Wordless Wednesday

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

What. A. Mess.

48°f this morning at 5:30 am. Mostly clear, clouding up a little during the day. High around 60, nice.

Well, we tore into it yesterday and are still dealing with the repercussions today. I have been working on Christmas decorating,  and decided that the curtains in this room needed to be washed. Which made me notice how dirty the windows were. Which made me move out the couch to get to the windows better, which meant cleaning under the couch...and there are totes of Fall decor to be put away, half-unpacked totes of Christmas, a pile to take to the thrift. And on it goes.

While we had this mess going on, Larry decided to tackle something I have been asking for his help with for a while: cleaning out and organizing the big pantry cupboard. 

This cabinet is 7 feet tall, 4 feet wide, and 20 inches deep. It holds a LOT. And it was plumb full. So in the midst of the Christmas muddle, we emptied that monster, which took up every bit of available counter and table space and filled a very large tote too. As we worked, we tossed out of date stuff, and filled a bag eith good things for the local blessings box. I mean, who needs 6 bottles of barbecue sauce? Yet there they all were, lurking in the depths. 

I am happy to say that we finished the job today. I don't know if I am going to remember where we put what but at least all pasta and rice is in the same area, as is all the baking stuff, the herbs and so on. Oddly, even with all that we got rid of, we did not end up with any extra space. How did that happen? I have no idea. 

And the windows are washed, mostly. Larry still has to do the outside of the one in the top photo, as it is about 12 feet or more off the ground. The curtains are re-hung, the couch back in place, and I even got through another tote, which held most of my Christmas Tree Forest. Larry put up most of the outside lights too. So progress. 

And got out Larry's "major award" (which might be clear as mud for those in other countries,  but comes from a very funny and hugely popular movie here in the US, A Christmas Story.)

The only downer today was literally that--- I fell 

on the porch, tripping over the hose and cords of the pressure washer. Talk about terrified, trying desperately as I went down not to fall on that new knee! I somehow managed, and I am sorry to say I kinda blasted poor Larry for leaving the danged thing right in the walking path. I mean, yeah, he did leave it there, but I knew it was there and should have paid better attention. Needless to say, it was very quickly taken off the porch and put away. I wasn't hurt, and I did apologize. I swear I did.

So, it has been a long and very tiring day, but it was good to get so much accomplished. I forgot to mention that my physical therapy was at 7am today. What an ungodly hour to have to be in town. And of course I woke up at 5, just because.

I still can't sleep in the bed although I try every night. And last night around 11, just as I dropped off to deep sleep, the dogs found a possum and all heck broke loose outside. So we were up and out with lights, but the poor possum was beyond help and Larry had to dispatch him to a better place. The dogs, however, felt no remorse and indeed seemed quite proud of themselves. Honestly, we don't want possums around here because yes, they will kill chickens. So there is that.

Now, it is time to sit back with some hot chocolate and watch a movie. I think we earned it today.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Week in Review

32°f, 0°C this morning at 5:30am, mostly clear. Still no killing frost, I think,, as it warmed to 34° before the sun came up. Beautiful moon, just past full. A bit of pink in the sky.

I haven't posted in a few days because there just hasn't been much to say. Do you have times like that, when you just feel uninspired? 

That doesn't mean we haven't been busy, though. Monday we stocked our Ripley booth, Tuesday we went to my doctor appointment in Parkersburg, had lunch at a nice little Mom & Pop place called the Crystal Cafe, shopped at Aldi's and a thrift store. Wednesday we re-did  the display window at our Ravenswood booth and got the Christmas stuff stocked there and did some rearranging--not as well as I would have liked, but 3 hours of work and I was beat. 

Thursday Larry worked on a pressure washer we bought last summer at ReStore; it wouldn't run but just a few minutes. He changed the spark plug and cleaned the magneto, and now it runs like a top. While he did that I rested, then got a dozen grab bags ready for our Ripley booth. They are having a big open house this weekend, and the grab bags always sell well during these events. Larry took them in that evening. We sold 10 of them yesterday!

Then Friday we went to Spencer, because a store there had a great sale on bacon, 7.5 pounds of good bacon for $25.  

The store, called Cash Saver, had very good prices, similar to Aldi's,  so we will be shopping there more often, as it is only about 15 miles further from home than Kroger, which gets more and more expensive. Similar bacon would be almost $5 a pound there, and was off our shopping list. This pack will last us almost a year.

We aren't big bacon eaters, but it's nice every now and then, and is called for in many recipes.

Spencer has some neat old buildings,  like these two:

McIntosh Hardware is one of my favorite stores. It's old time,  with wood floors and bins full of hardware of every kind. And great, knowledgeable staff, a rarity these days.

Tattoo parlors are everywhere these days. I don't understand this current craze at all, but it seems to be hanging on. This one is located in an old bank building--you can tell by the corner door and location,  which allowed a line of sight in two directions.

Spencer is a nice little town. People there are quite friendly, assuming they know you because people don't generally go there from Ripley to shop. We picked up chicken feed and stopped at the Salvation Army where I found a few nice things for our booths. (These thrift stops allow me to claim mileage on my taxes.)

On the way back we passed through the metropolis of Peniel. 

We decided to go into  Ripley too, as I had a prescription to pick up...and the library was having a book sale! Wd came out with a full box for $10. Enough reading and DVDs to keep us busy a wee while.

Yesterday Larry picked the last of the peppers, which we chopped up and put in the dehydrator.  The dried peppers are great for soups, stews, meatloaf, etc, and so handy. When that was done I began Christmas decorating. 

I figured I might as well, since we had it all dragged out to sort for the booths. I still have more to do and haven't got the tree up yet. Larry will put up the outside lights today, although I don't think we will turn them on yet. 

I am really not in the spirit, truthfully, just getting it done. I just feel so tired, and this knee is no help. It is a little better for the rest from PT, but that pinched nerve/inflamed tendon is still there and preventing a good bend. I go back to PT tomorrow, so we will see what the next steps will be. At least I am sleeping better most nights, such a blessing! I am still on the couch; tried the bed again but it's a no-go.

So that's been our week. Nothing exciting,  certainly. Best news is that grandson Jared, now returned from his extended trip to southeast Asia,  is driving home from LA and will be here for an extended stay. He is taking a scenic route and visiting friends so it will take him a week to get here. Granddaughter Ashley is flying in from Denver this weekend to stay for a week, and my sons and some other grandchildren will be here next weekend to make apple butter. So we will be seeing a lot of family very soon. I am looking forward to that.

Now, back to my tea. 

Until next time, friends.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.