progress

the Saturday morning dock crew ... the barge in action is pretty impressive .. 

the CPA in me, thinks it might be an expensive unit

transplanted iris, daylilies, hosta and sedums amid the tulip clumps along the bank ridge ... slowly will keep adding and working our way down the bank ... 

pretty peaceful out here early this morning ... mornings are quiet everywhere 

 

the Sunday night list

 I'm living by the lists lately

Cabin:
   1  water the transplants
   2   vac/dust/porch
   3   organize bookshelves


Office: 
   1  put together stand up desk in file room
   2  spray round up
   3  mow the grass
   4  dig more hosta to transplant
   5  finalize the billing issues -- it's close
   6  pull the rest of the re statements and finish them

Home:
    1  vac out vehicles
    2  mow grass ( get a schedule)
    3  walk every night
    4  more laundry 

 

Today's projects included digging holes and transplanting 15 hosta, 15 daylilies, some iris and some sedums at the cabin -- there was a spot of weeding, raking, stick burning .. 

Lee replaced the bathroom sink taps, replaced the screen door screen -- the dock got moved off the bank on Saturday morning -- I was actually out there ... 6 kids walked it down the bank and set it in place .. the motor arrived for the pontoon and is hanging on the back of it ... it's still at the shop.  f

Tomorrow, I water the transplants, vac and then sit there and stare at the water -- that is the plan.

holiday friday

my orchid is blooming!

first time I've ever had one "re-bloom" 
the plant addiction started during COVID
I have too many houseplants at the office

my ATV is going on an excursion, without me
it has more miles on this trailer than me driving it

Dad had a rough birthday/day after chemo day --- 

today seems better -- the fatigue is tiring and no appetite

I came home to check on him at 8:00 am ... he was up and eating
by 2:00 when I came home -- left early -- yell that from the rooftops 
he was down and out in his chair 
I mowed lawn -- me and his lawnmower
4 hours of mowing and I'm not done -- but a lot is done
he hasn't complained about my mowing style so something is up

I have a large, really large box of hosta, daylily, sedum and iris in the back of my truck -- ready to transplant at the cabin -- going to attempt to make a rain garden and slow down some water ... time will tell -- I have a pile of rocks to go thru and pallet up ... the projects never seem to end

and the never ending laundry -- it to is perculating as I type

 

milestones

these two won't be hanging out together today -- but both are celebrating milestones!

one has his last day of kindergarten -- 

one is celebrating his 86th birthday

birthday guy had another sleepless night -- he doesn't sleep well the nights after chemo -- loaded up with steroids and well, doesn't sleep well -- when I was headed out this morning he was watching the front yard drama -- buster, the barn cat, thinks he should play with the turkeys --- buster thinks he is a turkey too ... it was entertaining.... 

when I opened the garage door to leave the birds ran away -- buster gave me a dirty look and sauntered back to the cat shack ...

it will be a quiet birthday celebration .. he did tell me to purchase the eggplants and tomatoes for his "tub" garden -- "before Karen runs out of them" .. life is full of important details and planting tomatoes and eggplants are one of them

 

needs a break

 

I googled lazy bum and this appeared ... amid the other perhaps not so appropriate images ( insert smirk), seriously not sure why I google for images.   I took home my usual tote bag of work last night -- set it on my bedroom floor and looked at it.  Truly, just looked at it from afar.  It was laundry and my book night.  

On the inbound commute I realized said tote bag of work -- was still on my bedroom floor -- so I turned around, went back and got it ... 

Today -- is the last day of chemo #13 or 14 -- it's been a weird medical week -- weird just weird.

Last week I filed for re-election - yesterday someone also filed for my board seat -- I really like this gig -- but I'm not a politician I don't like running for election, I don't like the messiness of elections, I never have -- the introvert in me isn't comfortable selling myself.  That being said -- I need to become an extrovert to keep the gig.  

Tonight might be another night of no homework -- I feel the need to sit down at the sewing machine.  I've felt the need for a long time just haven't been motivated.

duck, duck, brown duck

so in my Sunday afternoon travels -- on the ATV -- I was morel hunting ( 0 ), I spied this duck on the neighbors mini-pond ... I didn't realize it was standing on a log until I uploaded the 17 pictures of it ... it was a ways away and I was taking pictures without my cheeters ... can't see tiny things in the camera viewfinder without them .. 

My project list went to hell really fast yesterday -- I got out to the happy place mid morning and Jean and I did a spot of the endless yardwork ... leaves, branches, dead fish .... had lunch and then took a nap on the new couch ... it was COLD .. so we abandoned ship for warmer places -- got home and took another nap ... finally moved ... 

so the home garage is clean, the porch is clean, the accumulation of crap on the long arm is disposed of ( literally) -- the recycling is in my truck, the basement / bedrooms vac'd .. and tidy'd up .. the laundry is caught up ... and I finished my book ... not a bad weekend.

The patient is doing okay post infusion/chemo last Wednesday -- tired and thinking a lot, I set up my portable DVD player for him and he's watching DVD's from Mayo ...  conference call with the radiologist Friday night -- she's got "motor-mouth" syndrome and kind of irked all involved -- 

life goes on .... this weeks projects at home include more lawn mowing, moving the garden "tubs" and planting them --- loading up field rocks on pallets for the cabin ( oh joy!) and possibly spending some time at the sewing machine 

office projects -- GARAGE !!!  lawn mowing, basement vac'ing -- and completing the projects that actually pay the bills  -- Friday night I booked out my continuing education schedule for the summer and fall ... $800 later ... argh.  life is expensive

EDIT:  and I forgot to post this earlier  -- argh

 

list -- endless lists

 my endless list of projects: I need a list to get things done!

Home:
   1.   vac out vehicles
   2.   wash truck
   3.   vac porch/basement
   4.   laundry, endless laundry

Office:
   1.   finish homework stack
         a.  mr d
         b.  dss
         c.  final MNPRS
         d.  payroll NP & CW
   2.   clean garage
         a.  load up dead appliances
         b.  move plants back outside
         c.  plant plants
         d.  mow grass
         e.  spray weeds

Cabin:
   1.  get office roomba out there and get it working
   2.  get printer talking to computer
   3.  branches/sticks/grass
   4.  decide on tubs


Shopping List:
 

I can said the little engine (?) I can ... 

live from West Jefferson

    yep, coming to you live from West Lake Jefferson -- where the clouds have rolling in and it's very chilly -- I brought another load of shit crap out this morning -- such as the computer, clean curtains, food, lamps -- just the basics in life

    and I've spent 45 minutes updating this computer - because in between phone calls yesterday I forgot to do it .. and it is slower than slow on the upgrades -- once in a program it seems to be a bit speedier.  

     I heard the call of a loon and by the time my camera and I were out there - it had flown off ... in the wastebook group there has been mention of loons on the lake -- kind of rare -- I would think to far south .. but maybe.    The dock is still on shore -- hoping the crew comes this weekend / early next week and gets it in the water.   According to Nick -- he received shipment notification for the motor for the pontoon -- notification does not mean however that it was shipped.  

    I managed to get a lot of tax returns completed yesterday and heaps of MNPR's .. and tossed a lot more stuff out -- rearranged some furniture -- sometime next week the stand up desk can be put together and the file room office finally spruced up.  It all takes time ... 

is Wednesday or Thursday?

my days are still running together -- I really need a "sit and do nothing day" -- soon, hopefully ... yesterday's drama / events ( it was Wednesday) included a trash gig, a doctor appointment/infusion therapy, lawn mowing, table hauling - laundry and the usual work at work.

The doctor appointment went well -- or I think went well -- the CT scan of Tuesday was very positive -- it doesn't show a "tumor" ... but it also doesn't detect cancer cells -- so --next up is appointment with radiologist -- at the end of the month ... so patient went home and mowed lawn for a couple of hours, fixed some hanging chains for the new hummingbird feeders

I mowed lawn at the office -- getting the new lawn mower figured out ... I'd never mowed with a self propelled push mower before -- I like it :)  ...  charged up the battery :)  ready for next week 

I have an endless office project list that doesn't include actual work -- I loaded up the drop leaf table and hauled it out to the cabin -- it's my new "work" desk at the cabin .. tucks into the corner of my bedroom quite nicely --  the tulips are blooming out there ... won't last much longer -- our grass is a mess ... that might be this weekends project ... the dock is still on shore ... 

 

mad mad monday

actually for a Monday, it's been pretty calm -- other than my screw ups ... sometimes I am an idiot

shots from the happy place -- some guy fishing and fishing close to shore --- no docks out yet, so they get pretty close ... it is a pretty steep drop off -- or so I'm told

here's the bench gizmo I purchased from my cabin bedroom ... there are a couple curtain rods laying on it but ... the top flips up for storage ... I also have a couch and 3 chairs with this same fabric -- one chair is going home ... the couch goes in the bay window in my office and the other chairs in the front lobby ... target and Amazon sell them ... I've been obsessed with teal, brown and cream ...

back to work ... 

 

two in one day

     Thursday ( Friday ) I made a weekend project list .... so ..... 

            the new electric lawn mower is okay -- quiet ... grass was long so it looks kinda raggy yet, but I'll mow again on Monday or Tuesday and get into a regular cycle ... it will help 

            the brush pile got hauled away -- and I chopped up another load and hauled it away ... 

    

            I thought the closet purge was on the list ... so far 6 large trash bags of clothes are leaving this building, 6 freaking bags .. and oh joy!  Old Navy delivered this morning :)  seriously, the only items I really need -- white t shirts -- because no one can go without white t shirts in the summer ... 

            dresses -- lots of summer dresses, I bet I can go two weeks and never repeat a dress .. wtf ... two of them are kind of short for an aging, large, gray haired woman -- I'm going to chop them off and make t shirts out of them .. one of the 4 sewing machines should have the ability to hem them 

            yikes, weeds, brush and clothes .. what a day .. 

and it is now Sunday -- I'm hanging out at the happy place, me, the vacuum cleaner, the scrub pail and the Mr. Clean -- actually I'm done for the day.  the bedrooms are done -- except the windows ... the porch got a fast pass ... my bench is put together and in the bedroom -- it's all good.

I stopped at the office first to empty the dehumidifiers and water the plants -- and gee whiz, I managed to leave the front door open -- wide open when I left yesterday .. evidently the police department wasn't checking doors last night ... well, the building got aired out .

Friday Night Lights

I hopped on the ATV and took a ride at 7:45 last night -- different light different view ... left the cave and got fresh air ...

got bessie parked in the shed and spied this creature ... what the hell

a bit pudgy

so after the ATV ride I felt the need to go to the grocery store, well, HyVee was full of kids at 8:30ish ... $95 later, there is cabin groceries, milk for home and office, a breakfast pizza (will review it later) and then

in the parking lot -- the cart kid says to me -- "rev it up" ... huh, "your car, I want to hear what it sounds like" ... so kid -- it's just pretty and I'm an old woman ... not gonna happen tonight ..

old and crabby woman I am ... I went home, quietly ...

 

Paradise

Thursday morning I took a drive.  My lawnmower was in and ready to pick up at Menards.  Electric lawnmower ... so I dashed over to get it before the heat blast arrived. 

I then drove over to the cabin to check on it after Wednesday nights wind event ... 

my tulips are getting ready to bloom.  damn heat is wreaking havoc on everything.

the camera had blown over so I moved it 

and a fish arrived on the steps

to quote the eagles ...

"it's a peaceful easy feeling" 

hoping to spend some time out there this weekend.  my original plan was to re-configure my bedroom/cabin office space ... and clean some more - time will tell ... I need to make a project list keeps me on track.

Weekend Project List:

HOME

1.  mow lawn
2.  vac basement
3.  laundry
4.  move plants outside
5.  weed whip


OFFICE
1.  empty dehumidifiers 
2.  mow lawn
3.  haul lawn debris to brush piles
4.  prep payroll for next week
5.  100 MNPR's
6.  plan out CE summer schedule
7.  spray roundup on grapevines/burdocks

CABIN
1.  pick up sticks/brush/burn?
2.  repot geraniums -- make 'em pretty
3.  re-arrange bedroom/clean
4.  mount cameras
5.  grocery shopping -- get the essentials restocked
6.  

 

 

after the storm

I spied this moose pix on wastebook yesterday ... I'm not sure if it's "wide eyed wonder" or the "tired of the rat race" look on it's face.  Lately, I have the tired of the rat race look.  

It seems the more we seem to get finished, the further behind we fall .. and then poof!  all the pieces fall together and life isn't so bad.

Cancer patient has had an interesting week .. blood work, family doctor visit post-hospital stay, chemo #11 was yesterday and that got delayed while Dr. R reviewed the post hospital notes ... oncology is a "hurry up and wait" type of world.  Chemo's in and he never sleeps well that night -- up and rolling at 4:30am with 2 hours of sleep ... seemed a bit perky this morning.

We're grateful that there will be 5 -6 hours of baseball starting at 11:30am .. keeps him occupied and not thinking about other things.  Tuesday afternoon I caught him switching out the broom for the lawn mower deck -- it wasn't going well, but it's done now.  Mower is ready and waiting for me -- it will have to be Friday after work.

Inbound commute this morning.  I told Kate yesterday, that I was going home to do nothing last night.  Well, nothing was weather watching, wind, rain, no hail -- and lots of weather watching ... went to bed at 9:00 ... still rumbling.  

Coyotes were chirping at 2:30 ... coyote barking at 2:30 is rude.  

It's a new day, new beginnings and new blessings.

 

Birthday!

 today is the day I bought  Ruby!

 I celebrated by putting $4.10 gas in her and a wash ... and since David came to work on the basement, she's sitting outside today..

 such is life.

May ... I think

someone was kind enough to leave a "beer" in my flower pot ....

note:  weed ( grapevine) progress removal is piled on the lawn

not sure who this is ... but it was the beer delivery dude 

thanks -- I think

I took an ATV ride on Friday night -- the valley is greening up, finally

Yesterday was productive -- most of the morning was dedicated to work ( in town ), I'm hacking away at the never ending project lists -- the punch list.  After lunch, I switched vehicles and headed to the cabin -- me, McDonalds and a need to escape.  Lee arrived and turned on the water !  Jean arrived and we proceeded to clean, 6 months of dust bunnies, the living room and porch are now in pretty good shape, as are the kitchen appliances -- left to do are the bedrooms and the bathroom .. curtains got washed, furniture got tossed and furniture got moved.  

A few sticks got relocated too -- the dock goes out next weekend or shortly thereafter, we hired it done -- they slide it down the hill and place it over a bit .. it's painless .. 

today, it's back to the real world of work, office this morning, homework tote is full and just received an email for an "emergency" payroll run.  Emergency = terminating and need to pay out ASAP.  

cancer patient had an interesting week .. antibiotics = intestinal issues, today he's mentioning aches and pains, took his pain killers for the first time since Tuesday morning ... so ... he did mention, there is hockey, baseball and a car race all at the same time this afternoon -- appears to be settling into his chair

it is life

 

Hump Day!

 

I took this on the inbound commute this morning 5:25 am

I finally got myself out of bed and down to the cave at 4:00 -- homework and laundry were the early projects of the day ... both got checked off the list.  Breakfast of champions from McD -- I can't actually remember the last "real" meal I've ate.  That is bad ..

The patient is home and was napping in his recliner when I left this morning -- I heard him when I got up and he was moving around a bit .. home with antibiotics and pain killers.  The walker was waiting upon arrival at the farm and within the first 90 minutes he stubbed his toe on it and promptly parked it.  It's the life we lead -- but most grateful to be home.  The comment of the night -- "this chair fits my ass" .. okay ..