set for my parents at Christmas. Actually, it's on my list of thing to get for myself as well (I'm pretty sure I need to listen to it at least once a month; maybe more ;o)
Photo: One of the Mini-Mums in the feed room flowerbed (I erased the background in Photoshop).

You know what I wish? I wish would learn not to say things out loud (this post). One day? One day I will actually learn this. Clearly, using the phrase "before it gets too hot" in a recent post was an egregious error on my part. I don't think we've broken any records for high temperatures thus far, but we've gotten pretty darn close around here. It's been absolutely awful outside (blech). Is it hot at your house? Now 88° is not a big deal around here, but it's usually straight up temps at the beginning of June. What caught me off guard was the "Real Feel" 104° heat index off to the right there (and small wonder I was sweating so ~~profusely~~, er, delicately. Oh, I get it - and raspberries to that. Meh. :oP Part of the difficulty stems from the rapid temperature jumps. I would much rather sneak up slowly on my seasons thank you very much (wouldn't you?) I've almost finished with the flowerbeds (hooray!), and although I have a bit left to do I thought you might like a progress report.

I had some close supervision by a Mourning Dove going on while I worked on the back beds. I got a kick out of the "Are you sure you know what you're doing?" look (apparently there was concern I might mess it up ;o) I love what the morning sun and dew did to the grass in the background.

The Sweet Potato Vine is (obviously) quite happy and fabulously trailing away:

The Nasturtium that I started from seed (and was oh-so-happy over in this post) was decimated in short order by a horde of hungry cabbage moth caterpillars (aka Wretched Evil Beasties). They also almost killed off my lunchbox Alyssum (though it's on the mend, I think). I found some yellow Portulaca on the clearance cart at Lowe's for .50¢ each - and whoop! ;o) so we've started all over again in the wheelbarrow. Happily the Gerbra Daisy is doing well:

Had some additional trouble with another evil beastie in the front bed; a totally different kind of caterpillar that burrowed in the dirt at the base of the Coneflower. Look at the difference between the two plants. He'd almost polished the poor plant on the left completely off before I finally saw him and took him out (AHA! Gotcha, you little cretin! Mwa-ha-ha-ha ;o) In case anyone else needs to know, I found an organic 3-in-1 spray (this stuff) that should prevent future invasions/infestations. Hope springs eternal!

I've been blown away by the sheer volume of plants I've found on clearance carts (in a really, really good way ;o) The bulk of my plants have ranged from .17¢ to a whopping $3.00 with the majority costing $1.00. Exciting stuff when you're on a no-budget budget. *laugh* I ordered a few plants online, which I've never done before. Shipping is rather expensive, so the school nurse and I went in "halvsies" on an order from the Grower's Exchange (here) right before the end of school. I ordered a few more from Bluestone Perennials (here), and I have to say their plants arrived in much better condition (they also offered a much bigger selection). I will definitely order from them again if I can swing it.

The bird bath was given to us by an elderly neighbor who is moving away (and downsizing). This is the bed I'm going to call the "Recycling Plant" (haha). It's mostly done, though I do need to fill one more planter and finish the lugging of the lumber. Right now it only has a back side. The container painting was a pain, but I liked the monochromatic shades of brown on the [garbage] cans and [yard] carts; they provide a nice muted backdrop for the plants. I mixed in some terra cotta pots (because they're the cheapest), and even painted two wastebaskets (which were even cheaper) the same shade. I can hardly wait for everything to fill in. *squeeee* I'll have some additional interesting details for you next week (at least I think I will!)

I was tickled to find Cedric the Toad looking quite content in his new digs by the African Iris. I painted it years (and years) ago, and moved it from the front bed yesterday just for him. For those of you who do not follow us on Instagram (here), I found Sir Cedric lounging about in the tea kettle with my Purslane earlier this week; he had a definite air of superiority about him. I figured his interest in tea time must make him an import from "across the pond". Since I decided to bestow him with a "title", *snicker* I thought we'd just go the whole nine yards with it. Can you see him tucked away in there? I tried to get a closeup for you, but it was rather awkward:

If I had my druthers, (and for those of you scratching your heads, click here) I'd really prefer to get everything from local nurseries. It's a lot easier to get help for one thing, they actually know things about gardening in general, plus they are a lot more up front about native plants. More expensive, though. Lowe's has a nasty habit of selling really pretty things that don't grow here. WalMart does it, too. I found this cool two-toned Ixora on the clearance cart last time; but it isn't a perennial for our zone (a fact I forgot to double check before I snatched it up since it didn't have the informational tag on it and I was in a hurry - big V-8 to the forehead smack for Jen - Grr). Since it was another clearance special, I won't cry if it dies though I will be quite disappointed ('cause it's neat ;o)

I'll leave you with a couple of shots of Herman the Hedgehog. He was one of those boot cleaner thingies, but all of his "prickles" fell off due to old age. I took him apart and decided to give him a coat of paint and a new lease on life as a plant stand. Herman is sporting some "Spicy Globe Basil" in a sparkly painted pot. I loved the vivid green leaves, and the mounding habit of the basil should be a fun look for him when it fills out. It's an annual though, so Herman will need a new wardrobe again next year.

Thank you for reading this far; because this post got really long! *wince* Have a wonderful weekend and a beautifully blessed week!

Ten steps forward, eleventy steps back

2016-06-11T06:00:00.001-05:00

You know, I make jokes a lot about us being under "destruction" (construction) around here, because sometimes that's pretty much what it feels like. It's hard sometimes trying to accomplish a multitude of large-ish projects (excuse me for swearing ;o) without such a feeling. You work until you either get stuck waiting for reinforcements (my reinforcement being DH), waiting for various and sundry painted pieces to dry (pieces that are scattered all over everywhere to dry), or because you ran out of something critical and don't have the dinero to get any more parts/pieces until the next paycheck. Mmmph. Even with all the hiccups and holdups, however, there is that hopeful glimmer shining brightly in encouragement. Said glimmer may be shining at the end of a very, very long tunnel, but the point is it's there. Sometimes it's a false alarm: that coveted light turns out to be a lightning bug. And then? Welllllll, then there are the times that light turns out to be a train: A fast-moving locomotive that squashes your burgeoning dreams of imminent completion like a bug.

I walked into the guest bedroom the other day, intent on giving the bathroom in there a quick once over. It doesn't really get dirty unless we have company. Actually, that's the one place in the entire house that stays nice all the time (well, it was anyway). Much to my dismay, I found a handful of tiny corpses littering the floor. Ick. Upon closer inspection, I realized they were termite bodies. Oh, NO. Sadly? Oh, yes. It turns out we have a plumbing leak.... somewhere. DH poked a few holes in the back wall looking; then he tore out a section of the wall in search of the leak. He tore out the sink, then another section of wall as he followed the damage. Then he went around to the other side: the outhouse. You know, the one that was almost finished? Well, he tore out a section of that wall too. *whimper* Although he found clear traces of water damage (on both sides of the wall), he still hadn't found the actual source. Then it was his turn to call for reinforcements. *gulp* After tearing out a lot more wall, they moved on to the floor and jackhammers. There are now ginormous holes in the concrete floor on both sides. The signs of water damage are increasing, but as of this post the source of it has yet to be found. It's so depressing.

So now my outside pictures look like this:

And this:

My inside pictures look like this (and why-oh-why can't guys cover stuff first? ARRGH!):

And this (see the water damage?):

Although we found this nice big hole drilled into a pipe, (seems the termite guys did it - oops) that isn't the biggest concern, though it obviously needs to be fixed. There is considerable water damage higher up in the wall, which could indicate a roof leak of some sort. I sure hope not. Yikes.

On the upside? If we wanted to put in an in-ground bath tub, we're more than halfway there ;o) Okay that was really reaching, but what do you expect? I did find a new little friend though, so the week wasn't a total bust. Isn't he cute?

As always, thank you for reading this far and have a blessed week!

P.S. For those of you who might be wondering? "Eleventy" is equal to 110 ;o)

Fun? There was fun?

2016-05-30T13:55:00.000-05:00

Well there must have been quite a bit of it somewhere out there, because I don't mind telling you this month has FLOWN. How can it be that school is over already? Not that I'm complaining, mind you. Nope, nary a bit. For some reason, though, the end of school seems to have snuck up on us superquick. Can it really be almost June? I'm toiling away in the yard at home (yes, still). I'm trying to hurry and finish everything I want to do before it gets too darn hot to be out there. We've hit 90 for the first time already this year, which is alarmingly quick for this area (hoping it's not an unhappy harbinger :o\ Have to tell you though, that one of the neatest little things I've come across in the garden center this year is succulents. I have had this old blue soup ladle (photo inset) for EVER. As in, I have no idea where (or who) it even came from. Nana, maybe? Not a clue. I'm pretty sure the ladle has been housed in every single drawer in my kitchen over the years in an effort to "get it out of the way". Ridiculous, I know, but I just couldn't bring myself to get rid of it because (for some strange reason) I absolutely love it. Do you ever do that? Anyhoo... to make a short story long, I found this itty bitty succulent to put in it (yes, it's real) and hung it on the wall by my kitchen window. He seems to be quite happy there. Since I smile every time I see it, I'm happy too. Guess we have a win-win then, don't we ;o)

I didn't have enough time last week between work and home (where there was more work waiting *laugh*) to finish this post, so I'm going with pictures and a pitiful parody of a poem (three cheers for random alliterations). I've taken a few progress pictures in the garden to share with you this week. Now that school's out, I hope to be able to post a bit more regularly; not to mention catch up on my blog reading. I've really struggled with making it all work (and vis-a-vis my sporadic posting so far, it clearly didn't ;oP
Photo Inset: A closeup of a Coreopsis flower. They're smaller than a quarter, but they are beautiful blooms. Doesn't it look like the colors were airbrushed? Actually since it's God's artistry, I guess they were at that.

SO...
I took the pictures below,
that you might know;
How does the garden grow?

Merrily, verily, and somewhat contrarily.

BUT...
It's taking forever,
though the fifth of never,
Could be here before I know.

*facepalm*

Whoooo's punchy? (see me sheepishly raising my hand). Um, yeah. *AHEM* Sooo anyway.... Don't quit your day job, Jennifer. Right. Let's just move along to the photos, shall we?

Remember the Alyssum in DH's old lunchbox? It has filled in nicely (though I didn't take this shot at the best time; the blooms are fading). Happily, this plant blooms continuously. It was one of those bargain basement specials. Not bad for a buck, eh?

I did, however, get a decent closeup of the blooms for you before they started to fade:

The Lemon Thyme seems to be quite happy in its new space. I like the shade variance in the leaves, which are incredibly tiny. Smells good too!

I came across this little pretty in a clearance cart for $1; it's perfect for the hanging basket. It's called a Superbell, and this particular variety is "Apricot Punch". I have to say, though, it's a rather slow grower, but I really like the colors over the [recycled] wheelbarrow planter.

For those of you who prefer something a little closer to instant gratification in your garden, the mints grow fairly quickly. They are, however, also quite invasive which is why I put all of the mint I planted in pots. This one is Chocolate Mint, which smells divine. Rub a leaf and think Peppermint Patties and mint chocolate chip ice cream ;o) Yummy. The photo on the left is a better shot of how it really looks (though the leaves are wet). It has rich green leaves and "chocolate" stems.

I think my favorite "quickie" has to the the Sweet Potato Vine. It grows rapidly; as in several inches a day. It's perfect for the spill in a pot (as in: the "fill and spill" rule for planting in pots). There is a bright green variety (like mine) and there is also a burgundy variety which is spectacular. This one was another $1 rescue (pronounced onedollah *laugh*) my favorite kind of plant!

As always, thank you for reading this far! Stay safe, pray for our military past and present and their families, and have a very blessed Memorial Day ;o)

...and a Moanin' and a Groanin'

2016-05-14T05:53:00.000-05:00

In the last post, A Weedin' and a Seedin', I talked about my exciting spurt of industriousness over the past few weeks outside in the yard. More specifically, in the ~~flowerbeds~~ okay, okay, more like weedbeds, around the house. Unfortunately, once you get to a certain *ahem* point in your life, overly enthusiastic productivity tends to come at a price. Well, I paid for my little weed-fest with some horrible stiffness followed by some pretty intense pain in not one, but both arms/elbows (because if you're going to mess yourself up, you should take care to do it fairly and evenly *snarl*). Since the pain was followed by increasing swelling in my upper arms (as in edema; the kind that didn't go away), I paid again for the doctor to diagnose me with acute tendinitis. Not that I thought it was cute. At all. So, I suppose that would make it more like twice the price, eh? The doctor gave me some anti-inflammatories to help with the swelling (so why don't we make that thrice the price), and tossed in a shot to jump start the process (oh, goody). I have, of course, now slowed down to the speed of sloth. That was on Friday. On Saturday, I woke up with a nasty chest cold (just because I could). Clearly, not my best week (of course it wasn't my worst, either! *grin*). I spent the next couple of days hoping I wouldn't cough up a lung (though it wasn't for lack of trying) ;oP
Photo Inset: The Dusty Miller I planted in front of the recycled garden cart (even with newspaper and/or feed bags under the mulch - which I ran out of - some grass still snuck through. ARGH!

Down, but not out. Ha. Anyhoo, back to some productivity (albeit at a much more mundane pace). One of the coolest things I learned recently was about bananas. I'd already read about planting a banana peel in the garden, but we have fire ants here. Hateful, nasty little things that multiply worse than guppies and you can just bet said bananas I am NOT going to feed those evil little beasties. Ever. BUT - somewhere on Pinterest, I found a handy fertilizer hack. Idiot-friendly, easy-peasy and all (my most favorite kind!). Eat a banana (or two), then take the peels and stick them in a mason jar. Cover with water, and let it sit for up to a week. Not only do you wind up with some nifty (not to mention thrifty!) fertilizer for your plants, you also have an uber cool science-experiment-looking concoction sitting on your shelf. Your plants will totally appreciate the potassium kick; mine sure do! I added a pinch of eggshells to mine (rinse them out first), for a calcium boost.
Photo inset: Fertilizer in the making (Dr. Frank-un-schteen, I presume. Hee ;o)

Here's another awesome idea I came across: Take some clean plastic bottles (I used juice) and poke a pinhole or two on the side at the very bottom, then bury it by your plants for underground irrigation. You can even use the cap to help regulate the flow; e.g. the tighter you make the cap, the slower the flow. I left mine loose, since these are new plants. I also added my own twist to it: I bought some el-cheapo fishing bobbers which enabled me to check the water levels from a distance. Looks like everybody but one needs a refill. See the bright orange bobber on the bottom right? Gotta love that lazy gal gardening! As soon as Hobby Lobby puts their drawer pulls back on sale, I think I'm going to get some and put them on top of the bottles. What do you think?
Photo Inset: I'm still working on this bed, but the flowers, in case anyone's interested, are Coreopsis (front and center), Echinacea/Coneflower (behind left/right), and Argeratum (the purple stuff all the way in the back).

Speaking of bottles, (and garden hacks ;o) I also learned that wine bottles work wonders as irrigators in both pots and in the ground. Although I bought one set of "plant nannies" (terra cotta spikes that fit over the bottle), I found the bottles seem to work just as well without them. Just fill, flip, and stick 'em in there. A most welcome revelation, that, since those little terra cotta boogers were quite expensive (for me, anyway). You would think that the water would just run right out, but it doesn't. Pretty cool, eh?

Looks like it'll be daylight soon, and there is plenty of work left for me to do out there. *sigh* Here are a few more pictures for you...

Just look at how the Alyssum has blossomed since that last posted photo! (here)

I planted some Bee Balm and Belleza in front of the Plumbago, which is just now beginning to bloom - though I took too long to get two of them in the ground (they look a little sad right now, but hopefully they'll bounce back soon). I can hardly wait until that Bee Balm starts to flower!

Since the Orange Mint (top of the ladder) looked a little lonely sitting by itself, I moved the Lemon Thyme into the back bed to keep him company. The thyme looks much happier there than it did where I had it on the patio. Sure do wish I had more of those fabulous clay planters though.

Have a hug and blessed week ya'll - and, as always, thanks for reading this far!

A Weedin' and A Seedin'

2016-04-29T10:06:00.000-05:00

A picture happy coffee and a donut post

Back in the day, (Ha! I always wanted to say that) our county sanitation department would come around every so often and haul off any oversize unwanted stuff that didn't fit in the trash bins as part of our regular garbage service. Somewhere around the time Ms. Olivia (the mail lady) exchanged her personal vehicle for an honest-to-goodness mail truck, the county began charging a fee to haul off the "big stuff". A hefty fee. Personally, I would have appreciated some head's up because as soon as that happened, Freddy Frugality (DH) decided rather than paying any fee, we'd just hang onto our pile "for awhile". Ha. HaHaHA.

The pile grew over time, as things broke and were replaced. For awhile, it bothered me. Then I suddenly found myself enmeshed in the first of a series of medical misadventures: a surprising cancer diagnosis, followed by multiple surgeries, chemotherapy, and Herceptin treatments. After that, pending piles of junk and other such concerns were relegated to the back burner. I just couldn't care about it. Ultimately, I found myself at the point I could barely keep up with a full-time job and family; never mind the things that went with having a house (e.g. both indoor and outdoor things), so I did what I could to get by. I guess you could say I went into survival mode (except maybe it was more like survival of the UNfittest ;o)

As the state of my health declined, so did the state of the house. I kept working full-time, but had to let go of a LOT. The grass grew steadily over the sidewalk. My once pretty flowerbeds, suffering from abandonment issues, became home to a few tangled clumps of weeds. Left to their own devices, those clumps spread like wildfire and grew to alarming heights. Half the time I'd think our house looked like IT was abandoned with all those overgrown weeds. At some point I started narrowing my eyes to slits every time I pulled in the driveway so I couldn't see them anymore. By the time I was diagnosed with Polymyositis (a debilitating muscle disease) a couple of years later, I couldn't walk more than a few feet at a time and the inside of the house had become as badly neglected as the outside. Over the last couple of years as my health has started to improve, I've been working my way - albeit in fits and starts - through the inside. I managed to hit the "indoor floor" running this year (e.g. this post). I'm not finished by a long shot, but things are definitely looking less depressing. This year, I also decided I was finally able to start tackling the outside.
Photo Inset: One of my badly neglected flowerbeds. Embarrassing, but true. *sigh*

Now I may not be a big fan of the labor involved in gardening - I hate weeding [and thank you for your contribution to our struggles, Adam *blows raspberry*] - particularly when you have flowerbeds as neglected as mine, but oh how I do LOVE flowers! I love my flowers even more than DH loves his rustbucket and junk collection. The man actually calls it his yard art. Ha. Maybe he says that because he doesn't want to haul it all away. You think? Guess what, though: A few weeks ago, while deep in thought about what I wanted to accomplish in the yard, I found myself drumming my fingers on the desk as I contemplated a nifty little word on my computer screen than I hadn't thought about in awhile:

Repurpose /rēˈpərpəs/ A verb meaning to adapt for use in a different purpose.

I also learned that when you couple that particular word with, say, Pinterest, it opened up a whole new world of possibilities. To wit: Junk, your days are numbered. Mwah-ha-ha-haaa... That means anything old that isn't nailed down is now Fair Game. What if it is nailed down, you say? Well, then. That's what that little claw thingy on the other side of the hammer is for (and silly you ;o) Naturally, I didn't have a lot of the "desired" junk that came up, but I was willing to work with what we had; copious amounts of junk in general. The UNdesired kind. One thing we did have? A rusted old wheelbarrow with a broken handle. I splurged on the Gerbra; it's the same one from the earlier photo (isn't she pretty?) I bought some seeds, since they were pretty inexpensive. I learned about pre-sprouting, and started some Dwarf Nasturtium on my kitchen windowsill. It did well in little peat pots and [hopefully] it will flourish in the wheelbarrow. Weird note? Apparently Nasturtium grows much better in "poor" soil. Happily, I just happened to have some on hand...
In spades.
(ba-dump-bump).

I moved the seedlings outside under the patio roof, but in the sun, for about a week before planting them (photo right).

One thing I found fascinating? I came across some information that recommended using egg shells instead of peat pots to start plants. I decided to see if it would make any difference and put the next pre-sprouted seed in an egg shell (photo right) instead of a pot (photo left). Looking at the base part of the stems in the two pictures below, I'd have to say that the calcium from the eggshell made a huge difference from the get-go. Look how much thicker it is! Even crazier, the plant on the right is actually a couple of weeks younger than the one on the left. Pretty neat, eh?

My Nasturtium seedlings are now in the wheelbarrow, and I'm waiting (ever so IMpatiently) for them to grow. Hopefully, it won't be too long before they "fill and spill" ;o)

Here's the first of three (count 'em - three) dead yard carts. DH has had about seven or eight years to find replacement wheels for them. *DING* Time's up! ;o) I hit this one with a coat of paint, planted it upside down at an angle, and filled it with the purple heart I rescued from the weeds. It'll look better once it fills in a little more, I hope. One end of DD's old crib provided an interesting background, and I painted it a light sage green. It also helps to hide the *cough* desirable (?) junk we have stashed behind it in the garage. *laugh* I'm hoping to get my hands on some Zebrina Wandering Jew to put in a rectangular planter in that doorway (should be a great color compliment for the purple heart). If and when I do, I'll be sure to take another picture for you! The "stepping stump" in front of the cart is a halved cypress log DD salvaged from a neighbor's trash pile years ago. I'm still working on this section.

The broken stepladder fit perfectly in the bed by the feed room; it's home to some Orange Mint. I found one of my favorite old clay planters hiding under a pile of stuff in the garage:

DH even got into the spirit of things and made me this awesome super-sized step by the feed room "loading" door using an old poly-whatchamacallit pallet and some inexpensive dog ear fence boards. The plant you see in the foreground was a half-dead African Orchid I rescued from a garden center clearance pile at Wal-Mart for $2. It's amazing how many plants you can find on the cheap. More (lots) on that next time, though. A rusted out piece of [ancient] garden border seemed to work well there (super handy-dandy that rusty is so trendy, eh?)

I thanked him by giving his old lunch cooler (the one he hasn't used in 20 years) a reason to live. It's now home to some Sweet Alyssum I found for $1 on the DNR cart at Lowe's. It was all brown and sadly shriveled when I brought it home, but it seems to be feeling a bit better. I didn't get the lunch box as centered/straight as I wanted. It was annoyingly awkward to affix *insert alliteration applause* but it doesn't look quite so bad from a bit farther away.

I think that's [more than] enough reading for one day. I'm still working away out there (and in here), and still have a quite a few photos left to share :o) Have a blessed week everyone!

Note to Self: When in Doubt, Go WITHOUT...

2016-04-15T04:56:00.000-05:00

...saying anything that ~~might~~ ~~could~~ would morph into a massive unloading [read: demented rant] from which your fingers may never recover. Not to mention the things you would just have to turn around and repent anyway. Right Jennifer? You betcha. So. In lieu of posting a twenty page diatribe explaining the circumstances I alluded to in my last post (found here, for those of you looking sideways at the screen and scratching your head in confusion) I'm going for the "less is more" version. I will, however, offer you a bulleted summary to accompany the picture to the left. Said picture being worth FAR more than a measly 1,000 words because it is an incredibly accurate depiction of my mental state during the time in question (albeit a disturbing one). Well, maybe not the male gender/mustache part. And yes, I entertained myself with the bullets in my little summary (what did you expect? ;o)

To quote Sergeant Friday (on a Friday no less), "Just the facts, Ma'am."

☁ My father got sick, then became ill (as in tempered). Then he got really ill (as in go to the hospital). What started as a plain old "vomit virus", turned into something far more serious over the course of a couple weeks.

☂ Ultimately, Dad required the better part of a week in the hospital which, in turn, required me to spend the better part of the week sleeping at my parent's house with Mom (Alzheimer's patients do not do well with any change in environment). This was, of course, in addition to working full time, caring for the horses, and spending time at the hospital.

☔ Turned out my Dad had a pinched intestine (and did we even know that was a thing? Nope), which was ultimately - and thankfully - resolved without surgery.

It probably goes without saying that I ran around like a crazy woman throughout all of this at warp speed from home to work to hospital to home to Mom's and then back home again in the wee hours the next day.

UGH.

I also learned quite a bit about myself and (hopefully), I stretched and grew a little more spiritually and grace-fully. Ummm...How about this: I definitely grew, but it wasn't very pretty. Here's the rest (as politely as I'm able to phrase it):

☹ I love my parents. I really do, but they are not always easy (or pleasant) to be around. My dad, who is never sick, has to be the worst patient I think I have ever encountered (I'll take sick whiny kids any day).

♰ It is a darn good thing that God's grace is sufficient, because I had nowhere NEAR enough of it for either one of my parents: both of whom managed to surprise (shock?) me with some truly obnoxious and downright hateful behavior.

⛅ Silver Lining? (sort of): It is absolutely possible, when you toss in enough stress-filled frantic, to drop five pounds in a single week without even trying (yes, I really did).

💡 I did a tremendous amount of introspection in the weeks that followed, and ultimately realized that I had a veritable boatload of unresolved emotions and resentments when it came to my parents that stemmed from years of internalizing. A BIG boat. Okay, maybe more like an armada. Since it is not my intention to engage in a round of "bash the parents" (a.k.a. the temptation from which I was - barely - delivered), I'll just say that there are people on this earth who can - and do - take condescension, [what I call] "destructive" criticism and personal dissatisfaction to a whole new level. I suppose one could also say that teenagers are not the only ones with the mindset that precious little outside of their own wants and needs should be considered. Yep, one could say that all right... *Ahem*.
'Nuff said.

✋ I learned that setting healthy boundaries can be a wonderful and truly amazing thing. Just be sure to seek counseling from a trusted source first, and be as kind as as you can (in my case it was our pastor and a very close friend). I also had to give myself a couple added weeks of "calm down" time before drawing that line in the sand to keep things from turning ugly on my part. (I never said I was perfect ;o)
The end result?
I guess some people are just going to be the toast crumbs in your butter no matter what you do. Sort of a weird analogy, I guess, (but I'm hungry ;o)

So there you have it: my little tale of whoa (was me). As to the past couple of weeks? Busy, busy, busy. My bender is back; in spades! Hopefully, I'll have some pictures for you next time to show you what I've been up to. All I can say is Pinterest is a double-edged sword (handy, but dangerous). Have a blessed week, and stay sane. At least try. *laugh*

The Sudden Ender to My Bender

2016-02-27T09:20:00.000-06:00

Sad and True: This post was started in mid-January:

WHOOP! It has been a couple of weeks now, and I'm still reorganizing and sorting as much as I can (that would be the keeping and the tossing portion of our program). Progress is, of course, a LOT slower with the whole full-time job back on and all (but some progress is still better than none, right?) I would love to be able to get some things done outside; maybe play with the horses a bit (now there's an idea ;o) Unfortunately, the weather continues to be grossly uncooperative. I shouldn't complain really, since we're not buried in snow and ice around here, but with frequent heavy rains followed by sudden freezing temperatures? Well, I just can't stay out there long enough to do anything beyond the feeding (and that part's rough enough).

Sometimes I think there's nothing more wrong than a cold, nasty, wet weekend followed by three gorgeous, sunny days in a row. You know, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday: the days you are AT WORK?!? Grrr. Does that happen to you? Isn't it just the most frustrating thing sometimes? The pile of things to be toted outside and painted (most just with clear polyurethane for protection from the elements and to prevent fading) is growing at an alarming rate. Between the weather and my work schedule, I just can't seem to make it happen. I started painting pine cones last November for a Thanksgiving table decoration and only managed to get a coat or two on, before the rainy weather shut it down. If it's not raining, it's freezing. Same with the partially done sink (this post), trash can, half finished homemade shutters, partially finished chairs (this post), along with all the other stuff for the visitor area. All of it is sitting around in various stages of incompletion. Sitting. Waiting. Sitting some more.
I think it might be staring.
Definitely staring.

At me.
It's creepy.

My right eye has now started twitching every time I walk out the back door.
Oy.

One really good thing so far this year? My brother Geoff and his family (wife Julia, and their two boys) came for a visit. I don't get to see them much at all, since they live in Oregon (that rather large state which sits at the opposite end of the country :o\ Even better? They stayed at our house this time, instead of at my parents' house. I was ecstatic as I'd only met my nephews once, and that was three years ago. We had a wonderful visit all the way around! My nephews had a great time with Kimby's boys (we were able to arrange a "play date"). To top it off, we were blessed with some really nice weather during their visit. We were even able to squeeze in some [supersize] "pony" rides on one of the days. I think the two-legged boys enjoyed themselves, don't you? Shadow, on the other hand, was clearly less than thrilled to be "saddled with" (ha) pony ride status. His mortification at being relegated to such a demeaning task, however, was easily overcome by a handful of his favorite treats.

Photo note: It's not shown in the shot, but there were grownups that came with the horses. (Didn't want you to worry ;o)

One thing that has bothered me for a long time was that I barely knew my sister-in-law, Julia. Though she and I have been together a few times - about three, if you count their wedding - it has always been somewhere we couldn't really talk. I love my parents, but they tend to um.... dominate any kind of family gathering/event (is there a nice way to call someone overbearing?) so she and I have never really had a chance to get to know each other. One thing I already knew? She is an absolutely brilliant artist; I can honestly say that God has gifted her with a tremendous talent. If I can find out where she has her work posted (if she does), maybe she'll let me share some of it with you. My brother and I got to catch up as well, and I had all kinds of fun with the boys. Thankfully, Kimby's three boys keep me current with important "guy stuff". Sure do wish they lived on this side of the country though. *sniffle* Right before their visit, I stumbled across a "chalkboard tablecloth" in the clearance aisle at Walmart. Would you believe it was marked down to $1.96? Now there's a monetary risk I'm willing to take (since I wasn't too sure how well it would work). Turned out to be a lot of fun; we drew and played tic-tac-toe all over the dining room table ;o)

Happily, both my brother and his family love to poke around antique/thrift/junk stores as much as I, so we all piled in the car on Saturday morning and went to Sadies. One of my favorite things about visiting the flea market are the unexpected surprises. You just never know what you'll find from one visit to the next. Kind of like Forrest Gump's box of chocolates analogy, I suppose. Remember that heinous "Hollywood" chair? (this post). It was gone (and I can't help but wonder if someone actually bought that $750 monstrosity *laugh*). Anyway... this time I stumbled across the neatest thing; painted rocks. I'm guessing that sounds rather unexciting, but these particular rocks were both colorful and clever. Although it was the bright colors and pretty patterns that caught my eye initially, it just so happened that there was a rock with the word "Family" on it that perfectly matched the colors in our family room. What fun! When I got home, I set it down on top of the media unit, but after a day or so I realized it wasn't as visible as I'd like. Happily, this was easily resolved by putting to good use a small and inexpensive plate holder I had tucked in a drawer. I couldn't believe how perfectly it went with the existing decor; from my electronics "catch all" box to the wood carving done by my great grandfather. (interestingly enough, the photo on the wall was taken at my brother's wedding ;o) What do you think? Fun, right?

Meticulously hand painted, the rocks are finished with a nice heavy layer of sealant. I stopped to chat with the girl manning the booth, and it turned out she runs her own Etsy shop, called Carol's Mandala Rocks. Carol has all kinds of different designs in her shop (three of which are pictured below). She also has some very pretty heart shaped wooden magnets and she accepts custom orders (wouldn't a colorful rock with their name on it be a fun kid present?) You can visit Carol's shop here.

This was as far as I got (sans photos and edits) with my post. And then?

ERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

It all came to a screeching halt (like my sound effect? *laugh*).

I think I'll end this post here; it's more than long enough already. Stay tuned for the explanatory whys and wherefores that will (I hope I hope!) be posted soon. In the meantime, thank you so much for reading this far and have a blessed week. Oh, and have a hug, too ('cause I missed ya! ;o)

A Bender of EPIC proportions...

2016-01-24T07:59:00.000-06:00

Sooooo... I couldn't quite pull off the pre-holiday post or the post-holiday post, (ha) for that matter. Actually, if I'm going to be completely honest, I didn't even come close (although I thought about you often!). Since we're already well into the new year, I thought I should probably at least attempt to say something. You know, lest you all think I tumbled off the proverbial cliff, or - more likely - ran screaming into the hills to hide from the overwhelming number of unfinished Projects (excuse me for swearing ;o) towering stacks of [unpacked/unsorted] boxes, and [unfiled] paper ~~piles~~ ~~hills~~ mountains that have haunted me for the past several years. What I always find surprising [okay, annoying] is how incredibly difficult it is to get things to "line up" in a way that is conducive to any kind of serious productivity when you're finally on the upswing. [Photo inset: I varnished and added a shelf ~~I uncovered~~ Er, we had laying around, to the Family Room half bath with some things from my overcrowded bookshelves: A really [really-really] old prescription box and a hand-painted chair from Spain that was my grandmothers (because the colors worked). Then I printed and framed a vintage toilet water advertisement from my collection that had nicely coordinating colors (plus, it seemed apropos ;o) I found the family sign for half price at Hobby Lobby - love that store! - and put it there because it covered up the two anchors from the towel bar that hung there when it was a full bath.]

Over the past couple of years, since my health has started improving, it's seemed more likely to negotiate a succinct document out of a bunch of Louisiana lawyers - or attain complete compromise amidst a boatload of Washington politicians - than be able to find the time (and have enough energy) to get anything done on the home front. I always thought I had trouble keeping up with those things before I got sick; after? Well it just got ridiculous. And, to complete this towering challenge, we'll toss in a handful of inconsiderate individuals who were happy to compound the issue. Nobody can stick it to you quite as well as family can, right? Shockingly, however, the planets lined up, the stars sparkled, and Jen had an actual energy spurt over the Christmas holidays. I took a page out of my dad's book to make it happen (finding myself "limit up" over his constant criticism at the clean-but-cluttered state of my house), so I ignored everyone and everything in favor of my own agenda during the break. Even the evil 'Itis twins managed to toe the line for the most part (To wit: Arthur and Bursa), leaving me physically able to rise to the challenge. Though I think that was more compliments of the weirdly warm temperatures, than anything else. I'll take what I can get though, you know? ;o)

In addition to barreling through box loads and filing more papers than aforementioned attorneys, I've somehow managed to simultaneously catch the Pinterest bug and have also found myself subject to some [super simple] DIY-on-a-budget fits. Necessary? Pretty much, since we were suddenly interrupted by life before we could completely finish our remodel/redecorating (and as I mentioned, that part goes back to waaaay before I got sick *insert eyeroll here*). Fun? Definitely. Though I'm not sure I needed any more "P-words" floating around in various stages of completion. *sigh* There are an amazing number of fantastic ideas out there in cyberspace, and I've got to admit that Pinterest is probably the best bang for your buck (so to speak, anyway, since it's free to see for you and me *laugh* ;o) I'm posting some pictures of my DIY's so far (although the one at the very beginning of the post was home grown).

I have a large framed puzzle DD and I did together (which desperately needs glass) in the Family Room half bath that makes the colors all blend beautifully. The lightswitch in there, though practical, was a cheesy plastic one and I hated it. Since it was fitted inside the paneling, I couldn't easily replace it. Too bad I had no clue at the time that the electrical box could actually be brought forward to the edge of the paneling so I wouldn't have had to do it the way I did. Oh well. Enter Pinterest, and the cover your ugly switchplate with scrapbook paper idea. WOO-HOO! and Perfectomundo! It's very heavy paper and I sprayed the mess out of it with clear coat on top of the Mod Podge, so here's hoping for a long and happy life....

Below is the last puzzle DD and I put together before she left us (there are several we've done over the years in different frames scattered throughout the house). Since there was a rather annoying blank wall in the hallway-wannabee area on the way out to the tacky room, I thought this might spice it up a bit. I couldn't get a straight on shot, as there is a wall in the way. Oh! and a huge thank you to Lori, who gave me the "rustic-ready" frame instead of tossing it in the trash ;o) I had to trim the top and sides of the puzzle to make it fit - which took forever - but I love it! Do you ever decorate with puzzles?

My mom and I were working on hanging the dining room wallpaper when the first big life interruption occurred: her breast cancer diagnosis at age 65 (mom's now 80, so that should give you a pretty good idea of just how long all of this has dragged out *wince*). Things kind of spiraled (downward) from there when my grandmother came to live with us. Hopefully, I'll be able to find somebody, somewhere, who is incredibly bored and might be willing to help me finish it next summer. That's the plan anyway, but I digress. Although I already had a wide rod, I had no curtain. Can't say I care for the mini-blind look (it's very.... Meh). Found tons of good ideas for "no-sew curtains", but was ecstatic when I came across one using cloth napkins. How awesome is that? And who'd-a thunk it? (not me, that's for sure). Happily, I had some beautiful blue embroidered napkins that belonged to my grandmother tucked away in a drawer. I love the matching tablecloth [Photo inset] and use it all the time, just not the napkins which have to be washed and ironed after use (and are you kidding me?). The tablecloth is not actually shiny; I covered it with clear vinyl. It was done in self-defense (Mom spills a LOT of stuff). Check it out (please ignore the area that shouts "screeching halt" on the wallpaper above the window):

Ta Da! Like it? Unfortunately, both of the little plastic thinga-ma-bob-its broke when I put the rod up, so it's barely hanging up there (as in...nobody breathe!). Can you say marginal, defective, weak and cheap? It was brand new! *snarl* Wasn't too keen on the exposed ends though; really ugly.Took me awhile to figure out what to do about it, but I finally came up with a plan (which I will share in a future post). I've already bought the things I need to "fix" it, but now that school's back in I don't have the time I need to do it. Hmmm...isn't this exactly where we came in?!? Yeesh. *facepalm*

The one that had me turning cartwheels, however, was the switch plate frame it fix. I love, Love, LOVE, those fancy-schmancy decorative light switch covers. Unfortunately they can be extremely expensive (though if you have a Hobby Lobby anywhere near you, they do 50% off sales on switch plate covers periodically :o) I also happen to be a serious frame addict, and have picture frames of all shapes and sizes I've bought for next to nothing at flea markets and second-hand shops all over everywhere. One of my favorites? A 5" x 7" frame with a fabulous vine-like border of metal leaves and acorns. It cost me a whopping .50¢ (don'tcha just love those??). I also had an old wooden light switch cover in my "electrical stuff" box. Never would have thought of this one on my own either!

DH got into the spirit of things right along with me and cut the wooden switchplate to fit inside the frame. I re-glued the metal piece on the back, glued the seam and covered it with electrical tape, and then painted it a [rather poopy] shade of brown to match the frame:

After it dried, I took a fan brush and some antique bronze craft paint and dry brushed it (well, I tried to anyway) and... Viola!

So? What do you think? I even painted the plain mission-style cover on the other side of the living room next - it's by the fireplace - to jazz it up a bit. I hit with Rustoleum's Hammered Copper. Looks absolutely perfect underneath the Psalm 40:2 tile my friend Lori gave me :o) My only issue with the whole switchplate cover thing has been that Joe Contractor (whoever built the house) clearly had a crick in his neck when he installed the electrical boxes; I'm guessing he opted out on the whole "Is it level" thing, too because they're all crooked. Sadly, the framing really makes it show. Raspberries!
On top of all the cleaning and DIY-ing, I've also been working on lesson plans for the farm programs (betcha everyone thinks I've forgotten all about the point and purpose of the farm, but I'm still working away on things there as well!). I think, though, I'll save the rest of what I have to share for later ('cause boy-oh-boy did this post get long - ACK!)

Have a blessed week everyone!!

Again-Again? Really, Jen?

2015-12-17T05:12:00.004-06:00

Clearly, my plans are nothing if not flawed (to the nth degree, I might add ;oP My grand (-ish?) plans for the first ~~one or two~~ or three November and/or December posts didn't quite go as I imagined them. Actually, as you probably noticed, they didn't go anywhere at all (outside of my own head, that is). *Insert self-deprecating eyeroll here* Mmmmph. Profound apologies; though I'll hereby solemnly promise not to promise that it won't ever happen again ('cause it probably will). Ha.

In any event, I will - I hope I hope - pick up where I left off in my posting next week. In the meantime, this video clip sums my current reality up quite well (not to mention in a far more adorable manner than I could pull off on my own ;o)

Yep, that about sums it up all right. Email friends can click here to watch.

Hugs to all, and to all a good night!

IDGIs and Issues

2015-11-21T07:20:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I have thoughts; lots and lots of thoughts. I have been told (are you listening Karen? ;o) that I have far too many of them for one person. Most of the time they are bouncing around my brain in a jumbled mess, though I have been known to form a coherent one periodically. I can't help but laugh when I see all of those "Ideas for Blog Posts" pins on Pinterest. I have enough post ideas running around in my head for 47 different people. What I DON'T have, is the time to sit down and bang them all out. Rampant running ideas aside, many other thoughts are questions. Lots and lots of questions. Some days (like today) I wonder if other people wonder the same things I do; particularly those niggling little things that you never can quite puzzle out. Since I am a total acronym junkie (which is often a self-entertaining pastime), it seemed only fair that I should come up with a suitable acronym in order to share them with you. IDGI = "I Don't Get It". Maybe I'm not alone in some of the things I just don't understand. Then again, it could be just me...
Photo Inset: One of the Mums I planted in the whiskey barrel planter in the visitor area (I was experimenting with erasing backgrounds and in a hurry to finish this post. I freely admit it has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the subject in this paragraph, and I almost don't care (provided I don't think about it too hard, that is ;o)

A few of my IDGIs (not too many - I don't want to scare you ;o)

- Why is it socially acceptable for a 30-something (adult?!?) to wear their Batman jammies to the grocery store?*

- Why do we need attorneys to slap legalese all over everything? My personal favorite is, "Void where prohibited." Translation: It's no good where it's not allowed. Wow. Really?

- How do people on food stamps get to buy steak and lobster at the grocery store? I have a full-time job, and (with rare celebrational exception) I don't get to eat that stuff.

- Why do manufacturers put sweepstakes and/or prize labels on their packaging that say things like, "No purchase necessary, details inside"? Now I'm not the brightest bulb on the porch, but I'm pretty darn sure somebody's gonna make me buy it if I rip it open to check out those details.

- If I am inconsistent all the time, am I not therefore by definition consistent?

- How can it still be Black Friday now that it starts on Thursdays?

AND - as long as we're on the seasonal subject - when did Christmas start arriving before Halloween?

* Upon further consideration: Why does a 30-something guy even own a pair of Batman pajamas?

Do you have things like that running through your head? Or are you slowly backing away from your screen and reaching for a phone because you think I need professional help? (I probably do ;o)

Watch the Birdie!

2015-11-01T08:41:00.000-06:00

A Picture Happy Post

Because Jen couldn't finish her intended post. Again. I didn't even get a chance to visit all my favorite blogs or even answer anyone's comments this week; I hope you will all forgive me.

I put up a cedarwood bird feeder awhile back. It took the little birdies about a month to discover it, but when they did it was like grand central station. The first two photos are not so great; I was in the tacky room and shot them through the [dirty] glass, so they're pretty awful. I was extremely excited to see a [tiny] Tufted Titmouse there:

He was followed by Mr. and Mrs. Finch. Anni I could use your expertise here: House Finch or Purple Finch? She looks House, but he looks Purple. Do the two mix and match?

This next one is clearer, since I was outside. I caught this Crow hollering near the very top of a pine tree; probably warning everybody else about the female stalker on the loose down below ;o)

That afternoon, DH came to get me so I could (hopefully) catch a shot or two of a pair of squirrels who were zipping around the pecan trees in the front yard. See him?

AHA! So that's where all the pecans are disappearing to:

I guess he felt like he was being watched, because I only got one more shot of this little guy before he shot down the trunk and scampered off into the sunset. Well, so to speak anyway ;o)

His little partner in crime, however, did not seem to be the least bit concerned and remained in the tree just long enough for me to get one last photo:

Several days later, I managed to get a number of shots of a White Egret (gorgeous fellow!) as he hung out by a neighbor's pond. Even though I was a fair distance away, they still turned out pretty well. I think it's so neat that there is a hint of green near his eyes that almost perfectly matches the grass:

He sure was beautiful! His left foot almost looks like a skeleton's hand though, doesn't it? Kinda creepy, yet cool ;o)

Have a bountiful and blessed week, y'all!

Here, HEAR!

2015-10-25T05:56:00.005-05:00

WOW! It has been one crazybusy week around here - how about yours? Much to DH's delight, I lost my voice (stupid sinus infection) for an entire week; though I am finally getting it back again. Ugh. Sooo, this week is the post that I had planned to do last week. *Mmmph*. Well, at least it was last week's plan until everything went Kaflooey. (that's a technical term, and gesundheit, right?) *snicker* Shadow is, in case you're wondering, back to his egotistical and sassy self :o) I'm pretty sure I've mentioned this before but on the off chance I haven't: One Sunday a month I try to go to "Deaf Church" with DD. I really enjoy the message, its format, and (of course!) the socializing. This month brought a very exciting guest to deaf church. Ronaldo Feliciano, who is deaf, is a pastor at Grace Bible Church in Tampa, Florida and performs a concert called "Music in Motion" in addition to preaching. Ronaldo's performance was on Saturday, and he also delivered the sermon Sunday morning. I've put one of his YouTube videos on here for you to see (below), but it is nowhere near as powerful as it is to see him in person. Very intense and passionate; simply awe-inspiring to watch. Outside of some very cold, wet, and windy temperatures, I don't think I've ever had so many goosebumps (the live performance is awesome ;o) The best part? He was extremely humble, and made it quite clear that any and all glory/admiration for his performance on Saturday and his teachings on Sunday belonged to God alone. What a neat guy; I sure hope he'll come bless us all again next year!

I was tickled to see the pint sized version of "Bella" seated in front of me for the concert. She's an awful lot smaller than our Bella is, that's for sure (click here to see our much bigger version). Isn't she adorable? Her "mom", Leslie, gave me permission to include her in this post. Bella is a hearing dog. Have you heard of them? Though nearly everyone is familiar with guide dogs for the blind, few are aware of hearing dogs for the deaf. Hearing dogs are also considered service dogs and function as ears for the deaf, just as seeing eye dogs function as eyes for the blind. Because the concert was so loud, Leslie was careful to cover Bella's ears to protect her hearing (photo below). The lighting was pretty dim, so my photos are nowhere near as clear as I would like (profound apologies there). I was even more tickled that my friend Kimby was able to make it to the concert; I hadn't seen her since school started (and I was waaay overdue for that particular friend fix!)

A little grainy perhaps, but still awfully doggone cute ;o)

Since we're on the subject of hearing, I have to show you what a friend of mind posted on Facebook the other day. Hearing aid decorating kits! Isn't that the coolest thing ever? Karen, who is a teacher of the deaf and who also taught DD many years ago, posted them and tagged me because she remembered me meticulously painting DD's aids and adding some sparkly bling to up their "fun" factor. Back in the day, hearing aids were pretty much beige and BORING. Based in the U.K., My Lugs offers themed kits for both hearing aids (found here) and Cochlear Implants (found here). Like so many other family businesses, My Lugs grew out of personal experience. When the Ivermee's young son Freddie was diagnosed with a hearing loss (profound on one side and moderate to severe on the other) My Lugs was born out of the desire to make those oh-so-unappealing devices more appealing to a little boy (read the full story here). They even have a Captain America Minion kit - no way! What a hoot, right? There are photos of some of their kits "in action" here. Brilliant... just brilliant! If you know anybody with a child that wears a hearing aid or has a Cochlear Implant, please pass this information on.

Well, I suppose I'd better get a move on lest I find myself late for church (seeing as how this post spilled from Saturday right on over into Sunday morning - and Ack!). As always, thank you so much for reading this far and have a beautifully blessed week y'all!

Making the Most of An Almost Post

2015-10-17T10:01:00.000-05:00

Clearly I have had a boatload of fun this week because I am now sitting here scratching my head wondering where on earth the whole thing went. How can it possibly be Saturday? Yeesh. Shadow colicked on Tuesday afternoon (defined here for my non-horsey friends), and the week kind of went downhill from there. I was, however, extremely blessed to have had Kimby with me when I found our poor boy laid out by the water trough. Not everyone in your life would be overly keen on helping you ~~push~~ ~~shove~~ ~~drag~~ ~~lug~~ lead (a reluctant 1,100lb drama queen 'round and 'round the pasture for hours on end waiting for him to "go". She was a tremendous help in nudging him forward; all while keeping an eagle eye out for signs of impending poop from inside the danger zone (to the uninitiated: horse toots are toxic ;o) Brave girl.
Long story short: The colic turned out to be the byproduct of an abcess in Shadow's throat that had left him unable to properly swallow. He probably swallowed either a small stick or large, stiff piece of hay which scratched his throat. The inability to swallow properly likely caused him to panic, which led to the colic. DH gave him a shot of Banamine (which I hate using) for pain, and I put some DMSO on the abscess I'd [eventually] found in his throat latch. We left him resting fairly comfortably around 11p.m. He seemed to be feeling a bit better Wednesday morning, and a couple of hours after a second application of DMSO he was [finally!] able to swallow properly on his own. Of course all that stumbling around in the pasture half the night (for an early bird like me, anyway ;o) was apparently all it took for me to come down with a lovely sinus infection. half of Thursday was, most unhappily, spent at the doctor's office. And raspberries to that! :oP
[Photo inset: Shadow and I in shadow (hee) standing by the almost pond bright and early on Wednesday morning. We look weird, don't we?]

Since the post I had originally planned for today did not get written, I'm leaving you here (so to speak, anyway ;o) with an almost [finished] page of my joy journal. Everyone is blessed with gifts and talents from God (1Peter4:10 on the left side of the journal page), for her - or his - own. What's funny is that we don't tend to see and appreciate those things in ourselves; we often seem to focus on someone else's gift that we wish we had instead. To me? The neatest part is the way God often puts people in our lives who share our interests yet come with their own special set of gifts to help round us out better. Example: My friend Lori is gifted with the most marvelous outgoing and friendly nature - something I definitely wish I had. Friendly? Yes, mostly, though I tend toward reserved. Outgoing? Not at all. I am a terrible introvert (though sometimes I hide it well). I have a really hard time walking up to someone I don't know (like new people at church) and introducing myself, so God gave me Lori (though I'm betting this is all news to her *laugh*). All I have to do is follow her around on a given Sunday, and I wind up meeting everyone I don't know "safely". Betcha didn't even know you were being a blessing in that particular direction, did you chickie? :o)
Likewise, Kimby, who is gifted with that wonderful peace I know I've mentioned before. The kind of peace that puts you at immediate ease and always makes you feel like everything will be all right. The perfect complement to my tends to panic spaz-queen self. She also seem to always know just the right thing to say, too (the heifer); and for someone who is constantly eating her own foot, I'm telling you straight up that is a GIFT and then some! And quit rolling your eyes at me too, sistafriend. Heh Heh Heh. Sandy, with her warm fuzzy heart for critters and crazy sense of humor has an altogether different set of blessings that complete our friendship and brighten my day. There are, of course, many others. All of these remarkable people that the Lord has put in my life. What would I do without them? But I digress...
[Photo inset: My almost finished journal page borrowing some of Joanne Fink's Zenspiration with some scripture verses "dangling" down the left-hand side]

Since I'm obviously headed for "short story long" here, *snicker* I'll add that this journal page is about the things that I have a love and/or propensity for and what I'm supposed to be doing with them. A reminder to self, if you will. The right side of the page looks like a scarf, which is something I have been known to crochet. Speaking of... Do you like the yarn ball "o" and hook "t"? I was pretty excited when I saw that the idea actually worked and you can [mostly] tell what they are. The word Art is only partially visible, and horses is right above that. What? You were expecting something else to top the list? (well silly you ;o) They're not necessarily in order of preference, but more how they fit best in the space. Everything gets done in pencil first, then it's made permanent with Staedtler pens. My hand-lettering still needs lots more practice. I haven't decided whether or not to add color to it yet - the scarf, perhaps? Or maybe I should just leave this page in black and white. What do you think?

Have a blessed week everyone, and thanks so much for reading this far!

Red Book, Blue Book, Old Book, New Book

2015-10-10T08:26:00.002-05:00

Coffee and a Donut Post

Since it's [almost] National Book Week, I thought I'd make books the subject of this week's post. As a self-confessed bibliophile, I readily admit to having no less than eight (yes, 8) bookcases scattered throughout the house literally brimming with books (I suppose one might say I've got a home full of tomes *snicker*). This includes - as indicated by the post title - books by Dr. Seuss. I mean, what self-respecting book-a-holic could miss out on that marvelous cadence of his? Anytime I find a topic I am interested in pursuing, the first thing I do is look for a book or two (maybe three) depending on the subject. I have books on drawing, painting, crocheting, tatting, various crafts (I'd bet Ann's got more), gardening, animals, birds (though probably not as many as Anni), nature, and using essential oils and herbs, and a bazillion other subjects. When we remodeled our house, my dad and I made three 7' built-in bookcases [pictured] for the master bedroom, where I keep most of my fictional reading. Believe it or not, we used 5" baseboard molding for the shelves. It has a marvelous finished edge and it's the perfect width for paperbacks (in the event that there are any other DIY bibliophiles out there ;o)

I have multiple dictionaries from the picture kind to unabridged. I've hung on to them, even though I tend to use my phone most of the time these days. Then there is the recreational reading for all ages, as well as a plethora of horse books; big shocker there, right? (ummm..... maybe not so much). Thankfully, there is a terrific used bookstore located a few miles away that takes trades (barring that, Ebay is a great used book resource). The store is actually an old house, and they have books piled to the ceiling in every room. Love it! I often walk (sometimes skip) away with a great big stack of books for $5. I think that's a good thing. Well, most of the time anyway; except when it comes time to dust. Then I might not be quite so excited (although I must say that a super duper shop vac with a brush attachment is a wondermous thing ;o)

[Photo Inset: A few of my dictionaries - can't have too many, don'tcha know]

A Kindle for Christmas several years ago added a whole new dimension to my library. Crazy to think you can fit somewhere in the neighborhood of 2,500 books in something that is less than half an inch thick and fits neatly in your purse, isn't it? Toss in an app for my phone and I suddenly no longer cared about having to stand in line anywhere. Why should I? I've got a book to read while I wait. One of the best things I discovered was earlier this year: Book Bub. Have you heard of it? For those of you who haven't, it is AWESOME. Book Bub puts out a daily email containing a list of free and reduced price books in a variety of genres. Maybe about ten at a time? Never counted. Anyhoo, most of them are for a limited time only (so get 'em while the gettin's good!). I have found a number of books by my favorite authors (usually the first in a series) as well as tons of new authors that I had never heard of for free. Free! For someone who cannot afford to fully fund her voracious reading habit - I have been known to blow through an entire series in one week when school is out - this is very exciting stuff. Plus, I'm not much of a gambler when it comes to test driving new authors with my money. It only took a couple of truly terrible reads - that had great sounding "blurbs" on the cover - to discourage me from buying unknown authors in the future. Did I mention that some of the books were free? Throw in the ability to "shelve" the books on Amazon when my phone library is full, and I wind up with digital shelf space akin to that of the New York City Library; AND it all fits in my pocket! *squeeee*
[Photo Inset: Part of my Karen Kingsbury collection - she is one of my favorite authors; even if she does make me cry.]

Of course one of my favorite topics to read both recreationally AND for research is horses, of courses! Although there are a number of excellent training resources out there for working with horses, I think my favorite "go to" thought provoking people for training (though I much prefer to call it "playing with purpose" ;o) are Klaus Ferdinand Hempfling and Mark Rachid. Before I stumbled upon their writings, I had been pulling a little of this and a little of that from various trainers and making my own little pot luck version. The one thing that really bugged me, however, was the cookie cutter methods used in horse training; the "one size fits all" approach. Yes, some things do remain constant in training, but all of them? Surely not. Maybe because I viewed our horses as a collection of individuals, rather than a "herd" of horses. Individuals with their own unique personalities and interests. I'm sure the same is true for dogs and other animals as well. Right?
Both men push you to think about things that most horse people never stop to consider. Hempfling pointed out that the traditional round pen led to disoriention (page 69 Dancing with Horses), just as staying in a round room for an extended period of time would ultimately disorient us. This made total sense to me and is the reason we built square and rectangular training areas. Rachid introduced the concept of "Passive Leadership" (Horses Never Lie) which placed emphasis on becoming your horse's chosen leader as opposed to their alpha. Revolutionary stuff to someone who was raised on the "show 'em who's boss" method of riding (a role I was never comfortable in). Though I've read all his books, Rachid doesn't come this far east to do clinics. Kate at A Year with Horses has been kind enough to share her own experiences at his clinics with those of us less fortunate; she has a whole list of them on the right-hand side of the blog (the lucky heifer ;o)
[Photo Inset: One of several horsey shelves; complete with childhood Breyer #68 Legionario III]

Wondering how I became such a big reader? Aside from genetics which predisposed me toward right brain-ism (mom was an English major and dad a Journalism major; they met working at a newspaper - he was her editor) growing up we spent five weeks out of each summer at the beach; our annual family vacation. Believe it or not, there was no T.V. - at all - for five whole weeks. Shocking, but true and possibly the best thing my parents ever did for me. Once the sun went down there wasn't a whole lot do there (one small store and an ice cream parlor), and you can only play so many board games. *laugh* DH, who is a total news and reality TV junkie, cannot fathom why I readily ignore the tube in favor a good read - poor guy ;o) This photo is of one of my childhood books (published in 1964). It is "Alice's Adventures Underground" and is a facsimile of Carroll's original manuscript complete with illustrations and slipcover. Yes, the pages shown below really are yellowed with age (and let's not even go there). Pretty neat, eh? I always loved the silly poem about Father William. Of course now I wonder what his teachers had to say about his penmanship. *laugh* (control+ will make it larger if you need to):

How about you? Are you a big reader too? Thank you so much for sticking with me and reading this far! *wink* Have a blessed week y'all!

How Come I Do Me Like I Do-Do-Do?

2015-10-03T06:40:00.002-05:00

Welllll... it looks like we can chalk another one up in the "What in the world were you thinking Jennifer?" column: otherwise entitled, "Self-Inflicted Stupidity in Spades" (which, as an acronym could be construed as "Si-Si's" - yes-yes's in Spanish - and accurately represents the sum total of an ongoing personal predicament). Okay, that was entirely too much digression [even for me]. Nice rabbit hole there, Jen. *UGH* I managed (yet again) to bite off WAY more than I could possibly chew. Do you do that? I do. On a regular idiot-friendly basis, I might add. I have a really, really rough time with the "N" word. As in NO. I have, quite literally, sat in meetings and bit my lip hard enough to hurt to keep myself from volunteering for something when I knew good and well it would be far too much and I'd wind up completely overwhelmed and stressed out. Unfortunately, an "Oh, I can do that" frequently pops out in spite of my best efforts to hold it in. Why? Not a clue. Boneheaded? Maybe. Glutton for punishment? Definitely. Most of the time, though, it happens simply because I want to help. The fact that I know that you can't possibly help everyone all of the time does not seem to stop me from trying. Sometimes, however, it's just a big fat brain blip (you know, the kind that comes with the triple threat of repercussions: STRESS, MORE STRESS and TOTAL MELTDOWN). A few weeks ago, my art teacher asked me if I wanted to go in with her on a booth for the local Art/Craft Show the following weekend. Obviously, I was in idiot mode at the time, because I responded with an enthusiastic "Oh, I'd love to!". Two days later, I found myself lamenting this decision, but was still delusional enough to think I could pull it off without too much trouble. Well ha. Ha, HA, HA. Delusional indeed.

By the following week, I was ready to pull my hair out (and I might have, too, except that it is finally starting to thicken again - plus, once the hair has left my head it kinda freaks me out to clean it up, because Ick.) "Why? Why do you DO this to yourself?!?" was my perpetual mantra. What is WRONG with you? Are you mental? Clearly, the answer was [is] a resounding Yes. I did indeed make it to the art show (in frazzled stressed-out-mess mode, but I got there!) and I have to say that it was SO not worth it. *rolling eyes* We're talking total bust. I have no idea where they advertised, but it was like a ghost town; the only thing missing were the tumbleweeds (not to worry though, I found one just for you). I can't even say I enjoyed myself, since I spent the better part of a day sitting there thinking of all the things I could have gotten done had I just stayed HOME. The only positive thing I can think to say is that I did sell two candles to my art teacher (she said they were Christmas presents for a couple of someones) so at least my portion of the booth rental was covered. I'm good with that, I guess. I mean it'd be even worse had I wound up paying to get so completely stressed-out, right? My art teacher did make me promise that I would slap her [really hard] should she ever ask me to do such a thing again in the future (so maybe it wasn't just me then, eh? ;o)

On the upside, my friend Lori has gallantly volunteered to run interference for me in the future as my official Nay-Sayer. (I am to direct any and all requests for my assistance through her). Why, you might ask? Because I completely blew my shining moment, that's why. After a lengthy discussion (otherwise entitled, "See Jen Vent") with Lori and another friend Cathy after church - both of whom agreed that I had a big problem telling people "No" - they gave me a marvelously encouraging pep talk and pointed out that I was already overloaded by default (true). Then they had me practice saying, "I'm sorry, but I just can't." I don't know why it's such an issue for me, but it's HUGE. The biggest thing that bothers me about it? I wind up saying "No" to the people I don't want to say no to (like friends and family), or I miss my weekly blog post because I've already said yes ten too many times. So why on earth do I keep doing it? I sure wish I knew, because I absolutely infuriate myself sometimes. ARRGH! The topic turned to other things and it was quite awhile later that Lori said, "Oh, I meant to ask you; do you think you could fix a meal for the W--- family next week?" Taking a deep breath and thinking about the coming week's chaotic schedule, I closed my eyes and said.... "When?" Of course both of them yelled "NO! NO! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO SAY NO!!" at me simultaneously. Apparently that was a test, which I failed. Dismally. *facepalm*
What's the definition of insanity again? Oh yes: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
Oh dear.

And... for those of you who like doodle and draw, I started a [sketchbook] joy journal the other week. Faith based, and full of whatever it is that I feel like adding to it. Initially I just wanted to practice lettering, largely because it's an übercool skill to have. I figured I may as well find a fun way to do it, hence the journal. Since it's now October and we're all "in the pink" (so to speak), I thought I'd share this page with you. It's not finished - obviously - nor is it a masterpiece, but the journal has been kind of a (hit and miss) therapeutic thing for me in the evenings.
I sure do enjoy doing it ;o)
[Pitiful photo, compliments of the crummy camera on my cell phone. Meh. :oP

Speaking of artistic endeavors, somebody special (actually two somebodies, since the taller one included a note ;o) sent me a happy-happy-happy moment. Isn't it awesome? Look:

Soooo putting them BOTH in my joy box. Thanks so much for reading this far, and have a blessed week!

Adventures in Alzheimer's and Conversations with Mom

2015-09-12T05:28:00.000-05:00

I can't remember if I told you this (I'm pretty sure I didn't), but earlier this year I went to an art show and reception with my mom. Our art teacher had talked us both into entering something, which was a first for me. My dad had a meeting that afternoon, so he couldn't go with us (though he did go with mom later in the week to see our work "on display"). As someone who is completely non-competitive (can a person be anti-competitive??) I wasn't very excited at the prospect, but I did it for our teacher. And oh my, but Jen does a marvelous impersonation of a basket case. Oy. I'd never been to a juried art show before, so I had no idea what to expect. I had visions of people standing around criticizing my painting (it was only my second), laughing at it hysterically and wondering aloud who let the third grader in, or maybe I'd just trip over my own two feet at the reception and go sprawling; another of my call me grace moments (remember t his post?). And silly me. Seems I needn't have worried about any of that. I was so doggone busy chasing mom around in circles that I didn't have time to even think about anything else. During the brief time we were there, mom managed to:

1. Dump an entire stack of cups in the punch bowl, then stick her hand in the punch to fish them back out;

2. Spill the cup of punch she finally managed to pour herself down the back of our art teacher's skirt when she gave her a hug;

- And (my personal favorite) -

3. Spend ten minutes digging around in a purse - pulling everything out repeatedly - before announcing in stunned surprise, "Heyyyy... This is not my purse!"

*Facepalm*

Thankfully, said purse belonged to a woman in the art class after ours, so at least it was someone we sort of knew. Even more of a relief? She had a really good sense of humor. I am telling you, by the end of that (mercifully short) reception I was wiped out. Alzheimer's, like so many of the trials we face in this life, often boils down to a laugh or cry scenario (and it's definitely a prayerful one!) In hindsight it's pretty funny, although now that I am facing a second show and reception next week I find myself reevaluating my sense of humor. On second thought...

Anybody want to go with me? 'Cause methinks I'm just a leetle bit scared ;o)
[Photo Inset: The watercolor painting I entered, "Ecclesiastes 3: Summer (Rose of Sharon).]

The conversations I have with my mother throughout the week (normal ones aside) range from tedious to hilarious. It is not always easy to speak in the same calm voice when answering a question for the 33rd time during a single conversation, but I sure do try (though sometimes I take so many deep breaths, I probably sound like an obscene phone call ;o) People with Alzheimer's are easily agitated, and sometimes this agitation can blossom into a major meltdown if you're not able to defuse it. It is incredibly helpful to have a bent sense of humor in such situations, so you can entertain yourself and calm the storm at the same time. I am, of course, a huge fan of multitasking (particularly when it works ;o)

I had the following entertaining conversation with mom the other day on the way home from art class:

Mom: [suddenly agitated] "Jennifer, I don't know where I am."

Me: [calmly] "Of course you do."

Mom: [panicking] "NO! NO! I don't! I don't know! I don't know! I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHERE I AM!!"

Me: [still calm] "You're in my car, Mom."

Mom: [annoyed] "Well I know THAT."

Me: [raising a brow] "See? I told you you know where you are silly."

Happily, mom found that observation hysterically funny, and for the rest of the ride she was just fine. Dodged a bullet there, eh? Whew!
[Photo Inset: Not terribly relevant, though it did put me in mind of the song "Bad Moon Rising" which is sort of apt when it comes to the volatility of an Alzheimer's patient. Ha. Taken with my "old" camera. The one I have now doesn't seem to be able to get the job done; I think I need some kind of filter - but quite frankly, I haven't a clue ;o)]

Guess that's all for this week - I'm off to try to shovel out the rest of our guest bedroom (the holidays will be here before we know it - ACK!) Thanks for reading this far, and have a blessed week everyone!

Why Do Thing 1 and Thing 2 Inevitably Lead to Things 3 and 4?

2015-09-07T07:56:00.001-05:00

**Coffee and a Doughnut post**

Have you ever noticed that when one thing starts to go wrong, it's often followed by another and another until you find yourself feeling like you're in the middle of a veritable landslide? Methinks I've been avalanched. Again. Maybe I should say Again, Again. Ohhhh the frustration of it all. ARGH! In recent years I've tried, with varying degrees of success, (or failure, depending on your perspective, eh? Ha) to make things as simple as possible for myself. Not always an easy feat, that, since I seem to have a tremendous talent for complicating pretty much everything. I've been told repeatedly by doctors to eliminate stress. Happy to. Piece of cake. Just one itty bitty problem there doc - exactly how do you avoid those stressful situations that are unavoidable? Eh? Of course sometimes (oftentimes?) you just can't. So I go visit my galpal Sandy and decompress :o) Anyhoo, right after school let out DH asked me to postpone my scheduled summer trip to Sandy's until the last week in July, as he had some vacation time that week and wanted to go with me. Faculty was due back on July 31st this year; which is considerably earlier than last year. Although I knew that going to visit my friend so close to the start of school would make things more hectic, I wouldn't have traded that visit for anything! I spent a little (okay, a LOT) more time scrambling when the "big day" (first day for faculty) arrived, but the important thing is that I made it; albeit thoroughly frazzled ;o)
Photo inset: Although the color of the horse may vary, this is my most favorite view in the whole, wide world! We'll call it my happy-happy-happy place *laugh* ;o)

About the time I went back to work/school, DD decided to come home for another (other) visit. Pretty sure I see more of her now than I did when she lived here ;o) Sometime near the end of her stay, during casual conversation, she made a comment along the lines of, "Oh, and I need to give the electric company some money, too...". It was with extreme trepidation that I chose to explore that particular sentence a little more deeply. Taking a deep breath, I asked her if she had actually paid her electric bill. "Wellllllll... I didn't really have enough money to pay it, but I will." "Oh, child of mine..." I thought, "This is NOT going to end well." I explained that the power company would probably not be as nice and understanding as Mr. Landlord has (he has been wonderful, allowing her to split her rent between checks when she didn't have enough to cover it all at once). I told her they would simply cut off her electricity, and it would cost her a small fortune to straighten it all out. I pointed out that having her power cut off in 100 degree weather would be more than inconvenient. For one thing, she would have to pay a hefty fee to have it turned back on. For another, she would lose everything in her refrigerator and freezer; not to mention how disgusting it is to have to clean out a bunch of spoiled food - learned that one compliments of Hurrican Opal who blessed us with 11 days without power and raspberries to that). "Ohhhhhh, wow.", said she. Well.

Didn't I get a text message saying that very thing upon her return home? *facepalm* The long and short of it? (though I think I'm mostly long here ;o) is that after two years of stubborness and self-inflicted stupidity (not to mention a boatload of monetary transfusions from her folks), DD has finally figured out that perhaps she wasn't quite as ready as she thought to move out. Why do we all seem to learn that lesson the hard way? Yeesh. I was happy to learn she wants to live closer to home again though - Hooray! SO, we've been house-hunting. It'll have to be some kind of major fixer-upper project in safe area (nearby, of course) that, hopefully, we can (almost) afford. In other words, we are praying for a miracle. The house hunting is, of course, being done in my spare time (of which I have none *rolls eyes*).
Photo inset: This photo has nothing to do with DD per se (other than the whole "baby bird having left the nest" thing - HaHa) but I thought I'd introduce "Gabe", a juvenile Cardinal, who has been hanging out in the Redtop near the feed room recently. I named him after one of my favorite pint-sized pals who happens to have a soft spot for Cardinals (you know who you are ;o) Juveniles are easily discerned from adults by their bedraggled appearance. Poor guy looks like he was chewed up and spit out at least once, don't you think? *laugh*

As if the snipe hunt for housing was not enough, just as school kicked into high gear in week two with students returning, my Dad told me that my Mom had been diagnosed with Dementia at her checkup. He was devastated, though I was not at all surprised. Actually, that was considerably better than the diagnosis I had been expecting. Quite frankly, I had been expecting to hear the "A-word" - Alzheimer's. Since I don't think I've really said a whole lot about Mom here, I need to give you some background first. I have found myself becoming increasingly concerned over certain things with my Mom over the past few years, some small - some not so small. I call my parents pretty much every day to make sure everybody's okay and we'll chat for a bit. I also see them all the time as they live only 4 miles up the road. Somewhere along the line, I started noticing that Mom was beginning to repeat herself quite a bit. She'd say things that were completely untrue or misrepresent things that someone said (like conversations she and my dad had while I was there). She'd lose track of where she was in a conversation and go down a rabbit hole (which could go on for miles). Sometimes she'd pull a comment from out in left field; or just sort of ramble a bit about things that made little sense before trailing off oddly. (Sidebar: If any of this is freaking you out from a personal perspective - don't worry - I can ramble and/or be irrelevant with the best of them, but there's a definite difference here ;o)

For the past two years, I would ask my dad to talk to the doctor about it every single time she had a checkup, but every single time he did she was able to answer all of the doctor's memory questions and was determined "just fine". I really got scared about a year or so ago when she asked me for directions to the bathroom - the one at my HOUSE - the same house we have lived in for 25 years. I started pointing out more and more things that concerned me to my Dad left and right, but he would just kind of shrug them off. Sometimes during our morning chats Mom would talk [literally] nonstop and then yell, "LET ME FINISH!" even though I hadn't said a single word during the entire diatribe. She became increasingly testy, and would snap and snarl at everyone. She became suspicious of everything, to the point of paranoia; accusing us of all manner of underhanded things. Most un-Mom like behavior.
Photo inset: The "science experiment" growing inside a cookie jar in my parent's kitchen. I have NO idea what it was in its former life, (Rosemary? Pine?), but I do know that in its current state it is just plain Scary. Yikes! I pointed it out to my Dad, who immediately threw it in the trash.

I spent quite a bit of extra time with Mom this summer, and began to notice more and more things that disturbed me. What really terrified me? That so many of the things I noticed closely resembled the behaviors exhibited by my grandmother (my Dad's Mom). Nana had Alzheimer's, and she lived with us during what I sometimes think were the worst six months of my entire life (even after chemo and company). Not a very thing nice to say out loud, perhaps, but oh so true. At the time I agreed to care for her, I was under the impression that Nana was early stage Alzheimer's (according to Dad and the doctor) and she had been kicked out of the assisted living facility where she lived due to her diagnosis. With a job, a family, and ten horses (at the time) to care for, I really didn't want to do it (but my Dad pleaded with me so I did). Their house was two stories; my Mom would not be able to handle it; along with various and sundry other reasons that they were unable to care for her so it fell to me. Please don't misunderstand, I loved my grandmother but it was a frightening responsibility to take on (and little did I know just how completely it would overwhelm my life). Turned out that Nana was more like middle/end stages and the situation rapidly dissolved into a nightmare. Though we had a sitter while I was at work, once I got home I was IT. Nana didn't know who I was at all, but hated me with a passion, She hated DD as well.

Nana refused to "stay" anywhere. If I so much as turned my back for a moment (even to stir something on the stove), she was gone. Trying to feed the horses was awful - I was constantly running in and out of the house to check on her whereabouts (she had a lovely picture window in her room and a place to sit and watch the horses, but she would not stay there). She would repeatedly refuse to use her walker, then fall. She kept me up all night long "Sundowning". Sometimes she would try to leave the house; we had an alarm on her door and a baby monitor in the bedroom so I could listen out for her. It was awful. I can remember calling my Dad (who thought I was greatly exaggerating) in tears begging for a night sitter just so I could get some rest. It was quite expensive, so we ended up with a sitter once a week on Thursdays. That was pretty much the only decent night's sleep I could get. Although I had been ready to toss in the towel after the second week, I toughed it out for six long months until I could take it no more. How to put this delicately? I drew the line when Nana started playing with her food, after it had passed through her digestive system. If you're not quite following that, trust me when I tell you, you really don't want to know. In any case, taking Mom shopping and watching her look for her wallet in her purse by pulling everything out (including the wallet) only to put it all back in again then take it out over and over was something I'd seen before. So was the testiness, the rambling, and a hundred other little things. I don't even have the words to describe how badly seeing these behaviors in my own Mom frightened me.

The doctor referred my mother for an MRI, which is standard procedure for a Dementia diagnosis, and Mom asked everyone in art class to please pray for her because the doctor suspected she had a brain tumor (see what I mean?) One week later my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease. My father is absolutely beside himself and has not taken the news well at all. He finally admitted to me the other day that somewhere, deep inside, he wondered but he just couldn't bring himself to go there. He'd taken the checkbook long ago, was doing all the cooking and even the laundry. She asks him five times a day what day it is (she also asks me the same question - over and over - during our morning chats). To be honest, I don't want to go their either (at all - EVER) but I'd much rather be proactive than reactive. Wouldn't you? He is adamant that she is "just" in the early stages, but I'm not so sure. From what I've read, I'm fairly certain that Mom is already in the middle stages of the disease (here). I am trying to ease my Dad into reality, without causing him any more stress (I'm worried he'll have a heart attack) but it's not easy. Right now I'm trying to talk him into getting her a really pretty bracelet (that she can't take off) with his name and cell phone number on it. Why? Because as I was watching for my Mom to come home after a "Circle Meeting" at the community clubhouse this summer (it's catty-corner directly across the street from their home), I caught sight of her as she walked right past their house and started off down the street. Stepping outside, I called out to her and asked where she was going. Without missing a beat, she looped around and walked back through the neighbor's yard saying, "Oh, you know, I just thought I'd go this way today." Man-oh-man, are we in trouble... Big, BIG trouble. *sigh*

So, now you know all the dirty details behind the missing posts (and why I think I've consumed about 50 pounds of chocolate in the last month ;o) Thank you so very much for reading this far, and I sure do hope you got to eat that doughnut. Have a blessed week and a happy Labor Day. Hugs!