Hello all. Happy Sunday! Hope you are all well and safe this lovely day.
It is fairly overcast and a little foggy here to start this AM - basically because of rain yesterday. We had downpours 2 times yesterday. I sat on the porch for part of the first one - then the wind came in and started blowing the rain under the overhang. Second one - was hard and windy for sure. I know many sure appreciated the rain. Some areas got rain, and others didn't - nature sure is odd.
Garden is growing - tomatoes get taller every day! I saw my first Monarch butterfly this week. What a beauty.
It looks like we might get out of the 90's this week - but still high 80's and humid. Chance of rain about every day.
- Finally got all of the day lilies deadheaded. That looks so much better
- Took down the sunflower plants out front. Bird planted, squirrel and finch eaten and done. So the plants had no more blooms on them - down they came
- I defrosted and unplugged the mini fridge I have downstairs. I use it for overflow of holiday goodies and summer sausage storage- cleaned until fall.
- Picked 7 zucchini this week and a couple peppers
- I received a rebate check from my secondary insurance
- Cleaning and consolidating and moving food stuffs. Trying to declutter
- Mowed & trimmed the front grass - back was still good
- Used air fryer this week - instead of oven
- Fixed a squirrel feed that 'Rocky' the racoon decided to take apart!
- NO groceries bought
- I did run up the street one day to P.O. and got stamps before the increase (only outing of the week)
- Cut more weeds and wild stuff growing in Pampas grass and in back fence row - it never ends
- More hummy nectar made
- Rain barrels are now both filled to the tippy top!
- Cooking from home and using what I have - doing all the normal stuff
Meals this past week:
Tacos
Zucchini skillet dinner
Leftover zucchini skillet and smoked sausage
Fresh zucchini salad and roasted stuffed mini peppers (cream cheese, bacon, jalapeno)
Roasted chunks of potato/zucchini w/cheese and sausage
Lean burger (no bun) w/sauteed onion and peppers & corn on the cob
Cheesy red bean & mac and fried zucchini
Just doing what I can in the early parts of the day outside. Once it gets past 10AM - it is really hot. The other morning at about 9AM - I was sweating big time - oh that humidity! Using the food I have here.
Doing what I can to make my home a little 'lighter' on stuff and using the food I have here. Trying to simplify a little more.
How was your week? Are you anywhere close to where the flooding has happened (so many places)? Did you get any good deals this week? How are those gardens doing? Love hearing from you all. Check in a say hello!
Wishing all a great week ahead. May you all be safe and healthy. Hoping you look into your homes and find things that can be useful and not waste. Continued prayers for all the flooded areas.
Blessings to you and yours from me at my humble little home.
****************************
but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, and they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40:31
A Prayer of Patience
God, teach us to be patient
Teach me to go slow
Teach me how to wait on You
When my way I do not know
Teach me sweet forbearance
When things do not go right
So I remain unruffled
When others grow uptight
Teach me how to quiet
My racing, rising heart
So I may hear the answer
You are trying to impart
Teach me to let go, dear God,
And pray undisturbed until
My heart is filled with inner peace
And I learn to know Your will!
AMEN
Helen Steiner Rice
Good day to you, Cheryl. The yard & garden are on the maintenance program now. Like you, keeping the weeds under control. I did re-seed peas & will see what they produce before summer's end. My cousin who suffered the ruptured aorta in early March has a discharge date next week. She has regained most of her mobility. She's testimony to the body's miraculous ability to recover. My friend & I made a day trip to Cold Lake & walked at the marina & beach. It was a lovely day out. Yesterday I attended a producion of The Lion King with my family. Another beautiful day. The neighbor little spent an afternoon w/ me. We enjoyed some outdoor play & watched a finch drinking out of the rain barrel & a deer run through the yard. In the kitchen: sauteed zucchini w/ chicken; greek salad; taco salad; roast beef w/ veg; stuffed peppers.
ReplyDeleteThe maintenance never seems to end.
DeleteSo glad your cousin has recovered. The body can be so amazing. What a triumph to overcome something so bad.
Sounds like you had some very lovely days. Family time is always so fun. I bet the beach was amazing.
Food all sounds yummy - sounds like we had a few of the same kind of days in our choices!
Have a lovely week.
DS (Dear Son) killed a big fat copperhead in his driveway. Glad he and his wife found it, not the littles! I encouraged him to use it as a teaching moment - show the pattern explain the danger of the fangs. Littles are old enough to learn that. Makes me nervous about working in *my* yard now! Yikes. That snake was either a well fed adult or gravid female.
ReplyDeleteGot 2.5 inches of rain! No watering today, probably not tomorrow. Temps are high, but not quite 90s. Very humid.
All day yesterday was a hymn singing. :) I am so grateful for the people who wrote the words and the ones who composed the music, it's "real church" for me!
MaryB
Oh noooooo. I hate snakes - especially dangerous ones. So glad the kids didn't stumble upon it. You are right about teaching the youngsters - they need to know those things.
DeleteThe rain has been wonderful. Love having to not water. One less chore!
You are a fine example that 'church' can be any number of things and places. The fellowship is wonderful.
Have a blessed week.
Excellent devotional! Ol' Isaiah always brings truth and encouragement. Helen Steiner Rice wrote beautiful, spiritual poems. I pinned the quote from Proverbs. The Farmer and I are reading through Proverbs on Sabbath mornings.
ReplyDeleteI am always impressed how much you get done in a week! You are right about never-ending jobs. I need to do some deadheading this morning. The Farmer bought me this rechargeable battery hand clipper and it is the bee's knees. Have to be cautious as it could be disastrous. Sure saves on the hands though.
You must have gotten more rain than we did here on the west side. Erin said it rained in Avon pretty hard for about twenty minutes. Rain is welcome, even though the weeds love it.
Seven zukes! I am impressed! We are picking the yellow ones, and the green plant is blooming and has babies on the vines. We pulled the corn and harvested the ears. They are only 5-6 inches long and very tasty. Anyone prone to diabetes is discouraged from eating sweet corn so this is a just right size for a taste of summer.
When we went to pick up the Farmer's prescription (the only one he takes) at Costco, they informed me that we had a refund coming as they had overcharged on a previous refill. The pharmacy department at that location is the best we have encountered.
Enjoy your day! I am getting a late start outside but need to do some minor things.
I love Rice - she is one of my favorite poets ever. Always so inspirational.
DeleteNice - hand clippers that are recharge. Never heard of that - may have to look for one. I have a weed whacker and hedge trimmer that are rechargeable.
Corn already - good for you! Corn on the cob is such a summer favorite.
Nice of the refund - glad they were honest!
It has turned pretty - but warm today.
Have a wonderful week.
Hello Cheryl. It is hot here (normal). I get an estimate of my electric bill halfway through the billing period and it was kind of a shock. So I’ve turned my a/c up during the day and back down at night. We only go down to the high 70s at night so still need a/c.
ReplyDeleteI’m decluttering a lot. I dropped a load of donations at Salvation Army and I have another carload ready. I also have a large box of books that I’ll drop at the book donation place this week.
I found a very old ledger book with thick black covers seemingly held together with screws. I couldn’t get it apart but I used a razor blade to remove about 10 pages that my dad used as a sort of diary and threw away the rest of it. I have very little from my dad.
Today I did some shredding. My mom saved every financial document. I shredded the vast majority a few years ago but when I moved I found more (not a lot) in my closet. I have been just as bad but I mostly have my own financial paperwork under control. The kids now have the right idea to keep it all digital.
I did grocery shop, spent $32.09 so not too bad. Have a great week!
I hope your bill isn't too bad. I pay the same amount every month of the year - but I am sure any overage or grace I had - will be gone in nothing flat.
DeleteGood for you on decluttering. I hope to drop off some things this week too. The old ledger sounds neat. I am glad you found something of your dads.
Paperwork is an ongoing thing. I don't do digital either - so there is always lots of stuff to go.
Great job at the grocery!
Have a super week.
It's been hot here this week. Despite staying inside or in the shade, I actually felt quite ill a couple of nights ago. I am pleased that I am now feeling a lot better. Heat really doesn't agree with me.
ReplyDeleteI have been busy doing inside jobs and for the last two days have been working to repair my favourite very fine cotton Summer skirt, which I managed to rip across the front. It has yards of fabric in it, so I removed the waistband, cut out about a foot of fabric, then sewed the cut ends together before turning and sewing the raw ends to stop them from fraying. I 'just' have to reattach the main body of it to the waistband, which I suspect will be very awkward and time-consuming. It really is a lovely skirt though, floral patterned and with so many colours in it that it goes with any colour top, so I am determined to give it my best shot. It is also nice just to sit and hand-sew while listening to music.
Heat can do nasty things to people. Today I was standing in the drive for about 20 minutes talking to a neighbor right at noon - and I finally told him I had to go in. Just felt nauseous!
DeleteGlad you are feeling better.
that sounds like a good fix on the skirt - thankfully lots of material! The heat does give us a good excuse to work inside and sew, read or just piddle around.
Hope you get it all back together. It sounds pretty.
Have a nice week.
My tomatoes all need water. They look pitiful this morning since I wasn't here to water them and it must not have rained. I'm glad yours are getting taller everyday.
ReplyDeleteThe sunflowers provided food for the animals, which is good.
Bailey said someone air fried a peach and how good and caramelized it was, so now I have to try that this week. We could air fry all kinds of fruit. LOL
Those racoons are nuts and destructive at times.
The prayer is comforting and reminds me to wait on God's timing as that is always best.
Sorry you didn't get any rain. They can get wilty pretty quickly.
DeleteYep, the seeds were food that got dropped, I let them grow and more food. All good and natural.
Mmmm - that sounds good! I have a couple peaches left in the fridge - may try that this week. Maybe with a scoop of ice cream!!! LOL
I have really gotten to like the air fryer.
Glad the prayer spoke to you.
Have a lovely week - and stay out of the hospital!
It hasn't been as hot here, generally into the 80's in the afternoons. But, I've been weeding between 7:30 or 8 a.m. until 11'ish. I don't tolerate the heat well. I'm getting close to finishing up the major clean-up, then I should be able to spent an hour or so a day just keeping things at bay. This year, new weeds have made it over from the neighbour's, bindweed and cleavers as well as those dratted creeping bellflower. I'll never win but I can try to maintain.
ReplyDeleteThe tomatoes have started to flower and the peppers are showing signs. I picked the first round of peas, more to come. When they are done, I'll pull the plants and seed another round. I need to thin the green onions and carrots - later this week! There's always something that needs doing in the yard. :)
I understand not doing well with heat. Once you get it all done - it will be time to start over! I don't think we can beat the weeds - but we sure try.
DeleteYay - glad you garden is doing well. Enjoy those peas. You are so right - there is always something to do. I guess it keeps us out of trouble.
Have a special week.
I also try to get as much done outside early in the morning. Much too hot in the afternoon to be out and working in the yard. I am trying to get as much as possible done with dehydrating herbs, using up freezer items and trying my best to keep things being used or cleared out of this years garden.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
My garden is going decently for the most part, nothing ready to pick yet though. I have multiple zucchini plants and they are huge but not growing zucchinis. One of my sunflowers has three heads on it which I think is pretty cool, I have never grown any like that before.
ReplyDeleteWe have a turtle that has been around for years, sometimes he disappears for a while before popping back up. We’ve seen him several times lately, he loves coming up and eating the cat food I put out for the ones that run around outside. I just love watching him.
My mom took all the grandkids and their significant others that could come out to eat at a pizza buffet. I came along too since mine are young (all the others are adults now, my siblings had kids in their teens, I had mine late twenties to mid thirties). Free lunch for the three of us. She also bought us some corn from a local farm.
We also had free dinner at my niece’s baby shower. All the items I bought except a book were bought on clearance the past few months.
My father in law is helping my husband with house repairs on the weekend. He won't take payment or gas money, but I try to make a decent lunch for them.
Walmart had great cat clearance deals. XL scratch pads and scratch pad activity centers $15, marked down to $2.50. I picked up a few. They also had great deals on toys, beds, and cat towers but I didn't need any of them.