Targeting Tuesday

[Harriet]

What's lined up in your sights today? What are you gong to target with determination?

Many chores may scatter about us as homemakers, and a few may get away from us sometimes, but when we target the one that's been bugging us, it's DONE.

[Emptynester]

I was going to name it "Traveling Tuesday", Harriet. We left DD's house about 30 minutes ago and are headed for Illinois. We will be there about 4 weeks in 3 different locations. Then we head to Missouri.

Hard to type while traveling so just Hellos and hugs to all.

[Cowinkie]

Morning y'all...

I am heading to the foot drs. and then most likely home. I have some things I would like to do, but the temps for today will be 111* plus. I was just saying to Sweetie on my way from the airport that this has been a good summer as we have only had several 110+days. And no usual weeks where the temps are that high for stretches at a time. Shouldn't have uttered that. Temps for this week, at least until next Monday are suppose to be 111+. Thats what I get for thinking out loud

While I was gone Sweetie never ate out. Thats a record. He used my pressure cooker instead. Remember he had one in the past. I'm getting smart in my old age. I told him since he has mastered the skill of making dinners with the new pot, he should impress me with his cooking abilities at least once a week.

Gotta go ...cy'all later.................

[Nancy]

Today's temp. range 72*- 106 * sigh have to go to town this afternoon w/ hubby not looking forward to that. Watering is done now for the kitchen and tackling floors. I only walked part of my route early then finished it later mid morning before it got too terribly hot out.

[BookSaver]

Good morning, villagers ~
Everyone must be super busy this morning. It's almost 10:30 and only a few posts.

(((Elizabeth))) I'm so sorry about your Dcat.

After working all day at the library book sale on Saturday, Sunday was a family day. I spent an hour or so cutting up fresh veggies and making dip, then packed it all into our big cooler. It did not take as long as we expected to drive to DSis's -- mostly because we did not run into ANY road construction the whole way.

Older DSis and her husband live in an old farm house they have completely renovated and updated. They are retired. She is wonderful at decorating and every room looks ready for a magazine photographer to come do a shoot. Even the garage where they set up tables for the picnic was spotless.

Since we were last there a couple of years ago, they have torn down a couple of outbuildings and painted the big barn. (Not sure what they are going to do with the barn, right now it just has the garden tools and riding lawn tractor in it.) What was previously a chicken coop is now her potting shed and the place she can do crafts that need a well-ventilated room. They have a small veggie garden and a little wooded area where they have cut paths through for walking their 2 little dogs.

They bought this property 5 years ago. It was in really bad shape. They had to replace all of the plumbing and electrical, and do all kinds of carpentry inside and out. It took a couple of years of hard work before they could even think of selling their old house and moving into this one.

I admire people who have the talent for that much do-it-yourself work.

Sunday's weather was beautifully cool in the 80s. We were able to be outdoors the whole time and the kids could play games. Younger DSis had picked up DMom so DMom didn't even have to worry about driving to her birthday celebration.

On the way home, we stopped by DMIL's house to check on her after cataract surgery. She is doing well and was in a very good mood. Her hearing aids were cooperating.

Yesterday I used as a recovery day to rest.
Today I'm getting ready for sewing group meeting tonight. I have to finish some adminstrative work and figure out what to wear.
Tomorrow I'm looking forward to Apron Day!

[helia]

Hell everyone.

I went w/ dh to a coffee shop for coffee this a.m. so we could actually have a conversation. He has been rather absent lately as he is buried in work up to his ears, currently hosting visitors in town interested in one of his projects and grant application deadlines looming + the day-to-day tasks of keeping all the research projects going. I don't think he's gone to bed once before 1:30 a.m. for at least a week. He will not teach a class this fall, and he's very happy about that. As long as he keeps his funding levels up, he only has to teach 1 class/semester; he taught 2 sections of one class F11 and that is being made up to him this semester. No, this does not mean he'll have a lot of free time. He has enough going on with his research to keep him more than busy enough.

Your sister's property sounds lovely, bookie.

Safe travels, MT.

Were only predicted to get up to 90 today.

Target: well, I need to target prep for guests. Dd16 has 3 friends sleeping over tonight; one has cat allergies so I will do a mid-week vacuuming session. We also have out of town guests arriving Thursday morning and staying through Saturday morning. They are friends from our Austin, TX small group Bible study and have since moved to Philly area. They have 2 boys, ages 12 and 9, I believe. I also need to start prepping for their visit. As part of all this prep, I am going back to the groc. store today. . . . I didn't have a meal plan for Thursday dinner when I went yesterday. Yes, 2 of our regular Thursday dinner crew members will be coming over Thursday to meet our friends, so I'll need to cook for 11. I also will be out of the house a lot that afternoon running dd16 and dd14 around, with pick ups/drop offs at 1, 3, 4, and 5. (And an orthodontist appt. for dd14 in the a.m.) I'll be home for good from dd14's oboe lesson around 5:30, so this will be interesting. I'm thinking it will need to be a simple crockpot meal and am planning on chili right now.

My a.m. routine is done - except for getting the laundry started. Grocery list is made.

Have a good day all!

[Elizabeth]

Girls' Night Out is going to start early today. I am picking up DD10 at 1:00 and we are going to the botanical gardens where we like to hunt for dragon eggs. We will go to Chinese then Chuck E Cheese after that. Then I will have to cook stuff for lunches, get DD into the shower, and do a little declutter for the maids on Wed. Despite the death of DCat18, i slept well. Too well, I was frightfully late this morning, but since there is no work and I am on involuntary leave without pay, i am not too worried about it. I guess I can return the stool I borrowed from XDH so DCat could get to the bed. Fortunately, DD was not too upset yesterday about the cat, she had already done her crying the night before. In about a week, i will get another foster cat. Sounds callous I know, but there are so many needing homes, that I think the best thing to do is help one rather than spend a long time mourning one who is gone. I do need to give it enough time that the heirarchy in the house is re-established.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

It is hard to think of a target when I don't know what I'm aiming for.

Felt really sick when I lay down last night and had a stressful night. I took a ginger capsule but that made no difference. On the packaging it specifically said nausea due to motion or sea sickness and it works great on the ship but not for this. Of course, that's the same for dramamine, great on the ship, does nothing for me when I'm sick.

Tried to throw up this morning but simply couldn't. Everything I read says not to push it so I gave up after two good tries.

I have no idea what is wrong but have nothing to show the doctor, either. Nauseous for 5 days, worn out, slight fever one day, temp up 1 degree remaining days (but that could be weather), facial nerve twitching at times (eye one day, jaw today) and random itchiness. Bowels are normal. I'm hydrated (I'm getting at least 48oz of liquid plus the soft foods I'm having and my pee is normal colour today (it was a bit dark yesterday but just for me, not scary.)

Dh picked up the saltines for me and I've had some of those, some applesauce and jello today plus lots of water. I'm giving up on gingerale and coke since they didn't make me feel better yesterday.

I'm going back to bed for a bit. I was sleeping in my chair but it just isn't comfortable enough.

[DeeClutter]

((((Kathryn)))) sure hope you feel better real soon! Hate it when you can't pinpoint what's happening. Know dh was finally vomiting Saturday night. He's still feeling not great and area of his sternum is quite sore/painful with every movement.

[Sadie]

Another day of heat, but we did get just a little bit of rain this morning. Hope it helps. DH is watering the lawn and the trees, everything was so dried up and brittle when we got back. We are not on water rationing here so figured it would help the poor trees and grass.

I got dishes done and swept and mopped the vinyl areas. Cleaned one bathroom and need to clean the other. Slowly getting back into a routine. Need to unpack some more today too.
Kathryn I hope you get to feeling better soon.
Elizabeth so sorry about your cat.
Waving to all.
Wanted to write a bit about the area today.

I grew up in a very small town up in the hills. There was a couple of grocery stores and a couple of restaurants. For work the people would drive to other towns that were close by and work at the factories or stores in those town.

These towns were three to five miles away from our little town and they had clothing, shoe and hardware stores. Every Saturday we would go into the bigger town, park on Main street and walk up and down the street getting things we needed.

In our town, we a little one room church. I have several pictures of it, with different family member standing outside of it.

A farmer owned land behind the houses on our side of the street. In the evenings he drove his cows home at night for milking, and as a child I would run in the field and climb to the top of a hill and look down on the town. In the summer there were always some berries or apples growing which the farmer didn’t mind if we picked.

In the winter time we would take our sleds to the top of the hill and ride down again and again.

But sadly that’s only left in my memory now. The little church collapsed many years ago. Daunt said they should have made the church a historical site but it wasn’t and it just fell apart one day.

The hill behind our house was just carted away, truck load by truck load. The farmer died and the new owners sold the rich soil.

The house I grew up sit empty and falling down too. It’s been sold and re-sold. The houses around it look old and run down too. It looks like a rough area now. My father and brother planted a tree on the day I was born and it still stands. I was glad to see it standing so tall and wide.

And the main streets of the nearby towns are boarded up and empty too. The industries moved out or closed. The factories are empty with broken windows.

The people we talked to said it was very hard to make a living and the taxes are very high. The schools are closing and combining the students of several towns together to one school. Several hospitals have closed and people have to drive a long ways for medical services.

DH grew up on a dairy farm a little ways from me. He wanted to see the 300 acres he and his family used to work. The house and barn are still there but the land has gone un-worked for several years. The hay fields, the pasture land, the orchards and the garden area are all overgrown with tall weeds and trees.

There was only one farm left on the road that he grew up on. It had been a family farm for 120 years but they are selling it this year so it will go back to being un-worked too.

It was sad to see that our roots had disappeared. DH said some things can only remain in our memories.