Downsizing begins

I got up at 8 to turn off my alarm. Chris wanted me to come back to bed. Afterward, I swished and exercised and read e-mail. I took a shower. I soaked some seeds for sprouting with some remaining rain water. I filled a large jar with filtered tap water. I made breakfast and ate it. I heard an interview saying that fruit seeds bind with dietary arsenic and transport it out of your body, and the fiber in strawberries draws out dietary mercury. I visited Chris downstairs where he was culling books and old clothes. I brought up my project. I watered my plants on the way to his car. I drove to quilting. It was the Thursday group which also gathers on fifth Saturdays. I worked on my hexecontehedron while talking and seeing what others were doing. I packed up about 3. As I drove home, it was raining and I did not know how to invoke the windshield wipers. But it was not raining at my house. There was a red truck in the driveway. It was Chris’ friend Josh, who was becoming the beneficiary of some gaming discards. They were chatting in the den. I was hungry but did not want to eat in front of him. So I ate sweet potato sprouts and seaweed. Then Denise called so I went outside to talk to her. But she got a phone call and had to hang up. I wandered around picking leaves to eat, but she did not call back so I came in and got on the computer. When she called back, it was not for long. I read more e-mail. Eventually I had to mention the time to Chris. Then he and Josh took stuff out to the truck. I ate some leftovers. Chris came back and ate something too. Then I folded laundry. When I sat down to do Sudoku, Chris was ready to go. He had some stuff for Brandon and he drove us to their house. We were warmly welcomed. I had forgotten how much fun his wife was to talk to. We sat on their patio with drinks and talked. The older dog lounged at our feet, but the younger one wanted to jump and lick. Then we went in for snacks. She put out fruit and cheese and crackers. She showed me her sewing machine and I examined it but did not have a scrap of fabric to test it. We sat in the sun porch to talk some more. Sadly the time got away from me. It was 10:30 when I nodded to Chris and we made our goodbye’s. It was after 11 till we got home. We made the bed with the sheets Chris had washed. But there were smears of something on the pillowcases and fitted sheet. Then I blogged and we went to bed.
* These are Alison's lilies *

Just us chickens

We woke up before 8 but stayed in bed. I got up at 7:50 to start my day. I swished and watered the plants. They were still moist from the last rain so I just did the potted ones. Then I sat at my desktop to check e-mail. I did a tapping script from yesterday. It did not have as much energy as yesterday so that must be progress. Again, I ran into trouble deleting e-mail. I looked it up on Bing and short of reverting to Yahoo Classic, one solution seemed to be trying another browser. So I opened my e-mail in IE and was able to delete. I was doing my exercises when Chris tempted me away. Then he took a shower and brought up a basket of trash from the garage. He pulled out the stuff that needed shredding and put the rest in bags that I held open. Then he shredded while I fixed breakfast. Making breakfast took a long time. First I spilled the chia seed and had to get out the vacuum to sweep the shelf. Then I ran out of the spice mixture so I had to make more. I also ran out of daily doses of supplements, so I had to make up more of those, too. Then I finished making breakfast and ate it while reading e-mail. Chris went to a luncheon for someone he knew at work. I meditated until he got back. Then I repotted seedlings: tomato, squash, cucumber. I scraped dirt from the leaves rotting in the driveway to give the seedlings a good bed. I drained water from wheelbarrow with the decaying vegetation. It was a compost tea. I used it on the seedlings. Chris left again to go on post to get his plane tickets. I washed off and changed my clothes, and then we drove to Harvest for honey and duck eggs. We also got horse manure; some of it pretty fresh. The owner showed Chris her mealy worms, and chickens and blueberries and flowers, etc. She had a pen with a group of chicks and a duckling. She also gave me a salad shooter. When we got back, I drank some salt water and went out to mow in the back yard. It looked terrible: mostly weeds and large brown spots. Unripe apples had fallen from the tree. When the mower quit, so did I. I clipped tall weeds and would-be trees from the flowerbeds. When I got a warning from my back, I quit. I came in to find Chris shredding old bills. I jotted some notes for my blog. I ate some beef and lentil stew for supper. I also picked some kale and mixed greens from the flowerbed. I worked almost a week of Sudoku puzzles to catch up. Chris washed some cherries and fed us both. Then we watched at least three episodes of X-Files before going to bed.

Ironing fabric

I woke up early, brought in the rainwater and processed it. Then I put Netflix in the mail, and fired up the desktop to write my blog. I saw there were over 300 messages waiting for me. I started fabric washing. I exercised, and cleared e-mail, but Yahoo would not allow some to be deleted. It has happened before. My tapping buddy did not show up. I decided to do the coffee detox. After the first round, my tapping buddy responded. We wrote back and forth a few times and then she was gone. I took the fabric out and dried it on the damp dry setting, but it was not very damp. I listened to audios and finished the detox. I cleaned the bathroom, and read e-mail. Chris went to get his oil changed. I did some tapping. Then I made breakfast and ate it outside. I pulled weeds, and watered the pepper plant. I got some sun sitting in a chair because the grass was still wet. I listened to another audio, or started to. Chris came home, and took my laptop apart to examine the fan. Meanwhile, I called up an audio on my tablet and listened while I ironed the fabric. It took me two interviews to get it all ironed. Then I put away the stacks of fabric. It was difficult because some fabrics looked red – until I put them in with the reds and then they looked orange, but when I put them with orange, they looked red again. Is this some cosmic joke? Same with the blue/grays and yellow/oranges. I came upstairs to clear the newest e-mails. I ate an artichoke heart and took my evening supplements. I called Alison to ask if I could come by tomorrow for honey. I emptied the honey jar and washed it. I picked a salad from the back yard and added peppers, sunflower seeds, and cilantro. The pieces of mint leaves were very good. I ate a burger in front of desktop. Chris came in later with a glass of cherries which he fed to me and himself. Then I had to get myself some dark chocolate and a few dates to go with it. I mixed up a glass of bentonite for later. Chris suggested that we watch an episode of X-Files and go to bed early. We ended up watching 3 episodes and going to bed late. But at least I got to practice my whistling.
* This is a cactus flower growing in my dad's kitchen window *

Back home again

In the middle of the night, the alarm of the next room went off. There was no one in there, so Chris got dressed and went to the front desk to report it. In a few minutes the sound ceased.
We woke up early the next morning. I did my exercises and washed up and got dressed. Then Chris took his shower. I ate some of the cheese for breakfast since it might not keep. I made my breakfast so I could eat it in the car. Chris did not have breakfast. We left a tip in the housekeeping envelop. Then we left. We finished the book on CD and started another one with stories of Sherlock Holmes. We made one pit stop. The weather was nice if a little hot. I saw two flatbeds carrying enormous tires. Scary big. We got in around 2, CST. We carried in all the stuff from the car. Chris went to post while I put the food away. I started mowing with the front yard. It wasn’t all that bad. I noticed a piece of paper on the front door. Someone had bumped into our mailbox and said they would fix it on Tuesday. Since it was intact, I guess they meant yesterday. I pulled the mail out of the box and set it on the brick wall. I got very hot mowing and took a break to drink water. Then I mowed the side yard under the magnolia tree. I would have mowed more, but just then Chris came home. So I plugged in the mower and came upstairs. As soon as I sat down, I felt tired, faint and confused. I drank more water. He had bought some groceries and was asking me what I wanted for supper. I could not answer the questions. I laid down in the basement to cool off. He brought the Netflix Dvd and we watched two episodes of X-Files. Then he started supper. I picked 4 tomatoes, making a total of 10 from that plant. I ate one with lots of salt and felt much better. I replanted some radishes. I clipped some would-be trees and trimmed the four o’clocks. I fired up the desktop, cleared some e-mail, and tried to make notes for my blog. I don’t remember what interrupted me. I found a seedling growing in the drain of the bathroom sink. Was there a time warp and we had been gone longer than 5 days? I took a shower and got dressed for choir practice. When supper was ready, I came out to eat a burger. I put some garlic herb cheese on it and ate it with a fork. It was really good but I was out of time. I grabbed my choir folder and headed out. I had to come back for an umbrella and my keys. When I got to church, it was barely sprinkling so I went in without the umbrella. The paraments I made six months ago were hanging. They had blessed and dedicated them last Sunday and several people said how much they liked them. I meant to take a picture but forgot. We practiced our two pieces sitting in the pew and standing at the back of the church like we will this Sunday. When I left, it was raining and Charlie walked me to the car with his umbrella. I drove home in the pouring rain. I put out my collection tubs. We talked about my laptop and Chris thought it was a smarter idea to replace the laptop than to replace the fan since he suspected something about the laptop killed the new fan. He looked at them online and they started at $580. I wasn’t sure if we should buy one now since it would have Windows 8 on it. We sat in the computer room to finish the Sherlock story from the trip. Then we went downstairs and watched two more episodes of X-Files, one of them being the season ender where Scully informs a government panel that all alien evidence was manufactured to create a smokescreen for nefarious activity and that Mulder’s life was fabricated by the same people and that she found him in his apartment dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Fortunately I know there is another season so was not going to lose any sleep over it. Chris and I went to bed and I forgot to blog.
* This is my sweet potato that was just showing signs of sprouting when we left. When we got back, it was almost out of water and sprouting impressively. *

Leaving Virginia

I got up sometime after the alarm rang at 8. I washed up and got dressed. Chris lent me one of his t-shirts because I was out of clean tops. I must have miscounted when I packed. Dad wanted to take our picture because we had both lowered our BMI (his words). We stood on the deck while he used my camera. I did my exercises, and made breakfast. I helped Dad look for a soft ice pack to wrap on his ankle. I looked in the coolers in the attic and in the filing cabinet in the utility room. I did not find any. But I did find a stainless steel salad bowl in the freezer with old chocolate chips and Christmas candy. I threw the various leftover pieces in a ziplock bag and put them on his ankle. Then I felt pain in my chest so I used his blood pressure machine and the results were normal. I tried reading e-mail, but my laptop fan wasn’t working and it heated up quickly. I turned it off. Parker called to say the septic people were there and that the tank was rusted and cracked and needed to be replaced. I got out the vacuum and suctioned the fan ports and the chair in the den. I moved the chair to get the foam pieces under it, then put it back in place. I started up my laptop again, but the fan still did not work. I jotted notes to my blog as Chris packed the car. We said goodbye to Dad and then got in the car and headed south. We listened to a continuation of the previous book on CD. We made one pit stop and then stopped at the Japanese restaurant in Bristol. But we were early and they were not open. So we went to the nearby grocery store. We bought cheese and chocolate, cherries, capers, rolls and a veggie tray. It cost more than if we had gone out to eat. Then we went to the hotel. They assigned us the first big room on the corner. There was a car parked in the first space so Chris parked in the second one. But the other car was parked over the line and our car scraped that one. We brought our stuff inside and Chris went looking for the owner to report the scrape. She jumped in the car and took off. We sat in the hotel room and ate some of our food. Then I spied a police car coming into the lot. Chris went out to meet the policeman and the car owner. A report was made and they exchange info. Then Chris called USAA to report for insurance. I wanted to read e-mail, but my laptop fan wasn’t working. So I tried the tablet. Chris helped me get online with the hotel router. But it was just too difficult. The screen was too small to read. When I enlarged the type, it did not fit on the screen. Also, all of the options were icons and I could not tell what they did or how to move to the next message without deleting the current one. I gave up and booted up the laptop anyway. I deleted some e-mail and read a few articles and then shut it down because it was hot. Chris turned on the TV and we watched the last part of The Desolation of Smaug, and then NCIS New Orleans. And then I booted up the laptop just long enough to post to my blog before going to bed.

Ancestors

We got up somewhere around 8. It seemed later to me. Chris took a shower while I exercised and made breakfast. And then I showered while he had breakfast. I visited with Michele and Marie and Al and Cecily. She told me to tell Dad that he could go to AARP meetings to get out and socialize. Around 10 we said goodbye and packed the car. We were well on our way to Dad’s house when Al called to say the coconut milk had been left behind. So we went back to get it. My supplements were there, too. I swallowed them and then we were on our way again. So it was close to noon when we arrived in Midlothian. Dad was waiting for us and helped carry in luggage. He had some stuff for me to go through but that did not take long. I put some oregano oil on his toenails. He showed me two pairs of pants that needed hemming. But he never took the second pair off so I only hemmed the one while he ate. We talked about the estate, and genealogy, and family history stories that I had never heard before. He showed me his genealogy chart. It was cracked and falling apart. He wanted to find a place with a flatbed scanner large enough to copy it. I took pics of it in sections. Chris cooked roast beef that Dad found in the freezer from two years ago. I put a bag of frozen corn on his ankle. I checked e-mail while Dad finished supper. Then he started gathering garbage. Patrick came over. Chris and Parker talked about the revaluation and decided not to challenge it. Patrick told me all about coins he had from other countries and Chris gave him some lempira. Patrick told me all about Korea as if I had never been there. Dad took the garbage out one small bag at a time. He showed me an afghan that someone made for Grandma. He wanted to return it to her but she had died so he wanted to give it to her kids. I suggested that Kurt or William might want it. Mom’s chair was full of stuff and I suggested we discard the cover that was shedding foam rubber everywhere. So he put the cover in a bag, and I sorted through a bag of cards that was on the chair. It was emotional because there were Christmas cards and birthday cards and condolence cards and anniversary cards, etc. He wanted the ones with pictures of relatives. The others were so beautiful, he decided to offer them to the craft lady across the street before recycling them. I found some bathtub skids in the same pile. I applied several to the tub in the master bath. By then it was almost 11 so we went to bed.

Birthday party

* pic to be uploaded later *

I put lavender oil on my feet again. It seemed like I had a little trouble getting to sleep, but I slept so well, that I got up at 7 (6am for me) and washed up and got dressed. I brought my computer to the breakfast area to read e-mail before everyone else got up. But soon Marie was taking the dogs for a walk, and the router wasn’t on so I just played meditation music from storage. Cecily came out and she turned on the router. I read some e-mail. Soon the others were up and we sat talking. I made breakfast and ate it. Chris drove us to my parent’s church. We got there a little early so took a moment to chat. Barbara told me my dad seemed confused at choir practice one week and someone went home with him to make sure he made it. I talked to Jaime until the service was about to start. Then Chris and I sat in a pew just inside the door. It was a nice service. The sermon was about Jesus’ temple tantrum. At the end of the service, the congregation was invited to go up to the front, light a candle and say who it was for. I wanted to light one for my mom, but was deterred by having to speak about it. But then my father went up from the choir and motioned to me. When I got up there, he asked me to light the candle while he spoke about my mother. That was perfect, except I had trouble figuring out how to use the lighter. And I was trying not to cry and my nose dripped copiously. Barbara brought me a tissue. We took our seats as others lighted candles. After the service, the lady beside us hugged me. She and her father also went up together to light a candle for her mother. Chris and I visited with people during the fellowship hour. Then we drove back to his parent’s house. They were having brunch. Cecily made us eggs and bacon. We visited for the rest of the afternoon. Marie took the dogs for a walk. Michele read a book. I stood in the sunshine. Chris and Al grilled pork loins on the grill. My family showed up just before 6:30. When supper was ready, we all sat filled our plates at the kitchen table and sat at the dining table and prayed. We had a great meal and even better conversation. Then Cecily brought out a chocolate cake with raspberry filling for Chris. He and Marie fixed plates of cake and ice cream for everyone (but me). Chris and Michele opened their birthday cards. Dad wrote nice notes in each one. I gave Faye her Honduran birthday present and a set of towels for Dad that Mom and I made. Dad and Cecily talked about teeth. Kevin had a headache, so I put some lavender oil on his forehead and he said it worked. Chris showed pictures on his laptop. Some of us saw Dad out to his car and William followed him home in his truck. Faye and Kevin left. We saw more pics on Chris’ computer. I wrote to my blog and was tired enough to go to bed.

Reunited with my daughter

The lavender oil I put on my feet seemed to work. In spite of a toilet that ran every 10 minutes and people watching TV in nearby rooms, and street lights shining in around the curtains, I fell asleep. I woke up early, even for Eastern Standard Time. We did not get up until the alarm went off however. I took a shower and Chris went out for coffee and breakfast. I read e-mail and mixed up a breakfast for myself. Chris packed the car and we got on the road. We listened to another book on CD. We ate eggs for lunch. I drank another bottle of rain water. Drinking water seemed to help make the drive more comfortable. We stopped at a gas station to use the bathroom. The book on CD talked about cupcakes and I decided I needed my chocolate bar. It had been sitting in the food box in the sun. When I pulled it out, it was liquid and dripped all over me. I ate it as best I could. We got to Richmond about 3:30. Michele was waiting to give me a big hug. After we said our greetings to Cecily, Al, Marie and Michele, I changed my top and Cecily scraped the chocolate off the first one with a cake knife and spray-n-wash. Then she did a load of laundry and the chocolate was gone. Michele gave me a beautiful amethyst necklace. I gave her the clothes I brought, one of which was a Copan t-shirt that shrunk in the wash. Chris had Honduran t-shirts for all of his family. We met Marie’s dogs Rowan and Jasper. Rowan is a huge Scottish elk hound. Chris helped Al put a new cover on the hot tub. I wish the old one would have fit our hot tub in Pinehurst. Then we went to Rosa’s to eat. I got shrimp scampi without the pasta. The waitress brought me chicken noodle soup as a substitute but that did not work for me. I had enough to eat. Michele brought some of hers home. It was extremely cheesy. Cheese is hard to get in Korea. We sat in the den and chatted. Al told us how his brother was doing much better. Eventually we all went to bed. I posted to my blog and worked on this photo to get the bright spot dimmed.

Traveling

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I woke up cold. I huddled under the covers trying to get warm. Then I noticed that the quilt barely covered the sheet. It was to the floor on Chris’s side and he had the comforter on. I got up to turn the alarm off. The temp in the bedroom was 61 and the house was 69. I turned on the heat. Then I turned on the router and woke up my laptop. I put a new credit card number into Netflix because all of a sudden it had trouble with the old one. Then I made 6 breakfasts and ate one. I checked e-mail – over 200. I went through the packing list, and filled water bottles, and gathered stuff. Parker called: charity will haul stuff in the garage (all?); charges to trim tree and clear poison oak; quotes inside, septic people. I checked the charge on tablet. Chris put Netflix in the mail, and packed the car as I finished packing my stuff. He boiled eggs, and I packed the fruit rollup to eat on the way. We left about 11:30. We listened to a book on CD all the way to Bristol. The GPS did not work but we had the tablet as a backup. We ate some eggs for lunch on the way. We unloaded at the hotel and went to the Japanese restaurant for supper. We read e-mail, and then retired for the night with romantic music playing on Chris’ laptop.
* This is Chris's Tofu Terriyaki, and my chirashi *

Passport photos

I woke up during the night when Chris went to the bathroom. I did not notice him coming back to bed and when daylight came, I patted over there and did not find him so I thought he was already awake. So I was surprised when he moved under the covers. It was about 7. We snuggled together, and then he said we had to get ready to have our photos taken for passports. So I looked up what I wore last time. I got dressed and checked e-mail. I read that two bottles of marine phytoplankton were being shipped today. I had only ordered one and I did not want it to arrive while I was not here. So I called to cancel the order. It was too late for this order, and the lady assured me that the plankton would still be alive even in this heat. After the call, I asked Chris about it and he said they couldn’t be alive because they were in a dark bottle protected from light and plants need light to stay alive. So much for that. Then we went to base to get our passport photos taken. We got there early, and they ushered us right in. I did not get to see my photo, but I did get to check my hair first so I am reasonably certain it was ok. The receptionist was so nice. And she was excited to learn that I grow my own food. She gave me her phone and e-mail address. We got home at 9:30. I swished and exercised. I tried to prepare a Swanson’s order but their site was down. I juiced and then meditated. I made and ate breakfast. I went to quilting. All I did there was socialize. It was lots of fun. I stayed late with Pat to see a pattern on the internet. I saw it in a magazine but could not figure out how it was done. But we could not find it on her smart phone. So I came home. I read e-mail, and Chris and I looked for stuff that Michele might want. The memories brought tears to our eyes. We called Michele to find out what she wanted. Then we looked some more, not finding some of the books she mentioned. Chris did laundry and ran the dishwasher. I ate some supper and then changed my clothes and got my name tag. I also ran down to get the quilt top that Denise and I made. I went to the quilt guild meeting. Jodi, the head of Comfy Quilts, did not come. So I was in charge. Because I did not know ahead of time, I was not prepared. Connie brought paper and pen for people to sign as they dropped off quilts and tops. Several ladies helped me show off the quilts and tops during the meeting. Pat Keyser did a slide show on crazy quilts. After the meeting, the future head of Comfy Quilts helped me carry all the donations to my car. When I got home, Chris helped me bring them into the garage to stack with the fabric so designated. He also held up two so I could take a pic. (I had forgotten to bring the camera to the meeting). Then we watched two episodes of X-Files and part of one of Young Indiana Jones. We folded the laundry as we watched. Then it was late so we went to bed.

To Be Continued

We stayed in bed after the alarm rang at 8. I got started on the day about 9, swished, listened to audios, as I watered, and exercised and drybrushed. After rebounding, I boiled coffee, and detoxed. Then I juiced, and got dressed for the sauna and filled two bottles of warm salt water. Chris drove us to post to the gym. He worked out while I sat in the sauna. I wondered if I should have named my last blog post "I did the mash, it was the mango mash". I talked to Brenda who came in half way through. I took a shower, and met Chris who had just finished. We went home. I checked e-mail, and made and ate breakfast. I tried the fruit roll-up. It was good and did not stick to the paper. I finished the Sudoku puzzle for today. I made up supplements for the week. I watched some tapping videos. We started going through boxes in the garage. I picked up the two goji berry plants and left for choir practice. I had to leave one outside the church because it was wet. I suggested to Ed that he write a split check in a capitol fund envelope to see how Art would handle it. We practiced three pieces of music. The dove paraments that Jeanne and I made will be dedicated this Sunday, but I won’t be there to see it. Rain fell hard near the end of practice. I gave a goji plant to Tim. I ran out to my car, and drove home to find Chris still sorting through boxes in the garage. We sat down to watch X-Files, but Parker called. I came upstairs to talk to her. Chris got a call from Dr. Choi. Parker wanted me to call the Moore County tax assessor’s office about getting a reappraisal. She also said the toilets are not leaking so it must be a pipe outside the house. The septic people will be there Monday. And she is going to resend an e-mail that I never got with prices about more yardwork, etc. I made notes for my blog while Chris was on the phone. Then we watched 2 episodes of X-Files because the first one ended with “To Be Continued”.
* This is the quilt that I made for Chris for our anniversary. He got more signatures when he left Honduras. When he showed it to me, I realized that the corner quote read "I'd rather kiss a wookie". *

Mango roll-ups or Mango mess?

The alarm went off at 8 but we did not arise immediately. I got up first to swished, and exercise. I juiced and got dressed. I went to the usual place. Beverly was not there so I talked to Jane and Ann. She told us stories about ships carrying the families of the Germans with Von Braun. They were secretly brought into New York and bussed to a deserted Fort Bliss. At some point they were taken secretly across the border into Mexico and then officially entered the U.S. on foot as immigrants. It made me think I had wasted my time learning history in school when the reality was so different. After 11 I went to the Asian store for kimchi and kimbap. I also stopped at the gas station. I ate on the way to church. Linda and I worked with the software to determine how to enter contributions on the computer, but we could not figure out how to import the name and address file so we would not have to type it all in. I delivered an envelope of Honduran change to a lady who had asked for some. When I came home, Chris had gone. I read e-mail, and finished the kimbap with kimchi. I resumed listening to an audio on essential oils. I put on my suit and sunbathed, then mowed the back yard. I read some e-mail, including an article on Sylvia Plath. I got dressed and went to the farmer’s market for meat (bones, ox tail and tongue). I resisted getting veggies or fruit because this is a short week. I talked to Cecelia there. When I got home, I checked e-mail again. There was a message from Parker with comps showing that our house was not worth the new tax valuation. I pulled staples out of the chair seat that Carolyn gave me and removed the cover. I traced the seat on to the thin board she gave me. I cut it out with a sabre saw, and used a grinder wheel to get the edges smoother. It had four slits approximately 1 by 1/8th inch. I wanted to use a drill to start the holes and finish them with the sabre saw, but could not find any drill bits. I tried the kind used to countersink screws but no luck. Chris came home. We pumped up my back tire. We also discussed my moving to Korea in the fall instead of now. He identified some clothing (socks and ties) that could go to charity. I put half frozen mango chunks in the hand blender to make a paste. I spread it in a jelly roll pan, but the pan did not fit in the oven, so I transferred it to a cookie sheet, and put it in the oven to dehydrate. Later I put the paste back on the jelly roll pan so I could cover the cookie sheet with parchment paper. The goal was to make fruit rollps as seen on Pinterest. One of the authors recommended using a SilPat. I knew I had one but could not find it anywhere. Chris came home at 8. I made breakfast and ate it. Then we went downstairs to watch the first episode of the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. He was interested in the special addendums on King Tuts tomb and Lawrence of Arabia. But after watching those, it was nearly midnight. He went to bed and I stayed up just long enough to blog about it.

Quilting Monday

We woke up about 7 and lazed about in bed. I got up with the alarm at 8. I swished, and brought in the rainwater from last night. I dressed and put Netflix in the mail. I processed the rain water while Chris made coffee and breakfast. I exercised. We moved my sewing stuff from his car to mine. He dressed and went to the office. I juiced and meditated. Then I called William to see if he was coming to the party and he said no. I called Kurt and got the same answer. I called Faye and she said yes, and a whole lot more. We were on the phone until noon. During that time I was able to fix breakfast and eat and start the weekend Sudoku puzzle which somehow slipped by me. I did not hear from Parker who e-mailed that she might call around noon (11 here).
I got myself ready, and drove to the church for quilting. I met Dinah coming out. We talked about putting up more pics of quilts on the bulletin board and she said she needed paper and I said I needed ink. So I made a mental note to bring her some photo paper. I went inside and told the ladies that Chris got his orders for Korea this morning. Sigh. I made the two DGS blocks (which I forgot to photograph) and then worked on the blue blocks for Renegades. Carolyn brought me a board and a broken chair seat as a pattern. She needed a new one cut. One by one the other ladies left until it was only Lauri and I. We both worked on our quilts as we talked. She talked about working at Publix. By 5 I had used up all the background pieces I had cut, so I packed up to leave. There was no telling how long she stayed and worked after I left. I went home and brought the board and the chair seat inside. I talked to Chris who had been home for some time and had cut back the bush by the mailbox. I brought in the mail. I ate the last sweet potato, and we both had some soup. I picked greens to make a salad for supper. Then we took a walk through the neighborhood. I tried to finish a Sudoku puzzle while Chris worked on his bio for work. He showed me his orders, which needed to be amended. Then we watched a movie called “Silvia”, which we chose over Les Miserables since Chris said it was a real downer. As it turns out, so was Silvia, being about the life of Silvia Plath who committed suicide. Then we went to bed, and I tried to forget about the movie.
* This is the quilt Lauri is working on *

Together again

Chris' alarm woke us up at 5:30. He shut it off and came back to bed. I tried to go back to sleep. I had to get more pillows (to replace his that I was using for my knees), but there was still no sleep. So I got a sleep mask, and then slept until my alarm went off at 8. I stayed in bed until 8:30, then got up to check the dryer and re-start it. I drank and swished, and checked the dryer again. I folded the dry stuff and re-ran the towels. Then I wrote my blog post for yesterday. I reassembled my purse (which I had thrown in the laundry). I took a shower and made breakfast. I got dressed and ate some of it. Chris drove us to church in time for choir practice. I was the only alto for warm-up but others came in time for the service. The intern gave the sermon. Graduates were recognized during the service. Afterward, I helped Art verify the loose cash, then talked to people as I came across them, and found Chris in the fellowship hall talking to Jennifer's father who came from Canada to see his grandson graduate. Then we went to Publix for groceries. I had put the grocery sacks in his car, but we forgot to bring them into the store. When we checked out, Chris said I was an expensive date. Chris and I put the groceries away. I finished my breakfast while he had lunch. I read e-mail and listened to an audio on mineral deficiencies. Chris showed me one of the plaques they gave him in Honduras. Then I changed my clothes and rushed off to church. I got the printing calculator and met Art in the garden room. We counted the offering, and it added up right the first time. When I got home, Chris was on his laptop. He asked when I wanted supper. Then I went outside to rake and mow. I mowed until the mower slowed down. Craig was mowing too, and he stopped to talk. He said his son was coming over with some fresh caught fish. After mowing, I started clipping the bushes. I stopped at 6 to put the tools away and wash up for supper. Chris made roasted brussels sprouts, and beef-barley soup. It was all delicious. I picked some fresh kale to go with it, and had some frozen blueberries, too. Dillon stopped by with a package of blue catfish, which we put in the freezer. Then we watched two episodes of X-Files in the basement. The rain came pouring down, so I went outside to arrange the collection tubs. I started composing my blog and then checked my phone. There were three messages from Cecily. Chris called her back. She wanted to know who was coming to the party next week. I finished posting to my blog and we went to bed.

The party's over - or just beginning

I woke up before 8. I had heard the rain falling in the night. So I got up to wash the collection tubs and put them out. But the rain seemed to have stopped at that point. Still, the weather site was calling for more precipitation. I swished and exercised. I checked e-mail. I sponged off and got dressed. I had to plug in my phone. Pat called to say they were on their way. I did not know how long it would take so I tried to keep an eye out for her and her grandson as I busied myself with small tasks. When they drove up, I was ready with my purse and fanny pack. We went to three estate sales and were surprised how little stuff there was. The last place had a personal sauna. The lady said you could pull the walls up and put a chair in and fill it with water. I could not see how it would work, and it was marked $800. She said it was only $400 today but I wasn't going to take a chance on that kind of money. Then we went to two thrift shops. I got a top and a glass pitcher. We stopped at Zaxby's so her grandson could eat. Then we went to another thrift shop. He stayed in the car while we looked around. I got an organic t-shirt. It was way too big for me but all they had were XXL's. Then she took him home and then me home. It was a nice morning out. I made breakfast and ate while checking e-mail. I tried to look up personal portable saunas, but could not find one that looked like a covered plastic sandbox like the one I saw earlier. I put part of the hexecontehedron project in a bag, and drove to quilting. I started handsewing as we all chatted. Denise showed up with a quilt top she made from a bag of leftovers that I had given her. We went to the storage unit so she could use magnets to pin it up over some backing and batting that she had. But it was not big enough, so Debbie gave her another piece. We packed up about 6. Debbie and Paula went out to eat. I drove to Hancocks because Denise said they were having a 40% off sale and I wanted some quilting gloves. Chris called while I was driving to Hancocks to say he was in the Atlanta airport. I did not find the gloves, but there was lots of fabric 50% off. So I piled a cart. As the lady was cutting it, a deluge of rain hit. It was a little scary but I was glad because it would fill my collection tubs. On the way home, I wondered if I had enough gas to go to the airport and then to church tomorrow. When I got home, there had been no deluge and not much water in the tubs. I picked a salad, and washed greens and cut up wild onion. I ate it in front of the laptop, listening to an audio. It was delicious. I ate some beef too. I threw out the sprouts because they smelled and there was no saving them. I started to clean up. Beverly called to talk about Row by Row. She saw the rectangle of stamped fabric one store was going to sell for their part. They were going to charge $5 for it. That seemed like an awful lot to me, and I wasn't going to pay that at a bunch of shops just to say I collected as many as I could. I threw the laundry in the washer. I turned on the AC because I knew Chris likes it cooler. I cleaned in the kitchen. Chris called from the Hunstville airport. I finished cleaning, and then drove to the airport taking the highway. I sat in the pick-up lane but did not see Chris, so finally pulled into a parking spot. I cleared my passenger seat. And then I saw Chris roll his baggage to the end of the sidewalk. At first I wasn't sure it was him, so I walked over there. I greeted him with a big hug. We loaded his baggage in the back of the wagon and he drove us home. We changed the sheets. I threw the laundry in the dryer. We fell into bed....
* One of the ladies brought this quilt to bind *

Almost rained today

The phone woke up me at 7:45. I could not get to it before it quit ringing. I called back to find out it was the water company, but I got their voicemail. I left a message and then discovered that they left me a message. The message said the leak indicator was tripped so probably a leaking toilet. They would leave toilet tabs and turn it off. I assumed it was the water but could have been the leak indicator. Anyway, I called Parker and left her a message, then went back to bed. At 8 the alarm sounded. I went to the den to turn the phone off. I looked for my purse but it was my shoe that was ringing. Apparently I left my phone in my shoe instead. I turned it off, and soaked my sprouts and turned on the computer. The sprouts were not doing well and I blamed the tap water, even though it was a day old. They grew great when I used rain water, but it hasn't rained in a month. I cleared e-mail and looked at yard pics that Parker sent. I tried to sign up for a live tapping interview, but it was set up to register from Facebook – meaning that I had to allow their app to receive my info from Facebook. I declined. I went outside to water the plants. The sky was overcast like rain was coming, but I watered just in case it did not. I worked the Sudoku puzzle for Thursday. I tried to answer the questions on the Revaluation sheet (for contesting the new tax assessment. It is adding to the monthly payment that the prospective buyers would have), but needed Parker's input – she was at her kid's field day. They are having hot air balloon rides because the kids did a total of 1 million math problems. I juiced kale, spinach, carrots and celery. I called Dad who was in the grocery store. I told him about the birthday party. The postman dropped a box on my porch and left. I heard it and opened the door to pick it up – supplements. I still had to go to the mailbox to get the mail. I made breakfast and ate it while reading e-mail. I stacked and ran the dishwasher. I sat and tapped for some time, knowing that my future opportunities will be limited. I took a shot of chlorophyll. I laid down and tapped. I tapped in front of my laptop with an article that has been open for over a week. I had forgotten to exercise. I did some. Chris skyped me just before unplugging his router in and returning it. He consented to sing me a song – All I need is a miracle. I wrote up my notes for the test pattern and e-mailed it to the quilt company along with the pics I took in progress. Then I went downstairs. I chose fabrics and cut out pieces for the May DGS blocks. I ironed, and stacked the pieces. My phone rang. Pat was calling about going yardsaling tomorrow. Then I went back to cut 5in squares. I tidied up, and came up to watch an episode of X-Files. I was so tempted to watch two, but decided to save one for tomorrow night and maybe the last one for Sunday with Chris. It was 10 anyway and time to blog and go to bed.
* This tomato plant is from Publix. I have gotten 4 tomatoes from it so far. *

Last skype with Chris

I got up not long before the alarm. I cleaned up Chris' side of the bed. I watered all the plants. I swished and exercised. I sat down at the desk top to skype with my tapping buddy. She did not respond to my skype message and I could not find her e-mail, so finally I messaged her on Facebook. She responded on skype that her power was out. I juiced, meditated, and made breakfast. I called the water company because Parker wrote that the hole by the HVAC system was back and it was wet. It seems we used 6000 gallons in March and 3000 in April, which seems like a lot for an empty house. The water company said they would come check the leak indicator. Then I went to the Thursday sewing group. I talked to Pat, then Marjory, then another lady whose name escapes me. Every one left but Pat and I stood outside and talked for hours. I came home about 4. I emptied the large kimchi jar into the compost and washed the jar. I finished a sleep audio, and heard a fermentation audio. I saw a Pinterest article on homemade fruit roll-ups. Frank called to say he'd reached the $500 limit but there was more to do. I called Parker and arranged for her to pay him. We talked about the hole and how watery it was. We decided to secure the outdoor faucet in case someone was using it, and to have the septic tank pumped and inspected. I changed my clothes, and drove to the meetup. I had no trouble finding due to satellite photos. l parked at the dollar store and walked to the little house. I knocked on door A and then door B. Door A opened and there was Pete, the leader. As it turns out, parking was in back. No one else showed up, so we talked for two hours, then he tried to print affirmations for me as a mirrored image and figuring that out took some time. I got home just before 10. I skyped with Chris, and he sang a song from Dirty Dancing. I wished him a good trip on Saturday. After he hung up, I cleared some e-mail and did the Tuesday and Wednesday Sudoku puzzles while listening to an audio on Area 52-E. Then I wrote to my blog and probably went to bed.
* The little purple flowers are called wild petunias by the lady next door *

New Sauna

I got up before the alarm. I turned on the router and the laptop. I checked briefly for e-mail, and then got dressed to go outside to water the plants before the sun got hot. I also swished while I was out there. I came in to check e-mail again. I drybrushed and rebounded. And made coffee. All the usual detox stuff. Then I juiced most of the sprouts from the Asian store plus a squash. I laid out in the sun for half an hour. Then I packed my spa bag and went to post. The gym was closed much to my surprise although they said they had posted a sign for the last two weeks and put it on the radio, etc etc. I asked if there was another gym with a sauna and he indicated the one by the post office. So I went there. The sauna was easy to find since there was no gym rooms to walk by or through – just the pool. The sauna was about the same size as the other one, but with a glass door looking at a row of lockers and a clock. That way I could keep an eye on my lockers, esp since my lock would not fit the setup. There was very little foot traffic and I sat alone for over an hour. Then I took a shower and dressed. On my way out, the phone rang. Kurt called to tell me that X-Files was restarting, probably in the fall. I drove home, where I hung up my wet stuff, and made breakfast. I also ate some beef from last night. I read part of the welcome packet from Chinhae. I noted that there was an extensive reading list, hoping it was for Chris and not me. I ate some dates and chocolate. I Skyped texted with Kurt about the new X-files and a video by Matt Faw. I sang songs with Youtube to warm up my vocal chords. I went to choir practice. There were only three songs left for the choir year, so we sang through them all. Then I stayed late talking to Jennifer. When I got home, there was a message from Faye so I wrote back to her. I listened to a long interview with Esther Hicks. She said if there is only one thing going right in your life, that is where your attention should be. So I thought about Chris coming home Saturday night. Just as the interview ended, Chris skyped me. He talked to me a little and then lost connectivity. When he got back online, he sang me the song “Hello” by Lionel Richie. Then he hung up to go to bed. And now so shall I.
* These are my mixed salad greens and they are growing well *

Boiling beef bones

I got up at 8 with the alarm. I must have turned on the router because I remember turning it off last night and when I went back later to turn it on, it was already on. I drank lemon water and swished. I did my exercises. I checked e-mail. I thought about the enormity of the decision I have to make and wondered, not for the first time, why God is putting me in this position. I looked up the new meeting place for the meetup Thursday night. After using Google maps to see actual images of the spot and nearby stores, I think I can find it. I watered the plants. I juiced and cleaned up quickly. I put a project in a bag, and ran off to quilting. I sat and talked to Beverly. She was excited about taking me quilt shop hopping in an event called Row by Row. It starts in June and she wants to spend a day going to shops and collecting some sort of license plate fabric or pattern. Then I went to the Asian store for kimbap and sprouts. I came home and ate the kimbap with kimchi. Something about the kimbap was different, and not in a good way. I checked e-mail. One was from Parker who reported that Frank was not doing yard work today, but would start on Thursday morning because that is when he could get some help. I went out to rake and mow, mulching leaves. I was surprised how the grass continues to grow even though we haven't had rain in over a month. I brought in the mail. I drank lots of water, watched a short video and changed my clothes. I went to the farmer's market. I bought beef bones, a Dutch cucumber, tomatoes, and a bag of spinach. When I got home, I put the bones in a pot to simmer. I tried a chlorophyll and mineral solution. I made breakfast, and checked e-mail. I tried to fill a capsule with a powdered supplement, but the powder acted like it was damp – always clumping. I separated my collection of empty capsules based on size while listening to an audio about quantum jumping. I tried quantum jumping, but did not get the clear advice I was looking for. I ate some beef from the pot and put the bone back in. I read an article about growing goji berries. I cleared some e-mail. I called Chris and he called me back. We chatted for two hours. Then he went to bed and I stayed up to watch an episode of X-Files. It was kind of creepy – a talking tattoo. Then I posted to my blog, turned off the stove and put the beef and broth (which had been simmering for 5 or 6 hours) away.
* This is a picture of the pea plant. Can you see it? *

Phytoplankton - mmmm

I set my alarm for 7. It went off every 10 minutes for the next hour. I got up soon after 7 and did my exercises in my sleep (so it seemed). I swished, and watered the plants. I juiced and made breakfast. I listened to part of an audio on sleep. Then I had to get my folder and go to church. I talked to Linda about using Servantkeeper. There was a balance class using the fellowship hall and another group using the garden room. So Art and I counted the offering in classroom 4. We did not have any major problems. When I left the church, I went home to change cars. I took Chris' car to quilting, stalling once. There was a good group of ladies there, and I was glad to see Dinah. Carolyn suggested I take over Dinah's job of putting up pictures on the bulletin board. I was not opposed to that, but my printer is out of colored ink. I sat next to Lauri. I worked on my blue Renegades blocks. At one point, only three of us were left. A lady related to Morgan (I think) came in with her younger sister and three of her kids. They wanted to learn to quilt and make it part of their homeschooling program. So we told them to come at 10 on Monday's. After they left, Carolyn left too. Then Lauri and I stayed to stitch and talk. We left about 5 when I ran out of foundation blocks. So I went home, and brought in the mail. I thought about mowing, but I was hungry. So I picked kale and salad greens and a pea pod. I added spinach and a tomato from the fridge, and some sunflower seeds. I ate the salad while istening to an audio. I turned off the AC and plugged in the fan after hearing about mold spores. Then I paused the audio to do some raking. I decided not to mow on a full stomach, so I pulled weeds until it was time to skype with Chris. But he wasn't on yet. I took a picture of a corner of the roof that looked rotted. I started a Hay House meditation. I could barely hear her voice over the music. I paused it when Chris called. We talked and then he sang. I showed him the package that came today. He told me to open it, and it turned out to be a welcome packet from Chinhae. Among other things, there was a map of Changwon. I was unable to locate the base on the map, but Chris said that is because it is so small. After the call, I looked up Burt Goldman and his dwadle technique for Jennifer. I sent her the link. I sent a picture to Sharon about the roof. I took some fabric downstairs and noticed that the light in the tornado room was on. That concerned me because it is on a motion sensor. I knocked on the door and did not hear any movement, so I left it alone. I worked the Monday Sudoku puzzle. I opened the other package – it was a bottle of phytoplankton. The reviews talked about how bad it tasted. So I took one of the empty capsules from my supplements and filled it with drops of plankton. I swallowed that with a glass of water – no taste at all. I swept the kitchen, and washed the berry bucket, getting it ready to return to the farmer's market tomorrow. I went downstairs to take a pic of one of the test blocks with coordinating fabric around it. I finished an audio about visualization and intuition. I cleaned up the dining room table. I cut up another foil wrapper. I meant to write up my notes for the test quilt, but it got too late.
* This is Lauri's quilt *

Mother's Day

When I went to put sheets on the bed last night, I could not find a set with a fitted sheet. So I had to tuck a top sheet on the mattress. Then I went to bed. I woke up about 7:20, dressed, and watered the marigolds to keep away the chipmunk. I put the previous sheets in washer. I cleaned the master bathroom toilet and ran the faucet in case the trap had dried out. Then I swished and drank. I watered the rest of the plants. One was dug up. I checked my e-mail, and put the sheets in the dryer. I folded laundry and ate breakfast. I paused the video I was watching to take a shower. Then I auditioned outfits for so long that I thought I was going to be late to church. But I was just on time to warm up with the women and children. We practiced our verses. I got a rose, and sat in my usual seat. Several people sat with me because their pew was roped off for the baptism. Jennifer said she had a backache. Two young girls played piano pieces for the prelude. They were amazing. The pastor baptized his grandson who was remarkably well-behaved. After the service, I counted loose cash. Art said he wanted to count the rest tomorrow. Robert told me he lived in Chinhae as a child. He introduced me to his mother who was visiting. She told me a lot though nothing current. I called Jennifer to see if she was still at church, but she wasn't. She said someone had given her kinesiology tape for her back. We still had a long talk, and I offered her one of my goji berry plants. Then I left the church. I ran into Portia in the parking lot. We decided to pray for each other. I offered the other plant to Tim. I drove home to put the rose in water. I soak the broccoli sprouts, and had a bite to eat. I checked e-mail, then went to the grocery store. I put the food away when I got home. I changed my clothes, and put on the AC because the temp inside was over 80. I ate a grapefruit, and listened to an interview. I paused to sunbathe, and finished the interview. I tried to see Chinhae on Google earth, but could not activate it. I did some tapping for Portia. I put sweet potatoes in the oven. One was sprouting so it went into a jar of water on the kitchen window sill. I went to get the rake which hadn't been put away, and got involved pulling weeds by the fence. I kept going until it was time to skype with Chris. When I came in, the sweet potatoes smelled good. I checked them but they weren't done. I talked to Chris about trying to find aerial images of Chinhae. When the timer rang, I took the potatoes out of the oven, and put cinnamon, butter and a square of 90% dark chocolate. Of course, once I mixed it with the sweet potato, it was more like 5% or less. Chris mentioned that the shower should be run, too. I had forgotten that trap. So I did that while he took a break. Then he sang me two songs by Richard Marks and went to bed. I stayed up to look for the naval base on the map but Bing could not find it. Also, I looked up kinesiology tape, and then other links that presented themselves on Howthingswork. I cleared e-mail (though not enough) and listened to one more interview – the last of that series. And now it is time to blog and go to bed.
* Here is a pic from show-n-tell at the guild meeting *

A great day!

I laid awake last night trying to think of all the people I used to know in Pinehurst that I might be able to contact to find someone to mow the lawn. It occurred to me to call the church secretary because she would know if someone in the congregation did that. I woke up early because the circulation in my right hand was cut off. But I was not able to go back to sleep after restoring it. I got up when the alarm went off. The bad smell was not detectable, but I could smell the magnolia blossoms because the window was open. I laid in the guest room for awhile because it was sunny. Then I got dressed and put the check in the mail. I took my sprouting sweet potato outside. It had used up all its energy and was now attracting fruit flies. The next potato had roots but no sprouts as yet. As I swished, I listened to another interview and sliced up a foil wrapper. I went out to water the plants. I exercised, and juiced. I sat to digest, listening to another interview. Then I made breakfast. I called Frank and he answered. I had to explain who I was. Once he remembered me, he wanted the yard job and said he would start Monday. I was so relieved! I called Parker and left a message. Then I e-mailed her his contact information. I ate some strawberries, and brought in the mail. I read the card from Chris. I took the laptop outside so I could lay in the sun while I finished another interview. Then I read Chris' e-mail and responded. I went outside to mow in the front yard. Then I used the leaf blower to move the all the leaves to the area under the magnolia tree and then I mowed them, too. Since I had the blower out, I cleaned the porch and patio. I used the small debris as mulch around the tulip tree and watered it. I replanted the pepper into one of the cinderblocks using dirt from the compost pile. I did some clipping to control the flowerbeds. I came in to check my phone for messages and my e-mail. I listened to more audios. (There is a never-ending string of audios.) I picked a bunch of garlic, chopped it up and sauteed it in butter. I added ground beef. As I cooked it, I thought about who I wanted in my tribe (for survival purposes if the emp hits) and what skills I could contribute. I decided that fermentation was a survival skill. I skyped with Chris and Michele. It was great to see and talk to her. She looked good and sounded upbeat. She is learning a lot at her part time job, and is signed up for the state dept exam next month. After she hung up, Chris sang me a Lionel Richie song. Then I put the laundry in the washer. I worked on an order of supplements. When the washer finished, I put the clothes in the dryer and ran the dishwasher. I finished the Swanson's order, cleared another e-mail, and blogged. I put clean sheets on the bed and turned in for the night.

All kinds of scents

pfI got up just before 8. The alarm sounded while I was in the hall bathroom. The smell in the bedroom was strong enough last night that I had to open the window. This morning I brought in the air purifier to see if that would help. I also flushed the toilet in the master (which had not been used) in case the standing water was starting to smell. I looked for a can or package of food to donate to the mail carrier's food drive. I could not find anything that I wasn't going to use. I started to swish and the phone rang. It was Parker. We talked about the yard and Mr. John and how people were so busy they weren't looking at houses this week. Our call got cut off. I called her back in a few minutes and she was on her way to meet a yard guy that her postman had recommended. I got dressed and went outside to water the plants. I used the water in the buckets and filled them up to sit overnight for tomorrow. I tied the tomato plant by the brick wall to the leg of the patio table. I swept the leaf debris from the driveway. I put on an old work glove and pulled up a weed that might have been poison ivy. When I came in, the smell from the bedroom was evident in the hall way. I moved the air purifier closer to the door. I jotted notes for my blog and brushed my teeth. I exercised and juiced. I wrote a check to Parker but the mail had already gone. I played three audio interviews. One of them recommended bringing broccoli sprouts on plane trips for energy and detoxing. It was so convincing that I paused the audio to put broccoli seeds in my sprouter. Denise came over to work on a charity quilt. First she told me about their trip to Biltmore and to Polyface Farms. Then she sniffed the odor in the bedroom. She said it wasn't a dead smell, it was more like a spilled sauerdraut smell. we worked on the quilt; choosing borders and sewing them on. She also wanted to know how to machine quilt, so I brought out a top that was basted. I showed her how to quilt in the ditch and to free-motion. I let her try both methods and she seemed to like them. I could not find my quilting gloves which would have made it easier to move the fabric. After she left, I watered things that dry out quickly. One of the marigolds had been dug up. This happens almost every day and I think the chipmunk is doing it. I picked wild lettuce, kale, a tomato, oxalis, and some small mixed greens. I washed them and added olive oil and sunflower seeds, as well as sweet peppers and celery. I sat in front of my laptop to eat it and saw that Chris was on skype. We talked and then he sang. Then he went to bed. I did the weekend Sudoku puzzle while finishing an audio. I got a wrench to chang the shower filter. I ironed the last two pieces of fabric while I was down there. I changed the filter and filled a basin with warm water. I soaked my feet in the soapy water. Then I sat in the den and listened to another audio interview, smelling the magnolia flower scent coming in the window. It was lovely. I sliced up a foil wrapper to sharpen two pairs of scissors while finishing an audio on how to fly for free. All I heard was to use points. I looked up Frank's phone number. And then it was time to blog and go to bed.
* Denise took my pic with the quilt we made *

Rebecca was here

I slept in until the alarm sounded. I got up to turned on the laptop and router. I watered the plants on the back porch. I put Netflix in the mail, and collected the recyclables but there were not enough to put out. My tapping buddy wanted to start early. We did not actually do any tapping: we made energy circles with switchwords and Bach flower remedies. Then I juiced, drank it and cleaned up. I was about to meditate when there was a knock at the door. It was Rebecca and I had forgotten that she was coming. She was potentially going to offer my treadle a home if we went to Korea. But she sniffed the treadle, and said it had an odor. I showed her some of my sewing projects while we were down in the basement. Since her nose was so sensitive, I asked her to check out my bedroom. She confirmed my premise that something had died in the wall and she narrowed it down to which wall. Then she left to get on with her day. I brought in the mail and there was no card from Chris. I took his car to stitch group. I talked to Marjory and Pat, then sat with Rhonda and Christie. I came home just before 4. I had stalled pulling on to a busy road which scared me. I checked e-mail, and made breakfast and ate it outside. I watched a chipmunk race back and forth across the patio. I came in to check e-mail again, hoping for some word from the guy who used to cut our grass in Pinehurst. I had e-mailed him after Parker said I needed to hire someone mow the grass so she can have an open house. The sun was still out, so I replanted cucumbers from the planting tray. I chopped up lemon peel and put it in a hole something dug in my garden. It looked like an access to a den. Probably rabbits. I trimmed large plants to allow smaller ones sunlight and I trimmed the trumpet vine by the mailbox. I propped up planting trays so the rodents wouldn't dig in them. I watered, and mowed. I raked up magnolia leave and mowed those to turn them into mulch. I picked kale and other leaves for supper. I made salad with them and some of the spinach from the farmer's market. I ate it while skyping Chris. He sang me a song called “Almost Paradise”. I contributed to crowdfunding a solarpuff. I did the Thursday Sudoku puzzle while listening to an interview about medical tourism, and then worked on Friday's puzzle. I put on another interview and took the laptop downstairs to listen while I ironed the fabric pile from Tuesday. When the low battery sound caught my attention, I brought it up to recharge. I finished the piece of fabric I was working on, and then came up to finish the interview and the Friday puzzle. Then it was time to blog and go to bed.
* Here are two tomatoes I plan to pick tomorrow - unless something beats me to it *

Auditions

I woke up early this morning. I got up to audition fabric for the squares from yesterday. It was hard to audition them like the pattern. I decided I did not like the pattern and would have to do what fit the squares best. When the phone alarm went off, I came up to start my Wednesday practices. I watered the plants in pots early. I swished, exercised, rebounded, and drybrushed. I made hot water and coffee. I juiced. I put on my suit and filled my water bottles with warm salt water. I got to the sauna just after 1. I spent over an hour sweating. Four other ladies came for a short period of time each. Three were black and one was Asian. The thought struck me that I seldom see another Caucasian woman in the sauna. I took a shower and dressed. I was home soon after 3. I went to the mailbox, but all I found was a Publix grocery sack. I guess it was supposed to be a reminder to fill a bag for the homeless. I called Silvia but she did not answer. I watered plants in the ground. I checked e-mail. I dug up the volunteer marigolds and replanted them by the driveway. I looked up the planting order for my raised vegetable bed. I identified squash and cucumbers as needing to be replanted into the ground. But where? I made up a shaker of mixed spices for my breakfast. I made and ate breakfast. I took my supplements. I listened to another travel interview. I started an episode of X-Files. Chris skyped me and sang me a song. The niacin kicked in and turned me beet red. I had to run off to choir practice. The ladies had to come early to sing a mother's day song with the kids. Then I sat with Doris. Cecelia gave me her strawberry bucket to return to the farmer's market. Practice went well. After, I talked to JenQ. She said her husband had been stationed at a navel base in Korea a long time ago but she did not know where. I drove home. I finished the episode of X-Files and watched another one, thinking Chris would call back when he got back from bible study. After the last episode, I looked up songs on Youtube and sang with them. Somehow I ended up singing with Helen Reddy in Pete's Dragon. I quit soon after 11. I wrote my blog post and sent Chris a message on skype. He called me before I could title the post. He told me he had texted me on skype but for some reason the message was not delivered. I titled my blog, posted it and went to bed.

First day of farmer's market

I woke up early and decided to get up. I turned on the router and the laptop. I swallowed 6 capsules of frozen cod liver oil. I swished while reading e-mail and listening to more travel audios. I started juicing around 9. Right after the first sip, I realized that I forgot to exercise. So that is why I was ahead of schedule. I sat to meditate after drinking and the time got away from me. Then I wrote a check and a card and put them in the mail. It was 10:20 and I was late. I took my squares from yesterday to show off. When I got to the quilt group, Jane was impressed to see them. Others said nice things, too. Jane wanted me to sign up for their field trip on June 9th to go to a quilt shop in Mississippi. Beverly wants me to go shop-hopping with her on the 13th. So many quilt shops, but so little time. She also told me her husband tastes car fluids to determine what is leaking. That sounded like a really bad idea to me. From there, I went to the Asian store for kimbap and sprouts. I also bought some kimchi since what I have is growing white spots. I ate the kimbap when I got home. I ate some apples and put the cores in a dish covered with plastic wrap to catch fruit flies. I think they must have come in with the strawberries. I finished an audio and went outside to get the mail and to water plants. Then I put on my suit to sit in the sun and read the Servantkeeper manual. It seemed simple enough. After an hour, I changed back into my clothes, and drank some water. Then it was time to go to the farmer's market. I got some hydroponic spinach, and stopped by the beef booth. He remembered me but did not have what I wanted; said his wife would bring it next week. I also got some raspberry goat cheese, rainbow tomatoes, large cucumber and a bucket of strawberries. I put the berries in a bowl of vinegar water to soak. But I could not resist washing and eating some right away. I hulled some and spread them on a towel on a cookie sheet to freeze. The rest I put back into the berry bucket, eating the oldest ones. The bucket went in the fridge. I made notes for my blog. I came across a webpage of 61 uses for lemons, peels and juice. So I got on the desktop to save it as a file and print it out. I responded to an e-mail from a friend. Then I took my fabric into the basement to wash. I pulled out fabric to audition as sashing for the blocks, I found one that looked great, but did not fit their drawing. I copied the drawing on a piece of paper to take downstairs. Chris skyped me and we brought Faye into the call to see about her schedule for Memorial Day weekend. I dashed downstairs to pull the wet fabric out of the washer before it bled. I threw it in the dryer and came up. I grabbed a jar of fish to eat while talking. Faye and Kevin hung up so Chris could sing me a song. The call dropped and his computer crashed. I started making breakfast. He called back and we talked some more. He asked for a song suggestion for tomorrow and I suggested something by Huey Lewis and the News. He hung up and I finished my breakfast (for supper). I put the now-frozen berries in a bag. I listened to a tapping audio. It went on much longer than I anticipated. When it was over, I tried to finish the Sudoku puzzle I had been working on while it ran. But I had made a mistake somewhere, and had to start over. Then it was bedtime. But I went down to get the fabric out of the dryer. I wanted it damp but it wasn't. So I folded all of it in anticipation of ironing it tomorrow. There was one piece that did not go in the dryer and I allowed myself to iron it dry. Then I came up to blog and go to bed.
* This is Carolyn's quilt, from a pattern I think *

This may be as far as I get

I woke up early, but did not get up until the alarm rang. I turned on the router and the laptop. I had tried to reboot it last night because of updates, but Firefox would not cooperate. But I lost all my IE windows. I tried to get them back to no avail. Firefox locked up and I had to close and reopen it, glad that it preserved the open windows. I put on an interview about healthy travel tips and took notes. I also swished and exercised. I watered the indoor plants. I finished the interview, then reboot the computer while I juiced and made breakfast. I put on another one about parasites during travel and how you can get them at home, too. That one ended about noon, so then I put the pieces of my project into a bag and headed to the car. I realized that the sun was beating down on the planters so I took a moment to water them. Then I jumped in Chris' car and headed to quilting. I took all my sewing stuff inside just in case I decided to sew. But I spent the time cutting little tiny pieces. I got to talk to my friends, which was great. Rebecca and Joan and Lauri decided to go to Sew-nVac. I did not need fabric, but Rebecca urged me to go. I told her I would hold her responsible for my credit card bill, and she said that just because she led me to the trough did not mean I had to drink. Yea, right. Me not buy fabric? When we arrived, there was a good sized display out front proclaiming 60% off. So, you can guess what happened. I hemmed and hawed and piled up the bolts and went inside. Joan got hers cut first and then the lady cut mine. I paid at the register. Rebecca showed me her fabric choices for a dress she will make for her granddaughter. I told her to get the raspberry butterflies to go with it. On the way out, Rebecca said I should have gotten the coordinating fabric for my black and grey. I said I would if she got the butterflies. So she did and I did and Lauri went back for something too. When we got back most of the ladies were gone. I went back to cutting. When I got most of the pieces cut out, and only a few teeny tiny ones were left, I decided that my sanity was worth more than any benefit. So I auditioned fabric for a background since I did not have the chosen one there. The pieces looked really good on the yellow/orange fabric. Lauri helped me audition some fabric for sashing, but nothing quite satisfied us. So I ironed them to the gold, and packed up. Lauri stayed to work on her quilt top. When I got home, I ate some sweet potato and the rest of Denise' fermented cabbage. Then I went out to water. I sat to enjoy the sounds of nature and digest. Then I mowed spots in the front and back yards. I quit when I realized it was 7 and time to talk to Chris. We had a nice chat and he sang me a song called Valerie. We ended early so I had time to go out and dig up some garlic. I washed it off and sliced it up, bulb and stem. I put the pieces in a pan with coconut oil to cook while I cut up the fish. I had intended to eat the fish raw, but after the interview on parasites, I changed my mind. So the fish was stirfried with the garlic. I added salt and lemon juice. I ate some and put the rest in the fridge. I read e-mail and listened to another interview on healthy travel, taking notes. Then I sat and read a book and tapped until it was time to go to bed.

Busy day

I had a dream where I was walking down a road mostly covered in water. I saw a storm coming, so I crouched at the bottom of a tree trunk and threw my arms around it. When the storm was over, I picked my way back, climbing over debris. There were people looking for drinking water. I was looking for Chris. I saw him go into an auditorium. I could not find him then so I sat alone. It seemed to be raining inside, and I tried to protect a nearby laptop. Everybody left then and I still couldn't find Chris. Then the alarm rang. I got up. I had put the dryer on damp last night, so now put it on regular. I turned on the router and laptop. I made up a weeks worth of supplements. I started unstacking dishwasher when I heard the dryer. I got the laundry out and folded it. I exercised, and swished. I made breakfast and ate it while checking e-mail and listening to audios from Healthy travel summit.
I read that sauna use is associated with longevity due to its effect omn HSP and Foxo3. I realized with a shock that I only had 15 minutes to shower, dress and leave. I put the rest of breakfast in the fridge to protect it from the desperate fruit flies. I made it to church by 10:15 and then realized I did not need to be there until 10:20. I talked to Art and Don then went into the sanctuary to practice with the choir. JenQ played her native flute and it went very nicely. Then I sat in the pew to wait for the service. I told Don that Chris was coming back in two weeks. I had to admit that he was coming back to pack and Don seemed very upset that we might be moving. I wished I hadn't said anything. Then the service started. I had my offering envelop ready when the plate came, and wondered why I had worried about that since I could always bring it later to the count. After the service I complimented the lady behind me for her voice. She told me her husband preaches at another church – at least that is what I think she said. Anyway, I realized that Art was counting without me, so I rushed in there. He was having a discussion with someone about people writing checks to Heifer and giving them to the church. There was no loose cash to count, so I signed the slip of paper to that effect, and left. I talked to Megan. She said her baby would have an operation this summer. I can't imagine what the CAT scan showed. Then I left to go to the grocery store. I had my list with me and rounded up the items quickly. The organic lemons were the same ones they had last week, just softer. I won't buy them next week if fresh ones don't come in. I checked out and drove home. I put the groceries away and grabbed the quilt top and batting strips. I watered the potted plants on the patio as I went to Chris' car. I drove to the church on the corner for Renegades. They loved the quilt top, and asked me to make a backing for it. I picked out some brown, orange and green scraps to make the backing. But Keril said to use up homespuns, and she gave me a pile of green ones. Then Rebecca had a large piece of orange that she said I could use. It needed to be wider so I sewed on a strip of red. It was too colorful for my quilt so I went back to sewing the greens together. I had made it long enough but not wide enough when Rebecca said it would be perfect for her quilt, and she was absolutely right. So I sewed on another strip and gave it to her. Keril said I needed another strip across the top of the orange one for a leader so I did that, and used it for my quilt after all. Then we helped clean up and put the fabric back in Lynette's car. It was after 4 when I left. I went in the house to get my folder, and put the garbage can out by the street. Then took my car to church. Art was already there and set up. He had the 8am service envelopes in order. I recorded them while he made me a copy of the April 12 counting. I did much of the recording myself. I felt good that I was getting the hang of it. I wanted him to check behind me, but he almost always says no. But anyway, it tabulated perfectly the first time. And the paper roll rang out just then. So he left while I struggled to get the next roll ready for next week. Then I headed home. Something told me to stop on the way and buy salmon at the seafood shop. It did not make sense since I bought ground beef, but I did it anyway. The lady asked me what I do all day since I don't work. I told her I quilt. She asked me if I could help her shorten pants, and I said yes. But after I left, I realized she had no way of getting in touch with me. When I got home, I put the fish in the fridge. I changed my clothes and ate part of it with lemon juice. Then I went outside to water the rest of the plants and mow. I finished the front yard and came in to skype with Chris. He sang me a song that I had requested. Then he hung up. I watched an episode of X-Files where Fox finds fabric hearts from a killer and wonders if one of them belongs to his sister. That part did not make sense because he was there when she was taken and surely remembers what she was wearing, since he remembered what was on tv, their discussion, the game they were playing and where his parents were. After the episodes, I was going to clear e-mail and watch another one, but it got too late and my laptop downloaded updates and wants to reboot. I also found a package on the front porch containing a new shower filter. I was going to soak it like I have before, but the directions were different this time and it wasn't mentioned. I looked it up online and still no mention of soaking before attaching. So I decided to post to my blog and go to bed.

Exhausted

I heard the alarm go off at 8 but elected to stay in bed. I guess it was all that yard work yesterday. I was having a dream where my arms were really heavy and hard to move. I used one arm to reach over and grab the other one, but when I grabbed, there was nothing there. So about 8:30 I got up to turn on the router and vacuum the fan of the laptop before I turned it on. I happened to look out the window and saw that the people across the street were having a yard sale. So I quickly got dressed and walked over. I met Christy and Chip. Very nice people. When they heard my husband was in Honduras, they offered any assistance I might need. I offered to let them put garbage in my garbage can since they had so much and the city did not pick up the extra last week. I bought a top and a dress. I tried them on at home and the top was really cute, but the dress made my stomach look big. I put on an audio and started exercising. My phone rang. It was Art wanting me to make a copy of the offering sheet from last week. He wanted me to bring it up to the church this afternoon. I made the copy and went back to my audio and exercising. I swished and did some unstitching and restitching. I had sewn one of the diamonds the wrong way. Can you tell which one? I listened to an interview with Sir Paul McCartney. He talked about being vegan and growing his own organic food. I had just finished breakfast when I got an e-mail from Chris about the one I proposed to send to Parker. I skyped him to talk about it, but he was involved in getting the self-cleaning cycle of the oven to start. Then the call dropped. When we reestablished the call, I found a blog that described how to program the self-cleaning cycle. We discussed his version of the e-mail and I promised to send it. After that call, I called Art to ask if I could e-mail him the copy of the offering sheet. He said yes so I did, which saved wear and tear on my transmission. I went outside to mow in the back yard. Then I put on my bathing suit and trimmed grass in the front yard in near the driveway and around the big tree. I brought the Servantkeeper manual outside to read, but ended up sun bathing instead. I came in to check e-mail but there was a tapping article and I read it and did some tapping. I probably ate something. I used all the dirt collected from various plant pots and potting plants to make beds for marigolds in the cement blocks that line the driveway. I planted two lilies from church. I took out the trash because it was attracting fruit flies. I mowed again. Then I washed my feet. I sliced up lemon peel and scattered it in the vegetable beds where critters are digging up the ground. When I came in, I found Parker's response, which I sent to Chris. I looked in basement for batting strips for tomorrow, and heard the skype sound so I came up. I talked to Chris,and Michele was busy playing a game. I was exhausted, so Chris let me go. I picked some lettuce and kale and made a salad. Eating helped the exhaustion a little. I listened to an audio on how to keep healthy during air travel. I stacked and started the dishwasher. I did Sudoku puzzles while listening to interviews on travel and then sleep. The last one recommended banana tea. I picked a splinter out of my thumb. I wished I had started the washing machine first because I could wash dishes during the dryer cycle. I paused the audio on sleep to put laundry in washer and look through batting strips (I have enough to fill a closet) for wide ones for quilting tomorrow. I loaded a bag and brought it up. I posted to my blog and went to bed.

Fresh air

I woke up soon after 7, but decided not to get up. Although I did, once the thought occurred to me that the three of us will never live together again, like we did in Pinehurst. It was a very painful thought. I have had it before, but it hurts every time. I got up to distract myself with busy-ness. I turned on the router and laptop. Parker called. She said we could not give the buyers cash or even an appliance allowance due to VA regulations. The lender rep was telling her that a verbal and unwritten agreement to do so was the only way, but Parker was not comfortable with that. So I asked her to write up whatever she thought would work as long as the net to us was the same and she agreed to do it. I used vinegar and baking soda to alkalize. I listened to interviews from the 2015 Food Revolution Summit. I exercised, juiced sprouts and carrots and a squash. Then I meditated. I made breakfast and ate it reading e-mail.
I spent all afternoon doing yard work. I only intended to spend an hour, but was so rewarded by the difference it made, that I kept going. I cleaned out the ditch and pulled weeds away from the bottom of the trees, and did some of the edges of the sidewalk and driveway. When I came in, it was to have some supper. I opened the windows and turned on the fan. Parker had e-mailed me her version of two counter offers we could make to net the offer we wanted to make that would not be acceptable to the VA. It was in spread sheet form that came out in 6 disjointed pages. I wrote back and she sent me a png form of one page, but when I printed that out, it came out as 2 blank pages. Till I got something I could use, I wasted a bunch of ink and scrap paper. I had e-mailed it to Chris and he e-mailed it back in four pages arranged by quadrant. That made more sense. He skyped me and we talked about it. We could not figure out all her math. After he hung up to go to movie night, I sat with the figures and compared it to the offer I had talked about yesterday. I composed an e-mail and sent it to Chris for his approval. I did the 'evil' Sudoku puzzle for this weekend, thinking that it wasn't so bad. I sat to do three short meditations that were in an e-mail. Then I tapped through some of the meditations that came with the book I ordered. It occurred to me that if we bought a house here in Huntsville, I could have a hot tub again, and that was a very compelling idea. I meditated on that for awhile. Then I watched an episode of X-Files. Before it was done, Chris skyped me. He sang me a song, we talked for awhile, then he hung up. I finished the episode and went to bed.