Saturday PWYC

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Stress, stress, stress.

The maple syrup has crystalized. The guys at the sugar bush say we boiled it too long. They also don't believe we got 16:1 (they kept saying it had to be 40:1). Dh helped me in the basement until the sun hit the tree and the sap started flowing again. He took a sample down to the ag college for advice and measuring.

While waiting for the sun to come around... we got the bookcases out from the back bedroom, emptied another bookcase, put all those we are keeping into it (it is out of the way) and took photos of all the ones we want to toss but think dd/ds will want (dd objected last night when she found out her daddy was tossing books ruthlessly and said she wanted a say.) BTW: she doesn't deserve a say because she could be home now but won't move back unless the circumstances are perfect (her OCD) so continues to live in a rat-infested apartment with plumbing problems because she doesn't want to move to Ottawa and then have to move again to another city if her dh doesn't find a job here. (He is currently working over the internet so can work from anywhere and she's attending courses via distance learning with a college in Ottawa so it makes more sense for her to come back here.)

Anyway, it wasn't too bad until I was doing the last of the tidyup and found 4 more boxes of children's books in the storage room. I thought I had saved just the important picture books already but there are three more boxes to go through now an my emotions just couldn't handle it. So I'll leave those to be dealt with when I deal with the toys.

My creative room looks better, the tv room looks better, ds's new bedroom is empty of our stuff and I have a sense of order for the moment. Physically, I'm completely exhausted and have walked only 2100 steps so far. I ache all over, and my chest is so tight I'm gasping for air. Dh wanted me to come out to the ag college with him because he thought the sunlight and fresh air would help but I didn't have the energy to stand around while he talked. If it was just a car ride, I might have gone.

Edited to add: dh is back. In keeping with our "we aren't normal" lifestyle, our tree is producing almost 8% sugar sap (instead of the usual 1 - 2%.) The researchers will be out to test the sap directly from the tree (they are concerned about contamination of our sample) and have loaned us equipment for further testing when we boil. They also would like to take grafts of our tree. Their comment, "You can't move, you are sitting on a gold mine!" Oh, and the 12 oz of syrup that is now hardening into candy? It is worth $100.

[OKay]

Happy Birthday Lilac!!

Kathryn - I am enjoying reading about the sap. I wonder if it is the tree or the location (near septic system). Veeerrry interesting. The Master Gardening class I attended this week was about trees. The professor who taught this week had a preference for trees normally grown overseas. His favorite is Jujube. He encouraged us to plant trees that were multi-purpose - beautiful, eatible and low maintenance. I suspect your tree would be one of his favorites if he lived in your zone.

Last night was not fun. The dentist numbed the tooth very well while he worked on it, but later when the feeling returned it was not pleasant. My tooth hurt. BAD. I took OTC meds but it didn't touch the pain. I tried ice and heat. Nada. I had some prescription pain meds on hand and took one of those. I'm not sure if it stopped the tooth pain or just knocked me out so I didn't care that it was hurting. I woke up several times during the night with it hurting but managed to go back to sleep. Today it is much better. If I had the option of going back to bed, I would have taken another prescription pain pill however I'm coping using OTC meds and they are keeping the pain down to tolerable level.

This morning I picked up my first fruit/veg basket from a coop. Bountiful Baskets. I'm impressed enough to keep participating. I enjoyed the surprise of seeing what will be included in the basket. It is forcing me to get "out of my box" and try new things. This weeks items that I had never bought before was Mango's and Boy Choy. DH and I both like the mango's but it appears LO will need another 199 times to try them (LO's doctor said to have him try a fruit/veg 200 times before accepting that he doesn't like it. He said the taste preference will change as his taste buds mature).

[Cowinkie]

A very merry Lilac...hope you get to celebrate with your family and friends.

Still rainy and cold. Fine with me. Errands done, food put away, lunch made and eaten.

Okay...I know just how you feel. I had a back tooth crowned around Xmas and had the same experience. I took 800mg three times a day of ibruprofin per doc orders and eventually it helped. Took weeks for tooth to feel normal and still bothers me from time to time. Also it was very sensitive to cold. That lasted a long time as well.

I am tired for some reason so gonna close my eyes for a while. Waving to y'all

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

I borrowed another canning pot because we will be storing filtered sap in ours and I'll need another one to boil the jars in. Our friends also had snap lids so I was able to take 5 and not have to go to the store.

We came home and boiled up the 'ruined' syrup to a much higher temperature and then cooled in down, stirred it and have poured in into a pan. It has turned to maple sugar. I have about $12 dollars worth of it. Much less than the $100 but then again, it is maple sugar not hard maple candy (that's harder to make and my candy thermometer appears to have broken so I guessed at the boil temperature and used the meat thermometer to tell me when it was cool enough to stir.

So I'm scraping the side of the pot with a spoon and eating it when it occurs to me it is candy. And I've given up candy for Lent! Dh assured me that it is Sunday in New Zealand so I'm ok! I'll probably take the rest of the candy to church with me tomorrow if I deem it edible in the morning.

Must prep the Sunday School lesson. I did it before church last week but that was easier because the time didn't change.

Remember to set your clocks ahead tonight!

Dh has started dinner. So far it is just baked potatoes but they smell great. I'm starving tonight.

[Lilac]

Thank you to each of you for the birthday greetings. I am 59 and can hardly believe that many years have zoomed by.

Last night I went with dd2 and dgd3 to the ER. For the last week dgd3 has complained of her tummy hurting during the evening and won't eat supper. She did that Thursday night and was laying on the floor moaning. Dd2 was going to take her then but dgd3 fell asleep. Yesterday morning she felt fine and didn't want to go to the dr. Dd2 kept her with her at the shop and she did fine. Then last night about 6 she started again.Dd2 explained to her that she would have to pee in a cup, get bloodwork and maybe xrays. She felt so bad that she agreed to go anyway. We got there about 8 and left there at 11. The waiting room was full and there were police running in and out. Never knew what that was about. Her bloodwork was fine and so was her urine. It just showed that she hadn't eaten for 6-8 hours. We were just relieved that they could assure us it wasn't appendicitis. He did say even little ones can have that problem. He said that kids can get unexplained things like this and if it continues to see her pediatrician next week or bring her back. She was slightly dehydrated and they couldn't get blood out of her inner elbow or wrist. They ended up having to stick her finger and work to get it out. It took almost 20 minutes. She never made a sound when they stuck her, just a grimace. We were really proud of her.

When I got home I had to do supper dishes because we had ate later than normal. I had fried hamburgers and when I walked in the smell hit me and I realized that I didn't want to wake up to those dishes. Then I ironed todays clothes and finally hit the bed at 1.

This morning dgs8 had a basketball tournament and the first game was at 10:15. I went out and watched the 3 little ones. If he lost that game he would play at 1:30 and if he won, it would be 4:30. They lost. Dd2 called and wanted to take me to lunch for my birthday, so she had me get the girls dressed and dgs7 motivated to get dressed, so that we could head out when they got home. We ate lunch and went to the 1:30 game. Dd1 watched the little girls . So by 2:30 I was home and worn out. Dd1 came by for awhile.

Dh has spent all day tiling and has the longest wall of the shower tiled. It is looking great. He wants to go out to eat tonight for our birthdays. This sounds crazy but I hate to go out and eat Friday or Saturday night, unless we are in a group. Everyone has plans so it will be just us. I don't want to go but he deserves a good steak meal out, if thats what he wants. So I will go and keep my complaining to myself.

Everything worked smoothly with transferring my old tracfone number to me new one. It transferred my leftover minutes and days, plus 60 days came with it. I will add more minutes later. I changed the ringtone and set up my voice mail, so I am in business.

Yesterday dd2 called and told me that dgd3 would be painting at the shop and I was welcome to come down. I needed to clean but I went. Dd2 has been open 5 1/2 months and I had never painted a thing until yesterday. I painted a girl bunny who had flowers around her head and a scarf. Dd2 laughed and said she would have known that I painted it, because it looked like me. The flowers are 4 different shades of lilac, purple, grape and orchid. The scarf is blue. I painted her eyes blue and made black eyelashes. She has a pink nose, mouth and inner ears. I was in such a zone that I didn't want to leave and I told dd2, that is why I haven't painted before now. I am going to have to be careful and not paint a bunch of useless stuff. I will try to stick to gifts or holiday items.

It is windy today and was 69 but it is cooling off fast. It is just suppose to be cooler for a day or two and then back in the 60's. With the time change, it will feel like spring.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Cut up and put away the candy. Dh did up the dishes. We'll be heading to bed soon, I think. I have physio to do before bed though (didn't do it at all today and have only gone 3700 steps because I stayed off the treadmill.)

[Lilac]

We decided to just stay home. It started snowing plus with the wind and low temps, we'd rather be snug at home. Yikes, I guess our age is showing.....

I am waiting on an A irborn cocktail to quit fizzing. Feel like I am coming down with a cold. We are hoping that none of us picked up anything at the ER last night.

[Lynlee]

Waving from Sunday

Staying home seems the sensible thing to do Lilac. I hope you are not getting sick.

Garden this morning.
Church this morning. Sat and talked for a while afterwards. I am trying weak black tea. I seem to be ok with that.
I'll be out later - need take a rest now before 3pm rolls round.

[Harmony]

Happy Birthday Lilac! (Yesterday, technically)!

I am really sick with this cold. I got up at 11 determined to do something to jump start this getting better path. I had a nice long hot shower. I had chicken soup, 2 cups of coffee as I think I was getting caffeine withdrawal. Oh a piece of toast. I got all dressed too. But by 7:30 I was feeling very bad and had to go to bed.

DH has emptied the dishwasher and reloaded. Good. All the dishes (well some) are in the wrong spots. I won't mention that. There are stacks of papers everywhere. I got a couple days' mail from the box. Sigh... wondering when this will ease up.

I have lost 4 pounds. But I know a lot of that is water because my rings are really loose and are driving me crazy turning around and around.

I'm going back to bed now.

Oh, thank you for the clock reminder, I had forgotten. I put a big sign on the coffeepot for DH tomorrow, I'm sure he'd miss his church time.