Silence

 

Book Club: September

 We read The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom.

I liked the book as did the other ladies in the book club.  I give it a 9 plus...not a perfect 10.   It is another historical fiction read.  

What have you read lately?  Anything good that you care to recommend? 

I still order books from Thrift Books...I still like to hold a book in my hand even though I have many books on my Kindle.   I usually pass the books along after I have read them or donate them.

Far Side

OH the places i mow

 Oh the places I mow.  Isn't there a Dr Seuss book called Oh the places you'll go? 

I have a phone, riding mower, bright red boots and many places to mow. 

Where will I mow next? Eeny meeny miny moe...which way should I go?

 

My mower is a bit dusty and sometimes so am I.

Mowing under the bright blue sky.

I can stop here for a chat.

What's better than that?

I can fill with gas here so my mower will go.

Oh the places I mow.

I am not far from home, if Far Guy is out woodcarving he can tell exactly where I am at. 

 I have not seen the bear...just lots of Fox scat. 

Far Side...so not a poet...just a lawn mowing goddess

Wedding Shower

 Friday evening was my other baby brothers oldest granddaughter's wedding shower.  She will be getting married in October.  

Hailey is my great niece. 

Jen and Andy helped with the construction and design for the recipe box.  I copied some of my favorite chicken recipes for Hailey and included a dish towel and a scrubby.  Hailey has raised chickens throughout her high school and college years!

It was a nice evening out, the food was perfect and the bride to be got many nice gifts! 

Hailey had a pretty hat hanging up in the room....little girls were admiring it! 

Vivian another of my great nieces tried it on! 

Far Side

End of a busy week

 Yesterday we both had appointments for our annual dermatology exam.  Far Guy did great and I had two small surgeries.  Suspicious spots; one on my cheek and one on my shoulder. The numbing up is the worst part.  Both spots will be biopsied.   

Check something else off our list! 

Last week we had five medical appointments...this next week only two...practically a week off.  

No big plans for the weekend, catching up on mowing and perhaps making some chili. 

Far Side

Cautiously optimistic

Wednesday as I made my follow up appointments at the Clinic an opening was available for a Physical Therapy consult just prior to Far Guy's weekly Thursday Infusion appointment.   So I took the appointment. 

Good News!!  The Therapist is 99% sure that he can totally relieve my pain.  After seeing my x rays he believes that it is my sacroiliac joint on the left side that is the problem...possibly stemming from an injury on June 29 1980 when I broke four bones in my leg and totally dislocated my ankle.  I was unable to have corrective surgery due to a blood infection.  I spent a very long time ( 6 months) in various casts and had to learn how to walk all over again. ( The Doctors all said I would only walk about 10 years back then...see they don't know everything!)

The Therapist explained that my sacroiliac joint is angry and the large muscles have it locked in a painful place...no doubt inflamed with the RA that I have.  He massaged my back and leg...used some cups to increase the blood flow and found all the pressure points that are causing me pain.  He is convinced it is all muscle not nerve.  So I will see him again when they have a cancellation or in October which ever comes first.  In the meantime I have a few new exercises to do, and he said the hot rice bag should be continued along with my nightly whirlpool soaks. 

So at least we have a plan.  I may not need the fancy expensive RA meds at all.  That is really good news!! 

It is very different walking with no pain...strange in fact.  I might get used to it!

So I am cautiously optimistic...one day at a time. 

Far Side

Ok not fine

 The Orthopedic consult happened yesterday...he thinks my hips, knees and ankles are just fine.  "It must be a problem with your back...sciatica maybe...I don't do backs...I will send you for more X rays and for a Physical Therapy consult.  You should really take 2,000 units of Vitamin D a day it might make a difference.  You can see the PA in our Department maybe he can steer you the right way."  

And how long have I been complaining of this pain...about 2 1/2 years...maybe longer...I have been to PT previously and I do the exercises they recommended at that time. 

On other high notes...I am still in limbo with the Rheumatology second opinion at a different clinic (we will call you in 3-4 weeks to set up an appointment)and the latest arthritis med that my Rheumatologist ordered must be lost in the insurance pipeline someplace.  OK not so fine.

What ever.  I was so NOT impressed with the Dr I saw yesterday....even if I required surgery...I would limp off into the sunset. 

I take part of a THC Sativa Gummy...it is supposed to make me more energenic and have less pain...it just makes me sleepy.  The THC Indica Gummy seems to help more with my pain and of course makes me sleepy too. I have not tried the ones with THC, CBD and CBN  ...yet...of course if I can get comfortable and get to sleep I have no pain. 

We had one day of no wildfire smoke and now we have it again.  Far Guy is staying mostly inside.  

Flowers in the wild gardens.

Far Side

Sunset, a wash and a visit

 Sunset was fairly orange on Monday night, lots of particulate in the air.  

I took this photo on the way over to my baby brothers to visit  Baxter and Smudge...I had not seen them in about a week.  They love me...cause I have Cheerios for treats! Smudge grew a bit and she knows sit and down now...I think she is a smart little dog.  

On Tuesday morning Far Guy took all the extra hoses out and we washed the house.  In accordance with our 10 year warranty on the exterior finish on the house...it must be washed once a year in late Summer.  This blog serves as a record of the washings. 

Check it off the list.

It was a very warm day...but between both of us we got it done...plus we cleaned up the air conditioner part that sits outside.   Check something else off our list.  I was tired...Far Guy lured me into taking a ride into town for a visit and lupper at A & W.

We had a very enjoyable visit with Far Guy's cousins Bonnie, Wayne and Scott! 

Fra Side

23

 How can it be that the baby in our family is 23?   Wasn't he just a baby a few days ago? 

Hiding from Grandma behind his knees!

I was almost 50 when he was born...I am a tad older now. 

With his parents in Hawaii.

Mostly he avoids my camera.  

Adam and his gal Courtney last Christmas.  Since then Adam has moved to Western North Dakota.

Happy Birthday Adam!  23 is a great age!  You will never be younger!  Love you lots! 

Grandma

Upgrade

 Time to upgrade!  

I had a very old iron, it would steam stuff but often with obnoxious water spots...rusty looking...I usually used a pressing cloth (an old white dish towel)  not sure how old it was but I used it to starch and press Far Guys military BDU's many years ago.  At that time a new iron was much cheaper than sending his uniforms out to a laundry.  The cord had been replaced once...

I traded Jen an old white desk top rotary phone for the iron at the garage sale!  Win win.

Far Guy and I had a quiet Sunday, we listened to church and in the afternoon we went for a Sunday drive to our favorite Mexican place for lunch/supper.   One more day of no cooking sure works for me. 

Our area is experiencing wildfire smoke...it is awful...it even smells inside the house. We have two air purifiers going.

Goodbye August and hello September!  The construction on our road to town was supposed to be finished...it still needs lines/lanes painted...it was Sunday and no one was working...so we took it anyway and ignored the detour. 

Far Side

Jen and Andy did "a thing"

 A few years ago, daughter Jen and Son In Law Andy bought a piece of furniture from an older couple who were downsizing some furniture, the kids thought it was just the cutest house with a great location just a block from "The Ralph"...then the house came up for sale...so Andy and Jen bought it.  They cleaned and painted, decorated the entire place and filled it with nice furniture.  Andy built all new kitchen cabinets, they replaced flooring and updated a time warped bathroom in the basement.  They built custom loft beds for a bedroom in the basement.  They had a very successful Airbnb for a number of years.  

Last Friday they closed on the sale of their Airbnb in Grand Forks, ND.  Earlier in the week, they moved everything out and we got everything ready for a garage sale at their home in East Grand Forks, MN.  It was a great team effort...but exhausting for both Jen and Andy....so much was happening over just a few days plus they are both teaching full time.  

(The last guest checked out on Tuesday so I went over and helped pack up the kitchen, Wednesday I got things ready for the garage sale and went with Far Guy to his appointment. We had the garage sale from Thursday through Saturday at noon...we got rid of lots of stuff...lots of my stuff included!  Far Guy picked me up on Saturday and we all went to lunch before driving back home.) 

Jen writes on Facebook 

"We closed on the sale of our Airbnb today. I am happy/sad and sad/happy, but I might be more sad than happy.

Owning an Airbnb isn’t glamorous; it’s hard work. We could have hired people, but we did not. In fact just within the last month we found someone reliable to clean. Otherwise my husband started laundry before and after work, we spent evenings, weekends, and an occasional Hail Mary to flip the house in one day… cleaning up after the one guest and getting the house ready for the next, and letting people check in early and out late as allowed.

Making beds went better with two people. 2 kings, 2 queens, 4 twins. Our two boys helped in exchange for their part of the phone bill. Niece Maddie worked when she could.

If I had to clean alone, which was rare, it took 4-6 hours, but if the laundry was done 3-4 of us could be in and out in a little more than an hour. Winter’s were great because my mom took care of cleaning the kitchen.

98% of the time we rented to great people and I enjoyed providing a service… a clean, warm, safe, comfortable home for families to mourn together, celebrate together, or get away together. We hosted robotics teams, dance teams, tennis teams.

2% were shitty guests, who let’s be honest we’re probably shitty people too. One reservation left drugs and burn stains into the bar top downstairs.

We provided what anyone could wish for: a Kitchenaid mixer, Ninja air fryer, crockpots. Our welcome gift was usually chippers from Widmans or Dots. We provided bottle openers on both floors, yet the bar and countertops were used to open bottles and broken and damaged. One house rule was “please take off your shoes” yet the dried mud clumps left behind in the bedrooms arrured me guests didn’t. “Clean the out grill” if you use it — I hoped would dissuade use, but there I was elbow deep in grease cleaning up after another person. We brought items people forgot from our own home, we came to let in people who locked themselves out even with a passcode for the lock.

On Airbnb we had a score of 4.98 stars. The two? One guest left five stars for all individual items but four overall — that didn’t make sense. Oh well. The other? The guest said “too many stairs, it was too cold, and we didn’t get money back for leaving a day early”. Stairs are in the description and photos, and visiting North Dakota in December can be cold. They didn’t say the house was cold, and yes we did provide heat. No, no refund for leaving early — I couldn’t have replaced the booking in less than 24 hours.

We only had one group we needed intervention from the police for having a loud party and disturbing the neighbors. The guest turned around and made an “unsafe” claim against our business, resulting in a one week suspension for us from Airbnb. Airbnb did not help us when we requested damages from the same group: Alcohol dripped from walls, floors were sticky and so bad you had to vacuum before you could walk through the house… we had to repaint ceilings, replace bedding, broken glass, damaged flooring, even though we had before and after photos.

I handed over the key to the new owners today. They said, “You made it too good of an Airbnb”. With a puzzled look on our faces they explained: they had rented the house twice in the last year “what a neat place to live” and “I wish we could stay forever”. When they discovered the house was for sale, they said, “No way!” An end of one story is the beginning of another."

Who knows what their next adventure will be...but after this week they need to just rest for a bit.

Far Side

Looking up and looking down

 The garage sale has been a success, lots of items found new homes. Most of what is left will be donated.

I was stung by a wasp in the morning, but he barely got me so no huge reaction just a little owwie and some swelling. Granddaughter Maddie spent the morning helping me with the sale. Jen and Andy helped on and off throughout their busy day. 

Here is my looking up photo..  Little Elvis is looking up but showing his age and is more senile than he was a few weeks ago. I have told him it is okay to just slip away in his sleep, but of course he cannot hear anymore, can hardly see…but his nose is still good. 

My looking down photo is a plate of steak that my talented son in law grilled for supper last night with salad and corn on the cob…it was all excellent. 

These were the left overs resting.  Nothing better than a great steak! 

I believe Far Guy will be coming to get me sometime today, then we will head back home together. 

Far Side

Sale

 Lots of stuff for sale Up North

At least the rain stopped!

Garage is ready for the big sale. Sadie has been really good staying under the check out table near my feet.

Lots of good conversations with different people. Sales could be better but they are what they are.

Far Guy managed his infusion back home all by himself, he will be back to pick me up one day soon. 

Far Side

Here

 A few photos today.

Faithful dogs

Unexpected visit from Great Grand Cee Cee, on the couch and no idea why she is here lounging with juice and crackers watching movies.  I suspect she was just needing a bit of special attention.

Far Side

2nd grade!

 Our Great Grandson Hey Mikey begins 2nd Grade.  School started yesterday in North Dakota. 

I hope he likes 2nd Grade as much as I did.  

My 2nd grade teacher was a neighbor lady by the name of Mrs. Z. she was a gifted kind teacher.  I believe the worst thing I did in 2nd Grade was talking too much in the lunch room...imagine that!  There were 19 children in my classroom back in 1958.

Have a great year Hey Mikey!!

Far Side

Steamy

 When I woke up yesterday morning it looked very much like a sauna out the windows...steamy, humid and hot.  It had rained during the night...I heard it thunder. 

I did some mowing so that it doesn't get too long before I get back to mow some more.   In this weather the grass sure grows. (Similar to being in a Greenhouse I guess)  Monday was the last of our very warm days for  a bit...back to the 70's again...:)

Window boxes in town just beginning to show a few Dahlias.

We are getting a few more Yellow Pear Tomatoes everyday. 

Far Side
 

Really Dog Days of Summer

 Really warm and humid yesterday, the kind of day that dogs dig holes so they can curl up in some cool dirt.  Another 83F/29C with 85% humidity.  

It was a good day to spray some weeds in amongst the rocks.   After sprayer difficulties I finally got it done.   That was enough outside work for the day.  Inside I cleaned the bathroom and did some laundry...you know fun stuff.   Far Guy convinced me to go to lunch/supper with him...so we did ...it was a nice drive and good food at our favorite Mexican place.  Came home had a nap and then for a Ranger ride.  

We stopped by the neighbors, the Lilac bushes are taking a hit this year.  A Winter with no snow and a wet Spring/Summer and the Lilacs have some kind of blight.   They will come back although they look pretty bad right now.  The experts say to clean up all the leaves that have fallen off and to cut down some of the inner stems to open up the plants for more air flow. (That is my report for Roger!)

I am getting ready to go Up North for a bit...Far Guy has an appointment up there one day and down here at home the next day...so he will travel back and forth and come get me when he misses me.  My hip simply cannot take the ride back and forth and back again. Besides that Sadie and Little Elvis will like my company. Jen has some big projects and hopefully I will be of some help. 

Far Side

Warm Spell

 We are having another warm spell 83F/29C  and rising for a couple of days this week.  Maybe it is Summers last hurrah. 

Photo of the hanging flower baskets in town this year. 

The roadside sweet corn stands are open, the going price is $6.00 per dozen.  It is tasty!  

My other baby brother says the road construction that we have been dealing with all summer is supposed to be completed by Labor Day weekend.  We will see. 

Far Side

Town

 We ran an errand into town, Far Guy needed to go to Fed X  to get a box.  I have been trying to get a parking spot outside of Ben Franklin for weeks.  ( Cause I needed some yarn...yes I really did!)  So anyways Far Guy dropped me off and picked me up...stopping traffic both times..oh well we could have been tourists.  (There is center parking and street parking, so traffic often stops for people crossing the street. )

Now I have a question for all my readers.  ???

If you were driving 5 miles over the speed limit 60 in a 55 zone and a car was following you close and wanting to pass so bad that they passed you in a no passing zone...double yellow lines because it was a hill you could not see over the other side to see if anything was coming...what would you do except hold your breath and say a quick prayer that nothing was coming???  AND say you just happened to speed up enough to see the License Plate number...because you see during the Detour we have had all Summer traffic is heavy and there were many cars in front of me.  Then perhaps I followed the car part way home because they just happened to be going past our driveway...but headed further on down to the lake..and I am very curious to go and look at all the license plate numbers.   

What would you do?  Would you go look..out of curiosity...out of delayed road rage...you so want to write a note and leave it with the date and time just incase it was a teen driver...maybe it would save a life someday??? 

Far Side

So it goes

 We are only assured of the here and now...today...not tomorrow. 

Like I said so it goes.  

I have a cousin who has lived in Alaska for many years.  She died recently, she was 68 years old.  She had bypass surgery and was released from the hospital, was in the car ready to go home when she said "something was not right" her husband took her into the ER immediately and she died shortly after.   

I am happy that I mailed her two packets of old photos of her family...she sent me some very nice thank you cards.   She loved her life and family in Alaska.

Old photo taken about 1959...me, my baby brother and our cousin Diane.  ( Her mom and my mom were sisters)

Far Side