fleeting July

   Mom and I are out at the cabin -- we picked up a bag of sweetcorn on the commute .. the corn stand/guy at the top of the 99 hill on the way to Cleveland .. we had some of his last year and it was pretty good.  weather rules the taste of everything and well, our weather hasn't been the best for growing things. 

   I did dump an inch of rain from the rain gauge out here -  I have some hosta and corioposis to plant .. Japanese beetles have arrived in town and at the office -- not sure what they consume or what will survive.

   Dang, what happened to July -- it zipped past me ... last week was a crazy county week ...
   Tuesday - Board Meeting, Ditch gig in Gaylord, mini road tour
   Wednesday - trash meeting (in town)
   Thursday - mediation via zoom - bizarre
   Friday - BNCHB in New Ulm and mediation (at the same time)
     

  The mediation gig is weird -- it was via zoom so probably weirder .. meet with mediator -- he goes to the other parties and back and forth and back and forth.  I guess in the end it was productive but damn I don't like poker and posturing with other peoples money.  It is done.

  And thru all of the chaos I managed to zip out 10 of my remaining tax returns .. or at least get them to the review and chat stage (?) need to get that shit done.  

  Remodeling continues on Monday - bathroom floor .. and maybe the painter for the ceilings?  Roof is the week after.  

frack

the dizzies return for a spell this morning 

not a full blown spinning 

but an unbalanced sensation

drugs were good - until they wore off

a lot of screen time

a lot of stress

a lot of allergy crap lately

never bodes well when your head is a mess

tomorrow is another day 

and the drugs are good

needless to say

thumbed a ride to New Ulm tomorrow

that's a little far when unbalanced.

did a zoom gig from home at supper time -- was surprised how well it actually worked -- once that damn tree comes down life will be better

 

Tuesday in Paradise

yep, 'tis the season

   Just another crazy day (week) in Nicollet County ... started Tuesday with a Board Meeting (in a dress) -- followed up with a ditch gig in Gaylord, where Nate, the ditch guy, drove .. knowing the driver well,  -- I changed clothes to jeans and a t shirt ...  always an interesting ride and tour --  finished it up with a mini tour of the CR15 reconstruction project.  Sitting in Mrs. H driveway approach -- watching.

  Made it back to the office for a project or two -- home for supper and finalizing the continuing education schedule .. then took Mom to Mankato for a haircut .. and back to St Peter for beverages at the bar with friends.  Grateful for friends.  

  Grateful for a/c .. yesterday and today.  IT RAINED this morning -- not sure how much but I needed windshield wipers on the inbound commute ... 

  Today was trash ( Tri County Solid Waste) meeting -- 

  

  Tomorrow and Friday have other County gigs .. Friday is New Ulm, Thursday is zoom ...

  And we're half way thru the hot spell ... 

 

Trash Diva

this is Ruby 2 -- Saturday and Sunday I filled 'er with 

1.  stuff to donate

2.  trash for recycling and the non recycling office curbie

3. stuff for the curb

 (    picture for affect  )

at the very north end of this fence (at the office) I pile FREE shit every day .. day one I listed it on wastebook marketplace .. and it was gone by 10:00am  since then I just pop out a hand lettered FREE sign on a recycled cardboard box ...

every day shit is gone by lunch 

today a box of crappy old cheep silverware is still out there ... but .. 

I hate wasting garbage can space for stuff that can be re-used .. not only wasting space but having to pay to haul crap away irks me too ... 

the recycling curbie got 3 file boxes of quilt magazines and books today ... 

the purge is endless ...

anyone need a weed eater I found 5 of them ... not sure if they "work" or not ....

and I've only just begun in the lean-to

argh

and now that I'm home

the purge continues

some of my fabric stash 

before the purge

and after the purge 

ignore the yarn at the bottom 

the door fell open and it got exposed ( oops!)

top two rows are backing and kona snow bolts .. I like my bolts

then the solid collection (kona only)

some more solids and a stash of the original flea market fancy, some grunges

then the blues, oranges, pinks, browns, greens, neutrals and stripeys

and the cases of pre-cuts ... and some kona's for a project 

can't remember the project but I got the fabric 

argh argh argh.

weekend labor camp

bird cam from this morning .. makes a black cap chickadee look large 

I'm starting to look forward to going to work on Monday mornings

the weekend labor camp and endless projects are tiring

this weekend's adventures included:

- porch purge

- garage purge

      then I vac'ed the freaking garage -- the only way to get the fur balls

     and massive dust bunnies and mouse nibbled bird seed .. removed two

    wooden shelf/storage units .. gone ... long gone

- more garage purge -- it never ends

- trash curbie is full

- my truck is full of recyling and shit for the curb .. 

- basement purge -- hauled more shit up the stairs -- those stairs

- laundry, endless laundry

- complete vac of basement 

- basement bathroom -- full scrub down

- spot scrub portions of the basement floor

there was still some time to ..

1. visit the racing cousins

2. return shit at Kohls

3. drive thru the car lot

4. get takeout from HyVee and have good lunch at the cabin on Saturday

5. get Mc D and drive out to the cabin for lunch today and just enjoy the water

6. mow -- I mowed down some ugly weeds behind the machine shed

7. work on some tax returns .. argh.

8. strip beds 

9. plan my week on my favorite spreadsheet ( insert grin )

 

'tis life

I lead a charmed life -- Friday night project -- trash to the office, pick up office recycling (lots of cardboard again), get gas in Ruby 2 ($96.50 -- should have went sooner) and when I got home I put together the new shop vac and when to work on the porch -- more shit gone ... 

serious recycling when the boxes are flying out the door ...

It has been a busy day of purging, tossing, cleaning, hauling, traveling, returning, cleaning, purging -- you get the picture and well, tomorrow promises to be the same

I'm tired when I get to work on Monday mornings.

'tis life as I know it ...

 

07/21/23

 

14 years ago ...  

at 97, almost 98 a lifetime of experiences a lifetime of change  --  the stories of walking to Lake Emily to picnic ( it was up hill from town), catching the train to Mankato, farming during the depression, raising a family during WWII -- always active always busy always creative

deep in our hearts we always hope the ones we love to live forever -- as I age I realize the moments, the skills, the values they shared/taught/instilled/demanded will live with me forever.

I am blessed, grateful and will continue to appreciate the gifts I have received.

distractions

I went outside for a walk last night .. and got as far as the deck ..

then I proceeded to hop on the atv and look for more Monarch's and ended up visiting with the neighbors on their walk, getting gas in the SxS and a mini grocery trip at Kwik Trip while getting gas .. milk, salad for lunch, cheesy bread stick for the ride home and 2 losing powerball tickets.

it's life ..

 

07/18/23 because it's was the 18th of July

left the office at 4:30 -- grabbed Mom, a couple left over sandwiches, the pasta salad, and a dish of watermelon and headed for the lake for supper .. seriously, it's only 10 miles .. 13 minutes from the bridge ...  it was a gorgeous day and capped it off with a gorgeous night .. 

I missed the waterskiers .. double ones .. 

tried to be artsy .. not sure if it was working

the smoke wasn't bad, the bugs seem to have disappeared with the rain and since it hasn't rained yardwork has slowed down a lot ... my project of the week .. selecting bedroom flooring and interior paint -- floor is done, paint .. waffling .. re-purposing furniture to different rooms and playing that game now .. and purging -- always purging 

last night's (nights, nights') project was modpodging jigsaw puzzles -- Dad had an accumulating of completed puzzles -- I took apart 3 of them, one was on loan, and two were, well, ugly -- so back in the box for the next home .. two got glued .. they actually look pretty good -- although I think we have the same prints framed and hanging somewhere or stored in the basement .. Terry Redlin fall farm scenes .. 

 

what !!!!

kaffe fasset fabric from 2020 

how did I not know about this until Sunday 

seriously this is my gig

of course -- the only source at this point is ebay

seriously .. ebay .. 

I couldn't find a blue pix to share 

but green, red, and blue are headed my way

I'm trying to sell more than I spend 

getting difficult.

seriously -- how did I not know about these ....

 

mini roadtrip

 I had a productive day after the 4:40am start and 90 minutes of internet surfing .. coffee helps.

 I finally tossed out some 5 year old dying gerbera daisies that Mom had nursed/babied/kept alive in the porch thru the years -- they were looking kinda yellow - lime greenish foliage.  Needed a bigger pot and/or splitting -- alas -- over the bank into the woods they went.  Cleaned out the pots -- added new dirt and planted some "new" gerberas and a couple pots of geraniums.  Gave the hibiscus a major haircut and relocated all of the pots while cleaning off the front stoop.  We now have pots all around the yard and a clean front entryway.  

 Cleaned up myself -- loaded up Mom and had a road trip.  1st stop - Minneopa and the bison drive -- the buggers were a long way from the road.  so ... next stop

 Target - I had to return an ugly dress.

 Kohls -- the 30% off was burning holes in my pockets -- and I had to return something ... so there we were .. it's become a seek and find kind of store. 

 Panera drive thru for salad to go .. and off to the cabin we rolled.  it was windy, smoky and cold.  nice ripple on the lake and idiots on wave runners ..

 Home and more projects -- moved chairs in from the porch, set up computer, hauled out more trash, mowed off a bunch of weeds ... and another load of laundry.  

I think going to work tomorrow might feel like a vacation ..

Unfortunately the projects around here are massive .. I don't know if I'll ever get it under control

07/16/23 wisdom and trivia

bird cam has been busy this week 

these didn't upload in order, so well, that is the way it worked 

weekends I don't set my alarm 

alas this morning it was 4:40 am start -- at 4:30 the train whistle blew and it was loud sounded like it was in the back yard rather than across the river in Ottawa -- it must have been the southbound train .. when it hit St. Peter and let loose again  .. anyway it woke me .. laundry is perking and my coffee is concocted the birds are beginning to chirp (it's 5:27 am)

I think I had a productive day yesterday -- went to work in the morning, dashed home for lunch and back to the office -- the Canadian smoke, kept me indoors and breathing and I had a couple projects than needed some quiet time to complete

other projects of the day were kind of expensive -- mom signed contract with roofer -- 3 weeks out -- and actually it was $15K less than I thought it would be .. oh joy

we decided on flooring for the bedrooms - fake vinyl wood - she found a bed she liked

and then I attacked bedroom #3 with 3 different vac's and a large trash bag ... it is soon to be an office/sitting room/tv room .. 

moved furniture/re-purposed furniture and attempted to get the carpet cleaned in there -- we're going to "wait and see" on the flooring -- if the carpet dude can't get it looking good -- we'll move to plan c 

painter will be back in early August for bedroom/living room/hall and kitchen .. I'm not liking the chaos of change -- but things are looking better/different/definitely cleaner .. need to keep at it in the basement .. my sewing shit is next .. shit is the key word 

during the "purge" of the middle room -- I loaded my truck with free shit for the curb -- small dresser, lawn chair from the cabin, odd office chair, vacuum cleaner that pissed me off, all the stuff that some junker might need .. this is load # 1  ..  needless to say, I went to bed tired

 

07/14/23 and another ...

 

client Darwin lost his battle with cancer this week .. he struggled a lot but thru it all kept the faith -- a kind, humous, direct, parent of 4 boys, married to Brenda - public servant, volunteer and all around gentleman.  Jaci took this picture at the primary ? election last summer .. no matter how he struggled he still volunteered to be an election judge and participate in the process .. it is a cool pix.

I was surprised when they came thru the visitation line for my dad -- he was struggling then - I know it had to be difficult .. I cherish the hug I received -- 

I am reminded daily of the good people in my world -- I am blessed and need to keep spreading the blessings to those who need them also .. we're all in this crazy world together ..

  

we've lost a lot of clients in the last couple of years -- in an aging client base that happens 

07/13/23 Critters everywhere

might be fuzzy

phone shots

this doe has twins every year and they live at the neighbors

they were on the move last night when I arrived home from the metropolis of Nicollet

lots of deer on the homebound journey

ya, I'll flip my tail up and wave at you ...

headed to the hosta

"mom, where are you" ... 

mom crossed the road and was in the woods snorting at them ...

argh.

 

07/11/23 Trash Tuesday

skip that taco tuesday propaganda ... on 3rd street it is trash tuesday and I am the queen of trash tuesday .... we pay for a curbie whether it is full or not .. so since the start of the plague I've made sure our curbie is overflowing .. actually upstairs Jessica, always has trash too .. (that, my friends, makes her a wonderful renter) ..

and it appear that my dress looks like a nightgown .. but I tell ya -- it's a damn comfortable nightgown .. so last night, when it was not raining on Daisy Lane -- I'm searching for the best location to relocate my internet satelite in my nightgown .. those pictures will not be posted on the www.  

the best location -- SE corner of the house -- which translates to cable thru the garage, thru the porch and into the house .. lots of hole drilling .. lots of holes .. will get the ladder out tonight and try higher on the deck .. cutting down the tree might be less work than drilling holes in the house .. it's all part of my shit show.

 

07/10/23 -- and on the 7th day

I crashed Saturday night .. so yesterday was a quasi day of rest --- I've got to start sleeping past 4:45 am .. argh .. but those early hours can be productive :)   

loaded up Mom, stopped at QTrip for food -- we're kind of liking the thin crust chicken alfredo pizza they have -- and well, the donuts, the persians, the apple turnovers -- and of course milk -- 

got to the lake and baked the food, washed the dishes and read my book, finished book #1, started #2 and did some web surfing, planned my week  ( which I plot/plan/organize and never follow )

Mom had a long nap ... she's mastered the streaming tv gig out there .. hopefully that will carry over to the farm and we can ditch the wired directv -- time will tell

sat and watched the world float past -- it was actually very quiet .. has been all summer long -- the boat traffic picked up at early happy hour ...

and last night -- I went out to put the truck away and this ... this is why we don't have pretty things anymore .. she did get up and move when I yelled at her -- but not very quickly ... by the time I got the truck in the shed and wandered back to the house -- she was back and down .. 

 

07/09/23 ebay Diva

 

so the purge continues -- is everlasting, is a lifelong event ....

I think the goal is not to replenish post purge ...

time will tell

I started listing fabric things on ebay .. some of them are gaining traction as I type ... someone offered me $75 for the above packet of fat quarters .. and I was a fool and countered with a $100 -- because greed is good ... it's currently at $52 .. a couple days to go and a bunch of watchers ...

As I find small treasures (and not so small) that I think might sell ... I add them to a bin under my cave desk.  

the tribe carried out 2 desks, a 5 drawer file cabinet and a cheesy looking gun cabinet last week -- my next move in the "gun" room is to take down the shelves and scrub the walls -- spent an hour vac'ing up cobwebs from the ceiling (floor joists) that room is going to be useable in the near future .. 

I painted on sealer to the deck spindles yesterday -- that is a icky sticky job -- then proceeded to roll on another coat to the upper deck ( found a short nap roller in the "gun" room ) .. it's looking much better this morning.  and i proceeded to spray out a tank of round-up for weed control is wonky locations ... 

the beauty of no rain -- no mowing so I can do other projects -- hoping to finally wipe out the poison ivy at the lake with another shot of round up this afternoon .. I'm going to win that battle eventually.

07/07/23 unplugging is not a sin

I'm not sure I know how to unplug anymore.

the body might stop moving but the mind is always whirring

making lists for today and the weekend 

the endless lists

it's kinda wonky - but I planted two tomato plants in pots last night .. will be digging out 4/5 more pots I have geraniums to plant ( love a good clearance sale) and Drummers has fruit trees and shrubs on sale -- I'm hoping to get some raspberries -- 

the sewing room purge is coming along okayish .. the fabric I listed for sale on ebay is getting "watchers" and "bidders" -- I have a pile for donation/thrift shop

the tribe carried the odd / old bits of furniture out of the home basement -- finally feels like some progress done there .. the roofer arrived yesterday to measure and get us a bid

projects, projects and more projects.

I think one of the weekend projects is to convert the little bedroom into an upstairs sitting room/office .. I brought home a couple of chairs from the office front room .. there is a desk in there and I want to "hang" the tv -- it's a "smart" or can be converted to a smart tv for streaming only ... chairs, tables, lamps, desk, tv ... and we'll be in business .. 

first up -- carpet cleaning .. well be testing out the spot cleaner tonight .. 

 

07/05/23 Hump Day

 

reminders are everywhere  ..

I've been struggling with the work/life/fatigue/burnout/introvert issues a lot lately -- there have been some outside factors that add the chaos in my mind ... and then I get whopped with a reminder that my life isn't so awful ...

visiting with a friend whose issues far outweigh my problems .. 

grace, tact, strength,  kindness and empathy in the face of adversity are the traits I need to remember and embrace .. 

onward we go .. 

I find myself saying .... "I don't know' so much lately .. I just hate that phrase ... I just hate it .. yet, the endless questions about stuff I really don't need to know/retain/share with the world keep coming .. sometimes I think dealing w/the plague and it's aftermath has made us all lazy --- we don't look for answers on our own -- we just call random people and ask the most bizarre questions ... time consuming questions that I DON"T KNOW .....

Ranting doesn't make it any better -- 

07/04/23 Independence Day

  a sampling of shots from 7/3 fireworks show at the lake .. it was very nice.  i took most of these with my phone -- my still camera couldn't keep up ... 

  left the office at 3:30 and proceeded to keep the basement purging going -- my shit this time ..  listed items on ebay -- because I have too many items, to many expensive items .. and still finding treasures that I will never have enough time (or gumption) to sew.  

  i have a lot.  

  i found a bunch of foundation paper piecing papers -- weird -- 

  

the view from my lawn chair on shore .. they shot the fireworks at about 2:00 in this pix  .. perfect view, there were oodles of boats on the water --- 

07/03/23

and suddenly it is the 3rd of July

I came to work this morning (dressed in a dress)

I was checking the camera's when I got home yesterday ... and well, I think when we were backing out the camera fired up .... and the monarch happened to be flying past ... a little moment that made me smile  I need more of these moments

I'm beginning to refer to all holiday weekends as "labor drills" .. it was a productive Saturday at the farm ... 

1.    all of the vehicles got vac'd and cleared of unnecessary junk ...

            and 3 of the 4 have been to the car wash !!!!!

2.    powered washed a couple of sets of floor mats ... and tried to get them clean ... 

            getting them out of Dad's truck was a chore

2.5  power washed the golf cart, my SxS and the lawnmower ..

3.    power washed part of the sidewalk .. will go back at it tonight

            not sure if it is worth the effort

4.    mowed more grass ... need a small repair gig on the CC

5.    used the pole saw and cut dead branches out of an apple tree ... 

            standing on a step stool in the bed of my SxS might not have been my 

            best move but it got done 

6.    trimmed additional apple tree branches -- so I can mow under them 

            and keep my hat/head attached.

7.    started piling shit in piles in the machine shed

8.    laundry - endless laundry

9.    trash endless trash .. curbies are full for the week ... 

and since I'm nuts -- efiled 15 quarterly payroll reports and got them done .

We did dash out to the lake yesterday -- the www was flunky so I reset the box  -- made lunch, vac'd the porch and discovered old califllower in the fridge -- the aroma was not very delightful ... so scrubbed the fridge too .. home early and I went to the office for projects and relaxation