motherbored's Blog
motherbored's Blog
Last Post 8 hours Ago
Oct 9, 2008 | 8:55 PM PST
Tags: cancer , radiation therapy , Radiation
Just got home from our son's; our daughter and her son were there too, and we had a wonderful meal, thanks to Mike's culinary efforts.
Mike mowed the grass and I filled two large boxes with all the ground cover I cut back; the cover is easy to start, and it grows fast; now, I have to find a place to put it. I'll take a picture of the bank garden, tomorrow, to show you how lush and green it is. I tried to get a picture of one of the flowers, but failed, so maybe I'll have better luck tomorrow.
Went to Costco, while we were down there and you have no idea of the agony I endured! They had thrown out a tree, in their trash and I was so tempted to go dumpster diving for it, but managed to control myself... mainly, because I believe you can be arrested for something like that, can't you?
Deo has his first radiation therapy on the 24th and we will have the girls and Sarah up here, because he's not supposed to be around them. I had no idea how involved this was. I think he's afraid, but he's trying his best to be brave for the girls; they are very worried about him, so he's doing everything to help them keep their minds off it.
Well, better get to bed; Goliath doesn't like to stay up late. He's still doing well, despite the cough. Good night, all, and God rest on your pillow.
Oct 9, 2008 | 7:38 AM PST
When I was young, people said I looked like June somebody (has a whispery voice and wore her hair in a pageboy,) as I got older, they said I looked like Shelly Winters. Last night, before going to bed, I glanced in the bathroom mirror and decided I still look like a star -- Dawg the Bounty Hunter. Think I'll cut my hair ;-)
We're going to our son's, today, to cut his grass; he's still not feeling 100% from the surgery. Mike's going to make pansit for dinner, as well as fried rice -- where is the lumpia!
I'm going to trim back the ground cover, at Deo's (son) house; I should get enough to get it going all along the front fence line and maybe even some for the west end of the house. Wish I could give all of you some, because it's so dark green, with pretty, tiny red flowers and I want to share.
Hey, I found my Wacom tablet and pen; it was in the computer, all the time, but Mike had slipped a ream of paper on the shelf and it covered the tablet. Good thing the printer ran out of paper, huh?
Well, better get some coffee going, or I won't be.
Oct 8, 2008 | 3:02 PM PST
Tags: quilt , quilting
I really don't think I'm supposed to digitize or sew; I finally got my R/W module back, made a maze design for a kids' quilt block, put it on the card, went to the playhouse to test sew it and can't find a bobbin for the machine! My son put Mike's old computer in there, so I could set up another design center for the Husqvarna and, in so doing, he must have brushed the bobbin and cover off. Durn! Shame on me for complaining, because my son is such a good kid and helps us so much.
Anyway, here's the block design. I generally use Dover clipart, as it's not copyright protected, per se. I must own 100 of their clipart books, by now; never can have enough of a good thing ;-) I clean up the clipart, so as not to have too many details, this way you have a simple redwork design. The design will go on a 6" block, but can be made larger, for a larger block.
Oh, my gardening stuff: I am trying to start new eucs from cuttings and cloning gel and this is sort of a garden-type picture ;-)
Oct 8, 2008 | 10:05 AM PST
While I was watering the bank garden, I saw how much Mike had cut; wow, we're going to have firewood for years! I had no idea a eucalyptus, no matter how small it looks, has so much wood!
Ten Cent is holding his own and looking better every day. Some of my mini roses don't look so good, so I'd better get out and cut them back. I wish I knew the kind of ground cover I have there; got it from cuttings from my son and it's really pretty, with tiny flowers that the bees love. I'll see if he can remember what it was called.
Last night, Mike got a picture of Goliath, in his favorite spot and his adversaries are looking a bit miffed, that they don't get this type of treatment. That's Willy-Kitty in the front, Walter is ignoring Goliath, and Spike is on the other side of me: no wonder I don't get much sleep ;-)
Oct 7, 2008 | 6:13 PM PST
Tags: grey water , water conservation
... or the money to buy more ;-)
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Oct 7, 2008 | 1:53 PM PST
Just got home from the big city and didn't get anything, to speak of. Bought the bolt-end (8-2/3 yards) of white muslin, for the quilt squares, then called son and granddaughters and met them for banana splits, then to the store to buy the kids something to occupy them, for the afternoon, as their dad has a chemistry assignment.
When I got home, there was my R/W module, so I'm going to be digitizing until the wee hours of the morning.
Hope you all had as much fun today, as I did ;-)
Oct 7, 2008 | 9:15 AM PST
Today, I'm really going to go out and start looking for more things to grow. So far, I haven't made it to any Lowes, Ace Hardware, etc., and they've all been having sales. I also have to get some muslin, as I'm making stick figure quilt squares for children's quilts. One of my friends makes the quilts for children in foster care, hospitals, etc., so I thought this would be fun for the kids. I'm also trying to get mazes to put on squares, as kids love mazes. I usually buy Dover books, as they don't have stringent royalties; I can't draw, worth beans, and I truly want the kids to see a maze, not a bunch of squiggles.
Goliath is holding his own and I'm determined to remember to call the vet, today, to get meds for him, should he have pain.
The parsley that I planted for Mike, in a container, is really thriving;; he's so excited that he will have parsley, when he needs it. Silly man, he has all sorts of stuff in the garden, already, but doesn't use it.
Hey, has anyone ever tried sage with their fried potatoes? I add onions and chopped sage and it's delicious.
Well, I'm off... in more ways that one ;-)
Oct 6, 2008 | 8:47 PM PST
I don't think I want to be a pharmacist; too dull! I sat here, this afternoon, opening the cymbalta capsules and pouring out some of the filling. Cheaper than getting a lower dose and, besides, if things keep on going the way they are, I won't need 'em anymore.
Went out and checked all the growing stuff and the rain, even that little bit, really gave everything a shot.
Mike is going to put my battery back in the tractor; we take it out, when we're not going to use the tractor, because it loses the charge, otherwise.
Got boucoup oak leaves that I want to cut up, so they will mulch better. We bought a catcher, but nothing ever gets up in it, so gave up trying. A rake is for real farmers, so I don't do that ;-) Also, oak leaves have a tendency to get slippery, with rain, and I fall enough, as it is.
I moved a bunch of pine straw under my rose bushes and they like that. I never heard of pine straw, until I was in NC, and they really piled it on the base of their trees, there, when we were staying there for a few months. Smart people!
Oct 6, 2008 | 9:31 AM PST
Do you think bees know something that we don't? With all the talk about global warming and bees disappearing, I'm wondering. I'm not scientific minded, but I was curious, when we went days without sun spots, prior to that, we were told that bees were disappearing, etc. Yesterday, Mike said he couldn't figure out the noise, as he was under the eucalyptus trees, looked up and said there were thousands of bees there. We'd had rain, the day before. Wish I were a scientist, because, if I were, I'd keep my eye on nature.
As for bees disappearing, those foreboders who say that, should hang around here; there has been no shortage of bees, in fact, I think we've had more than usual. Same with butterflys; this year was one of the most prolific for butterflys in this area. You can't look out the window, without seeing one.
Dumb conversation, but I have a dumb brain that likes to wonder about stuff ;-)
Oct 5, 2008 | 2:34 PM PST
I don't get no respect! I was out helping Mike, cutting the eucs -- no, they're not dead; you cut eucs 3' up and they will regrow -- and he needed my help to roll one, so he could cut completely through; I bent, helped him roll it and, then, fell "ine slow motion," so he claims. Lately, I've been doing everything a little slow, I guess; I'm trying to get off antidepressants, which I've been taking for about 18 years, per doctors' advice. I finally determined that I'd rather be me, than in a fog, somewhere. Now, when I have nothing to do, I stand around and listen to my heart beat, or watch my arms to make sure they're not as big as they feel; talk about a bad trip, but I'm determined. I can't fathom how anyone can take a mind-altering anything on purpose.
Went to the movies with the girls and their dad, yesterday, and saw Beverly Hills Chihuahua; what a cute film! I just love Cheech Marin's voice, which was dubbed. Of course, I shed a tear, now and then, thinking of our Goliath; he's getting closer to the Rainbow Bridge, by the day, but we're keeping hm comfortable. Don't know if I mentioned it, but the vet found a mass in his lung, which is cancerous. He has a bad cough, but still bounces around like a pup. We try not to have our fur babies put down, as death isn't always painful, but being away from their loved ones is.
I tried to get a picture of the ground cover, with the bees all over it, but my picture taking leaves much to be desired, so I gave up, after two failures.
Our rainy "season" is over; it lasted about 14 hours. There's supposed to be more, though.
Well, guess I'll go out and see what else I can do in slow-motion ;-)
Below is Mike, waiting for my help, thinking up some snide remark to make, once I fall ;-)
Oct 4, 2008 | 5:57 PM PST
They discovered America and, guess what? I discovered that if you have two cordless mouses in close proximity, only one will work properly; the other? Good luck ;-) Last night, I let Alyssa play on my laptop and I was on my PC; my mouse wouldn't work properly and I was getting very upset, because I'd just put new batteries in it. She finally grew tired of her game and left to watch TV and, voila, my mouse worked again! In the old days, grandmothers didn't have these problems.
Oct 4, 2008 | 10:56 AM PST
This makes me so angry! I had a blog, ready to post, and lost it. Oh, well, back to the drawing board. This morning, I made beignet dough, thinned it and proceeded to make puffers. The first batch turned out well, the second was slightly black, but my loving pups didn't mind. I put the black ones on the back porch and coco, being the piggish dog she is, picked one up and proceeded to chew: HOT! She (if a dog can do such a thing) spit it halfway across the back porch. The girls complained that the puffers didn't look as good as they do on TV; heck, nothing I make looks like it does on TV, which is why I stick to making soup. The second batch turned out well, but the kids lost interest and went back to Sponge Bob, leaving me with a hungry pack of dogs on the back porch and a bunch of puffers.
It rained 4/10" last night; it feels so nice and clean, outside! No hand-watering, today. Our water bill was over $200, last month! I wish we had had a well put in, when we bought this place, but can't afford it now. Besides, the local government is trying to regulate water use -- forget the fact that we live within 3 miles of one of the largest reservoirs in California.
Enough whining; you all have a wonderful day!
Oct 2, 2008 | 4:49 PM PST
Tags: rain , earthquake
Now, if only they would start leaking ;-) I just adore rain! When I was young, we walked to and from school, even in the rain, and, when we'd get home, our shoes would be soaked, from wading in every, single mud puddle. Ah, memories. Then, when we'd get home, Mom would have something warm, like cocoa or ovaltine; yum!
Mike, Mike III and the girls have gone to a museum in San Francisco, for the day. I don't go, because I won't ride the Bart trains in tunnels that go under water. I'm just not a good Californian, because I am afraid of earthquakes, as are all of my critters; ever notice how animals share our fears?
One time, in Stockton, there'd been a big earthquake and I was in a store; the lady, in front of me, wanted her change in one-dollar bills, so I had to wait and, as I was waiting, the signs, hanging from the ceiling, started to sway; the woman behind me was pushing me, to get out, and I didn't want to hurt the lady waiting for her change, but, believe you, me, when it was over, I darted out the door in a hurry. That night, I was seated in an easy chair, when an aftershock hit, breaking a huge nail, that held our gate closed; the noise and the motion were too much for our boxer Tony and he leaped into my lap; he only weighed about 100 lbs, but, when that much weight comes at you, accompanied by speed, it's a surprise. Another time, we were in Costco and an earthquake hit; I was out in front, Mike bringing up the rear and the guy at the door tried to stop me, so he could see my receipt, which Mike had: I told him to get out of my way and the nerd just stood there, so Mike said, "You'd better listen to her; she's dangerous." Lucky for that feller, he moved, or I would have run him over with the cart... I'm a survivor and, when in danger, all bets are off.
I was in such hope, for rain, this morning, I didn't hand-water. It still might rain, later tonight, because there is that warm, humid feeling that comes before a summer sprinkle. Generally, the first rain hits around Sept 25th.
I know a lot of you have had more than your fair share of rain, this past few months, so I pray you will have less and, maybe, if you're so inclined, you can push the clouds this way.
Sep 30, 2008 | 8:06 AM PST
Mike III had his surgery, yesterday; he gets to come home today. The girls are here, so I doubt that I'll be doing much more than playing, watching cartoons and having fun. We'll be going down to pick "Poppa" up, at the hospital and transporting him home. Sarah will be going home, too... speaking of Sarah, better let her out of the kennel.
The weather is finally cooling down, but the weather guessers say it's going to heat up, again; think I'll run back to Washington, for a brief respite.
I'm going to wander through Lowes, today, to see if there are any bargains left. I'd love to get a few more trees. That reminds me, my daughter-in-law's mother gave me a tree and I need to take a picture to send to them. It looks like a weeping willow, but has fruit, shaped like small peaches. I had forgotten where it came from, until my son reminded me -- you know you're "rich," when you have plants that you have no idea about their origin. The fig tree has lots of fruit -- my Dad loved Fig Newtons, but I didn't, so I can't get overly excited; still, I'm told that with proper preparation, they are good; we'll see.
Have a wonderful, fruitful day, all.
Fruit tree given to me by girls' maternal grandmother;
fruit is small, light in color and peach-shaped
The sweetest things in this picture are Micaela and Alyssa
