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Musings on anything. |
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My blog was filled up. I'm too lazy to clean it out. So I started a new one. |
| Today one niece's husband and his son (age 14) from his first marriage showed up to shovel a path for me, not just the footholds I had made. It's a long path from the drive to my door. I had cleared the tires but not in front of the bumper or the driver's side. While they were working, the husband of the second niece showed up with his son (age 11 and small) but with a full size ax. He used the blunt end to break the ice around the car. The boy had his own short shovel and did a terrific job of moving chunks of ice. I have been outside chunking ice with a garden hoe and scooping up a pile when I had one. I worked a couple of hours each day until my back hurt and my fingers felt frozen. These males had the whole area cleaned and the car moved in no time. They did it out of pity for their wives' old aunt. But I'll take it. They did a great job. It's amazing how I felt the burden lifted from my mind. |
| This is a secret. I am old, but don't tell anyone. But I am independent and live alone. I don't have anyone close by to shovel my walkway or dig out my car. I do have a kind neighbor about the same age with a snowplow. He always plows out my driveway which is fairly long; mine lies beside his. He has back trouble, but he can steer that plow. He knows I have heart trouble. So now I have a clear dry driveway but can't move the car. I have to go out though the garage which is close to the car. I tried but just couldn't shovel a path in the thick ice leading to my front door. Fortunately, the porch is covered. I am housebound despite the clear driveway. I am cold natured these days, so, I am sitting at my PC with a blanket over my shoulders and a throw over my knees. I wear two pairs of gloves when I go outside. I remember my grandmother kept the house so hot I couldn't stand it. I don't keep the house hot because I'm cheap. But I wear long sleeves and a sweater. I still use a pile of afghans when I sit to read or watch TV. I have not become my grandmother! My hair is not grey. For that matter, I am not a good cook. I try but I don't cook like either of my grandmothers. I do have arthritis, so the doctor says, but I don't guzzle Bufferin. I am already older than my maternal grandparents lived to be. I still have some time to catch up to my father and his mother. That is if hacking away at the ice doesn't do me in. |
| The days are getting longer. We don't see any plant growth thanks to this thick cover of ice, but it's working underneath it all. The squirrels have been busy today. They have chewed up the ends of my cedar branches and have scattered them over the top layer of ice and snow. No one has ever explained to me why they do that every year. the roads are clear enough, my driveway is plowed, but the car is mired in icy snow piles. I have cleared the windows, stepped over the hard snow and gotten into the car. It runs okay and defrosted itself. The roof is still covered. I tried to move back and forwards but couldn't crush stuff even with the car. No wonder I can stand on it without sinking in. If I try to walk in yesterday's footsteps, I have to get my put exactly right, because it's not flexible at all. We get into the single digits overnight and will for a few more days. Another storm is expected Friday. I guess as long as I can't move the car or walk across the yard, I am housebound. I have no excuse not to do housework and laundry. But I will sit and read.   |
| A snowstorm is heading our way. It will be bad for us but not like in the states being hit now. So, I went to the store with hundreds of others looking for bread and milk. I heard a politician on the TV say he didn't understand why people bought out all the bread and milk since he had never had a milk sandwich. Duh! No one has. But you have toast in the morning, or a peanut butter sandwich. You put milk on cereal or in your coffee. They are just two basic items. I noticed in the store I went to that lunch meats were low or out. Bottled water was a hot item. I had to have Tylenol. I couldn't face being snowed in without something for a backache. Like many others, I also got fruit and lettuce. I even found bread, although one shelf was empty. I also noticed people buying snack foods. I can't have salty chips, but I did buy some almonds. I wanted skim milk but had to settle for 2%. That politician didn't understand shoppers or retailers. I've worked in retail and I know how excited the managers get at these times. They put the snow shovels and window scrapers on special displays. They push rock salt or ice melt. Some people are like me and know they will be stuck at home until things clear up. And a lot of panic shoppers have kids at home. That guy probably leaves this stuff to his wife. |
| I suppose everyone is writing or at least talking about the big historic storm we're expecting. At least I don't live in one of the areas expecting the worst. They are talking about 8- 12 inches of snow followed by freezing temps. Two days ago, they were predicting 18 inches and ice. With freezing afterwards, some of the snow may turn into ice. I'm going out tomorrow to put gas into the car and do some panic shopping for foods that don't need cooking in case the power goes out. I have candles, flashlights, a propane heater. At the store I will get bottled water if they still have it, milk, eggs and bread. I think I will boil some eggs once the snow starts, so I will some protein ready for next week when we are powerless. The predictions are no snow until tomorrow night. I will not hit the streets when the storm stops, but will hibernate, except for a few ventures to shovel a path and clean the car. I can't do the whole driveway for fear of heart attack. I will try a little at a time. Sometimes a neighbor with a plow will do the street entrance to my drive and about halfway up. I can stay put until the roads are clear. Hopefully, the power won't be off that long if at all. Well, we have a little something for speculation and for small talk. The results will determine if we have something to remember next year or thereafter.  |
| I have an idea for our Community Celebration that my church throws the first Sunday of October. Actually, I have several, but we need to plan early. This one involves letting children plant chive seeds in a cup they take home. I will get several big bags of potting soil and biodegradable drinking cups. I'll have to have small bags or boxes to hold the cup for their ride home to catch spilt dirt and seeds. I will transfer the dirt to a big plastic storage bin. I'll put out hand shovels and encourage the kids to fill their own cups about 2/3 full. Of course, I'll have to write their names on the cups before using. Older kids can help themselves. Then we go to one side and scatter a pinch of chive seeds. Parsley will also do. They both grow fast and can be harvested as soon as they grow. I'll have a bucket of water and a spoon. They only need to sprinkle on a little water to moisten the seeds. They can add more at home as the soil dries out, but not soaking the cup, at least not until they have a lot of plants. At that point, the plant can be transplanted to a larger, sturdier pot. The parsley will be a little showier and be more useful, but it won't expand or endure. Chives, if properly transplanted, will last for years. Leave it on the porch, let the snow and ice cover it. It will look dead, but in the spring, the green will sprout up again. Plus, when it grows to maturity in the larger pot, it will develop purple flowers. You can get a garlicky variety with a white flower, but my experience is with the purple variety. Don't eat the bloom, no matter what you read. The books will tell you to add it to salads or soups or eat it raw. I'm telling you from experience this pretty flower is red hot and will burn your mouth and make you regret the experiment. The tender green blade is mild, only a vague onion flavor. I will tell the kids and listening parents to cut the chives, gently rinse and drain on paper towels. You can cut up and put on baked potatoes or casseroles. It's best to only use as a topping or in a recipe. It will not fry like onion because it is too delicate. This will give them something to watch grow, something to care for, and maybe find useful. If they sit still long enough, I can tell them about sunlight, warmth, water and light make things grow. |
| I have two poinsettias sitting next to my computer desk, basking in the morning light that leaks through the blinds. I've read the lamp light helps, too. These are very different looking plants. One is new, and the other is two years old. the new one is your typical all read, healthy looking plant. It sheds leaves regularly. It was left over from church, and the decorator gave it to me. The older one I purchased, back when I still had some savings and a little pocket change. I kept it outside the following summer, but the leaves were tiny on the tall stems. A good florist would throw it out, but I'm not a good florist. I've watered it and finally fertilized it. Last year I put it in the dark closet, but watered regularly with the lights off. The leaves turned white, but not red. When I took it out at Christmas, they began to turn red. It eventually turned green but kept small leaves. I didn't deprive it of light this year. So now, I have a normal plant and one stunted. They look like they should be different species. They're actually ground shrubs in their natural habitats and are easily overgrown. Maybe I will have to find some ground space for it away from the lawn mower and see if that helps. I hate to lose a plant. It's like losing a friend. |
| In January you are supposed to trim rose bushes. I have a climbing rose that has gotten out of control. The flowers weren't that pretty other than the red color. Some of the branches were woody and dead looking. So today I took action. I grabbed gloves, only to discover outdoors that I had two right hand gloves. I didn't want to go back inside, so I wore the loose glove on my left hand. I drastically cut back the bush. I made a big pile of long thorny branches. It may or may not grow back. I am betting it will. Mother Nature always wins out. I pulled some weeds around the bottom now that I can access the bottom without getting stuck. I will weed some more and mulch if it starts to grow in the spring. Mulching right now only invites mice and other ground animals to nest. It is my belief that the roses will come back and be healthier for the pruning. I will try training the vines instead of letting it determine for itself where to go. That is the sum of my winter gardening. Of course, there's my indoor plants. They need light, water, and personal grooming. |
| I have run out of propane, so the house is very cold. Usually, the fuel company fills up the tank before I need it. I guess with the holidays, and maybe a short staff, they just are running behind. While I wait, I have a couple of space heaters going to keep the temp from plummeting, I'm wearing a turtleneck and a heavy zippered sweater. I am covered with two afghans while I view this website and my e-mail. I am sure the generations before me endured cold weather better than I do. They tolerated drafty windows, frosted windowpanes, and smoke from fireplaces or wood stoves. They went outside to feed the chickens, tend other animals, fetch the mail, or the water, and go to a chilly outhouse. But I stay inside wrapped up and feeling sorry for myself. I try to drink hot tea, but it gets cold halfway through. I think I'm going to wrap myself with another blanket and watch an old episode of Downton Abbey. |
| Messy Church had its monthly session today. The holiday took a few regulars out of town. So, there were 7 adults supporting and participating with one autistic young woman in a wheelchair. Her mother usually stays with her, but today she brought her in and left. Someone called her when we were done. We cut out stars, folded in half, glued three of them together so that they would stand up, and sprinkled on glitter. The young woman, whose name I will not share here, cut her own with a little guidance. After I was done, I discovered the intent was for us to use paper plates to catch the glitter. Oh, well. We place little disposable battery-operated candles in front of the free-standing glittery stars. All of us took ours home. Then we had a snack and a lesson on light. We all changed to bird food. You take dried bread, punch a small hole in it, and spread a thin layer of peanut butter. You thread a length of yarn through the hole, using your peanut butter knife, and tie it off. Then sprinkle bird seed on the bread. We set them aside to dry up a bit, but carried them home on the plate to keep the seed and peanut butter undisturbed. We sang a song, then had a story book read to us. Someone had to push the wheelchair closer to the book, so that she could see the pictures. It was a Christmas story that featured birds. I thought it was kind of nice that seven adults were there to support and encourage this disabled young woman and let her feel like friends. We were all equals. Often, we have small children who play with toys and puzzles. It's all about fitting in, feeling like this is your space. Noise and movement are welcome. It certainly does not hurt me to spend an hour and a half or so to be nice to someone who has trouble belonging. We are all God's children, regardless of ability. |
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