This week

 The Geese are back, the buzzards are scouting (like we have 3-4 instead of 2 dozen).

About a month early. Ch 10 in over in Columbus is saying March is going to be warmer than normal. 

I will be bringing in seed starting soil to get it warm so I can start my seeds. I was able to get the grow cart in the laundry room. I will have to roll it if I use the dryer to fluff dog fur off blankets) About the only thing I use the dryer for.

I will be covering 2 garden beds to prep them for spring planting. That way if we get cold weather (and we will) I can just pull the row cover over them to protect them. 

I have started my sweet potato slips. In two weeks I will chit my potatoes for planting the week before Easter.

I have started reorganizing the home. I have found that storing in boxes does not work for me. One I don't like cardboard boxes as they get mites and I end up getting bit. Two I can't see what I have and constantly have to look or keep written track and that doesn't happen when Hubby gets something and doesn't say something or a kid walks out with the whole box. 

SO open shelving is happening.

I had a small end table for the home phone in the dining room. I now have a 3 tier pipe and wood shelving unit for it and I am slowly putting the cook books I use the most on it.That end table will probably end up in one of the lofts.

We will be picking up 2 more shelfing units today as they are on sale at Menards and I have rebates I can use to pay for them, like what I have in the basement for the one loft  so I can moves stuff there. THEN I can move the metal shelf unit to the other side of the loft for medical supplies.There is a cabinet in the barn that might work in that room also. It was above the washer at the old homestead and I hated it as I had to climb on the washer to get anything. But Late Husband could reach it easily so that's where he put it. I think if it fits( north and south lofts are A frame) that I could put medical stuff in it and take the bookcase that I have been using to the east loft where I have bedroom/sewing room and over flow of books.

I have 4 black trash bags ready for donation. We will do donation on Tuesday that are NOT appts days. 

Hubby got the wood that was delivered in the wood shed and then cut up more wood that E had dragged out of woods and up to our wood shed for us. He still have a lot more to cut and split. We have 1 cord of wood left in the barn for this year's wood. We can always use what is in the wood shed but we are hoping we don't have to use much of it.Hubby would like 2 yrs of wood cut by Sept. That is 18 to 20 cords of wood... That is twice what our wood shed will hold so he is definitely planning on using the 1st stall of the back of the barn for wood. I told him that should be spring/ fall wood, stuff that we don't need a long or hot fire due how cold it doesn't get. Keep the more solid stuff for winter. When the winds go above 20 mph, we burn through the wood more than normal winds. 

I best get around. We have to leave at 7:30 and I need to get laundry done first

Prayers for Sanity 

Blessed be

Can the week get any busier?

 The answer is YES.

Last week Hubby made several calls to medical offices because he wasn't getting follow up appts or information. He had me help him make the list of what doctors he was needing to call and over what issue. He now has 9 appts, two will have more follow ups (voice therapy) in next 8 wks. FUEL costs just went over budget. 

He has been diagnosed with acid reflux and it's messing with his voice box. With his dementia they use every day words instead of medical words. They sent a list of what he can do to help with it to his My Chart. I printed it off... he read through and asked why it seemed familar... maybe because I have had it for decades and our grandson has it also. I also pointed out he does not drink the amount of water he thinks he does... then he mentioned he was drinking coffee or unsweet tea when he was out and out of water...he called back to the doctor office and she specified he was to drink WATER of the amount she said and coffee, tea (and limited both to 20 ounces each) and soups were extra.  Man used to drink 3 pots of coffee by himself. I got him down to half a pot. 

He called the insurance he had for the business as he got a bill from the state the accident was in. They did bill him and his insurance 8 months AFTER the accident but wanted it paid in 30 days. It's been over 30 days, insurance said they were processing the claim 3 wks ago... now he can't even get the person dealing with it to answer their phone or send him an email about where it stands. He told me last night he was calling his old agent and filing a complaint. He used to shrug this crap off and just let it go where it may. 

I had a call from hospital about therapy for me... I'm like I haven't been to hospital for anything that needs therapy. She looked back at the order and found it was for a foot injury...I sighed that was over 2 yrs ago and I did not need therapy for it even then.  Then she SIGHED. It was a Urgent care sub doctor that was not use to their system, in her notes she says that I did NOT need therapy.

MIL was diagonized with heart issues.... doctor told her at age 86 (87 in June) that she could do some things to make it easier for her or just put up with the tiredness. They did get her on meds to reduce water retention, she lost 35 lbs in one month, had to go buy clothes. The oldest son got her a lift chair that has helped as her polio is also getting worse with her age. FIL has diabetes and Alzheimers. Their home is NOT wheelchair friendly so the oldest has some land and needs to tear down the old house and rebuild (roof leaked and the grandkid living there didn't say anything so he didn't find it until year later because he was helping his wife with her disabled daughter that now has past away and wasn't checking on it). He has decided on wheelchair accessible like we made this house. The parents will still need help. There is not enough money to cover a nursing home for both of them. They admitted they had planned for the oldest to take them in. His late wife would have quit her job and did it. His 2nd wife is a no go, she just spent 30 yrs with a disabled daughter. She is burned out.  We suggested home health care, two of our daughters worked in it for awhile. That seems to be working at this time with several of the grandkids stopping in and someone is doing some house hold chore needed done right then plus only daughter goes 1st Saturday of the month and does a good cleaning between her and her Hubby. She's almost 10 yrs younger than Hubby. Hubby talked them into ramping the front porch. They love it. IF it was up to us, we would widen doorways and put in a wheelchair bathroom and get rid of the cubby hole office they have beside it. Change access to the sun room that neither can use during the winter due to having to go down stairs to get there and they can't go up and down stairs.

We went over last night to say good bye to the young Amish family that is moving to Michigan. He built our clock. Did give us the info that if something happened to it Hubby could call the company that built the clock part. Then told us  several times we could just bring it to him and they would put us up so he could fix it. Or we could just come up to visit. Gave us their address and told us to keep in touch. I will miss seeing the changes she does on a daily bases as she was working at improving the gardens and landscape of where they were living. Even during the winter she was outside doing something. The home is owned by his dad, so they are only taking what they need right now and will send for the rest later. OR they can move back but I doubt he will. He likes carpentary work especially outside and there is not enough around here for him to make a living with the amount of other Amish doing the same. He does not want to keep taking his buggy 10 miles one way to join another work group and then be driven 30-60 miles before being on the job. He was coming home at 8 pm and not having time to do any of his own farming. His family was trying to help but still. The only family they will have in the new area is her widow aunt. Said he didn't realize how much he preferred to be outside rather than working in the saw mill(his dad runs a mill) or even building furniture. He wasn't making enough to pay the taxes on property with just farming. The area they lived in was next to the river so not enough land.

Prayers for sanity (mine especially) 

Blessed be

What a week

 At least I got snuggles from Charlotte. 

Son 2 lost a good friend of decades in a car accident last night. 

The guys we bought wood from before called to let us know they got timber in and was cutting again. Trying to finish paying their dad's medical bills off from his heart attack. He definitely now has medigap insurance and has learned Medicare doesn't pay for everything 100%. I talked Hubby into ordered 4 cords, delivered and let them know we don't need it for the stove now. They had 2 cords delivered in 3 hrs.Had their boys home from college so put them to work. Hubby is stacking those 2 cords in the wood shed. 

I filled the inside racks with wood and then the extra racks with more wood and swept the floors 3 times to clean up all the little bark that fell off. 

Got laundry washed and on line, dried and put away. Ran dishwasher this morning as Hubby forgot and I thought he was turning it on. Put all that away and reloaded for after dinner. Cleaned the 3 frigs. 

We saved $17 on fuel using Kroger's fresh mode points. They are no longer doing fresh mode in our area after this month. I'm not going to miss it except for the fuel discount. 

We saved $54  on Hubby's meds using Good Rx Gold and moving the script to Rite Aid over CVS.  We have now saved enough to have paid for the membership.

Our medigap insurance covered 20% of 3 bills.. Not enough to cover the monthly fee (YET).

I am going to Walmart for some things that the local Save A Lot does not carry. Hubby has appt for his hearing aids a mile away so he is dropping me off to do the shopping while he is at the appt.Saves fuel.

Any savings at your home?

Prayers for sanity 

Blessed be

 

Update on kids

 Back to normal of bickering with each other  😉Mom and Dad are not ones to complain to when our first question is WHAT did you do to start this issue?

Daughter 4 has a new job, is still organizing her home (or organizing as she found somethings don't work well with where she put them). Financially it is beyond tight as she still isn't working. She did get her bank stuff replaced so can use her checking acct. Waiting on the fund raiser to release money to her (corperate takes a few weeks) and Daughter 2 is dealing with the go fund me acct. Mentally she has her moments but not as bad or as often. Grandson that pulled her out, is thinking of being a fireman or Emt like Hubby. He's still young so that will probably change.

Daughter 3 is doing okay, weather has her ankle that has metal pins in acting up and causing her to fall. She thought it was her CP (we both have it) but it's the pins.

Daughter 2 would like to hide from her 4 boys (all adults) that are bickering with each other and now understands why I have the rule no calling Mom to complain about sibling. It's one thing to say, they are doing bad things and need help, another to use me as the B...hing post. 

Daughter 1 is still upset that every single one of us has told her to quit calling in middle of night to complain. Her oldest finally told her step dad what she was doing and he took her into her doctor. She's been drinking (on meds that she shouldn't be drinking with ) after he goes to bed and then calling the rest of us. She's in rehab (THANK HEAVENS)

Son 2 is still dealing with his heart issues but has gotten his BP down after breaking up with his ex girlfriend that was cheating on him (he knew it but kept taking her back and being crabbed at by his sisters over it). An old friend of his is a nurse and she asked him when he was going to be HIS own white knight in shining armor and save himself. He told the ex, he was done, announced it to all their joint friends and blocked her phone number and on social media. 

Son 1 went to doctor, has weight problems and high BP. He is going on meds to deal with it.

Grandkids are okay, Driving their parents nuts with their bickiering. I can't wait for the great grandkids to get old enough to start theirs LOL

It's Thursday

 Still have the mortgage to pay but the bank was updating when I went to transfer to mortgage co. Everything else is paid and a little back into savings.

Ordered softener salt and they added a limescale remover for the toilets as after almost 8 yrs we are now having issues with it. 

Hubby replaced the broken over flow pipe in the pond and did it wrong so he has to go back out and fix it. He made it too high (pond is still way low) I showed him the photo of it since he didn't have one himself. At least he doesn't have to dig it back up since he laid it where the old pipe was. E paid for the pipe as he hit it with his mower when he mowed around the pond after his horses was there. 

Hubby split more wood and stacked it in wood shed. He then pull other wood and brought to the front porch and in the house.

I still need to clean the grow cart and figure out where I am going to put it (used to sit where the wood stove it) 

I need to sort what I want to plant this spring vs plant in the fall. I will plant a lot of radishes as I know that is one thing M likes but can't plant it until late April, early May as she does in ground only. 

I need to figure out if I am planting potatoes as they need to be planted Good Friday. Peas are planted in March also. I will also be planting the hanging baskets with peas also.  I need to cut row cover for 2 of the beds, maybe 3.Good to do on a warm Feb early March day before planting.

I told Hubby I was not doing any spring cleaning until the wood stove is not in use... so probably May before that starts.

Enjoy the weekend coming up.

Prayers for peace

Stay safe

Blessed be

WOW... there is NOTHING on the to do list today!!!!!

 I hope you were sitting down for that one 😃!

This passed week done...

Bought Daughter 4 this table (actually a sofa table) BIG shout out to Big Sandy Super store, not only did they have what we were looking for , the person waiting on us focused on clearance and on sale items when we told her why we were shopping.She wasn't about selling expensive stuff. 

She is using it in the kitchen, she is NOT running all the appliances at the same time. Freaked us both out when we saw it plugged into power strip... She also turns OFF the power strip with nothing is on. 

Today she gets the dining table and chairs. It was cheaper for them to deliver it than us go back down and get it and take it to her. I wouldn't mind having it  myself but Hubby didn't like it as much.

Good thing as Hubby was asked to help work on the HAM radio trailer to prepare for the total eclipse that is coming through our area. They want to be ready for cell phones to not work, lack of water and gas etc. Computers might not work. They are also looking at having 5-10 posts through the county to help with aid.

I dealt with the last of the winter squash.I didn't have enough small butternut 😒.

Sorted out the garden seeds that will need to be started this month. 

Stuck in a jar of water, the sweet potato  that I saved for growing sweet potato slips. 

Pruned all the flowers except roses (not time yet).

Pruned blackberries, honey raspberries, red raspberries, and black raspberries. 

Weeded blueberry pots and old strawberry patches. Ordered new strawberry plants as I want a mix of everberring and Junebearing using a credit and coupon I had.

Used the points I had at Amazon to replace some items I gave Daughter 4 and to order some daylilies. So only spent $25. 

We ordered propane... Still have a credit after that fill. We should NOT need any propane until next heating season. 

Hubby cut and stacked 3 cords of wood (a cord is 8ft x 4ft x 4ft or 128 cubic ft.) of free wood from E.

Our grandfather clock quit working. Amish gentleman that made it for us pushed the clock maker to replace the workings. They expressed shipped it and he got it in this week.

Our tankless water heater shut it's self off. Hubby videoed the code flashing and sent it to our repair guy. Drain hose was plugged. So repair guy told Hubby to see if the water in the sump pump hole was up over it... it was. Just lifted it and placed over brace so it wasn't down in the water. No charge for the phone call and the heater is working. We think when they worked on the water softener it got knocked off the brace so Hubby fixed it so it won't happen again.

It's Chinese New Year's . Hubby offered to pick up take out from one of  Chinese restaurants. I told him I would just fix us something. I figure I can use a leftover steak, sliced up to strips from Christmas prime rib that I froze with mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, carrots and celery with a garlic ginger sauce of some type and tumeric rice. Maybe toss some onion, carrot and peas in the rice.

I updated the to do list for next week... 

Sunday is vaccines, that catches us back up.

Monday is primary doctor and pit stop at the Mennonite store to replace my knives I gave to Daughter 4 and the spices/herbs I am low on or out of as I gave her the last of it. 

Tuesday is chiropractice, Menards as we want to replace the smoke detectors and flashlights and pick up 4 ft industrail power strip fo Daugher 4.

Wednesday is pay bills and wash the grow cart to get ready for starting seeds.

Thursday is finish getting around the stuff for taxes so our preparer can have it and we just go in to sign it.Also making copies of all credit cards, license etc that Daughter 4 is having to replace. 

Nothing on Friday or Saturday. Might go see Hubby's parents.

Sometime I will start putting the seeds in the grow cart. 

Prayers for peace

Stay safe, do fire prevention.

Blessed Be

Over whelmed and Over loaded

 We ordered Daughter 4 a dining table and chairs. It was the last of furniture she was looking for. We also gave her our old metal yard chairs. She said she can get cushions for them.  We can take her off the OMG list. 

THEN had to put Daughter 4's granddaughter on the OMG list due to her shunt malfunctioning. Surgeon said it would have to be replaced as she grows. SIGH She's home and doing well. Now she's off the list

THEN Daughter 1 was diagonized with MS (she knew it was coming) but she went on a drinking binge and her Hubby had to deal with getting her help as she was blowing everyone's phones up in middle of night drunk after he went to bed for a solid week. Triggered 3 of the family that are recovered alcoholics that ended up blocking her as she would not stop calling even after asking her to not call after drinking when she was sober. I told him to get ahold of her doctor as I know the meds she is on, that she shouldn't be drinking at all. TO remove all alcohol from the house as she can't leave the house without help and to make it clear to family and friends to NOT bring any to her. He wasn't going with her to appts because he didn't have time off at work to do so. Appts are now made after he gets off work, Doc has scheduled them for last appt of the day for now on. She is still mad she was ratted out for drinking... in the long run we are okay with her not speaking to us (her daughters do) as it's what was best for her. She could have died with the combination. Hopefully she will be able to accept we were trying to save her life. The ones that blocked her have unblocked her. 

Son2 is having serious health issues due to burn pits in Iraq then had his now ex girlfriend's daughter let him know her mother was cheating on him and she told him in front of her mother. I can't imagine how that went down after he walked out. 

We got the propane tank filled. Last fill was in May. It's warm this week so we are back on the furnace. 

We have started garden prep work. Hubby has taken care burning the old asparagus ferns. and pruning apple trees. I started pruning the flower gardens. Still have pollinator gardens, herbs and all the berry vines to prune and weed. We have 2 more days , maybe 3 if the rain doesn't mess it up to get it all ready. 

I started my sweet potato to make slips. I do not plan to plant regular potatoes. We just don't eat enough of them as Hubby prefers sweet potatoes. I will put potatoes on the buy as needed grocery list.

I have my GI appt. Doc said I was doing great off of biologic and on Visbiome (VSL#3 orginal formula prior to 2016). All my numbers were great. Potassium good but could easliy drop on me even though folate and magnesium is where they should be. He thinks it's the diuretic I am on for heart failure.  ANYWAYS... I do not have to go back for a year unless I have a flare up I can't deal with at home.

I have NOT had a flare up at all even through all the stress (which has always sent me to ER for flare up even on biologic). 

I need to sit down (on rainy or cold day) and figure out what I am planting this year besides sweet potatoes and mortgage lifter tomatoes 

Stay safe

Pray for peace

Blessed Be

February to do list

 Call life insurance and find out why payment wasn't pulled for my and 3 of the kids's insurance. 

Calling our HVAC/plumbing and electric repairman as the water heater has dropped temperature. Not only needs fixed (probably replaced) but we want a bigger pressurized tank in the pump house so I don't have to take 45 minutes to fill a soaking bathtub when on solar power. 

Deal with the turkey carcuss that I roasted yesterday and could not bring myself to just toss it in the trash so made more broth SIGH.

Print copies of medical reports from other doctors for primary, cardiologist  and GI that is not in same network.

Call local dentist and see if they are accepting patients as our dentist closed their office. I've called 2 they recommended and they are full. 

Print off directions for quick oats, regular oats, minute rice and long grain rice I gave to Daughter 2, grandson wants to post it so he knows how to cook it.

Pick up cover for grow light cart being made by Amish tarp guy.

Check and process the winter squash in storage.

Prune fruit trees, berry vines and roses.

Fertilize raised beds, cover 2 beds for early spring planting and order strawberry plants.

Go shopping for dining table and chairs for Daughter 4, Son 2 and maybe us as the table we have is falling apart and the Amish guy said the veneer need replaced  and with the style of legs it's going to be very hard to do and expensive. The legs are also dried out to the point they are splitting in half.It's not stable any more. It's over 100 yrs old. I think we will move it to the barn loft to be used for sorting stuff.  

We are contacting our home insurance agent and making sure we are up to date.

Making sure our will etc is up to date. 

If I get 1/4th of this done I will be happy 

Daughter 4 update

Daughter 2's granddaughter had to have her shunt replaced as it stopped working. Surgeon said because she grew and as she grows it will have to be replaced so more of those happening but a normal thing for children with shunts. Scared the crap out of the family as they didn't remember that part.

 Daughter 2 found her a house to rent and helped her get a copy of her license so she could get a car. Local Buy Here Pay Here cut their down payment to help her. They are where her son bought his car which broke down at the time of the fire. He got it towed in and they are fixing it and just putting that bill on the loan he already has so no money out of pocket since I paid for the tow. 

Her landlord helped her find renters insurance, the agent went through the rental and not only made sure she was going to be covered , a list for the landlord of things that needed repaired (handy man already fixed most of it and will be working on garage when the other renter finishs getting his stuff out)was made  AND gave them the number for Red Cross to come put in smoke detectors. Salvation Army is also helping.

Daughter 2 started the go fund me plus got a local restaurant to do a fund raiser for her. She got a percentage of the sales that happened last Wednesday. 

Son2 had been gathering clothes for them and gave her 50% of his kitchen stuff.

Hubby's brother was clearing his rental house that his granddaughter was renting from him and donated beds her kids didn't want when they moved out and side tables, couch, and dishes from it. His sons own a church that donated cleaning products and bath towels and wash cloths. Daughter 4' s daughter also got a twin bed for her older daughter. 

MIL donated two sets of dishes, glasses, silverware, cups, coffee pot and filters, cooking utensils and casserole dishes.  

Daughter 4's uncle on biological side donated more furniture to her that had been her grandparents before they went to nursing home.

We dug out the old dog cage and cleaned it up (I cured onions on it) for Mace her surviving dog. They cage him when no one is home or when a lot of people are in the home. He doesn't like a lot of people around him at this time. We call it his den as she covered it so he could hide from people and feel safe. His mother was that way about at that age. We also gave some dog toys Charlotte does not play with but I kept from Rascal.

Tomorrow we are going to go find her a table and chairs for 6-8 people. They have nothing to eat on and she misses having family dinners. Her daughter only has a table for 4. There is 7 in the family. We do have a banquet table we can lend her until we find something. She said chairs do not have to match... Geeze I never had chairs that matched anyways in almost 50 yrs.

She has to be cleared by her doctor to go back to work (appt is today) and have the fire report (it's done but for some reason they can't get it to print, they say) and have her license.She ordered birth certificates and Social Security cards. Since she had her bank's app on her phone AND had her phone when she got out of the house. Habit of grabbing it when she got out of bed. She was able to do change of address on the app and then order new checks and debit card through the app. 

She is in therapy and going to meetings so she doesn't "toss away" (her words)  almost 10 yrs of being clean and sober. 

She has put aside some of the money coming in as she knows without a paycheck coming in for half the month, the next two months will be rough. She has bagged up what she knows she is donating and is dropping it off today.