Hello to all and happy Sunday. Hope this finds all well.
Well, the 4th is over and the fireworks are still ongoing by all the 'want to be' professionals! Geesh. Thursday got really noisy, especially across the alley. They kept it up until 3AM with the big fireworks. No police will bother coming out, even though many laws were being broken. Continued Friday and Saturday - although not as bad. I guess it has still been better than years past - as it all started in May before. I just see dollar signs - gosh the waste of $!!!
We had a nice soaking rain on Thursday (during the day) - it sure was great. Also had some rain Friday. My garden looks like it has tripled in size in the past week.
I have had a bunch of black birds around this week, and they have sure been cleaning up the 'fall' from squirrels eating. Nice - as I don't have to clean up, and nature is getting fed.
Yesterday was a glorious day - such a nice breeze, and blue skies. I had the AC off all day.
My frugal week:
- Finished dead heading the hundreds of finished blooms and stems of the lilies
- I noticed my cabbage getting eat on (a lot) - so sprayed with Neem oil and sprinkled with fine cornmeal. Worms eat it and can't digest - so they die. The plants are getting big, so I want to protect them
- Mowed and trimmed
- All laundry done and used dehumidifier water
- Cut 2 different bouquets this week
- Made some watermelon sorbet with the end of watermelon in frig
- Picked up lots and lots of sticks from a storm that came through area with wind
- Picked my first zucchini and bell pepper this week!!!! YAY
- Lots of porch setting when the temps agreed
- My neighbor brought me a nice helping of corn pudding 2X this week. Some of the best I have ever had! What a treat.
- Same neighbor gave me a brand-new HP printer that they were gifted and didn't need. I checked it out online and it has a retail of $299. I haven't had one for 3-4 years now after mine died. So excited to get it set up.
- Used up cheese from a couple meals to make a 'new' flavor cheese spread for another
- Cooking from home and using what I have
Meals this past week:
Egg roll bowl
Soft tacos
Pork chop, steamed cauliflower/carrot w/cheese sauce, cukes & onions
Cheesy roll 'pizza' and salad
Jalapeno burger, corn on cab, cauliflower/pea salad
Cheese/beef nachos
Grilled pork smashed burger sandwich and salad
SNACKS: lots of fruit and corn pudding
How was your holiday? Did you do anything special?
How are you coping with the weather? I know the south and the west coast are in an extreme heat advisory. Temps in 100's - oh my. That has to be miserable.
How are the gardens doing? Did you find any grocery deals this week?
Inquiring minds need to know!!! LOL
I wish you all a wonderful week and that you all stay safe, healthy and COOL!
Blessings to you and yours from me at my humble little home.
*************************
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:58
Dear Lord, please help to hold our faith within our hearts and not lose it, due to outside pressures. Help us to do Your work each day. May we all hold steadfast to the word and ways of Christ. Amen.
Good morning, Cheryl. I'm enjoying the cool quiet morning. We've been complaining of the cool temps & now the heat has come. Not unbearable yet. The house still cools off at night. And now the nation's festivities are done - Canada Day & Four
ReplyDeleteI love those cool quiet mornings - so nice for sitting outside and just enjoying. We are just creatures of complaint!!! LOL
DeleteWe are never satisfied it seems, when it comes to weather.
Our festivities are done as well, and hoping for quiet until at least Labor Day!
Have a pleasant week.
Sorry, hit the wrong button. Canada Day & 4th of July are in the books. I usually spend 4 mornings with mom at LTC. That allows me to feed her 2 meals. She was happy to see 2 nieces this week. She seems to recognize them. It's probably more of a feeling than cognitive, i.e., she probably couldn't name them. Got a hair cut & got the truck to the mechanic to check out the check engine light. Came out with new breaks and the check engine light wasn't a big deal. Like the line in the Alan Jackson song - it won't take too long, it will just take money. There was only ~20mm of rain this past week. I had overnight guests on Friday. We all went to a local Pasture Party featuring C&W performer, George Canyon. Fun but going to bed at midnight is hard on this old girl. Finished an excellent book - The Overstory by Richard Powers. In the kitchen - baked beans & hot dogs, grilled pork chops & salad, Greek Salad, baked ham & egg cups.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you are getting this quality time with mom. It will mean the world to you some day! Glad she had extra visitors.
DeleteI have had black tape over my check engine light for years!! Nothing but computer needing reset and they want a fortune for that. Nope.
Sounds like you had a lovely weekend. Lots of holiday munchies!!!
Take good care.
I am envious of you rain. We are currently in fire season so we re beginning to see a bit of haze everyday. We are also hot hot hot! Yesterday we hit 99 officially but my shaded patio at 5pm said 101. Today is expected to be hotter. I received a box of pie cherries that need to be pitted and frozen. What a miserable day to work on anything. We do have air conditioning, Thank God, but it was still to warm to work. We have water out for the birds and bunnies. I haven’t seen squirrels at it but I am sure they are also hitting it. The poor chickens are really warm, but luckily we have shade for them in the back yard and their coop is in the shade all day so stays almost 10 degrees cooler. They were so ready to be out in the cool air this morning. It was 62 when I let them out in the yard. I currently have windows open trying to cool down the house a bit. In was still 82 when I went to bed at about 10:30 last night. So still to warm to open then windows up. I am hoping I can get the house down to about 70 before we leave for church. If I didn’t have the espresso bar this morning I would be tempted to stay home in the cool and get some stuff done but I need to caffeinate my people. I am betting I will have a ton of iced coffees to serve this morning so need to stop and hope I can buy some ice. What with the holiday and the hit I am not sure I will find any. We have used most of ours in the last few days so I don’t even have much I can take from home. I made egg roll bowl earlier this week. We have been doing a freezer challenge the last month so I need to look and see what I have in there that needs to be used that will not hit up the house to prepare. It is so easy to lose food in the freezer. I have tried several methods of tracking but have never found one that seems to work for the two of us to keep up with.
ReplyDeleteOh mercy the heat. I know you all have to be miserable. My friend Laurie lives in OR and was telling me about the heat expected for several days. I have heard about fires in N CA. Gosh it all hits at once. I pray you all get some cooling and some rain!
DeleteThe poor animals - you are like me, I keep plenty of water out too when the heat is too bad. Poor babies. I bet iced coffee will be very popular at church.
Smart to use us those odds and ends in the freezer. There is usually so much in there and we need to use it before it gets freezer burn. I really wonder sometimes why I keep avoiding it! It is money! I am not good at keeping track either.
Take care and try to stay cool. Wishing you a lovely week.
Hello Nancy in Vancouver! We used to live up in Portland by Delta Park, Jantzen Beach area. I used to go across the bridge to do some of my shopping. I miss the retail, although I don't know if it's the same since covid. We are down in So. Oregon going on 5 years now.
DeleteNancy, I'm a household of one and use a Freezer Inventory template found via a Google search, click images. I inventory twice a year and take note of what needs to replenished. I'll buy meats in value-packs and vacuum seal them in single serving or 2-serving portions. For veggies, I re-bag in single-serve quantities, as well, to avoid the iceberg of frozen freezer-burned vegetables. I'm also training myself to "shop" my freezer first when menu planning. Every month or 6 weeks, I'll do a freezer "straightening" and make a mental note of what's running short and start keeping an eye out for sales. Hope this helps.
DeleteGood morning Cheryl, Our 4th was uneventful. It was 104 here so we stayed in the house. There were fireworks going on though. We are still having excessive heat, going on for a few more days. Just making sure everything is as wet as we can keep it. There are a few fires going on in the areas though nothing close to us. We have been eating out of the pantry. This upcoming week I have to go get my license renewed.
ReplyDeleteHowdy Laurie. Your day sounds like mine. Nothing special. Dang girl, that is hot! Glad you are keeping things wet and dampened - fire is so dreadful during the hot months.
DeleteOh snap, I bet I have to get a new license this year too - better check on that.
Stay in and stay cool. Have a beautiful birthday week!!!!
We had a bit of rain (1/4 inch) before the fireworks started - and to my great relief there were mostly firecrackers, snap crackle pop, not great fountains of sparks. It started the weekend before the 4th but was all done by Saturday the 6th.
ReplyDeleteThe deer have been in the garden and ate the tops of my early blue asters. :( Actually they only bit them off but didn't like them and left them lying on the ground. What a waste.
I also have been cutting back the spent stems of the lilies. Only a couple more lilies to go, they still have a few buds, then that will be over. Pity, as I haven't much to take their place. Well, there's Phlox which I love - so tall and pink with a lovely scent. :) Maybe the deer will leave them alone? They are native to this area.
The bears have been working the dew-berry bushes and I'm planning to cut those down to the ground this fall - they are in a bad place for the rest of my garden. I'll leave the ones on the property boundary as the bears won't do any garden damage harvesting there.
Today early was a grocery run. Milk and a few fresh things, then checking over for sale items. Yes, white cheese slices on sale! Also bought a year's supply of toilet paper (marked down). Whew. Wanted more yellowfin tuna in olive oil but all they had was preseasoned and I wanted plain, so it was ordinary old chunk light in oil this time. No "growceries" yet. Maybe I'll make a trip to WalMart soon because there are some things I can buy there but not here.
Keeping the house closed in the day, open at night. So far it's cooled off enough indoors that I want more than just a sheet by 3 AM. :)
I've been praying for my neighbor who has cancer and had a bad fall and hurt herself a few weeks ago. Yesterday she was walking around in her garden! She was so happy, her tumors have shrunk, no new ones have shown up, and her back is recovered from her fall. Thank you, God!
MaryB
Dang those deer. Bummer. Yes, now is my phlox too - it is so pretty and smells so good. Lilies are all done here.
DeleteI don't blame on cutting down the berry plants if bears are coming.
Glad you found the white cheese. Sometimes we all need a run to WM for things no one else has!
Oh how wonderful for your neighbor. Sounds like God has laid His hands on her. What a delightful turn of events.
Wishing you a great week.
Cheryl, they continue the fireworks here....last night on the way home from a get together we could see fireworks going off in every direction. Like you I just see money going up in sparks and smoke. I read somewhere that the price was up something like 80% .....I used to give family $20 to spend and it bought a lot, now it won't pay for even 1. We no longer buy any.
ReplyDeleteMy tiger lilies are ready to bloom, and my annuals are going strong but nothing much else is in color. I do hope my coneflower seeds and spreads this year.
My week has also been out of whack, but getting back on track.
Still eating from the freezer and watching sales for replacements. Working on my stock up lists, flour, pasta, brown sugar, and sugar so far. Baking soda, vinegar, borax and citric acid are next on the list. So many lists....LOL
I need to mix up dishwasher tablets today and will piddle around and relax. Hopefully a calm mellow day.
JC
They always have sales around here - but my goodness, some of these people must have spent a fortune. It isn't like I live in a high income area - so I am sure it is money needed for other stuff.
DeleteLucky you on the tiger lilies - mine are done. My coneflowers are lovely and I have lots of sunflowers and annuals. Seems like we go through waves of perennials.
Good for you on eating from the pantry and freezer. Lists - don't you love them? LOL
Relax and enjoy your day. Have a lovely week.
I see fireworks as a hug waste of money too, to each their own I suppose. They've were setting them off here too, but not enough to bother me a bit. Thank goodness. We've lived in places where they were bad, so I feel your pain. Good idea to protect your cabbages, You worked hard to get those and I would be mad if something ate them! My brother in law grew strawberries one year and the squirrels got to thm before he did after waiting weeks for them to ripen. Ugh! Yum, I love corn pudding, nice of your neighbor to share with you. Your meals sound delicious as usual. :)
ReplyDeleteThat is how I see it too - but yeah, everyone does their thing.
DeleteThe cabbage plants are huge - they started eating the heads - grrrr. I really want that cabbage - not the buggers!
I have always like corn pudding, but hers was the best I have ever had. Oh my, it was good.
Have a pleasant week.
Thankfully we had a very quiet weekend on the fire cracker front with the family that has been the usual culprit the last few years, having left the neighbourhood.
ReplyDeleteI had my first morning out since losing my toe, and it felt great to be back amongst people. I found some great clearance produce and some heavily reduced meat to begin the restock of my freezer and pantry. Being frugal is more important than ever now with some pretty hefty medical bills to pay.
In the grow-cery department I have been expecting very little since I have not been able to tend to the garden. There must have been just enough rain to keep it going because on Friday I picked two tomatoes and three small zucchini. Most other things I planted have been lost but a pumpkin that I assume has grown out of the compost has popped up and is growing well so I’ll leave it there and see what happens.
Have a great week Cheryl, take care Louise
Glad you got a quiet weekend. Oh that had to be nice to get out amongst people again. Glad to hear it.
DeleteNice on finding some deals for restocking.
We are frugal for that reason - those unexpected nasties that pop up. You got this.
YAY on the garden goodies. Any we get is so nice and tasty.
You have a blessed week.
My second cataract surgery went well. Distance vision is still a little blurry, but I am cleared to drive. I'll get Rx glasses for astigmatism and reading in a couple of months when my eyes stabilize completely. In the mean time I bought cheater readers at a dollar store.
ReplyDeleteI am taking an unplanned caregiving respite for a few days. On the way home from visiting Roger on Wednesday, my car started making an awful squealing noise. It appears to be a seized brake caliper. The shop can't get to it until Tuesday, and I'm not driving it until I take it to the shop. Going to be big $$$ for sure.
Not being able to visit Roger has been good for me in a way. I was running myself ragged going there every day to feed him and oversee his care, but I am now forced to trust the care home staff. I've had a lot of time to think, and I now realize I need to pull back for my own sake. While at home I've been taking walks, taking naps, porch sitting with neighbors, working on Project Linus blankets, and am even eating better. I can't let Alzheimer's claim two victims.
We need rain here, and I've been watering my tomato plants and potted geranium. I watch the storms approach on radar and then split up and go around my little area. Had a nice, low-humidity day yesterday, but temps are to be in the 90sF with higher humidity for the next three days. We're supposed to get rain from Tropical Rainstorm Beryl on Wednesday, but I'll believe it when I see it. I'm running the A/C at 79F just to get the moisture out of the air.
Been reading a good mystery series: Cat in the Stacks Mysteries by Miranda James. Downloaded from the library to my tablet, the print is large enough to comfortably read. The protagonist is a rare books archivist and has a Maine coon cat.
No shopping this week besides the dollar store eyeglasses. I did give my step-daughter gas money for taking me to my surgery and follow-up appointment, and paid a neighbor to mow my grass, since I'm still on restricted activity for another week. I had stocked up on groceries before the surgery, so I shouldn't need to shop until the car is fixed. I even saved $30 I would have spent on gas every five days driving to see Roger daily.
Glad you had the surgery. It is amazing how nice things look once those darned cataracts are gone.
DeleteWell, dang on the car. Hopefully it won't be as bad as you think. Yes mam, you need to take a rest now and then and take care of yourself. You are important and you matter. You are so right, about you can't let Alzheimer's claim 2. That is a good way to look at it. I hate you are going through this and Roger.
We are supposed to get rain from the tropical storm as well - sounds funny to say that here in IN!
Sounds like you have it all together gal. You please take care of yourself. Hoping you have a lovely and not too expensive week!
Our neighbor put on an amazing and lengthy fireworks display, (over an hour I think), but there was no DJ this year. I guess everyone is cutting back at least a bit. Ha! I watched a little but I'm not that into fireworks esp on a HHH evening, so I went inside. It 's hard to breathe with all the smoke and chemicals. Like you, I picked my first peppers this week and a couple cherry tomatoes.
ReplyDeleteIt's hot and humid in the morning now so I guess it is officially summer! Dee/NY
I used to love fireworks, but the older I have gotten the more bad things I think about them. Mainly the animals and some people who suffer.
DeleteYes all the smoke and yuck along with humidity is too much. It was real smokey looking here the morning of the 5th.
Yep, summer has made its presence be known!
Have a great week.
Not as much fireworks noise here as there was last year(which is a good thing for my doggies). The weather is beastly and humid as all get out. It hit 104F last week and we are going to get remnants of Tropical Storm Beryl on Monday through Tuesday here. Wet and hot as blazes and we will probably lose power too. yah! Can't use a portable generator to keep the fridge/freezer and the a/c running because the fridge is hard wired into the house so we need a $16K whole house generator(and pay for a huge propane tank and service for that as there is no gas service/line here). It's always something, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteWe also had to take out one of two rose bushes here, as it was rooted under the house. Hubs went to cut back the vegetation around the house as they are suppose to replace the house skirting this week. He found that when whomever put this manufactured home down, put it on top of where this rose bush was growing out of. The old skirting was so destroyed that it was able to shoot out of the skirting into the sun and thrive. There was no way to dig up up and move it so it met it's demise. 8-( We have so little flowering trees/bushes/plants here and I hated to see it go. It's depressing.
Glad you missed a lot of the noise.
DeleteThat is hot. Hot and humid are a pair I don't like together. I understand. That is pretty dang pricey for a whole house generator. Mine was less than $5,000. Of course I have a gas line. Maybe since it would be propane it would be more. They sure are a blessing when you need it.
Oh shoot, sorry about the skirting and the loss of the rose. I love roses - they are just so special.
Hope all that expense isn't too bad.
Hope you have a good week and stay cool!!!
Excellent devotional! We need to be steadfast in the Messiah. Lots of folks are influenced by the Adversary. Beware!
ReplyDeleteYour cabbages sound wonderful! Neem is good for protecting the plants without chemicals. I ripped out two enormous tomato plants that apparently were mismarked. The tag said Mr. Stripy and the tomatoes were pumpkin orange, mushy and did not at al taste like a tomato. We have other tomato plants but we especially like that variety. I picked one of the spoon tomatoes today and fed it to Riley. Just his size! The Farmer planted asparagus in that bed.
The rain we got was very welcome and hopefully there will be some this week. The rain barrels are full, which is nice for watering, especially the pots which dry out quickly.
Some goofball was setting off fireworks at midnight the night after the Fourth. Hope they are finished with their nonsense. $$$ flying up in the air.
A printer is a great gift! We used ours a lot when the Farmer had his home inspection business. Does your new printer scan documents and pictures?
Stay cool tomorrow! See you Tuesday!
Thank you. What a bummer on the tomatoes. I have had Mr. Stripey before and they are good. They rain was such a nice soft and soaking rain too. Yes, sounds like we might get a bit of rain on Wed.
DeleteThe printer does scan and copy - which is what I truly need more than anything. So many times I have missed that.
Have a wonderful week.
P.S. I forgot to tell you. You had mentioned a fellow you knew who was involved in a service to provide shoes for folks who need them.. The Farmer's feet are very touchy (not tickly..ha!) and he had several pairs in his closet, most of them new. They will go to this organization where someone can use them. Glad you mentioned that!
ReplyDeleteOh that is wonderful!!! So nice to know that some organization I mentioned gets benefit! THANK YOU
DeleteBack from the family reunion this week. Good and bad, but that is always how things are with Harvey's side of the family.
ReplyDeleteNo really fireworks this past July 1st (Canada Day) probably because of the rain.
God bless.
Glad you are back and safe. I think that can happen with many families - both good and bad. I do hope you had a good time catching up with folks.
DeleteHave a super week.
Sounds like a nice week for you Cheryl. We're supposed to get a lot of rain and possible strong storms from Beryl starting later today. We could always use the rain but I hope we don't get too much. We finally tackled all of the mint and the weeds over the holiday weekend but as you know they'll quickly return. I hope it's a lovely week for you.
ReplyDeleteOur rain is supposed to start tomorrow. Yeah, I sure hope not too much and no flooding.
DeleteGlad you got the weeds and mint tackled - but, yes, they will return!
Thanks. You have a beautiful week.
Saturday I was woken up at 4 am by fireworks...why I'm not sure. I need to walk to the back of the garden..maybe my zucchini is ready like yours. It's getting exciting in the garden isn't it Cheryl!
ReplyDeleteOh my, I thought 3AM was bad. People have no regard for others.
DeleteI have several tiny ones out there too - I ate mine today - YUM!!
I hope you have some ready. Yes. it is exciting.
Have a great week.