Maybe not a Hollywood explosion

 Sam has been awaiting a package from a soap company. He ordered a pine tar soap, plus a shampoo and conditioner. He had mentioned several times that it should be here any day! Then, it showed "out for Delivery" on the tracking number.
But, the package didn't arrive.
Monday is our shopping and errand day.
With Daniel here to visit, Sam took a rare "personal day off". Our errands were late in getting started. Tom and I left Nickole here with a minor chores list, while Dan and Sam did yard work. We were barely on the dirt road when Tom realized he'd left something behind that he needed, so we turned around. We were not 1/4 mile from the house... and my phone started chirruping. Messages from Nickole.
"Um... Cowgranny? There was a phone call from the USPS. I didn't answer it."
"um, Cowgranny? The person left a message for Sam Coder that his package exploded"
"Um, Cowgranny... The caller's message wants you to come to the post office and get the package that blew up..."

By the time this message hit, we were already getting out of the car. Tom retrieved his missing item. I called the Post Office. Yes, they "had just called about a package addressed to Samuel Coder. While out for delivery on Saturday, the package had become overheated. It 'exploded'," the clerk said... "so the carrier returned it to the post office, as it was leaking a smelly goo. Could we come and retrieve the package? They thought it may contain essential oils."

Our errand list started again, with getting Sam's package. The Post Office loaned us a plastic tote that the package had been setting in. I put the tote in the trunk, and Tom and I ran errands. The fumes were getting to me within a few miles. It took longer for them to start Mr C's eyes watering.
On arrival back at the house, Sam photographed and opened his leaky package.
He emailed the company, "I got a call from the Post office that my package from your company had 'exploded' en route to delivery. After I picked it up from the Post Office, I was most disappointed to find that instead of the Hollywood style fireball explosion that I had expected to find... the shampoo had simply blown off its cap, resulting in it leaking all over the contents of the box and out of the cardboard."

The soap company responded quickly. They had had a great laugh at Sam's description. They upgraded his order and got a new package shipped the same afternoon.

The post Office tote has been rinsed out... repeatedly. It has quit sudsing up with each rinse... but it still stings my eyes if I am too close to it! I'm letting it air a few more days before I return it.

A lovely night In NE OK

 Daniel is up visiting! This is his and Sam's birthday week, which they almost always have spent together. Last night, they invited some of their friends from the area over. Sam spent Sunday smoking a huge brisket, while Daniel drove up from San Angelo.
If Sam ever decided to change careers, he could sure open a mean barbecue place! He could get his uncle Buck to make the potato salad. We had two kinds of home made ice cream. It was all excellent.
We were up far too late, with Tom and Sam having to go to work today.

Half an hour ago, I decided I should sit me down and at least make an effort at blogging more regularly.
(My Aunt Lennie encouraged me to do so.)  (Hi Auntie!)

I sat down at the computer and turned it on. Usually, the mouse jiggle on the mouse pad will wake it right up. Today, it did not. Oh, DAN is here... he shuts everything completely off so that he can sleep in complete darkness. I turned on the computer. It warmed up.
But the mouse still refused to control it. The keyboard was fine... I could use the directional keys to highlight areas... but no cursor. Being a wireless mouse... I checked to be sure it was on. It was. I replaced the battery. It would come on, then go off. It would not operate the cursor.
I unplugged its USB relay. Tried another USB port on the computer.
Nope. I was getting quite frustrated, and figured I was going to have to order a new mouse.
One last trouble shooting thing to do. Borrow Nickole's wireless mouse. That means her USB relay as well.
She went and got her relay from her laptop, and brought it to me... but couldn't find her mouse.
Because she had left it on my mousepad, in front of my desktop computer! MY mouse was on the tray table next to Tom's chair. One jiggle from the correct mouse... and presto! the cursor worked!

Tonight, the guys have a fun "Guys Night Out" excursion planned. Tom and Bob, Dan and Sam all are going to a minor league baseball game over in Springdale. Nickole and I may go to a pricey little pizza place we have both wanted to try.

A friend of mine posted a news link on Facebook earlier. Yellowstone is CLOSED, effective immediately- due to unprecedented flooding. The news story was accompanied by footage of roads literally being washed away. I don't know how long it will take to repair such terrible damages... Yellowstone is on our big trip agenda for August/ September.

Have a blessed day!

My Blog's not dead!

I hope each of you is having a good day.
I am back from a trip to East Texas. My Dad isn't doing too well, and he knows it. We are all hoping this sudden, rapid mental decline is due to an imbalance of medication. The sudden decline in his acuity started soon after his Physicians Assistant (managing his case after his Parkinson's Doctor moved) changed up some of his medications. Two of his drugs were working at cross purposes. (Not prescribed by the same Doctors). Dad's Physical Therapist mentioned a Parkinson's specialist that several of his other patients see. Dad's  Parkinson's doctor was the only one in the PPO system near them. So, they are in the process of getting a referral to an out of system Parkinson's Specialist. 

Dad is lucid enough. But, he is seeing things the rest of aren't privy to. He doesn't recognize the house... which he mostly built. He told me he has no idea of what the exterior looks like- and the first he recalls of the interior was when he arrived back from a brief hospital stay. Yet during one conversation, he went into detail about the kind of wood he used in trimming the bedroom.
What alarmed me the most during my visit was that he failed to recognize his favorite dog. He tried to keep her from entering her kennel and eating her food, saying it was Kelsey's kennel and Kelsey's food. The dog was, in fact, Kelsey.
I have been reading up on Parkinson's and Lewy Body Dementia (LBD).
Little chance of getting my folks to change their diets, but research says a Keto diet could help. An undiagnosed gluten intolerance can trigger episodes of decline.  Maybe I can try a less intimidating form of help, such as essential oils in a diffuser? I was just reading Dr Axe's article on LBD.

I came home with a long list of things the folks need help with. My brother Robbie is struggling with all that needs to be done. He has two disks in his spine that need repair... and no insurance. So he grits his teeth and does what he can do.

I return to east Texas on the 18th, to sit with Dad on the 19th. Then I will stay over a few days, and do what I can do to help until time to take Nickole to camp with Tommy's church in Midlothian.

After that, I don't have anyplace I have to be until The Big Roadtrip, in late August.
I intend to have a blog just for that trip!
Three women, six kids, and an Ugly Kitty seeing the USA in a van.... while one of my sons bicycles across the continent. It should be an Adventure! (And, good golly Miss Molly! Gas is already up to $5 a gallon here, and over $7 on the west coast... continuing to trend upward, with 10 weeks until we start.)

A Decade Down

 Yesterday was the 10th anniversary of Bill Joe's death.
When I was only a few months into grief, a friend who had lost her son told me, "I'm sorry. It doesn't ever get any easier, but with time, you can learn to swallow around the lump in your throat."
She was right. (Renee has since gone on to join her son.)
Missing someone doesn't get easier. It gets less overwhelming- probably because a human can't function with the stress of grief on their body for a prolonged time. Your mind builds up safety measures.

I write. I have had a need, a compulsion, to write since I first learned how to read. I don't remember if it was my own idea, or if someone suggested a grief journal to me. At first, I wrote pretty much every day. Sometimes, multiple times each day.
As time went on, the entries became fewer. I woke up yesterday, thinking I NEED to write in Bill's journal. It was late in the day before I did. I saw that I haven't written in it since before Nickole came to live with us in 2019.
I had a lot to catch "Bill" up on.
If we hadn't lived the last three + years ourselves, it would seem like the bad plot to an incredibly depressing soap opera.
There have been several highlights. Babies, brides, brothers. It wasn't all bad. It was just so... MUCH.
I am OK with the quiet, dull existence.
I love new places, and seeing new things. But I am terrible at letting go. I also love the familiar!

It's hard to believe it has been 10 years.
Today, we got  four inches of snow, in about four hours. I am so OVER snow. It's pretty. Whoop! OK, that's enough of that.
I don't think I can review the past decade, today.
I hope your day is peaceful, and blessedly dull.

Howdy Howdy Howdy

 February has gotten away from me. Here we are on the last day of the month. As is often the case in this part of the world, February was full of ice and snow. We had several inches of pellet ice this past week. My friend from Colorado tells me this is called "grabel"... not "Sonic (brand) ice falling from the sky".
  My newest Daughter-in-love, Ruby Coder is finally here in the USA! We attended her and Tommy's reception last weekend.

Nickole had her 13th birthday on February 25th. She has grown SO much since she arrived to live with us (3 years come May). She was going to go visit her Mom for her birthday, but icy roads kept us all at home. We rescheduled for this coming week. After that, our next round of scheduled fun will be VISITORS! Two of Tom and Bob's sisters plan to visit us "in the Spring". Becky and kids want to visit us while the Aunts are here. Overcrowding may not be an issue, as the Aunts intend to stay at a hotel. (The Casino hotel may add a layer of fun for them!) And, I can hope that the back porch enclosure may be ready by then. So far, it has the roof on the framework. Poor weather on weekends, as well as travel, has kept it from progressing as quickly as we might have hoped.

I need to get to Texas to see my folks ASAP. Dad has been less than great for awhile. Between his teeth, his back, Parkinsons, and aches and pains associated with life in general- he's not doing as well as I would like. It's hard living far from family... and with parents and children, as well as grandchildren, being scattered across the US (and other countries!!!) We just don't see everyone as often as I would like.
I know I have said it before... these are amazing times as compared to a century or more ago- when moving across the USA was difficult to stay in touch as moving to another country.
These days, we have instant messages. We have "zoom" and "Face Time" to communicate eye to eyes in real time. Still, nothing beats a real, in person hug.
Benjamin is still fighting the fight against cancer. Things looked down for awhile, until Paula contacted a place in New Mexico. (Or was it Arizona? anyway...) The Doctor there was quite encouraging and gave them a number of pointers on treatments to add. Things are once again looking good.
However, please keep everyone in prayer. Ben, against  cancer. Paula for stress- which has a terrible impact on her overall health. Becky for the continued demands of widowhood with children. Daniel and Sam pray for spouses. Tommy, of course, for the the new path he is on to be joyous and fruitful.

We have garden fever starting. This week is as warm as last week was cold! From temps in the teens, to the upper 60's this week. With the economy seeming to tank around us, the garden is important to feed the family. With going keto, what we plan to grow is slightly different than in years past.
We are considering trying again to keep chickens.
Going concerns are keeping the dogs safe at the house. New neighbors have a new dog (Delilah) that is a BAD influence. She and Aurora will roam far, far from home. Aurora had already begun chasing big trucks. We need an invisible fence, or a large fenced in area to keep her home. Plus, to be ready for Dan's Trans-Continental bike ride this fall. His Dante is supposed to stay here.

I have bone broth finishing up in the pressure canner. Last year's canned tomatoes are waning. I hope with have enough to last until we start getting fresh this year.
I hope you have a blessed day. Thank you for reading.

**************
Afterthoughts:
It is 10 days from the 10 year anniversary of losing Bill. March 10. The 10th will be 10 months since Stephen was killed.
The 1 year anniversary of Arlene passing was this past week, the 24th. On that day, my kitty Linus died.
There were no marks on him, but if he had been sick, we were not aware of it.

The New Year is under way!

 It's almost the end of January.
The year is already rushing past.
Positives so far:
Our beautiful new daughter-in-law Ruby will be coming to America in a few short weeks!
Mr. C is adding a much needed room onto the house. It will be an extension of the kitchen/ storage area.

BIL Bob is with us and doing well. He and Mr C are on Keto, and losing weight.

I am sure there are other positives.
In our immediate future, Tommy and Ruby's wedding reception will be in February. Nickole will become a teenager.
In March, it will be 10 years since Bill Joe passed. It seems impossible that so much time has passed. I had a question for him this morning that had me reaching for the phone. Yeah, that still happens. May will be a year without Stephen. That is a much fresher grief. Stephen's name is being added to the Law Enforcement Officer's (LEO) Memorial Wall in Washington DC.

Garden plans are being made.
In August, Daniel intends to bicycle from West Coast to East Coast. More on that as it develops.
The kitties are all still with us. Lottie and LuLu are 14. Bob has Mimi- their mother!- who is also doing well. Nickole's cat, Ash, the the youngest of the pets.

That's my January update.

The year winds down

 It's December, y'all. Not that one can really tell by the weather. I haven't posted in a couple of months.
Such an eventful year as well, which I am well ready to leave behind.
Since my last blog post...

My Daughter-in-love, Paula, lost her Mom to cancer.

Tom's brother Bob has come to reside on our property. We helped him move, starting to settle on the 1st of November. 

We spent Thanksgiving at Becky and Ben's houses. My mom, Ben, Kimber and I, Dakota, and Althea had birthdays. (As well as several siblings and friends). 

I got to do some 'dives' in Ben and Paula's hyperbaric chamber.

Dan left this morning after visiting us for several days. 

This weekend, I get to fly to Texas to see Chris. I haven't seen him since before CV19 started. It will be a really quick trip down- some Mom and Me time. As I will only be gone over the weekend, Nickole can stay home with Umpaw and Sam.  

Nickole is working hard on school. With so much going on, there are some days we don't get in as much 'book learning', but she's really progressing in life skills. I think she may get to plan & prepare supper Friday evening. (The plan ahead will be this afternoon. Thursday we have AHG and can get anything she needs to make a good meal.)

Speaking of AHG, (American Heritage Girls), Nickole will be receiving several badges she's earned this fall, on the 9th. She's really enjoying getting to be part of a troop. She's adding "Cooking", "Archery", and "Astronomy" to her badges, and will receive a few patches as well.

Upcoming, we have more birthdays ... Chris, Becky,  Katie, Tom (more friends and relatives!)

Daniel is planning a cross country bicycle ride.

Ruby has an interview to get moved to Dallas! We expect her by February.
After Ruby arrives, I think the next 'event' on the calendar is the DC Memorial event in May, where Stephen's name will be added to the Fallen LEO Wall.

No new babies are being added to the schedule, as of yet. 

What's cooking as the garden winds down?

 Before I get into what's cooking...
Today would have been my youngest brother's 56th birthday. Happy Birthday in the Heavenlies, Roger.

Our garden got off to a slow, cold start this year. It suffered neglect, and even abandonment at times, as we dealt with so much going on in tour family.
However, I did get a lot of tomatoes canned. We are still getting a few tomatoes, but for the most part, the tomatoes are finished. Today, I am squeezing one batch of the No Sugar Green Tomato relish out of the slim pickings the vines had left.
Our okra was slow in coming on, to the point we despaired of ever getting enough for a meal. In the past month, we haven't been able to keep up with the bounty! I have a number of jars of pickled okra in the pantry, plus several bags of cut okra to stretch through the long, okra-less winter and spring.
The peppers are what we are harvesting in force! I need another dehydrator to keep up... or perhaps just a bigger one. Currently on our second season with a $30 round one from Aldi Buys. (Pros: It DOES dehydrate! It has variable temperature settings and a built in, adjustable timer. Cons: there are only five racks, and the 'screen' spacing is so large that many things need a liner so they don't fall through.)

I have bone broth cooking. It has simmered for about 36 hours now. One of those 'stupid easy' things we like to keep on hand, as bone broth adds flavor and nutrition anywhere you add it. This batch has bones from an organic chicken we cooked on the grill a few days ago, plus the bones from one of the big rotisserie chickens the local grocery store had for half price. (You can't beat a half price rotisserie chicken for value. Not only does it have meat enough for two or three meals for our family, you also get the bones to make into broth!) ("Recipe": Pull the meat off the bones of a chicken. Place the bones in a crock-pot/ slow cooker. Cover the bones (and skin and such) in water, and as much more water as you can put into the crock-pot without an overflow as it boils. Add a splash of apple cider vinegar. Put the lid on the pot. Turn it on. (I use high in the day, turn to low overnight. but it's ok to cook it on either setting. Let simmer until the bones dissolve. Strain the broth, pour into jars and refrigerate or pressure can... or use right away.)

I have green tomato relish cooking. It's a beautiful way to use up green tomatoes if you already have plenty of chow-chow! I like to use the green tomato relish in my chicken enchiladas.

I am just about to start cutting my jalapenos to dehydrate. The cayennes, tabasco, and Thai peppers are already on their trays, ready to go.
We are praising the Lord that He has provided such a bounty for us again this year.

First Day of Fall!

 It's a beautiful, beautiful day here in NE Oklahoma. The high is supposed to be 73* Windows are wide open for the cool breezes, laden with ragweed and the smell of burning chicken feathers.
Two days ago, we waded Flint Creek in 96* temperatures!
Today is almost too nice for school. Yet, here we are.

Nickole finished weeding Bandi's garden- a task she's been on for almost 3 weeks. Bandi's husband Terry remains hospitalized, on a ventilator... all prayers are appreciated. God hasn't brought him this far to lose him now.
Tom and I are still not back to strength after being sick last month. We get stronger, bit by tiny bit. This morning, I walked a letter to the mailbox . I did it with some energy... which is more than I have had lately.

The house has fallen so far into the pit of despair, I thought it would just have to stay there! But Sam invited guests for supper last night... so I pushed through yesterday. The floors are mopped! The dust was banished. Clutter was gone through, and put away (either in its place, or disposed of). (Ok.. I do admit some stuff was just relocated or stacked neatly.) But the place was, and IS presentable.

The garden is winding down. There are dry beans on the vines, waiting to be picked. A few scraggly tomatoes are hanging on, but no longer producing enough to can. The peppers about died from lack of water, but may bounce back until frost; I continue to dry those for our tri-pepper blend. The okra has finally taken off... I have been getting enough for a meal, or to freeze for later, on a daily basis. 

Since October 2020 marked the start of so much sorrow and woe for our family, I am looking forward to THIS fall being better. (Please don't say it could not be any worse than last year! I am not looking to challenge it!) My Mom and Ben both have birthdays coming right up. The Taylor Family Reunion... set to be Live and In Person! is October 2nd. (So far, ONE of my kids is supposed to come. My Mom, one of my brothers, and one other family of cousins have declared their intentions to attend. It may be the smallest one ever!

Until Next time, May God Bless You and Keep you!

 

Do- Overs, anyone?

 It's the day after Labor Day... the traditional day so many of us grew up with as "Back to School".
Nickole and I will be re-starting this school year today.
Our "best laid plans" went awry when both Tom and I came down with That Which Shall Not Be Named.
Sam was sick for a couple of days.
Tom came up sick on August 15. He was diagnosed on the 17. This was a few days after our neighbors let us know they had both been down sick with  TWSNBN. I came up sick on the 18.
This was like a bad flu, which we began to despair would never end! Each time we thought we were feeling better, it looped around and cut us down again. Tom and I were very sick for about 2 weeks. We are all recovering, slowly regaining strength. (Our neighbor is still sick. He was transported to the hospital ICU, and is now on a ventilator. Our prayers are with Terry and Bandi.)
So, Nickole pretty much had to fend for herself, eating whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted. Sam cooked some, or brought home take out. Zero schooling was done, though Nickole read a number of her school reader novels.

So, today we are starting over! Nickole began the day by going to help the neighbor. Nickole had asked repeatedly if there was ANYTHING Bandi needed help with. Bandi gave it consideration... and Nickole is helping her weed her fall garden. Since the weather is still QUITE warm, Nickole has been going over early and working awhile. We can school in the heat of the day, and work later on lessons.

Our garden has fallen into neglect. Nickole was sent out to pick a few times, but spent most of that time daydreaming... or something. Sam went out with her later and found a laundry basket full of produce she had missed. (She came in after almost an hour, with three or four tomatoes and a handful of okra.) We are now trying to salvage what we can.
The tomatoes Sam picked are in the freezer. I will need to thaw them and process them down to can. The okra mostly was composted- once it's as big as an ear of corn, you can't really eat it. Tom and I have been to the garden a couple of times. TWSNBN really takes your strength, and it took us each several trips out, resting between, to just get okra, peppers, and tomatoes.

**********
I was in the garden this morning and came really close to having an encounter with a pus caterpillar. I am VERY allergic to the poison they excrete, so God was looking out for me.

*********

Hope your day is blessed!

~Tammy~

Beginning of the end... of the first week

 School, day 5.
My mornings have been starting with laughter.
As soon as Sam is out the door, Aurora wants my attention. Never mind that Tom is still here, some days. She comes in and chatters at me in doggy words. I swear, she can almost say her name!
"Au rooo rah" will be part of the string of little yips, barks, and whines. She nibbles at me, paws me, and "talks". It doesn't matter if I am in bed or out. (It also doesn't matter what TIME it is. So far as I can tell, what matters is that Sam has driven away.)

We have quite a curriculum this year. Mostly Sonlight, with Saxon Math, and Pace Spelling. Grammar Ace; Duo Lingo Japanese; a basic sign language course, and on-line Mandolin lessons.  We have American Heritage Girls starting weekly in September. I had thought I could come out less expensive on Sonlight's heavily literatured History curriculum- which is the backbone of their program- by purchasing the readers second hand. This didn't work out so well for the teacher's manual! The copy I got was 20 years old. The readers I had already purchased from the current book list didn't match up. So I now have the brand new teacher's guide on its way. I also discovered that the Sonlight Language Arts course had its OWN list of readers, in addition to the History readers. Our school days look to be VERY full.

My friend Lori and I are already working on a Homeschool group. It has fallen together more by accident than design. Our first gathering will be at Lori's on Sept. 8th. We look to have a diverse age group, so hope all the personalities will mesh well. Lori and I met at our library's summer reading program about three years ago, and were both on the library's original Homeschool group planning panel.

Aside from learning I was NOT completely prepared for our first week back to school, things have gone fairly well. No outright tantrums on either part. I was having a personal meltdown yesterday when trying to deal with the USPS website to file a damage claim... and Nickole wisely decided it was a good time for her to go outside and save her questions for later. (Seriously?... you have < TWO minutes before the USPS claims page decides you are dormant and logs you off? I was scanning documents to upload to their site. It logged me off, NOT saving any of the information I had already entered! I had to start over THREE times before I found the SAVE button, which does save your work, but puts you back to the log in page every time. At least I wasn't starting from scratch every time afterwards!)

I am mixing up what subject we start with each day. We don't do every subject every day. But we will probably do SOME subjects every day.
******

Still having to can tomatoes at least every other day. I began drying peppers yesterday- four full trays.
Today will be tomatoes again.
Lori and I hope to get together next week and make tamales. I have a huge pork roast that needs to be used.
This day to day dull routine of dealing with school, garden, and home are what I have been missing.

First Day of School 2021 Style. (Par for the Year)

 Yesterday was our first day back to school. We hadn't actually intended to take the summer off.
But we start the new year with high hopes.
Nickole and Tom had eye doctor appointments. After last year's fiasco, my appointment is well after theirs (though I did go in last month for a medical related eye issue). They took Nickole's height (63.5 inches) and weight (101.2 lbs)... so we have those measurements on our first day of school!
(She is officially taller than me, as is Tyrel).

Monday is our Errand Day. After the eye Doc (Nickole got good reports), we got groceries. Came home, put things away.
Nickole started the day with mandolin practice. We are staring with just 20 minutes per day to build her fingers back up... she's not opened the mandolin case  since April or May.
She worked on Life of Fred (Fractions). Handwriting... and then we opened the Sonlight Language Arts program.
I thought I was prepared. I have ordered and picked up all of the Sonlight's readers in the curriculum. Some were still on their way, but all the ones we needed were here.
Or not.
I couldn't find the first book we were to start with. I scanned the list from the LA program.
I don't have a single one of the books on this list. Not a single one! I had ordered from the HISTORY list. My History teacher's manual hasn't yet arrived.
Back to the computer... and fresh orders to Once Upon A Time Bookstore over in Tontitown, then Amazon for the ones OUaT didn't have. (OUaT's order can be picked up this afternoon!)
All the books are now ordered. The core Sonlight LA program may be a few days behind the rest of our subjects. My small bookshelf is completely loaded up with readers.
I ordered the "Four Day per Week" program, knowing how hectic Monday's are around here. This is giving us leeway to stay on track, as I intend to school five days a week... but I know we have extracurricular activities that cut into the curriculum time. As long as we can complete the four days a week during any seven day period at a time... we are on track!
Yesterday had me busy, busy, busy. I had tomatoes and other garden produce to deal with, as well as school and errands. I decided on lasagna for supper... using slices of zucchini as lasagna noodles. I peeled the zucchini, sliced them with the mandoline (the tool, not the instrument!) and... where the heck do you put squash to weep when your kitchen is the size of a match box, and every available counter/ table is covered in stacked boxes of tomatoes or appliances for dealing with produce? I opened the oven and covered the oven racks with clean kitchen towels. I spread the squash slices on the towels, salted them down, and left them to cry about their fate.
On to the tomatoes. Sort the ripest from the boxes... cut out stems and bad spots. Into the Vitamix to chop/ puree. I poured part into my stainless steel pot, and part into one of my antique glass kitchen bowls. The pot was turning to spaghetti sauce, the bowl into salsa.
I made a beautiful bowl of salsa.
"Someone" put it away in the fridge when asked to. Unfortunately, the 10" across the top bowl was shoved onto a 4" open space on the fridge shelf, pushing in against several cartons of milks. The door of the fridge was closed, to hold the bowl on the shelf. As anyone might reasonably expect... the  moment the door was opened, the milk cartons had opportunity to regain their shape, and gave the precariously balanced bowl of salsa a good shove.
You know, Gravity works.
EVERY TIME!
The bowl toppled off the shelf, did a flip (of COURSE it DID!) and showered me from kneecaps to sneakers in fresh salsa... which spread rapidly across the narrow band of floor and into the AC vent... and back beneath the fridge. (Thankfully, my bowl did not break.)
Bad words, ugly works came from somewhere. Most likely me.
(In the wide world of words, I doubt most people would consider anything I uttered as more than a mild almost bad word. I believe I shouted "FECAL MATTER!")
Dear Mr C came to investigate... and help with the clean up. The salsa was scooped into a dustpan and then into the trash. (Hindsight, it OUGHT to have gone to the compost). The vent cover was removed and scrubbed. The salsa in the vent and under the fridge wiped up. This led to the horrors of accumulated dust bunnies on the refrigerator coils, and deep into the floor vents.  The fridge coil cover had to be scrubbed. The area was vacuumed, mopped, scrubbed.... the newly generated load of laundry started; and THEN I got to go back to working on the produce.
Once the spaghetti sauce was cooked, I browned ground beef and added enough sauce to it for the lasagna. The rest, I canned... using my reusable canning lids! (Only three quarts worth).
The lasagna was good, though I wasn't really happy with how it cooked in the air fryer. (I was trying not to heat the kitchen up too much).

Today is a fresh day. I will try to report on a more frequent basis.

Sometimes I just have to write

 I have opened the Blog any number of times this summer, and just sat here.
Here's to another try.
Since Stephen was killed in May, I have posted once.
I can't say any of us have come to any sort of handle on his death. Just stumbling along, day by day as more and more Feces goes on. I have described it as not so much waiting for another shoe to drop, as it has been being underfoot a platoon of combat boots on the feet of Irish River Dancers in a competition.

Basic recap of the last 10 months:

6 deaths in the immediate family circle
4 cancers (Two are terminal)
3 with heart issues (defibrillator, pacemaker, bypasses & congestive heart failure)
3 with liver issues (counted one in death, one in terminal cancer already)
6 broken bones
2 severe lacerations
2 car accidents
Beloved House sold

We also had a joyful wedding... but the bride has been unable to immigrate due to Covid closures. I don't even know which list to put this on... the Happiness List, or Not Happy list!

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I have spent so much time away from 'home' this year, it takes me a bit to figure out where I am when I awaken in the night.
Mr C has held down the fort while I have tried to help out with the grandkids in Texas; first in the aftermath of Stephen's death, and second; so that Paula could go with Ben for cancer treatments.

Becky and Stephen had planned to take their kids to the ocean this summer. I went with her instead, as the kids (including Nickole) got a first look at the ocean in the Gulf.

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I've got our homeschool plans laid out for Nickole. This year, I am trying the Sonlight curriculum. I figure I am playing to her strengths... she loves to read, and Sonlight has a strong focus of learning through literature. She needs repetitive math, so we will use Saxon Math. She tested into level 7/6, which I am very pleased with. She's been working hard on Math. Saxon is very repetitive.

My friend Lori and I are discussing various field trips, and I may join her in another homeschool group nearby.
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Meanwhile... I'm coming late into the garden. After today's harvest, we MIGHT have enough Okra to eat some as a side dish to a meal. Tom canned green beans and made pickles while I was gone in July. He froze tomatoes, which I am just almost caught up with canning. (The frozen ones, NOT the forty or so lbs. ripening on the table from the past couple of days.
Something has been chewing into and ruining the ripening tomatoes, so we have been forced to pick the moment a tomato starts to show any color at all. They sit in boxes on the table to be used as they ripen. The trouble with picking 15 lbs of tomatoes every day is 1) running out of room for them to ripen, and 2) having more ripe tomatoes than one can use in a day.
So I will be canning the fresh ones as they ripen.... just not today.
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The house has been getting the best of me. Looking at what I admire about other people's homes... lack of clutter. I must divest our house of clutter. THAT will take awhile. It took years to get this way, it will take time to get to where it should be.
That's all for now.
May your day be blessed, and you find Good Things to think on.