Saturday, April 23, 2016

Saturday and Breakfast Out

I slept fitfully last night. I did well until about 3:30 and then it was off and on. Finally, at 4:00 I got up and went to the bathroom and later got up again to take care of Missy's litter box. Finally she got settled down.  Missy often snores. Sometimes that wakes me up. I finally got up at 5:00....my usual time.  I make the bed and dress and make up and come into the den to check the e-mail before I go with Missy into the kitchen to get her treats and her cat food for her and make myself a cup of chai. I won't eat breakfast this morning since Bob and I will be eating breakfast out. 

I checked in with my son and daughter-in-law's new home progress. This is what I found that was new. I think he called those corbels on the top floor around the bottom of the roof. I think they add character to the house. And I noticed that have painted the stucco up there too. It's very attractive. I like the color.  They have an awful lot more to do before June and move in day though.





I'll post more as it develops.

I worked in my flowerbeds again this morning and got the mulch down.  I also had to run Missy out of the flowerbed. She laid down right on one of my petunias. Luckily I don't think she hurt it.

In the morning, I want to get up at 4:30. We need to be out to Leslie and John's at 6:00 to leave for Independence, Missouri. I will need to pick up Bob and Karan and Phyllis around 5:30 to get to John and Leslie's at 6:00. The service starts at 10:30 but we need to stop at Neodesha and pick up John and Sue and Johnna and Kim first before leaving for Independence, Missouri.

Bob and I had our usual breakfast at Sirloin Stockade this morning at 7:30.

Then we just now walked over to Braums and had a chicken sandwich at 4:00 this afternoon. He is over here now reading the Journal and will probably stay to watch the news. We will need to all get to bed early since we will be up at 4:30 AM tomorrow.

Here the latest photo. I can see they are working on it. I hope they can get it finished by June.

 
They will soon be doing the lower part..

I kept after Betty until she sent her nephew over to mow our yard. We are expecting rain late Sunday evening and it really looked ratty.

He must have been angry. He did a terrible job...missed several places altogether. And got grass clippings on the carport. I went out with Bob's blower and blew off the patio and the carport.  The neighbor came over and told me Justin's  mower threw a rock and broke the window in the sliding glass door in the apartment across from mine to the east. 

What a mess! It's been nothing but problems since Wayne sold these apartments.

I've had my bath and am ready for bed. I must be up at 4:30 to pick up Bob and Phyllis and Karan to go to Independence, Missouri tomorrow. We will go out to my kid's house in rural Independence, Kansas. They have rented a van and Leslie will take her SUV too.  There are 12 of us going.

Friday, April 22, 2016

Friday and Exercise Class

Today will be exercise class again. I will come home and fix my meal for lunch. We are having hash made from the roast beef we had on Monday.  I will make it up and warm it up in the oven. We will have coleslaw and another veggie with it and for dessert we will have mixed fruit and a cookie.  I hate to waste food. If I can't make something else out of a meal, I will take it to Marilyn.

Bob will pick me up for exercise class at 8:45. If I can work it in, I will make a run to Country Mart and get what I need from there after 6:00. It's only four blocks away. Walmart is 5 miles one way. I can't get my Chai at Country Mart but I  still have enough for a couple of days.

I had such a good visit with Gay and Tony yesterday. I must do that more often. She is so isolated since she has the care of her 97 year old mother.

More later...

Bob did pick me up for exercise class and we went on to the Senior Center for that. First, though I took a note out to church to put on the door that we were all going to be in Independence, Missouri for that special worship service at our Temple for Peace there.  I also went to Country Mart and picked up a few things to bide me over the weekend.

After the class, I went out to Walmart for a bag of Miracle Grow and some flowers. It's going to rein again Monday...perhaps Sunday afternoon, and I wanted to get my flowers planted...at least some of them.  Here 's what I got done today. I will probably add some more later...

This is the front flowers in containers.The other two are on the east side of my apartment in flowerbeds.

I enlarged this one today so I could put some inpatients in front of the lavender. It just gets larger and larger. I had to put a large bag of Miracle Grow in the front. That area used to be a parking lot years ago and it is filled with gravel. I think I need to move that trash container. That's the one Bob gave me for my leaves when I rake. It doesn't do much for the flowerbed area though.

This is the one my son-in-law, John, made for me.

I think it will be filled when the flowers grow larger.

We will see. I do want to fill the containers a little fuller. I bought these flowers at Walmart and they simply do not take care of their flowers and they are never as nice as Hanes'. I just didn't want to drive that gravel road to Hanes' and get my car all dirty.

Now if the mower comes and mows this weekend, it will look better. Betty does not keep the grass mowed like Wayne did when he owned these apartments. Wayne or Merrill mowed every week. Betty has it mowed every other week...if we are lucky.

More later...

I went to bed at 9:00. I simply could not stay awake.

 

Thursday, April 21, 2016

Thursday and a Trip to Chanute to see Gay

I will leave shortly before 9:00 to get gas at Woodshed and then leave for Chanute. I will stop at Cherryvale and pick up the flea treatment for their dogs at the vet's office there. I'll get to Chanute early but I want to walk around their downtown before I go out to Tony and Gay's house.

I didn't take the time to read the papers last night. I was just too tired. I read them this morning. Bob is coming over at 7:30 to read them before I leave.

Some things disturbed me last night and I did not sleep well. Finally I got up and e-mailed  Paul, the  secretary of PINCH. We are not getting enough visibility as an organization. I think, as secretary of the organization, he should send a story off to all the three newspapers in the county so people will know we are viable. I e-mailed him last night and asked him to do that. Instead of growing, the organization seems to be dwindling.  Judy talked to Howard, who is one of the founders of the organization and is in California, and she said he thought I should talk to the fire chief, Mr. Grimmet, and ask him what sort of issues the minority community might have in the community. He is in touch with them and could probably tell us if anything is upsetting them.  I haven't heard anything from the minority community. We are an advocacy organization and I don't believe we should be stirring up complaints.

Needless to say, all this upset me enough that it kept me awake a good deal of the night.

More later....

I left about 9:00 for Chanute. I had a great visit with Gay and Tony and their three dogs. They also gave me a tour of their gardens. Tony loves to garden. Gay fixed a nice lunch and I stayed until 1:30 or so and visited. Her mother finally came in for lunch. Imogene is 97 years old and has some dementia.  I have known her since Gay was 14 though and we have a lot of shared history. Gay is 77 now.

I had a nice drive back, I did stop at their Walmart and buy a black ink cartridge and use their restroom. My printer ran out of black ink last evening. It's 3:00 now and I am just catching up on the news.

More later...

I rested the rested of the afternoon and read my Kindle. Bob came over to watch the news and after he left  I took my bath and Missy and I watched TV until 8:45 when we went to bed.

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Wednesday and Back to Exercises and Games

Today will be another of those busy days. I will pick up Bob for exercise class at 8:45. Then start lunch at 11:00. (we eat at 11:30) After lunch I will go to play Bunco at Asbury Village and after that, at 5:30, I will have my PINCH meeting at the Church of God in Christ.

Tomorrow I intend to go to Chanute to visit my friend, Gay. She and Tony are housebound taking care of her 97 year old mother.  She wants to fix lunch for me. I will ask her if I should bring Bob too so he can visit with Tony.  If he goes, we will have our hash on Friday. We are having hamburgers and french fries today with Coke. (Our unhealthy lunch) 

I slept well again last night. It sure makes a difference in how I feel.  Scott texted me yesterday morning and we had a good exchange. I was under the dryer at the beauty shop.

I am looking forward to being able to buy my flowers for the flowerbeds and the containers out front of my apartment extra parking. I love having the place look colorful. John, my son-in-law made me an above ground flowerbed a couple of years ago and I plant it every spring.  I bought flower boxes for the front after I moved in here. I plant geraniums and assilium and spikes in those. I plant red salvia and other annuals in the flower box. I will also plant the bulbs that Leslie sent me for my birthday in there. I will wait until the rains stop...probably the last week of the month. I will have to buy Miracle Grow to mix into the pots and the flowerbeds.  I am enlarging the east side flowerbed so I can plant some colorful flowers in front of the lavender I have planted in there. I will need to add some Miracle Grow there too. The entire east side lawn used to be a parking lot so under that thin area of dirt, there is lots of gravel. Nothing would grow there without the layer of Miracle Grow.

More later...

Well it stopped raining before exercise class. That's good! It's not supposed to rain again until Monday. Maybe after that storm, I can get my flowers done. Maybe I can even get them done Saturday after breakfast before the new storm. I'll play it by ear.

We went to Utopia after exercise class and Karan and Marilyn L went too. We all had coffee and I had a small banana nut bread. That was good!

I have everything ready to cook now and we will start about 11:30. I put lunch off another thirty minutes since I had the banana nut bread. :) I will pick up Karan for Bunco at Asbury Village. 

More even later...

Bob decided not to go to Gay and Tony's  tomorrow. He will be on his own for lunch then. She wants me to stop at Cherryvale at her vet's office and pick up her dog's flea medicine.

More later when  I have some more free time..

We had lunch and it was good. In the afternoon I took Karan and we went to play Bunco at Asbury Village.  We  all had fun. I won a prize but I gave it to Marilyn R. It was a cute book bag and I have several book bags and she liked it. 

After that, I came back home and did some work on the computer before leaving for the PINCH meeting. I ran off several of the PINCH brochures and later distributed them at the meeting.  The meeting was over shortly after 6:30 and I came back home to take my bath at 7:00 and sit with Missy in the recliner. At 8:45, we went to bed. I was exhausted.

Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Tuesday and Hair Day and Lunch There Too

I have slept really well the past two nights. That's good news after last week.

I got up shortly after five this morning. In a little bit, after I drink my coffee, I will load the cakes into the trunk of my car and get ready to go to Independence to deliver them and get my hair done. It really is a mess. Rain and wind have played havoc on it. Bob will visit his sister, Betty, and I will pick him up after my hair is finished and we will eat lunch at Great China.  

I went into Liebert Brothers yesterday afternoon and checked out a self propelling sweeper. It was $339.00..way too much for me to spend, especially since I had to transfer $300 last month to get through the month this month. When I don't get my social security until the middle of the month, I run out of money before it comes in. I was hoping to be able to transfer it back over the next few months.

I have been having a problem with my right hand thumb swelling and being feverish after I vacuum with my new vacuum cleaner. Ever since I did all that scanning at the library, I have had a problem with my right hand thumb. It swells up and gets real sore when I vacuum on Monday.

It has rained off and on this week. It's supposed to move on tomorrow. I hope so. We needed the rain but enough is enough.  Houston, in Texas, has had major flooding. My cousin's husband and two girls  live there. My granddaughter, Sara, also lives there with her family. I don't know whether they are affected or not. Since my cousin died, we have not kept in touch. Everett and one of the girls do come decorate graves over the Memorial Day holiday. Maybe I will see them the end of next month.

Tomorrow is exercise class again and in the afternoon we play Bunco at Asbury Village retirement home. Wednesday evening at 5:30, I have the PINCH meeting to attend. I am chairperson this year so I have the agenda ready already.

More later...

This is the stone for my son and daughter-in-law's fireplace and bar wall. Won't that be pretty?



We had to eat at a Chinese Buffet since Great China was closed for a month while the family returns to China for a visit to relatives.  I would have eaten at Big Cheese but I left Bob to make the decision and he chose to try another Chinese restaurant. It was fine but it wasn't Great China.  I will leave my car parked there on Sunday while we make that trip to Independence, Missouri to the special worship service.

More even later...

Monday, April 18, 2016

Yesterday was Sunday and I Was Very Busy

I guess I lost yesterday on this blog. I was swamped! First of all, after I made my bed and dressed , I made my coffee cake for the church school class. When we got to church I presided and afterward I drove five of us up to Cherryvale to "Just Us", our favorite buffet there. After we got back in town I did the congregational newsletter and then after that I baked my apple brown betty for the dessert for the Living the Questions group..which I hosted last night. At 6:40, I went to pick up Gary. He doesn't have a car. Bob stayed here and greeted  everyone. It was very busy! After everyone left I loaded the dishwasher and checked my e-mail. I got to bed about 10:45.  The good news is..I slept like a baby.

Now for Monday!

I awoke about 4:00 and went right back to bed for another hour. When I finally got up, I stripped the bed and did a load of laundry, fed the cat and myself. Then I put a roast in the slow cooker for lunch. I have the clothing in the dryer now and can sit down and do this blog.  About 8:30, before I go to exercise class, I will add potatoes and perhaps carrots.    I have some apple brown betty for dessert. I served most of it last night to the group with vanilla ice cream.

Missy wants to go out but it's pouring down rain out there and has rained all night. It began in the middle afternoon yesterday.

I am sitting here with this computer on my lap after also balancing my checkbook. Exercise class will  be restful!

More later...

Exercise class went well and so did the roast dinner.  Right after I cleaned up from that I baked my cake for the First Christian Church in Independence for tomorrow . Bob and I will take the cakes from Coffeyville up tomorrow morning. I have Phyllis' and my own already and Marilyn R will have Karan's this evening, I imagine Bob will put his in the trunk tomorrow when I pick him up. After we deliver the cakes, I will get my hair cut and done and he will visit with his sister, Betty. Then we will eat at Great China.

I have bought some Gorilla glue and am attempting to glue my hen from the set of hen and rooster chickens that Judy gave me when they moved to California. When I pulled the plug on the sweeper this morning, the hen's base broke off. I will try this Gorilla glue. We will see if it will work.

More later...

I haven't tested the glue yet. I tried it and do not know if it will hold or not. After using the glue, one was supposed to have put a weight on it. I don't know how I would have done that with a ceramic hen. So time will tell if it worked. One surface was supposed to have water sprayed on it lightly and the other side have a light application of the glue.

I tried to watch TV this evening but there's absolutely nothing worth watching on Monday evening. TV is terrible anymore. So I'm back on the computer.  I will work on this until 9:00 and then go on to bed. I've had my bath. Bob didn't come over this evening. He still had to ice his cake.