Recharging of the Batteries (?)

I escaped to the cabin for the weekend -- late Friday afternoon thru late Sunday ...

it was a good time to recharge my batteries

Friday night was dedicated to cabin projects --

   the porch always needs a good vac'ing
   the whole house got a good vac'ing

   and I still missed some of those pesky cobwebs 

   the kitchen floor got scrubbed .. and promptly spilled on it

   most of the lawn got mowed .. 

   I got supper and a shower -- and a couple hours of Netflix

Saturday -- it's now dark when I rise and shine .. so more Netflix

and I baked the bacon ... 

sat down and did 7 hours of spreadsheet work for a farm client ..

   lots of checks ..

the kids arrived in mass

the elders arrived ( in multiple vehicles) 

they were glad to see new faces

everyone went home and it was quiet again

slept -- until the sinus headache arrived

drugs and more sleep ... like 8:00 am  

more lawn mowing

more reading

it rained

more lawn chair time

and home for laundry and meal prep

the circle begins again in the morning 

the wheels just keep turning and turning

I think I'm going to take an August hiatus from blogging and social media .. 

although the campaign wastebook page has some traction 

See you in September ...

VOTE ...

 

picture this

 there is no picture .... sometimes there is no time for pictures 

today's accomplishments:

1.    the plexiglass finally got carried out to the garage

2.    the lawn got mowed .. mower ran out of juice and I had to re-charge the batteries to finish .. it's only the 2nd time this summer I've had to charge them

3.    front office got a good vac'ing, purging and tidying .. imagine the dust I found while on my hands and knees trying to find the lamp plug in ... the lamp died -- led to another project or two ...

4.    lunch - always important -- 

5.    found the cure for the mealy bug infestation on my gerbera daisies -- started last winter -- the expert says it is a battle that I won't win -- just toss them before it spreads and gets worse .. so -- they are ready to be tossed .. I got 3 years out of them.  The hibiscus has them too ... I've been dousing it with Neem ( the internet told me to ) and the mealy bugs are getting worse and the plant looks like crap.  

6.    weekend homework is sort of lined up and packed.

7.    I email chatted with my County Board competition .. regarding the snafu in the Herald .. will reach out next week for a potential meet/greet ... kindness wins.  

I need more coffee ... 
Life is okay ....

ta da ....

old cabin sunset picture -- I haven't been there for a while and miss the place.  Life is less stressful at the happy place.  

I keep spreadsheets of "things" -- things to do, regular projects, monthly deadlines -- all the important stuff in my world.  I was reviewing the monthly to do spreadsheet for our payroll and client write up clients and ta da -- for the first time in 2 years -- all but one client is totally up to date on the list !!!   wth.  I cannot say the same for our tax clients -- still 55 to do on that list ... and of the 55 20ish are waiting on documents ... we're gonna get there eventually!

The Herald did a candidate feature for this weeks paper.  It was a phone interview not a written response to questions - it was a fast 10 minutes with the reporter -- I don't like one/one interviews I like to prep and agonize over questions - I don't like being a politician.  One of the opponents is taking shots at the County and directly/indirectly, me.  I've said it before and will reiterate it daily -- I don't like campaigning ... I told the girls at the bakery this morning, I'm nervous about the election and I think nervous is good - overconfident is arrogant.  I will never be know as arrogant - at least I hope that is not the perception.  

enough rambling.  back to work and crossing more shit off the to do lists ...

 

good morning

I believe in signs -- this mama and her fawn crossed the road in front of me this morning -- and "posed" .. my phone battery was low .. but it's still a good pix.  

it's a sign of good things to come -- even the critters were up and at 'em this morning -- although the little one didn't like getting wet -- it hopped thru the tall grass before it hit the mowed path

#1 mowed a path last week -- yesterday he spent an hour mowing lawn (it's a 6 hour process) then went with Lee to Lake Crystal and purchased a "new" lawn mower off of a Craigs List ad ... he was pooped by the time they got home ... the lawn mower has 34 hours on it .. and looks pretty beefy -- Lee test drove it and "tried to beat the hell out of it" before they brought it home.  it's red.  all is good.

so far this week - the accomplishments are slim

1.  all the payrolls are done $ 55,000 worth

2.  all the quarterly payroll reports are done

3.  one more meeting and the meetings are done 

( the last one is a quick zoom)

4.  most of the campaign flyers are mailed 

(need to type up some more labels)

5.  I got the trash out yesterday 

6.  I sprayed the hibiscus and gerberas for mealy bugs

 

snapshots

more pix from my Sunday afternoon ATV ride ... 

it was a nice ride (insert grin) 

this was a long way away ... I was really surprised it made it into the picture

my trusty ride -- needs gas 

the tunnel of corn -- headed west to CR 20 ... 

 

weekend adventures (?)

my weekend adventures included a spot of drama -- another er visit, some surgery to repair an incision, an overnight hospital stay, a ride on an ATV, a fast, and I mean fast trip to the cabin and SWEET CORN for supper.  

5 loads of laundry too.  Elder #1 fell early Saturday morning -- saved his new hip, kind of wiped out his ear, eyebrow, knee and popped open his freshly healed incision from the hip replacement surgery -- so, on his head he has stitches, staples and butterfly clips .. ortho took him to surgery to clean out and re-stitch about 2 1/2 inches of his incision -- the new hip joint is good -- and since he was in surgery, kept him overnight -- got home mid day and slept most of the afternoon

I hopped on the ATV and had a nice ride -- toured the farm and the neighborhood, dashed out to check on the cabin -- found a party happening -- came home and found a sweet corn stand with really tasty corn ... and well, it's back to work this morning.   Hello Monday ...

 

at loose ends (again, yet, still)

the critters were waiting for me this morning ... waiting for me to leave so they could dine on hosta and daylilies -- these things I know are true

never miss a sunrise or a sunset -- the only way to start and end a day

I'm at loose ends again today -- happens -- happens often lately ... 

This weeks accomplishments include : 

    Finishing just about everything on my scrum board

    mowing the office grass - always fun at 91'

    cleaning my office

    typing campaign flyer labels (2500 of them)

    600 flyers, stamped, labeled and ready to mail out 

        (Mom helped -- I left the balance at home -- perhaps the elders will finish them up)

    somewhat busy county week 

I think its the weather -- the hot is getting to me -- the indoors -- the sticky sleeping ( or not sleeping ) weather -- I don't know -- probably need a break for all things in life lately.  

today will be spent at the Government Center -- Union Negotiations -- I have a tote bag of homework for the down time ... homework and a computer ... 

might go truck shopping tomorrow ... more to choose from ... still black .. kinda weird -- 5 black 2019 trucks to select from ... 

see at loose ends  ... rambling 

 

4740 days ago

 

so, 4740 days ago I took this picture -- early morning after a 3" rain the night before --- the day after Grandma died -- 

In all of the chaos in the aging process and the dying process -- we were exhausted -- a close family friend lost his battle with cancer the week before -- and life was well, topsy turvy 

I always come back to this picture -- I feel the presence of calm, I see new beginnings and I see growth -- it is one of my top 10 favorites .. always will be 

The rain came at the perfect time, it was needed -- I always thought the farmers' wife had some influence over the weather that day ...

sending vibes this week too -- we (and everyone else) could use a little calming rain .. 

peace

edited to include the original post from 2009 -- eons ago 

the original post

heat wave

Sunday morning shots from the cabin -- I went home Saturday night and slept in the a/c -- and did laundry, watered the squash patch, etc

It was cool and quiet at the lake ( 8:00am )

neighbors did a nice job constructing this spillway -- on our property ... the camera picked up the activity Thursday night -- too bad he didn't ask first .. 

I woke up to darkness, thunder and lightening and a couple 10ths of rain this morning

all rain is welcome in July and August .. the only thing that grows well without rain is weeds, damn things are tough survivors

 

weird details in life

the Free Press requested a mug shot for a feature -- best I could do .. I told them to skip the pix .. 

double chins, dirty glasses, orange post it scrum wall ... it is never dull in my world

wastebook put me in jail -- I commented "burn down the house" .. on a picture of a giant and I mean giant centipede .. seriously the only way to eliminate them is to burn the house down

the Indivisible St Peter group did not endorse me for my Commissioner Seat -- I didn't meet the needs and values of their members .. I hesitated to participate, because, well, I know I don't prioritize the same concerns .  mind you I don't dismiss their concerns -- not all of them are on my priority list .. 

and the frosting on the cake - I have some form of Pink Eye .. yes 61 years and 10 months old and I have pink eye -- grateful that the eye doctor could squeeze me in yesterday ... drops for a week .. 

 

classic sign

 the classic sign of too much office time -- OVERSLEPT this morning ... as if sleeping until 6:05 am is a crime ... I must have stumbled to the alarm and shut it off .... or I forgot it last night ... argh.

Monday -- I mowed and did yard work until 7 ... McD's for supper

Tuesday -- I had a lengthy Board commitment and worked until 7 ... can't remember supper but it was not McD's ... I did have an ATV ride when I got home

Wednesday -- I zoomed with a client at 7 ... McD's on the homebound commute .. got home and found elder #1 hanging in his shop ripping t shirts to make ties to tie up his tomato's ... I then found Japanese Beetles on the eggplants -- flicked them off and got out the Sevin .. 

I've been trying to say up later ... (later than 9:00pm) to sleep later ( later than 4:30 am) ... 

argh -- I gots to get a life eh!

but .... the project list is starting to get smaller :)
someday I'll sew some more - probably this weekend -- the upper 90's will drive me indoors ... 
no more COVID victims amid the 4th crowd.

Happy Hump Day

So far my Hump Day has been quite productive .. 

Before 7:00 am -- I delivered a bag of stuff to the DAV box for donation, delivered payroll to a client, spent a mere $38 at the grocery store.  Then cleaned veggies for veggie salad (healthy lunches), cleaned strawberries for healthy snacks, froze 1/2 the cookies and washed office dishes.

Since then, finished, F/Stms, Payroll, and Billing,  Billing being the most important ... on a roll today .. appears to be really nice outside ... at least looking out it appears to be fabulous. 

On to my next project list ... zooming with a client at 7:00 so I'll be here a while -- 

 

the VIEW

sorry -- almost two years and I never get tired of the view from the porch ... after my "virtual" candidate forum on Saturday  -  I loaded up and went to the cabin, me, milk, slaw blend, breakfast pizza and hy vee cheesecake, raspberries ( bad raspberries)  -- 

we have the ultimate sunsets out there -- and after 10pm -- another fireworks show -- I watched from the steps in my nightgown -- and finally called it a night 

the virtual candidate forum was kind of weird -- a local group - "Indivisible St Peter" .. I'm not a public debater/speaker and never a good politician -- pre forum -- I worked, ya, Saturday, it was hot, sticky and I have shit to do -- all at once the shit will be done and free time will return ... ( as she laughs and laughs and laughs)

the cabin is my decompression zone

this morning was a spot of shopping, because if Target delivers - it saves me time and keeps me from buying crap I don't need -- the world has become wacky -- I used to dash over to Sam's Club to purchase paper every six weeks or so -- schlep them in and out of the vehicle and into the office -- I've been purchasing via office depot -- and our friendly ups dude delivers, well, now office depot  "automatically" deliver 2 cases a month -- and I thought Amazon sending me coffee once a month was the best ... 

after shopping it was 3 hours of reading -- board reports, bill listings, ditch punch lists, audit reports, -- and finally back to my book ...

and it all starts all over tomorrow 

have restful Sunday evening -- and a great week ahead

 

tech challenges

and the tech challenges continue -- this never posted ...

so here it is

I was uploading pix from my phone and this one uploaded too -- one of my favorites ... I've been purging at the office and found the sales receipt from 2012 when I bought this truck for $16,500 ... after elder #1 had previously traded it off ... 

the Lake Wastebook page had rain reports posted so the elders and I took a drive out to check out the damages -- Lee's water diversion worked pretty well -- until the very end 

negative -- I think we dodged covid again #1, #2 and I are good --- we were outdoors thru most of our "exposure"

yep, gotta move the dock back in ... or add a section on to it .

 

perspective(s)

so I did spent a spot of time sewing at Labor Camp I had 25 potholders prepped (orphan quilt blocks, batting, insulbrite and backs), they got quilted, trimmed up, cut 2 1/2 yards of b/w strip into binding strips and got binding on all 25 of them, now to finish the binding and they'll be done 

missing lake time -- never seem to have enough lake time during the week 

the chaos continues at the office, most of it is my doing -- finding productive work time has been elusive lately, the cycle of endless questions has returned.  I used to think it was COVID that made us dumb, impatient, irritable -- but now I'm leaning towards the "millennials" .. they just "assume" things and "expect" things, which since my generation created them I shouldn't be whining.  

so, instead of whining, off to work on the endless project list ... someday this list will be less than 100 ... ya, it's that ugly.

 

is it the weekend yet?

i have to admit -- this dude fishing in his kayak -- was leading the good life -- 

he was back in the hole -- right off our old rental place .. it is very quiet back in there

a lot of lookee lou's -- but no wakeboats or personal watercraft

sunset -- the sunsets

So, Tuesday morning the phones are ringing -- 3 of the 8 of the weekend participants tested positive for COVID -- ya, 3 of 'em are down.  Two live in the same house -- 1 -- hmmm

Thankfully, most of our time was spent in the porch, on the water or in a lawn chair next to the water ( or mowing the lawn, pulling weeds, cooking, washing dishes, vacumming) ... after dodging the COVID bullet since the beginning, I'm thinking positive

and, drum roll ....

the accomplishments of the week

1.    squash garden #1 is weeded and ready for chemicals

2.    3/4 of my quarterly payroll reports are DONE.

3.    laundry is up to date

4.    #1 mowed 1/2 the lawn (feeling good)

5.    Ruby had a birthday of sorts

6.    I only spent $26 at the grocery store this morning!

Ruby and I had a road trip yesterday.  I forgot a whole watermelon on the counter at the cabin and since it was storming on Tuesday night -- I dashed out early (6:00am) yesterday and fetched it .. and shut the porch radio off .... and had a cup of coffee on the porch ... Ruby turned over 20,000 as I was pulling onto Maple Dr ... seemed like a good time for a mini celebration.  I think I'm trading her off this week ... she and my truck for a new(er) truck.  Maybe, I've been waffling for a month. 

 

the plague

yes, my friends -- the entire clan got exposed to COVID over the holiday weekend ... exposed by two different people ( independent of each other people) .. Nick does not travel in the same circles as Shelley ... so we all got exposed multiple times over a two day period -- elders also .. only for a couple of hours ...

the good thing -- we've all been exposed before -- and we were outdoors most of the time -- the screen porch as become our "living room" and we spend most of our time out there ... 

keeping our fingers crossed -- so far no symptoms -- I can still taste my coffee, but 

damn, damn, damn

so I have signs on my office doors and have masks available for self and those who select one -- will be masked at the grocery store and anywhere else I go ... until Thursday when I can test (if no symptoms) .. did a spot of reading ...

damn, damn, damn

 

Happy Independence Day!

on the Saturday night pontoon cruise - I managed 130 pictures ..

got them transfered to my iPad from the camera

but from the iPad to the desktop -- not happening so well ...

I have 15 pictures of this guy fishing .. 

he kept drifting back and forth in front of us 

we were perched on our "beach" in the lawn chairs by sunset

look close .. this guy was kayak fishing 

in front the dock at our old "rental" cabin 

it was so peaceful back in that bay 

always blessed with fabulous sunsets

I came out Friday night and stayed until Sunday after supper -- went home to check on the elders ... they weren't answering their phone ( again ) so I missed the lake fireworks -- but it was okay to go home .. the elders did drive out for a visit on Saturday .. 

#1's walking is improving every day ... still battling lightheadedness and the dizzies .. lots of doctor appointments this week ...  

I'm back at the cabin for the day .. enjoying the rain, cleaning and updating the computer out here ... 

 

July - Vacation - Life

well, today was to be DAY 1 of vacation -- actually last night was to be the start -- when I got home it was hot and muggy -- and #1 wasn't very perky --- so I went to the cave, did laundry and worked on campaign mailing labels ...  

#1 has had some drug side affects and refuses to take the off setting meds to relieve such side affects -- we've taken to referring his drug habits as the "Irene Moments" .. he wasn't even taking the pain killers post hip replacement -- he is however, walking pretty damn good ... and this morning had resolution of his "side affects" .. 

I ended up meeting with clients this morning -- so I'm at the office and well, working .. soon to head east, maybe south .. I'm still truck shopping and today might be the day to flip trucks -- one never knows ... 

Happy Independence Day ...