Almost like actual cooking

I woke up at 6:30 hearing something I could not identify. I turned off the fan so I could hear it better, but still did not know what it was. It seemed to be coming from far away, so I went back to bed. Last night I hoped to get up early to clean, but that plan did not survive contact with my pillow. The next time I got up, it was for the phone alarm at 8. I turned on the router and played briefly on my trombone. I checked my e-mail and listened to a Rife audio on Youtube while I lasered my finger. I put small rugs in the washing machine and went back to e-mail and audios. I listened to the advantages of growing your own mushrooms while I exercised. I ordered more coconut oil. I put Dad's will in a safe waterproof place. I juiced and made breakfast. I packed a lunch, including a frozen banana. I made up a week's worth of supplements, and a note to order more. I watered the greens on my way to the car and went to the Monday sewing group. The ladies were having lunch when I walked in. I worked on Barbara's quilt in the corner, on the edge. Lauri finished her quilt top but I did not have my camera to record it. Bertha also made a quilt top, but hopefully she will bring it back next week for pictures. I packed up at three, and went home to sweep. I cleaned in the bathroom, too. I took the rugs out of the dryer and put them back where they belongs. I swept up the dust in the sewing area. Jen called to say they were on the way, so I cleaned a little more. Jennifer and her daughter arrived and showed me what Emma had made: a cute shirt, bag and pillow. I showed them my sewing room and more in the garage. I let Emma pick through my scraps. I gave Jen the horse puppet, and she invited me over for a swim and supper tomorrow night. After they left, I picked some greens, and cut up an onion and the squash. I cooked it with spices, greens and some lamb and bacon fat. It was so much like actual cooking that I had to pinch myself.  And it was pretty good, too.  After eating, I mowed the back lawn. Then I sat downstairs to cool off, and put fabric away. I entered some numbers in my phone for the people that are giving me rides to the airport and back. I called the cc company to tell them that Chris will be using it in Honduras. Craig came over with a bag of cucumbers. If not for my juicer, I would have no way of eating so many before they went bad. I put together a Swansons order for a month ahead, and one for almonds. And now it is way past my bedtime.

First squash of the season

   

I heard the alarm at 8, but waited to get up. I closed the windows and turned AC on even though the temp was still 78. I plugged the router back in. I read e-mail, and that lead to Facebook. When I realized what I was doing, I went back to e-mail to find an audio to listen to. I read about picking lemon squash while still immature for the best flavor. I made and ate breakfast, then showered, dressed, and went to church. I was greeted warmly by Elwyn.  Ron told me I should be prepared to boot up my laptop at the airport to show that I wasn't carrying anything in the case.  Because the battery is bad, it might be difficult.  I gave the beginnings of the red pulpit cloth to Jeanne so she could make the dove to go with it. Pastor had finally returned from his vacation so he led the service. I had an idea for a quilt during the service. After the service, I talked to Julie Foreman. I picked up a Rally Day contest form. Then I went to grocery store, and got an onion to go with the squash I planned to pick. , put on audio, ate a little, then put the groceries away. I changed my clothes, and finished the audio. I grabbed the horse project and went to the storage place where a small group meets to sew. We met in a different spot there. I sat with the ladies, and sewed up the rip in the horse puppet. Then I waited for Denise. She brought her hexagons and I sewed some of them for her while she color-coordinated new sets. The group broke up about 5 and I packed up to go home. When I got home, I ate supper, checked e-mail, and then mowed most of back yard. I checked e-mail again, and drank some lemon water. I picked the squash and some greens. I did some picking up in the den and kitchen. Then I cleaned up in sewing room, although it still needed sweeping. I ruminated on the couch in front of the TV. Then I went upstairs to post to my blog. I got distracted by dishes waiting to be washed. I opened the windows and turned off the AC. Then I came back to posting, and took a pic of squash to show. Now I hope to go to bed and finish cleaning in the morning.
   

Early morning dream

Last night I did some tapping in bed on a relaxing and cozy image, on feeling surprisingly calm. And it must have worked because when Chris' alarm went off at 3:30, I stayed calm. He took a shower and got dressed in the dark, then kissed me and went out to the den to read on his laptop. I had a short bout of crying and trying to calm my amygdala, then was able to join him out there. I puttered around while he read. I had shut down my laptop last night and the quiet was so wonderful that I did not want to start it up again right away. His taxi arrived a little early. I opened the front door so he could carry his stuff out. I am glad it wasn't me with two suitcases, a backpack and a laptop. I went back to bed, still intentionally thinking calming thoughts and afraid the tears would come back. I imagined what today would be like for him and when he might have a chance to e-mail me. Then it occurred to me that I should think about what I could be doing today. But his day sounded way more interesting. Eventually I fell asleep. When I woke up, the birds were singing and the night wasn't so dark. I fell asleep again and the phone alarm woke me up at 8. But it was my old phone that was ringing. The screen was white and I know my sim card wasn't in it, so I wondered why it rang today and not yesterday, last week, etc.

The previous month felt like a dream. Maybe it was. Maybe my mother wasn't dead, and Faye did not catch LD, and Chris was still in Kwaj. Then my new phone rang. But it was Chris, not the alarm. He told me his plane to Honduras was boarding and he just had time to tell me he loved me. So much for the dream.

I listened to an interview while I juiced with the handcrank juicer. This was the first time I put in whole vegetables. I processed arugula, bean sprouts, broccoli sprouts, a few broccoli heads and two carrots (cut in pieces). It was hard going, but it did juice and the pulp was dry. After I drank that (and it was bitter), I made breakfast. I put on an interview about natural pest control by a lady with a blog called BugsBehavingBadly. After breakfast, I took some niacin and tried to sunbathe. Of course a cloud floated in front of the sun. I mixed up two batches of mineral water and fed my vegetable plants. Then I parked my car in the sun to sweat through a few killer Sudoku puzzles. At 1:30 I finished a puzzle, showered, and ate a salted piece of lamb and a banana. I got dressed and went to the church to meet Joanie, our intern. She was concerned about how I was handling Chris going away and all. And apparently people have been asking her how I am doing. We chatted for 3 hours and afterwards she said it felt more like girl talk than ministering. She also thinks I should write a health column for the church newsletter. Interesting idea.

When I got home, I ate some more lamb, and had to put it away before I finished the dish. I changed clothes and mowed near the magnolia tree and inside the fence. I plugged the mower in to recharge, then took the opportunity to clip the tall wild lettuce stalks. I could see something white in the back neighbors yard so I got out my binoculars. The white objects were cloth-covered tables with food.

But more interesting was the squirrel I happened to see, climbing up the apple tree. I lost him in the branches, but I think he knocked an apple down and then went after it. I ate a sweet potato and listened to another audio. I got an e-mail Chris that he had arrived and I e-mailed him back. I brought in the mail. I sat quietly for awhile listening and thinking that I could go to bed. But it was too early. So when the audio ended, I went outside to add chicken/horse manure to the squash bed. I could hear party sounds from the house behind us. Then I went downstairs to watch The Decoy Bride (from Netflix). It had David Tennant in it, but I don't think that is why I rented it. In fact, I do not remember renting it and suspect Netflix throws random stuff into my queue to see if I am paying attention. When I came up, I turned off the AC and opened the windows for fresh air. It was 10, which was late enough to go to bed. So I posted to my blog and … zzz. 

*  This blur is the taxi that took Chris to the airport  at 4:15 in the morning.  *

Packing the bare essentials

Both of our phone alarms went off at the same time. It was almost amusing. I did not feel like getting up. But we were up and in the den by 8:30. Chris had to finalize his stack of stuff to be picked up by the packers who were supposed to arrive between 9 and 10. Ha, ha. I found a vacuum in the garage for him to take. But the hose was missing. It has probably been missing since we moved here but since I never used it.... I gave him an iron and ironing board. He got a few things from the kitchen. When the truck arrived, I was listening to an audio and drinking my green juice. Chris showed them the pile and they packed it in boxes which went into the truck. The audio had two interesting ideas: One that men evolved to be quiet because they were hiding, hoping to catch animals for supper. The other that women evolved to be talkative because that kept animals away. If a woman was silent, the others would try to find out what was wrong, to get her talking again. Chris picked out a large suitcase to pack for his trip. Inside was a load of my summer clothes! It's like having a whole new wardrobe. Then he started a load of laundry and some onion soup. He went to post to return the BBT DVD's. I selected a needle pack and some thread for him to take along. He brought me a pair of pants that needed mending. Like daughter, like father. After breakfast I read e-mail, as did he. We went to Target to get a laptop cooling pad and we picked up two movies. He showed me how to go to the Delta site and do online check-in. I printed out the info I needed to do my check-in two weeks from now. We talked about all the reasons why his going to Honduras is the best thing to do. I sewed a patch underneath one side of the rip on the stuffed horse puppet that Jennifer gave me. I wanted to do it by machine, but there was no way to get it under the presser foot. I saved the rest of the project for Sunday afternoon. Then I mowed part of the front lawn. I had a bowl of onion soup and listened to some audios. His parents called to wish him well. Then we went downstairs to watch Ice Age, one of the movies we bought. We paused it when Marie called to wish him well. After the movie, Chris continued packing. He handed me two Kwajeleine shirts that he bought for Michele and me while he was there. He finished packing. I did some tapping. I guess we'll go to bed soon.

Sweating it out

I heard the alarm go off at 8, but delayed getting up. Upon arising, my first act was to collect the recyclables. I got dressed and took the bin out to the street for pickup. Then I got the frozen vials of saliva from the freezer and placed them in the test kit. It came with a mailing bag, so I affixed the label and ran it to the nearest UPS store. The lady did not ask what was in the cold bag. When I got back, I read e-mail and listened to an audio while I exercised. Chris called and invited me to lunch with him and people from work. I declined. Then I posted to my blog for yesterday. I juiced and meditated. While I was making breakfast, Jennifer called. She has one night alone, so she invited me over for supper. Also, she wants her daughter to see my fabric collection, so they are coming over here next week. I finished making breakfast and listened to another audio while eating it. I cleared some e-mail. I did not go to Stitch-its. I laid out in the sun to get a tan. As soon as I laid down, the sun went behind a cloud. Or did a cloud pass in front of the sun? Either the sun hates me or the clouds love me. Either way, the tanning thing was not working out. I took some niacin. I pulled the car up in front of the garage. I got out the Kirby and swept out the car. I wrapped up in a towel in the front seat to sweat. I brought a Sudoku variation to work on. After an hour, I took a break to refill my water bottle and wipe off. Then I went back for another hour. When only 4 minutes remained, I got shortness of breath so I called it quits. Chris arrived just then. I drank some water, finished breakfast and took a shower. I laid down for awhile. I drank coconut juice for the electrolytes. My heartbeat was little faster than normal, so I ate a banana for potassium. I read e-mail and made a salad. Then I ate some broccoli and hummus. I went down to cut blue strips for the next guild meeting. Chris came down and fired up the DVD player. We watched 8 more episodes of BBT. In the last episode, Penny says goodby to Leonard before he goes to work on a research ship for 4 months. It made me think of Chris leaving on Saturday. I Then decided to go post to my blog while he went to bed.
*  This is a quilt Keril's mother made for Linus.  *

Spit doesn't just happen

I woke up really early because of a bad taste in my mouth. I rinsed with water but did not brush because today is the day for the saliva test. As per the instructions, within half an hour, I filled the largest of 4 tubes with spit. It took awhile to generate. 

I saw a squirrel in the backyard grab an apple from the ground and run toward a tree. I ran out there to scare him into dropping the apple, but he ran up a tree with it. If I could have caught him, I'd bat his squirrely butt. I folded laundry and exercised while listening to an audio. Then I juiced and meditated, but not for long because I had to be done eating by 10. But I made it. I cleared mail until noon. Then I rinsed again, and labeled another tube and filled it with saliva. I finished breakfast and had some lamb for lunch. I composed a list of my supplements so I could print it out and send it with the test. I laid in the sun for half an hour as the sun went in and out behind clouds. I processed the rainwater from yesterday. Denise called so I talked to her for some time. I went outside to do yard work. A few things needed transplanting but I could not find my trowel. I looked everywhere. I scoured the pokeweed patch because that is where I last used it. Then I kept staring at the place it belongs, as if it would magically appear. And, it did. I can't explain it. So I transplanted a marigold and a sweet potato plant. I also pulled grass at the edge of the sidewalk. At 5 I came in to swish with water and spit in another tube. Like the others, it went into the freezer. I made a salad with cheese for supper. The rain started again, so I put the collection tubs out again. I read e-mail for awhile, and then we went down to watch another DVD of Big Bang Theory episodes. We started a pirate movie, but at 10 it was time to fill the last tube. After it was filled and in the freezer, we watched a little more of the movie, but then it was time for bed and I was too tired to blog.
*  This is the largest of the lemon squash.  I hope it tastes as good as the tomato did.  *

Spotless

I got up at 8, woken by the alarm from some rather odd dreams. I posted to my blog for yesterday. I read e-mail, and exercised, without an audio to listen to. I juiced, and meditated. During the meditation I started thinking about tomorrow and made a list of how the day should go. I will be doing a saliva test and I have to spit in a tube 4 times spread throughout the day, always 2 hours after eating. I looked up the closest UPS store so I can mail the test kit promptly. I got dressed, and went to the Sew Faithful gathering. I talked mostly to Beverly. Then I went to the Asian store for kimbap, sprouts, and natto. When I got back, I ate the kimbap with kimchi. Then I made breakfast and coffee. I had to clean up the juicer, which I forgot earlier. I did the coffee detox, took a shower, and ate my breakfast. I listened to a short audio of isochronic tones for improving eyesight. I checked my e-mail. I picked my first tomato. It was orange, but that is ripe for that variety. Sadly much of it was rotten, but what I ate was REALLY good. I just wish I had taken a picture first. I started a loaf of bread in the machine, then went to the eye specialist's office. They checked my blood pressure and it was even better than last week. Having slightly more notice, I was able to reduce it. She checked each eye using an eyecover that also has an insert with pinholes in it. The insert actually did make the small letters easier to see. Then she dilated my eyes and took pics of the left one, looking for the spot. The doctor came in and he couldn't find the spot either. He looked up the previous pics on his phone and tried again, but there was no spot. So I was free to go. When I got home, I noticed that it had rained. There is an apple that I have been tracking on the tree and hoping to get as soon as it falls. I went to look and did not see it in the tree or on the ground. It was sad, but I hoped when the eye drops wore off, the apple would appear. I tried to read email or a book, but it was hard. So I laid down until Chris came home. We ate lamb for supper. I called my dad. He talked about a new air conditioner and doctors until his phone quit. Then I worked on large print Sudoku puzzles since my vision was still affected. When the bread machine finished, Chris took the loaf out to cool. When Chris was ready, we watched part of season 6 of BBT. When we came up, it was raining fairly good, so I put out some collection tubs. I posted to my blog and plan to go to bed. 

*  This is Marianne's version of the block of the month quilt.  *