Wednesday, July 15, 2020

Another post, and it's still July!

Sam's work crew decided they will start early today, as it has been so hot & humid. He was out the door by 5:30 this morning.
Aurora wasn't in her usual position as a door stop on the front mat, so Mr C and I spent a few minutes calling her. The air outside feels like tepid bath water. Not cool, not uncomfortably warm... but very moist and NOT refreshing. Aurora showed up- I don't like it that she's taken to wandering!

Yesterday, I made some squash pickles. I used calcium chloride to help with crispness... and since it had zero instructions, I can only hope I used it correctly! I did three pints of dill, six of bread & butter. The canning closet is already starting to look full, and we haven't really started getting tomatoes. (We have brought in a few, but not enough to deal with.)
I need to make something like Granny's Garden vegetable Saute for supper soon!

We are staggering along in kind of a limbo, waiting on word of Tommy & Ruby's wedding. We don't want to reschedule our flights any more often than necessary... and if the current restrictions in Peru don't change, we may need to find something else to do with Mr C's vacation allotted for the wedding. It's less than 55 days until we were supposed to depart!

Becky & I have been walking "together" a couple of evenings. Last night, it was 104* as she set out just barely before sundown. It was 88* here. We walk and chat on the phone as we go! It gives us a little chance to visit... and ensures I DO take my much needed walk. I've enjoyed it a lot. (I have talked to my DIL Paula several times this week. Ben's been TDO, and it's not easy for her to get out of the house with four kids!)

I hope your day is blessed!


Tuesday, July 14, 2020

Few things are more fun than...

A box of new curriculum for the coming school year!
I ordered from several different places- today's box is the first to arrive.
In today's arrivals:
Home Economics!
I ordered  Lessons in Responsibilities for Girls 8-12 . I looked through it briefly, and have already found a few things I disagree with... but we can work with this! (In the nutrition chapter, it talks about clear soups, and enhancing them with bullion cubes. Bullion cubes are far from nutritious! We will discuss WHY I disagree, and explore better options! We will learn to make a bone broth instead... and why it is a better choice.)
I got Exploring Geography Through Art. I am hoping it won't be too advanced for Nickole, so will be looking more closely at the book in the next few days.
I got Exploring the World Through Geography: Focus on the United States. (Plus a deck of States & Capitals Flash Cards).
We got Apologia Science's Exploring The Creation Through Astronomy.
We ordered "Life of Fred Edgewood" and "LOF Farms" for Math. Each covers different math concepts that Nickole really needs to grasp. If LOF works- I will proceed with their curriculum. It presents math in a different way that maybe she will be able to take hold to.

Still to arrive is the Good and The Beautiful order, with History and Chemistry.
We will continue with Atlas Adventures as well.

Friday, July 10, 2020

Summer's half over!

Since I last posted, The whole CV19 thing has continued to rollercoaster. The lower the death rate, the more hype we hear about face masks and shutdowns! The virus now has a 99.6% survival rate.
You pretty much have to have a mask available to go in anywhere, though few places around us REQUIRE them. (Our library and orthodontic office do.)

Nickole got braces! Just this week. The Orthodontist expects 24 month of braces.
She got up with an attitude this morning, and I got up tired. Not a good combination for us. This is the co-operation I got for her showing her braces for a picture. She's been all about showing the braces off every other time. The devices on her head are some sort of flashing LED gizmo goggles.


I am tired because we had 'excitement' last night.
Sam got set of carving implements, to make bowls & cups of wood. He plans to use some of the fallen hickory tree branches.The carving set arrived yesterday. Sam got to work on his first project last evening. Approximately two minutes (or less) into the carving, he was back in the house rinsing a bad cut from the curved tool (top).
It was bad enough he didn't argue over stitches, and went to the ER without a fuss. It wasn't as bad as it looked- he only needed 5 stitches. (I had figured between 8 & 20).
Of course, due to COVID19, I waited in the car while he was inside. We made quite a pair on the way home- me driving with my right arm in a cast, he with his left encased in bandaging.

AFTER we got home, and were trying to get ready for bed... Sam's dog Aurora alerted us with her "Timmy's fallen into the well!" bark. (She has "Cow's are in our yard!" bark. "Someone is here, I hope they give me a treat!" bark, "What's this?, should I keep barking at it?" bark, and the alarmed "Help, Help! Timmy's Fallen Into the Well!")
Sam went out to see what had become of "Timmy". It was FIVE raccoons trying to get into the chicken pen. He had to awaken Tom to access the firearms... and four of the 'coons were dispatched with alacrity.

Oh, I haven't been blogging in a couple of months... We went to Ohio the first week of June. While there, we slept on our air bed in Tom's Mom's living room. Mom had adjourned early (She is doing SO much better!) and we had visited Tom's brother on the deck until fairly late. Once Bob left, Tom started inflating the air mattress. I sat on the couch with a glass of adult beverage, reading a book.
Unknown to me, Tom wandered away, going OUTSIDE and leaving the airbed pump running. The bed got full, and the pump went into an ear piercing Phazer-on-overload shriek. Nickole started screaming "COWGRANNY! COWGRANNY!"
I jumped up to see why Tom wasn't shutting the airbed pump off, and why Nickole was screaming for me... and tripped over the extended leg rest of the recliner Arlene had left up. (She's not able to push it closed, so leaves it open at times.)
I did a Flying Wallenda over the leg rest, which collapsed in & closed. My arms were extended out in front of me- and instead of grabbing that trapeze rung- I karate chopped the metal rungs of the nearby barstool as I fell.
I landed with a mighty crash that had Tom's nephew Luke running upstairs from their apartment below... the airbed was still EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEing for all it was worth, Nickole is still shrieking "COWGRANNY! COWGRANNY!"... and I'm laying there, wind knocked out of me, both hands in terrible pain, gasping for Nickole to just unplug the bed...
Tom comes in... wondering what the heck happened and what the screams are about.
He's mad that I've fallen- saying the bed wouldn't of exploded, and so what if it had?
Luke helped me up, and it was plain to see my right hand was broken. Luke got ice for it. I sat and gathered my wits for a moment, and started to put my shoes on. Tom asked why?
Because my hand is obviously broken and we need to go to the ER!
Three hours later, we are back. My right hand splinted, the left  badly sprained & swollen... but unbandaged, as the nurse said "You're gonna need one hand for hygiene!"
I'm now down to a week left before my hand is set loose. I'm sure it's going to take some recovery time even after that. (Typing is hunt & peck here!)

Ben & Paula had got to come visit in mid-May. Tommy came to visit shortly after we got back from Ohio. He & Sam made a load of heat & eat meals for me. Becky arrived before Tommy left... so my family has really rallied around me. Nickole has been forced to step up her help around here. The house standards are lowered- I vacuumed yesterday for the first time in almost a month. I have limited my driving- It's  hard to put a car in gear when you have to reach cross-body to do so!
Mom and my SIL Ruby came up when Nickole went to visit Glynna and Glenn (again). The garden was just starting to produce, and they brought goodies from Texas. We canned beans, peaches, squash,  and cucumbers while they were here.
The hand is getting better enough it doesn't ache all the time. I've missed having a right hand!