It's Wednesday

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Home from my meeting. It is almost time to head out again.

Stopped in at Walmart and bless their hearts, they stock clothing for their demographic shoppers. I also learned there's a difference between 1X and XL. Long story short, there was a cute coat which they carried from XS through to 3X and it looked far better on me than anything I've tried on yet but was a bit light-weight. There was another winner, also thin, and then a 'packable' faux-down jacket (thin but insulated) which also was a winner.

So I bought all three! (For $50 less than the coat I didn't like that I found on the weekend.) Each of them will be great from about 15 - 50 degrees but combining the jacket with either of the coats should take me to well below 0. None are great in wet, though, so I'm hoping the jacket will fit under one of my water resistant spring jackets.

I love the coats because both are 'fitted' rather than just huge. Whatever I buy will make me look larger because we are wrapping material around a large object, but I have curves and these avoid making me look like I'm carrying a sack of potatoes on my back under the coat. One is purple, the other is b&w checks. Now to read my "How Not to look Old" book and figure out if I should be keeping either. Because it is Walmart, if I do stumble across something classier or that looks better, I can always return it. But in the meantime, I don't feel like I'm compromising.

[Nancy]

Net was down the morning.so I could not check in. I weeded a bed and planted the two iris bulbs that needed planted and are in the ground now.

I baked a butternut squash this a.m. I have been watering and finishing laundry.

[FelineFriend]

WTG on the coats, Kathryn!

Nancy, Do you have problems with moles eating or stealing your Iris bulbs, after you plant them? Over here, Nana told me to shake some bone meal from a garden & fed store, into the planting hole. This, she said, deterred mice and moles from stealing the bulbs and eating them, too. I don't know if it's true. But 1 year, I'd planted Iris, tulips, and daffodils WITHOUT bone meal. I had the most beautiful flowerbed! I took photographs, sent them to pen pals, to share how pretty the flowers were. The following Spring/Summer, the flowerbed was BARE! I "just know" that mice and moles stole everything because of my not using bone meal. I was so upset!

Twins' Mom, You sound like your day's very productive. Enjoy the anniversary celebration, too.

Elizabeth, As always- good luck with the job search! Sorry about the foster kitten situation.

Lilac, That's too bad about the water system. I agree with Elizabeth about the maiden voyages, too!

Sadie, You are so RIGHT to have Dson - 18 taking it easy because of his hearing. You're a really good mom.

Lucylee, Was your Dr. appt. okay? I hope so!

Harmony, a LOT of people do get nervous when they meet somebody for the first time, so they chat a LOT, nervously and come across as somebody "nutty". Take it from someone who knows!

I got my last Dec. story done. It's my 5th Dec. story. I'm out of Dec. holiday ideas/plots now. So it's time to relax, work on Christmas crochet, walking, the house, DD's visit tomorrow night for a sleepover, and then, when she leaves on Friday, I'll write on a Jan. story by hand. I'm working way ahead because Dson/Ddil/7 grands are moving near us in Jan., so I want that month "open" because it's my b-day months, too. I'd like to work on April/May stories when the magazine offices close on 12/12/14 - 1/2/15. It'll be nice to get done WAY AHEAD! If I needed to take 2 weeks off, I can do it guilt-free and with a clear conscience. Or if I got sick or we had an emergency or something.

I cleaned the main/guest bathroom mirror with Windex and a coffee filter. "Heard" they don't smear, like cotton cleaning cloths do and leave no fibers behind. They work great! I cleaned the bathroom counter and sink it there, dumped the trash, but next on the list are the main/guest bathroom rugs/sweep-mop floors. I'll wash the rugs, DH will do the floors. I need to dust the window sills in the kitchen. Fingerprints are in the dust. Need to run. My eyes are doing funny odd-ball squiggle light things now. Been at the computer screen too long, because of my story-writing. Need to go rest my eyes.

Have a great Wednesday, Everybody!

[DeeClutter]

Meant to tell you, Kathryn, how very impressive it was to see CMP in their red uniforms, standing today for the funeral for our city's police officer who was killed last week. So proud of all of those who serve. DDIL#1 was part of the honor guard today for over 5 hours. Funeral was held at the very large arena in the city today.

Waiting for dinner to finish cooking. I'm hungry.

[Lilac]

LadyMaverick, was there anyway to save the water or was it all just down the drain? I am glad that it is now fixed. Are you still thinking of selling your MPB?

Elizabeth, hopefully they will fix your car this time where you don't have a relapse.

Dd1 checked my lungs and they are still clear.

This morning the dr. did bloodwork and xrays on dgd4. They haven't heard the results yet. Dd2 said that dgd4 turned her head and never made a sound while they drew blood. Daddy was trying to keep his hand over dgd3's eyes and she wanted to look. When they were done, she said "my turn". She was disappointed that she didn't get blood drawn. I think that since they have watched me test my bs and give myself insulin that they are not afraid. They used to ask if it hurt and I have always answered, no.

FelineFriend, that is wonderful that your ds and his family will soon be moving closer.

I went to Sears to see how long it would take to get a water softener if we ordered one. The guy last night said they have none in stock. The guy today said they do. The guy last night said that there is free delivery, the guy today said no. I called dh and he said their website said that they will deliver and install for $190. They don't have an installer here. So I called dh again and he said to buy it and he will pick it up. We can then get a plumber to install it. The local company told dh that we were lucky that our Sears at the other house lasted so long. Dh finally found a date on this one and it is newer than the one at our last house was when we moved. I just really don't want to work with the local company for various reasons.

Sunday evening dd2 rushed to D ick's S porting Goods and bought the boys each an Under Armor brand sweatshirt @ $59 each. Yesterday dgs10 wore his and when they went outside, he left it in a pile of others in the gym. He did not pick it up. Well I am sure that someone took it. Dd2 told him that if it is gone, then she will buy him the cheapest one she can find at T arget. Yeah right. I told her she needs to stick with that but I can't see her really teaching him a lesson that he desperately needs. I haven't talked with her since he's been home from school.

I have other personal comments to make and have a totally blank mind, right now.

[Harmony]

I have lots of amaryllis bulbs in the ground. Nothing seems to bother them. They multiply every year. I've had to thin them and they need thinned again. I never used bone meal. I think we're just lucky because we do have moles and voles (like field mice).

My "nutty" neighbor told me personal things one doesn't usually talk about in mixed company! We were talking about an accident her DH had. My last neighbor there was very unsociable. This one's the exact opposite!

I'm not feeling very good right now. It seems when I feel better and work a little on the house or something it sets me back. I wish I knew why. But at least it looks better around here.

Got the bed remade. Folded more clothes. Brought in the last load. Ran dishwasher. Went through all the trade magazines and put them in recycling. Nothing this month to pull out for DH to read. Made the dpcalls (3). What I hardly ever talk about is the fact that this is the "office" too and all day and evening I answer the phone and talk with people, answer questions, man the fax machine in and out....and run in and out every hour or so with ice water for DH when he's working out there in the heat.

LadyM, too bad about all that water lost. And the time and expense to you. You guys sure put in a lot of work at your mpb.

[Nancy]

Ff no only thing I have problems with is hens digging out my iris bulbs if I have them where they want to dust bathe.

I have planted seeds in the morning bed I found while cleaning tbe creativity room got that bed prepped earlier this afternoon .

One of the hens is in the upper layer of nest boxes and her baby chick has learned how to climb the sm. Step ladder I have in there as well all cosey and out of the wind now.

Dishes are going and the last last of laundry is in the dryer.

K in C glad you found coats! When I was shopping I only found one style of bras that fit -sigh- same as I got last yr. I wanted some colored lacey ones but that was not ment to be.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Back from dd's. It was the first turkey dinner she ever cooked and dinner was later than planned but everything was delicious.

She knew I wasn't having HFCS this month so phoned her daddy saying the cranberry sauce had HFCS in it. He got my recipe and she made it up from scratch instead. So now knows the secret - it is dead easy to make!

She did stove-top stuffing but it tasted wonderful, not like the chemically stuff I had the one time I tried to make it. She makes amazing roast potatoes (she adds chicken fat that she saved from a dinner a few days ago to the pan to make them even better.) So she did a fabulous job except for the rookie mistake of leaving the giblets and neck in.

The kids gave me an 'oil painting' print of a photo ds had taken of my grandfather's piano. For now, I've placed it above the keyboard I have. Not sure if it will end up there or in the kitchen (it is black and white so would look good in there as well.)

Ds has headed off to the house. Dh is proposing we go out there on Friday to try and take the antenna tower down. Tomorrow the weather will be poor so that's out.

[Lady Maverick]

We dumped all the RO water down the drain. We *could* have turned the RO system off and let the water be used from the tank until it was gone, but that would have added hours to the repair. It was a choice between using the water or dumping it & doing the repairs faster. We needed to get 'er done ASAP. It was still a 18 hour repair job doing it the fastest way possible. DH was waaay past tired by the time it was finished. I'm glad we choose the faster way even though it was a shame to dump all that RO water.

Moles. Gophers. Arghhh..... I have nothing nice to say about them.

LO is out of bathtub. Sweet Dreams.

[Twins' Mom]

Have to love cooking w chicken fat, Kathryn! A jewish cook's dream for sure. Sounds like dd is a good cook.

Lovely dinner out. I ate too much calamari appetizer because I was starving when we got there. Had salmon w polenta as entree. Big headache inducing group: 8 adults + 5 very well behaved kids in an already noisy restaurant. I am feeling way too full.

I walked Moses only thus evening.

Harmony, the beeping from the smoke detector was too much for dogs so I had to deal with it yesterday. Found it upstairs but had to go on stepladder on second level of two story open room to extract then replace battery. Moe was under the bed rooting and macs whinning nonstop so I was glad I could handle it.

Pretty productive day but need to do some thinking on next week's schedule. Tomorrow take care of dmom.

LM, sounds like late night except that you are in a later time zone? It's past 10 pm here.