So what's up on Your Sat.?

[Nancy]

I cleaned under the mower deck it was not too bad.
I still need to refill it.
Glad I spotted a plant that needed to be planted and did that. Watered it too.
Nope I do not weed eat here.
My mower has a primer push button it easy to start with one pull most of the time.
I got the lawn chair re - positioned where I want em this week.
Had my lunch nutri - grain bar & avocado dip on the side with cream cheese no cooking needed.
We have walked and I have my steps done for the day with my step count.

LM & others luv the mowing stories.

I had a question in a diff. group ideas for self care basket for a lady that lost a 39 yr. old son that died suddenly & tragically.

[Ramblinrose]

I did all the mowing while married to my sons father. I didn’t mind the mowing, it was emptying all the caught cut grass into bags. Especially when I was hot an sweaty and the grass stuck to me. When I lived in New Orleans I cut cut both the front and back in 30 minutes but several of my yards took 4 hours on a rider and those grass bags held a ton. One yard had an orchard on it and first I had to weave around twenty trees and then use a hand mower because the other mower would not cut close enough to the trees. And on top of that my son was just a toddler and I had to put him in day care for a half a day so I could mow.

The other piece of property had a huge ditch in it that rand 50 yards. After spending 3 hours on a rider I had to hand mow the ditch. All this mowing in addition to keeping my housework done. My son was 5 when I had to do that yard so I could leave him on his own, but still needed to check on him.

When he was a baby, I had to cut the lawn when he was taking a nap. Thankfully the yard only took 45 minutes or so… but the yard after that was the one with the orchard. When we bought that piece of property I asked my then husband who was going to cut the lawn? He said not to worry because the riding lawn mower had lights on it so he cut cut it at night. Yeah right, you know that never happened.

Mystery… my students and I would grow crystal in my classes as a science project. You can use a piece of charcoal that you use for your grill and if I remember correctly cover it with ammonia. The other is to tie a string around a stick or pencil and place it on top of a jar. Can’t remember what you fill the jar with, but the crystals will form and grow up the string.

[lucylee]

What's up? Well... just trying to keep everything going, just trying to maintain whatever the new normal is going to be.
DGD spent the night. Later I took her home, then went to buy groceries, and then went to get dgs to spend tonight with me. Tomorrow, I"ll have both of them for most of the afternoon, but ddil is not working, so they will stay at home tomorrow night.

I will have to take dgs to Sunday School tomorrow... and I might (*might) just go myself.
I have not gone to Sunday School in probably 15 years or more. DH never wanted to go, and I went by myself until dfil had his stroke. Up until then, my inlaws had always stopped and got dh for the worship service as they were on their way. After the stroke, pretty soon, dmil quit going to church and then dh was without a ride. So I stopped going to Sunday School.
I just don't know. I'm kinda intimidated by some of the people in the class -- they probably have more $ than I do, and they dress really nice, and the women are just the kind who always look so pulled together that sometimes I feel frumpy or too plain and unsophisticated. OTOH, they have all been so kind and thoughtful since dh passed away... and one of the men -- a long-time friend -- told me, "You need to come back to SS, when you're ready."
So... is tomorrow too soon? Does it look disrespectul?
It's a pretty social bunch, but as dbil's girlfriend and I were saying yesterday, This is one time I don't have to apologize or explain -- I should just do what I feel like; no one is (or at least no one should be) expecting anything of me.

I was glad I went to the ballgame, but I kinda teared up when I was thinking about how I used to have to remember all the technicalities of a play -- if the catcher threw dgs out at first, etc... (if I went without dh, I mean)... but now I don't have to tell that to anyone. I just felt my lips trembling and I had to really concentrate on something else.

Yesterday TA-DAs:
* changed tv satellite to my name, dropped sports package, only $14/month right now, but cancelled auto renew for next year's MLB package, and that will be a $25/month savings.
* picked up death certificates at funeral home
* washed and capped a gallon of strawberries
* hung garden flag (traditional AU design; dh liked it when I ordered it.)
* dgd spent the night
* set up new A pple watch (w/ds' help)
Today TA-DAs:
* Cleaned out the fridge, threw out almost all the funeral food
* Bought groceries
* put solar light beside patio -- hoping it will shine on my back steps
* Called dfriend to tell him the news (my dfriend's husband, the one who died in May of 2022, with the estranged daughter)
* Swept kitchen floor

Going to get supper for dgs and me now.

[Nancy]

Lucy L. you are doing really great. You might consider some night lights.
They really helped me I have em in bathrooms & my bedrooms the kind that come on if the room is dark.

Watched part of a movie.

I picked up a few branches and got a can of leaves picked up and put in the plant cage for composting.
It is nice out now but we do have a wind warning. So I went out and did that before the winds started.
Glad I checked the weather again.

Got the dishes done and put them away too.
I have a plan for dinner.

[Twins' Mom]

I napped this afternoon but I’m trying to stay awake awhile so I’ll sleep tonight.

Next door neighbor dd had prom tonight. I asked that they let us see her when she was ready. Beautiful black strapless dress all frothy around the bottom, and she looks so grown up and drop dead gorgeous. They sent us a couple of pictures too. She was wearing flat boots with the dress btw.

[lucylee]

I'll have to get some nightlights, Nancy. That might be a good solution. Right now, I'm leaving a light on somewhere in the house so I can see out my bedroom door, LOL. I don't know WHY. If an intruder came in, do I really want to make eye contact, or do I want to play like I'm asleep and hope he just takes whatever he thinks he can (not really much valuable around here)?

I also bought a solar light earlier today at Wmart. The kind you just stick in the ground. I'm hoping it will shine into my back entry. I have a light switch there for the carport, but have to get out of the car and up 3 steps before I can turn it on.
I've thought about getting one of the lights the electric company can put on the already existing electric pole outside... a security light, I think they are called... but it would not be on the opposite side of my carport, the back of the vehicle, instead of the front, where I'm going into my back door, AND it would be right outside my bedroom window. I think that might be TOO much of a good thing, with it shining in my window all night.

[Nancy]

LucyL I have been known to leave the porch lite on or let the rig run till I get inside.
I leave the stove hood lite on so I do not have to come into a dark house.
The neighbors used to have one of those elec. co lites but makes it hard to sleep at night unless you have black out curtains.
Leaving a radio on makes people think the house is not empty too.

I left the water on just a tiny bit not on purpose so got that turned off now.
Had dinner.

Watching Megan Leavy sp? on net flicks a gal in marines with the sniffer dogs.
Only half way through it.

Did up the dishes after dinner and put them away.

[CathyS]

Dishwasher isn't full but I turned it an anyway.

Other than the pasta pot, all other pots and pans are washed.

The youngest cat is playing on my desk and the middle cat is rubbing against my leg.

[Ramblinrose]

Lucylee… I agree with Nancy’s suggestions and I like to leave a radio on when I go out. When I lived alone I left it on talk radio so there were voices to be heard instead of music. And when I lived alone I left the same lights in my house at night. You can also by a timer for your lights so they go off and on at the same time at night. We always use these when we are traveling.

Also when I lived out in the country and had to spend many nights by myself cause my husband was gone, I never ever opened my door for anyone one even in emergencies. My driveway was gravel and was 1/4 of a mile long, so my house sat far off the road. One night when it was very dark and pouring rain a woman came knocking at my front door saying her car had broken down and want to use my phone.

I told her I didn’t open my door up to strangers no matter what, but if she could tell me her husbands phone number I would gladly call him for her which I did. I explained to her husband about his wife’s situation and also explained why I wouldn’t let her in my house. He said he totally understood stood and wished his wife was that smart.

Another easy thing you can do is put your key fob next to your bed. That way if needed you can set your car alarm off if you think someone is around your house.

You’re doing and excellent job taking care of yourself with all your actions and thinking.