Saturday, August 30, 2008
For Now I Must Sleep!
As I opened my eyes I could feel the weight of the cotton wood growing out of the end of my leg. There has been a mistake here! I was to have an ankle fixed not become a surrogate mother to a tree stump. As I looked down all around me all I could see was wads of cotton settling on the bed, the floor, and the walls. The ever presence of alligators snapping at my ankles, heels and feet seemed to confuse my thought processes. I knew that soon I would drop from conciseness into a dark cavern of painless sleep and there I would rest enough to face the next round of adventure.
But as I looked I could see the cotton yes but not the green leaves or bark my Natures’ prison. I keep telling myself it is going to get better soon But for now I must sleep!!
Thursday, August 28, 2008
I’m Out!
A little after dark last night the driveway doorbell chimed. Of course the porch light that burnt out while I was in the hospital had not been changed yet so coming into the dome proved to be a bit of a pain in the butt. But when finally our guests were able to maneuver inside it was Edna and Bob with a basket of blackberries picked from their garden for us.
I could not believe the size of them with just enough sweet and tart to make you believe a master gardener had specially blended just for you. When you are fortunate enough to have friends like these --who could ask for more.
I’m looking forward to these little gems on my cereal this morning. It will make a ho hum into an OH Wow breakfast for me I’ll tell you.
It is grey and rainy out there this morning and a bit on the chilly side. My alligators are extremely angry but I’m purposely delaying the pain pill because it will feel so good when it finally start to work. I have an itch in the middle of my back that is driving me bonkers and no amount of shirt maneuvering is making it quit. Oh my sweet hubby just walked into the room and scratched the piss out of my back. I knew there was a good reason to keep him around!!!!
I’m going to find a place to hang this foot today so I don’t keep squirming in this chair all day.
O K I can’t take any more right now my friend --so I’m out of here for a while!!
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Keep Smiling!
These beautiful flowers came from Phyllis’ garden on Monday. It takes just a little bump to make the smile machine work. I have spent the last few days doing a lot of sleeping. It seems to work in blocks of two hours. I sleep then either the bladder or the alligators start snapping and I come awake real fast. I know that the rest will help me get better quicker so I just go with the flow. It seems that Brandy is getting her share of siesta time also. So it is extremely quiet around here. Phyllis brought us some spaghetti squash from her garden so we made a dinner with home canned marinara sauce, meat balls, and garlic toast. Adding canned peaches from last year for dessert it was a great supper. Tonight it is acorn squash, polish sausage, and blueberry muffins so we will be well fed.The addition of sliced tomato from our garden seems like the ideal topper. The weather is sunshiny and if I could find a place to hang up this 10 ton log on the end of my leg then all would be right with the world. But I look at each day as one closer to being fixed!
Keep smiling because I sure am!!!!
Monday, August 25, 2008
Coming Along!
Just before going in for surgery I took pictures of two of the shelf units in the food room. This will give you a little bit of an idea of our labor of love. Jay said we had to stop canning because we are running out of room.
My roommate in the hospital was a sweetheart of a woman in her eighties with a sense of humor and a quick and charming laugh. Although we only spent two days together she helped make it a delightful visit.
This carnation was from her bouquet. She wanted to share it with me. She went home just before me on the 24th. All I can say is thank you Helen for making my stay so pleasant.
The Time Is Right!
Good morning my friends --it is 2:00am and my alligators are back… Anyone who suffered through last Thanksgiving with me knows what I’m talking about. But I did have to take time to wish Cyn and Dave a belated 12 year Happy Anniversary--it was yesterday. Also Middle child a Happy Birthday today. Yep Old S E B is 41 years young! I still haven’t got all the Hospital fuzz worn off but I’m working on it. I’m going to take a little time to reads some blogs and then I’ ll try to sleep some more. Anywho it is good to be half back anyway!
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Fruit Is Jarred And All Right With The World!
Where to start when you have little time, a bushel of peaches, roughly nine pounds of apricots, 24 ounces of store bought raspberries, and over 25 pounds of sugar. Why you can, naturally. Tuesday afternoon I bought the raspberries and apricots so I could get the apricot jam out of the way because it is a fruit that does not keep well. I called Meijers earlier in the day and asked them to set aside what they had left in stock and a young man, after hearing my story, graciously set them in the cooler until after I picked Jay up.
While I was there I bought the raspberries needed for the Peach Melba jam so I was ready to roll. I spent most of Tuesday night peeling peaches and making the jam and Amaretto peaches. The brown stuff in the peaches is cinnamon sticks. The results was 10 pints of Amaretto peaches and 14 half pints of Peach Melba jam. My day ended around 1 am with a heck of a lot of peaches still to be blanched and peeled.
I started Wednesday morning at around 6:30 am with the the apricots
Love them apricots--no peeling just cut and core--a piece of cake! I ended up with 21 half pints of apricot jam and 7 pints of apricots in light syrup.
Then it was back to peach peeling. Do you how long it takes to peel a bushel of peaches? Too freakin’ long I’ll tell you!! But once I got the hang of it I was busy stuffing jars for peaches in syrup and then chopping them up for jam.
By the end of the day I was too tired to think and needed Jay to come out and stir jam and put lids on. He had been making labels, bringing up more jars , and moving full ones down to the food room. The results of this labor of love was 23 pints of peaches in light syrup and 30 half pints of peach jam.
Then the table was clean (almost that is) and all the fruit was safe in their own little jars. Needless to say I fell into bed a 9:30 last night and never moved until 6:15 this morning.
The first order of the day was to put away clean dishes and reload the dishwasher, do a load of washing including dish towels, dish cloths, and every hot pad I own. I cleared the wash to be folded out of the dryer to make room for the next batch. I started gathering the canning paraphernalia to go down to the food room for another day. Next was to tackle that kitchen floor. I swear it sounded like bubble wrap when you walked across it. I also mopped the utility room at the same time leaving only the bathroom to go.
I have spent the last hour visiting with you but now I still have a bunch of things to do including packing my bag for the hospital so I’ll close for now and get my butt moving. I’ll see Yah!
Update: This afternoon McDaniel’s Farm Market called this afternoon to say they had Michigan apricots for us. So Jay is going to get some tomorrow and do them up for me. Dang just a day too late for me.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Peaches And Pussy Cats!
This morning the sweet smell of peaches is permeating the dining room. The touch reveals that they are soft and ready to go. Yep, set them out on newspaper yesterday afternoon and we will start canning after Jay gets out of dialysis. Plans are for Peach jam, Peach Melba, and hopefully a few pints of Amaretto Peaches. I’m also on the trail of some apricots which, although they are not Michigan, may be in the house this evening. So with two and a half days to go we will be hustling our bustle around here. That is alright--I work well under pressure!
This is the flag that will hang outside the front door for the next roughly three mouths. It seems quite appropriate because I will be hanging in there.
As the calls come in from the hospital, anesthesiology, and the surgeon’s office I am getting more excited by the day. I hope to dazzle them with my ability to move around right away and get the devil back home to hubby and Brandy. But right now I have to get jars up and ready for canning this afternoon. So I’ll be around but a little busy.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Gotta Catch Up
My partner and my two opponents yesterday in a friendly game of pinochle. The ladies (and I use that term loosely ) won the game amid many smiles. Although I must admit Hubby was kinda sleepy and son-in-law was too busy making faces at me to concentrate. Anyway we had a good visit, ate more of the birthday cake from Saturday, and tentatively set up transportation with Cindy for Friday. David said he will bring me home when the time comes.
Today we drove 130 miles round trip to Romeo, MI. to pick up our peaches. Only one problem they are hard as rocks and need to ripen a bit more to be able to can them. Jay is on the net right now trying to find an answer to our problem.
With three & 1/2 days to can in I don’t know if I will be here or if friends will come up and help if I’m not. As to the apricots --I have almost given up on getting any canned this year.
Now I have to go reads some blogs that I have missed for a couple of days. See Yah!
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Birthdays And A Butterfly Bush!
Yesterday we celebrated a father -daughter birthday. Courtney turned 18 on the 13th and Les will be 41 on the 25th of this month. They were up for a visit with daughter-in-law Anne. Jay grilled brats and hot dogs and I had made potato salad. Add to that ice cream and cake and our tummies were pretty full.
This is the first bloom on the butterfly bush this year with over a dozen spikes left to bloom. I am fascinated with the shade of purple on these tiny blossoms. As yet I’m the only one because the butterflies haven’t come near it yet.
This morning swinging with Brandy I saw hummingbirds, finches, and hairy wood peckers at the feeders. A pretty song from over my head alerted me to a cardinal sitting on the top of the electric pole serenading the yard and all it’s creatures.
I’m waiting for Cindy and David to arrive to have lunch with us today. I even saved them I piece of the birthday cake!!
Friday, August 15, 2008
Daisies And Dryers
When I went out to put some bath mats and blankets on the deck railing to dry yesterday I noticed Miss Daisy drooping a little from the rain beating down on her lately. That plus another sibling showed up also. That is six total now but she is showing her age. Her petal edges are a little frayed and her posture is starting to fail. Kinda like me come to think of it but she is still trying to show her pretty face.
Well one week from today I’ll be wearing that beautiful ( ass showing ) gown and trying to valiantly to demonstrate that I can indeed get up, lug a cast, and haul a walker to the bathroom. You see the test is haul your butt up and around or spend a couple of days with the nurses and doctors telling you that is your only objective. Now if you don’t meet that objective you get moved to rehabilitation for some real adventures. Needless to say I will be doing my best to haul the mail (as the truck drivers say when something big and fast whizzes by).
But enough of the good news! We have a possible bushel of medium peaches coming our way Monday (operative word being possible). We are also waiting for word on a half a bushel of apricots.this week. I keep saying come on Mother Nature I’m running out of canning time. We know that raspberries won’t be in until around Labor Day so I’m hoping one of our friends will take Jay over to pick some up then. I am bound and determined to sit on the shop stool at the kitchen sink and prep what ever comes in after the surgery because it will taste so good this winter.
I have also been making list of things to do and crossing them off as I do them. But as with all lists when you cross one thing off you spy another thing to do. Yesterday I got the front half of the property mowed, bedding, sofa & chair covers, living room drapes ( a nice way to say curtains), bathroom mats, and bird cage covers washed. My poor old Maytag washer and Whirlpool dryer are still panting heavily in the laundry room this morning. So now I will take up my famous list this morning and continue to cross off and add on the items I want to get accomplished in the next few days.
Les, Anne, and Courtney are coming up tomorrow to spend some Birthday time with us. Courtney’s was on the 13th and Les’ is on the 25th so we will have something to eat plus cake and ice cream for them.
Now I will be busy but not too busy to visit with you!