SOCCER AND TOMATOES

Another day is in the books.  It's perfect running weather this morning ... a lovely 57 degrees.   I should at least try to gather up SOME energy and go for a bike ride.  If I'm going to get an electric bike, even though they do most of the work, I should at least get some balancing experience under my belt once again.  It's muscles that keep you upright, and mine are losing their elasticity.  I'm a little sore from yesterday.

I should take a note from Kitters.  I don't know what she does at night, but she sure sleeps a lot during the day to recover from it.  The cool patio is one of her favorite spots.

I spent the next two hours on the phone.  I didn't stay in Arizona long enough last year to hit Algodones for my prescriptions.  The problem is I have no doctor.  They have either left the country or retired.  The last clinic I went to, the guy grabbed my phone, pulled up MY Amazon account and told me I needed another blood pressure machine.  No thank you, I have two.  He was ever so rude, telling me NOT to get my meds in Mexico, but to go to THIS website so he could get a kickback.  I won't be going back there.

I called five doctor's offices to no avail.  They are (admittedly) all so busy with immigrants, I can't get in to see a single doctor for a prescription renewal.  I finally located one who said they could see me, but not until September ... after my prescription expires and I'm out of pills.  I guess I'll keep calling around.  Oh there is one alternative now ... you can pay one local doctor $1600 a year, a concierge service they call it, and they will "fit you in" if you need anything.  I think I need a trip to Arizona.

That's when I got the call .... after two failed "I have the ink" episodes, this time it was "I have a new printer".  We can't get it to print a check.  Can you come fix it?  Okay, but can't it wait?  I'll be there in 90 minutes.  NO.  So off I went to print one check before returning home.  No use sitting there waiting for the bookkeeper.  

An hour later, I was back.  Remember this field?

This is what it looks like now.  I've no idea what's planted here, but this California soil grows things like crazy.

Though I wish they did, they do NOT grow tomatoes here.  These came from the bookkeeper, and let me tell you, they are the sweetest BEST tomatoes I've had in probably 40 years.  I'm going to find out what kind they are and grow my own!

With accounting done, I really didn't have anywhere to be.  There's no Mr. Cooper to rush home and check on, or to meet me at the door with his happy face.  So I drove all the way to town for some makeup.  I probably shouldn't waste the money, but it's better than crying.  

If you think prices are high for everything else, you should try buying some of this stuff.  Mascara that used to be $10 is now $30.  $3.00 nail polish, is now $10.  Here sits $180.00 worth of cosmetics.  It's all really nice stuff, but I won't be buying it again.  It's claim to make you look younger and beautiful, never works anyway!  

Back home, I looked at a few more bikes online, but keep coming back to this one.  It's 31 pounds is a big plus, AND the foldability.  It may still be too big for the inside of the van.  I would love to test drive it first, but so far have not been able to find a dealer with one in stock.  Just to test the weight, I got on my scales holding my road bike.  Wow ... it's only 21 pounds!!  My mountain bike rang in at 36 pounds, which is just a little too heavy to be lifting up onto a rack.  I would have to get a ramp.  Anyway, still looking.

At 5:00, I turned the TV to the soccer game.  I am NOT a soccer fan, but since the World Cup is such a big deal, I thought I would watch it this time.  It was pretty boring .... but the excitement of those men playing was contagious.  You could not have fit two more people in the stands ... and the USA outfits people were wearing was worth the watch.

Though I found their rules kind of weird, and that last ten minute add-on was excruciating, I yelled right along with them when the U.S. won the game.  This is not your local hockey game ... they are playing the best in the world!!  GO U.S.A.!!!!!

Dinner was quick and easy.  One small smoked pork taco with a huge pile of tomatoes and lettuce.  Gosh this was good!  Though I could smoke some pork myself, it always tastes better when someone else cooks it.

As I do every night, I talked to Cooper for awhile.  I haven't been able to talk about it, but here is why I have been so devastated.  Cooper went into the back yard and got under a rose bush where all the thorns and stems lay, to eat cat poop.  He's never done that before.  I yelled at him, and when he can out, he was coughing.  He coughed every time I picked him up the next day.  

I didn't realize it until much later, but I think he swallowed a thorn or piece of stick because the next day he had blood in this stool.  He went downhill fast, and two days later, I took him to the vet, not having any idea what was wrong at the time.  The vet said immediately that he could tell by his breathing he was in heart failure.  There was nothing he could do.

I'm crying again of course, so I'll go walk aimlessly around the house.  Maybe I'll go for a run after all.

Say Hello To July

It's a cool and surprising 57 degrees on this July 1st.  When I stepped outside this morning, I finally got my first look at the pink moon.  Between early nights and cloudy skies, it has remained hidden.  I didn't even drag out my big camera.  

I did go for a run however, a little over two miles almost without walking.  I admit, it's not pain free.  The old saying no pain, no gain, is exactly correct.  Those old hip flexors were screaming at me.  It does however, get me out of the house and tear free for at least 30 minutes.

I'm definitely short of pictures today.  My get up and go just got up and went.  There's no need to cook, no want to bake and no one to share breakfast with.  I did finally give Kitters a shot at pork loin and she scarfed it up.  Apparently that's better than chicken.

Finally, though it seemed like forever, I was off to the Magic Castle.  The magic has pretty much disappeared with so much dissension going on.  It's too bad so few can cause such problems that no one will address.  It means people have quit coming to the lodge and are not volunteering any more.  Bingo alone has lost 5 volunteers and I've no doubt more will follow.  I guess everything changes, sometimes not for the better.

I'm trying hard not to be the next dropout!  I was lucky enough to have one of our all time best people return to play, and she comes early to help me set up.  She lost her husband a few years ago, followed by her puppy.  The perfect person to show up and help me out.  

With 133 folks racing in for their favorite Bingo winning seat, there were a few pushing and shoving incidents.  The problem is several of the member players will set up big wooden card holders, taking up an entire table just for themselves.  Getting them to move over and let new folks sit down, is a challenge.  They just refuse to have anyone sit on the other side of the table because "I can't SEE".  Hey, if I can see, YOU can see.  Let this nice man roll his wheelchair up to this table.  Maybe it will bring you good luck.  That never goes over so well.

The next lady came up saying she didn't get her change OR her receipt.  I am very conscientious about everything I do at that cash register (just for this reason), and I KNOW I gave it to her.  She came back three times and complained.  I told her to check in every pocket she had and not only her purse, but the purse of the gal she was with.  No need for the receipt, if you win, I will tell them you paid.

Thirty minutes later, she came back with receipt and cash in hand.  It was in her FRIENDS purse.  Yessiree ... bingo can be SO much fun!!

Lucky for us, there were no knock down drag out fights, and BOTH bingo callers showed up, meaning there were no boos or expletives thrown about because "he doesn't call right".  At the end of the night, I threw everything in the safe and raced out the door before anyone could stab me in the back.  

Oh wait ... I did make one quick trip to the walk-in.  I was given a box of deliciousness that I left in there so no one would steal them.  Here's a new recipe for you.  Anyone like tater tots?  I love them!  So our Chef fried up a bunch and dusted them with barbecue flavored salt.  No kidding, they were DELICIOUS!  Who would have thought of doing that?  In fact, any flavoring or seasoning you really like might be perfect on tater tots.  Even BACON SALT, which I just happen to have in my pantry.

That was it for the day ... not so exciting and still full of tears, but maybe just a bit better.  At least I'm not crying all day long.  Today I'm going to try and find a Urtopia folding electric bike to test drive.  I know there are none within 100 miles, so maybe that will keep me occupied for a time.  At only 31 pounds, I'm hoping it will fit in the front seat of the van when I travel, so no need for a bike rack.

Here's my happy boy's sweet face.  Oh how I miss him.

A Quick Trip South

 Another day, another dollar.  Which reminds me, I don't think I have balanced my accounts in two months.  That is probably NOT a good thing to skip out on.  Here it is June 30th and another month has slipped by in the blink of an eye.  And boy do I miss this face!

This weird kitty tries to make up for it, for it's not the same.  Chasing critters around the house at midnight isn't my thing, though it sure seems to be hers.  She's not the least bit cuddly either.  She wants to be petted when SHE wants to be petted, and otherwise can be found sleeping on one of two chairs during the day with a Don't Touch Me sign on her back.

So after making sure she had food, I was off yesterday to Office Depot.  It was an hours drive away.  Why would I do that?  Because I had to go to a TSA PreCheck station to get fingerprinted and photographed.  Yes it's different, but it's the only way to skip all the long lines at the airport and not unpack anything.  

This morning at 2:00 am I was officially BEEPED by my phone, meaning I'm not a security risk.  There's another word for that, but I won't put it in writing.  It appears there is a trip coming up, but I'm not mentioning it because ..... well ..... I seem to have acquired a slight fear of flying.  I know, safer than riding in a car.  Luckily I know a very good pilot who says it will be okay.  More on that later.

On the way back, I stopped in at Habit Burger for the usual ... Santa Barbara Char with sweet potato fries.  WAY too much food for me to finish in one sitting.  I found they also have this thing called a salted caramel milkshake.

The advertisement says it looks like this.  The one I got looks nothing like it, though it does taste like fake salted caramel.  I'll skip this one next time.

I try to keep my mind occupied, but it's not working.  Thinking I only had one more quilt to finish up, I loaded this one on the longarm.  SURPRISE ... there was yet another one underneath.  These are the generic ones that will be given to Veterans by their branch of service.  I've got my fingers crossed this one goes as good as the last one.

Later in the day while scrounging through a drawer in the back room, I came upon this.  More tears ensued.  I bought this many years ago when Cooper was a baby because it looked like him.  I remember putting it away because he thought it was his new toy and he was chewing on it all the time.  I switched the toy out for some brand new balls .... his FAVORITE!

We played this game by the hour.  And it wasn't just for me.  If anyone rolled a ball to him, he went after it like a crazy boy.  Many times while traveling, I would find little kids walking around, drop the ball and tell them to push it with the toe of their shoe ..... and off he would go to their squeals and laughs.  

I miss him so much!

Quilting Once More

 Another unexciting day has rolled by as I listen to the sprinklers hit the window right by my desk.  That and the river of water coming from yet another sprinkler will be the topic of the day on Wednesday when the gardener arrives.

Until then, it was Cold Start number 14 ... at least I think that's the count.  One more and I can take it to the local smog shop.  I'm on borrowed time now, but am carrying all my papers to prove my innocence.  

Every morning I fear the nightmares, almost as much as I fear Kitters bringing in more critters.  The big moth banged around the bedroom last night, looking for light I suppose, so I turned the patio lights off.  Maybe if nothing is going to the light, she will stop the critter catching game.  

The nightmares included trying to park in a too-tight space at a campground while puppies were running all around my truck and my husband (whoever that might have been) was MAD and yelling at me.  It happens every single morning.  It's also interesting to note that Kitters will not get on or walk on the bed.  Maybe Cooper is keeping her at bay.

Or maybe it's the Strawberry or Pink moon.  Native Indians call it that since it coincided with the brief season for harvesting wild strawberries.  This of course is not my picture.

This one IS my picture, but it's not the strawberry moon of last night.  I just could not stay awake long enough for it to get up over the horizon.  It's an early morning for me since I'm on my way out of town.  More on that later in the week.

First things first ... I forgot I had two sourdough starters in the fridge who were starving.  They yell FEED ME by squeezing out a brown liquid on top.  That's when I made my first BIG mistake.  I put regular all purpose Gold Medal flour in the first one the previous day.  Oh that's not good ... it has to be bread flour.

So on this morning I threw one away and made TWO out of the second one.  Here they are, happy as can be, and ready to go back in the fridge.  I've still got one whole loaf in the freezer, so no bread baking will be forthcoming until that's gone.

Sundays are always, and have always BEEN, the worst day of the week for me.  Sitting home alone all day long with nothing to do and no puppy to cuddle just brought on the tears once again.  The urge to go somewhere just disappears every time.  

Having given my quilting machine lots of thought, I decided to use another brand new bobbin holder with a spring that was adjusted considerably and a different bobbin of thread.  It just seems to me the needle is hitting the case and that's what is causing all the problems.  I even put in a new needle and restrung the thread the way it was when I first got the machine.  

I very cautiously hit the RUN button.  Though it still moves fast and slow (when it used to run at the same speed throughout), it didn't make any terrible noises like in the past.  It got through an entire row just fine.

Though I had to crawl underneath and check it multiple times, it continued through seven rows without all the drama.  WOW ... maybe I got it figured out at last.  Apparently that little spring is the key to the whole thing.  I held my breath through the entire quilt and finished it in about an hour.  Again, not Cooper approved.  I will forever remember him walking on every one I threw on the floor for a picture.  

This is what Cooper approved looks like.

I literally spent the rest of the day hand sewing the binding on this quilt.  It takes several hours, which kept me from having a meltdown once again.  I think I have one more to quilt and three to bind.  I'm saving them for Sundays.

Dinner was pretty simple.  I noticed yesterday that everything I have in the freezer (which is full to the brim) was meant for Cooper.  I tried pawning it off on Kitters, but she's weird.  She will not eat anything from my hand, and doesn't like pork, chicken or hamburger.  She only eats that stinky fishy cat food.

Cooper loved all of it, and especially anything that came off my plate, even if it was the exact same boiled chicken from the freezer.  He wasn't much pleased with the Santa hat I made him wear for a Christmas picture, but he sat long enough for one click.  Big hugs to my little boy in Heaven.

I HAVE INK!

 It's the weirdest summer we have ever had.  Mother Nature seems to be late to the party.  We have nighttime temps in the mid 50's, with days running up to maybe 83.  June and July are usually the hottest of the year, with scorching 105 temperatures, and yet here we are with clouds and cool breezes.  Not that I'm complaining, I love it ..... I'm just waiting for the hammer to drop!

So here she is, all sweet looking, but inside she has become a monster.  There will be no more brushing with the dog brush, which she absolutely LOVES, because when I stop, the claws and teeth come out.  It was the second and LAST time she clawed and bit my hand, wanting MORE.  She got a bop on the head this time and the brush went away.  

I wish I could do the same for this!  So just what do you think I found when I went to step on the scales yesterday morning?  Is this number eight or number nine?  

YEAH YOU!!!  STOP IT!!!!  Now I'm wondering just how many are roaming around my bedroom at night!

It also appears she has become territorial.  A sweet little scared kitty ran across the corral this morning, and she spotted her instantly.  She's never done this before, but she took off across the back yard chasing the poor thing up and over the fence.  Someone needs to learn some manners.  It's not like there is food outside that someone else is going to eat!!!  Kitters is showing her colors and turning into a real meany!!

By 6:00 am I was out with a shovel in my hand.  This is the last bush that needed to be planted ... the little one at the bottom of the picture.  I bought two of these last year and planted them exactly the same, side by side, with the same drip water.  One lived, one died and I've no idea why.  

I'm sure the neighbors appreciated my old torn baggy shorts as I stuffed it in the hole and filled in the dirt. I'm looking for a small narrow rake to clean out the leaves from the flower beds, since the gardener appears not to know how to use one.

These were all green and gorgeous until I discovered the hole in the water system.  By the way, if you are wondering about the drip system lines, they were all installed by a professional drip irrigation company.  None of it works, so I keep having to add pieces to get water to the plants.  These actually do look pretty happy.

That's when I got the text message ... I HAVE INK.  Okay, so off to the main office I went to pay the bills.  It appears the almonds, which I feel like were just harvested, are once again covering the trees.  In no time at all, we will have dusty hard-to-breathe air once again.  I digress.

I entered a couple of checks in the computer, then switched out the ink cartridges.  Why was I not surprised when I hit PRINT and nothing happened.  Nothing.  The familiar sound of paper being loaded was not to be heard.  The printer said they were the wrong cartridges and you should have known that before you stuck them in the hole, you dummy.  Great ... just GREAT.  That's two trips and NO INK.  

I announced the problem with a DON'T GET MAD AND YELL preamble, because these cartridges don't work.  Maybe I could order some for you on Amazon, to be delivered in two days.  NOPE ... "I will get it fixed".  Okay then, call me ...... and I was out the door.

The rest of the day didn't go so well.  I just can't believe my little guy is gone.  No matter how I tried to be busy, nothing worked and the tears continued.  

I don't think this will ever get better.

MYSTERY SOLVED

 It looked weird on this day.  It was darker than normal when Kitters woke me up.  At least this time she didn't have any critters in her mouth to entertain me.  It was cooler than normal, so I had a mind to plant another growy thing, this one just for Cooper.

The big news however, is that the mystery has been solved.  I received a morning text message saying SHE had sent the plaque.  Miss Elva won my heart and appreciation forever.  The words are perfect since Cooper was ALWAYS right by my side, even as I moved from room to room.  Elva you are the sweetest woman EVER, but of course I knew that because she is a very good friend.  Thank you so very very much!

Cooper would have approved too.  He sure knew how to pose for a picture, this kid.  I miss him terribly.

Back at the farm, since the Gal Friday was on vacay, I had to step in.  It's planting time for late season crops, and they are hard at work.  There was a big stack of bills to pay, so I hit the computer running.  That lasted all of five minutes when the checks refused to print.  OUT OF INK.  

If I remember correctly, we told them TWO weeks ago to order ink, and again LAST week.  No ink materialized, but a lot of frustration DID as I had to change empty cartridge after empty cartridge trying to find enough to print ONE important check.  It was not to be, which brought about lots of cuss words, and not from me.  I hand wrote the check.

I packed up my stuff ..... call me when you have ink.  I think instead they are buying a new printer.

The afternoon was long.  As I walked around outside the house, I noticed ALL of my plants were in distress.  What the heck's up with that?  What I found brought lots of cuss words out of MY mouth too.  The gardener had slashed the main drip line and water was streaming down the neighbor's driveway, probably for three weeks.  I called him up and chewed him out.  He should be checking this stuff.

I spent the next three hours repairing the main line and eight drip lines that were also cut in half.  WHAT THE BLEEP!!  The back yard was no better, four lines repaired there while I got bit by fire ants.  No wonder everything is dying!  I double watered the flower beds, hoping to zap some energy into the plants so I don't have to buy another $200 worth like I just did!  Plants are NOT cheap!

Back inside, I was twiddling my thumbs.  For the next couple of hours, I finished sewing the binding on this quilt.  I think this makes five I have finished for the Vets.  

Late in the afternoon when it cooled off a bit, I was out once again digging holes.  With the drip lines finally working and softening the soil, I was able to dig a large enough hole for the crepe myrtle I bought for Cooper.  

In no time, the sun began to set, bringing on a bit of a color, the first in several months.  

Maybe Cooper was telling me he liked the plant I picked.  And so ended another very long day. 

With nothing going on for the next TWO days, I'll probably be a teary mess.  It's hard to think of things to keep you busy when your heart isn't in it.  I've got two more cold start drives with the van to complete, so maybe I'll take it for a spin around the block.  

Then I'll be calling the gardener once again.  He adjusted one sprinkler so it hits the window like a fire hose.  DO BETTER!!!

A BIG SURPRISE

I woke up on this day to Kitters thumping around the bedroom.  Too bad it was 2 am.  I wasn't in the best of moods when I found her chasing another big moth.  What's with this cat??  She's definitely NOT hungry!  She was put outside, only to bang on the doggie door for the next half hour.  I finally let her in before shutting her in the back bedroom.  GEEZE!!

Running wasn't on my list on this day, but I had to do something.  The weeds are blooming quite nicely.  

Two miles later, Kitters was waiting to be let out when I returned.  You have to stop that pretty girl!!!

That's when the surprise showed up.  Some wonderful person sent this plaque to me via FedEx.  It's PERFECT!  But there was no name ... and I could only find that it was from Middletown PA.  Thank you so very much!!!  It will proudly sit on the mantle next to Cooper.  Of course it made me cry for the next half hour!  So who did this wonderful thing for me?

Just sitting is a bad thing at this point in time, so I took the Jeep out to return a couple of Amazon fails.  Just so you know, you don't get the pretty lights for the cheapest $10.00 wash.  

From there I just kept driving until I got to the plant nursery two towns over.  Naturally, nothing is cheap there, but I was replacing one of theirs that died and was hoping for a discount.  Plus, no one else carries that particular plant.

This beauty came home with me too.  I'm planting it for Cooper.  

Moving on before I cry again, lunch was a tasty croissant with bacon and eggs.  You know, when you buy a dozen croissants, you have to eat them!!

On to quilting.  I replaced the bobbin carrier with a brand spanking new one, spring and all.  There was lots of rattling and a few emergency stops, but I finally got this one quilt done.  

Sadly, it's not Cooper approved.  After having several problems yet again, I called the manufacturer back East.  I got a  very nice guy who walked me step by step through several tests to find the problem.  Take the bobbin carrier out.  It worked fine.  Take the bobbin out.  It worked fine.  Take the needle out.  It worked fine.  Put it all back together and it worked fine.  WHAT THE HECK?  

We did move and adjust the encoder on the back, so maybe that helped.  I quilted on a scrap piece for a bit and it seemed to work ok.  Two hours later I finally got off the phone.  I'll try it again today.

I spent the last of the afternoon loading yet another quilt to test the new setup.  I finally had to go because of a knock at the door.  The Electric guy had come to fix the light fixture.  He said the hangar inside broke off, so he stuffed it with some paper, pushed it back up and used caulking to seal it in place.  ARE YOU KIDDING ME?  You stuffed PAPER in the hole?  That doesn't sound good to me AT ALL, but maybe he knows what he's doing.  No ... I don't think he does.

For dinner I cooked up a pile of carne asada.  It probably would have been better on the grill, but turned out quite tasty from my cast iron skillet.  Oh my gosh this stuff is GOOD!

This is my version because I forgot the cilantro and onions.  

That was it for the day.  I watched TV, stared at Cooper's beautiful plaque and tried to will myself to sleep.  That didn't happen, but it's another story for another day.