Saturday and Dusting

I had another restless night and was up way too early again. I have no idea what was on my mind that would not let me rest except my budget. I finally got up and made my bed and got myself ready for the day. I will need to go to the market today. I have a list of stuff I am out of...much of which our market here doesn't carry. I did get my water here yesterday. I also have this library book I can return to their library if I go to Coffeyville to the Walmart store there. 

I will also need to text the congregation that the First Christian Church in Independence starts their dinners on Tuesday evening September 13th again  and those who intend to participate should bring their three dozen store bought cookies to church on the 11th of September so I can pick them up there on that Sunday and take them to the church there in Independence on Tuesday the 13th. We have lost Bob Avery, who always participated when they were using cakes, so hopefully someone else will take up the slack with the cookies. Karan has already given me hers and I have mine. Mike will undoubtedly participate again too. He and Laura were very faithful in the past. But we will need at least one more person bringing three dozen cookies for them to have enough to serve a minimum of 55 people. That's what they had when they began earlier this past winter. Initially, before the pandemic, they served over 200. So they may have more then 55 this time they resume serving their supper.

I will go check "the weather on the 8's" now and soon also the cat situation. It's a little early for the cats now. It's only 5:20AM.

So More Later....

I caught "the weather on the 8's" at 5:48AM

Today is to be 98 degrees and mostly sunny, Tomorrow is to be 93 degrees and isolated thunderstorms, Monday 97 degrees and partly cloudy, Tuesday 97 degrees and partly cloudy, Wednesday 96 degrees mostly sunny, Thursday 95 degrees and partly cloudy, and Friday 94 degrees and partly cloudy. They took most of the rain out of the forecast since yesterday. It was supposed to have be en Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.  Now it's just Sunday.

Weather forecasts sure seem to be less then scientific. 

It's  6:00AM now and I will check on the cats.

No cats yet...

It's 6:45AM and both cats were out there looking for me to open the door and see that they are waiting for their breakfast. So I took the cat food out there for them and they are eating now.

They finished eating and I put that cat food back in the garage and covered it again.

It's 6:46AM now. 

It's 8:18AM now and I have been watching the CBS weekend news. In a little while I plan to go over to Coffeyville and get my groceries and take back the library book I finished reading.

More even later......

I went to Coffeyville and to the library and took the book back and then went out to Walmart there and bought my groceries. I stopped at the bank after that and withdrew $50.00 for the week.Then I came back home and read this afternoon. Esther had made her deposit a little early. Thank goodness.

More later....

I had been reading until my Kindle needed charging again.  I have charged it now and will read some more on my latest book I downloaded on the Kindle.

I watched the only program on TV that I enjoy..."Bull". I do have a couple of Sunday morning programs I enjoy too. I record all these programs so I can delete the commercials as I watch them.

I have just had my bath and it is 7:40PM. I will read until my bedtime at around 9:00PM.

 

Friday and a Starter

I slept much better last night. I went to bed a little after 8:00PM though. I was very tired. I had cleaned the apartment and worked in the yard and was ready for bed after reading all evening and finishing my library book. It's 5:50AM now and I am dressed and ready for the day.

Sometime today Josh will come get my car and put the new starter in it. I hope that is all it needs. I have had three times in the past three months where I started it but could not get it in gear until I turned it off and started it again. That mystery was never solved unless it was also the starter. 

Wednesday afternoon I was out to Sonic getting my $2.18 child's wacky pack for my lunch and I was going to go home to eat it and I tried several times to start the car but it wouldn't even attempt to start at all. Finally, I called Josh and just as I was talking to him about my dilemma, I tried one more time..and it started! He suggested I come by his shop and have him check it out. I did that and that is when he discovered it was the starter. He ordered a new one yesterday and got it. He plans to put it in today. I will have to pay the bill later.

Always something! I guess I have to expect these things with a 14 year old car. I just no longer have an emergency fund. I have had too many emergencies the past year. First the broken tooth and a crown and then a $350 repair on my hearing aid and then a new bumper for the car after the wreck. That wiped out the emergency fund. I have tried to start to build it back up $100 a month for the past two months but something unexpected always comes up and I have had to transfer it back to my checking account to pay an unexpected bill. 

More later...It's 6:10AM and my breakfast is getting cold. And I had better go check out the cats and see if they are there for their breakfast. 

Sure enough! They were both there for their breakfast.I took their food out to them and they are eating now.  It's still dark out. I just got back in the house and "the weather on the 8'" came on. I grabbed my phone and took the photos of the TV screen.

Today is to be 99 degrees and partly cloudy, Tomorrow is to be 97 degrees and  partly cloudy, Sunday 96 degrees and isolated thunderstorms, Monday 92 degrees and scattered thunderstorms Tuesday 93 degrees and partly cloudy, Wednesday 92 degrees and mostly cloudy, Thursday 91 degrees and partly cloudy.

It's 66 degrees here now at 6:33AM.

I see the cats have eaten and are gone now. So I took their food back in the garage and covered it up.

So more later...

Sherry from Main Street Auto Repair called and asked if it was convenient to pick up my car at this time (9:12AM)I told her that was fine. I was just watching the news. I took the key out to the garage and put it in the ignition. I didn't even try to start it. She asked me if I had tried and I told her "no"..I hadn't even tried. She turned the key and it started just fine that time. So she drove it back to their garage. I don't have a clue what this will cost and I will have to figure out how I will pay for it since I no longer have an emergency fund. I will ask to pay it out in payments. I told Josh on Wednesday that I only had a little less then $25.00 in the bank until the 14th of September. When Esther sends me their deposit tomorrow, I will have to use most of it to pay the rent on the 1st.

That's just the way it is since last year and this spring wiped out my emergency fund.

More later.....

Josh brought my car back to me fixed. New starter to the tune of $410.72.  I told him I would pay him $100 a month for four months and he said that would be fine. He said "It's a good thing I have known you for a long time" :) It will take me four months to pay him off but I am so glad I knew someone  who would let me do that. Josh has been a good friend over the years.

When he worked for Cox when I lived in Coffeyville, at the fourplex, he came to fix my old television one time and when he left, he gave me his cellphone number and said, "next time don't call Cox..just call me at this number". I never did that though..but I knew I could. 

Scott bought me a nice large new TV and a nice stand to set it on when he got out of the army.  Keith set me up an antenna but I could only get three channels since trees were in the way of the signal and the wind often moved it . He also gave me a Tivo, so I could record TV. I use that all the time. I can eliminate commercials that way. When I moved to Caney, I signed up for Cox again. I also signed up for Cox Complete Care. For $9.95 a month they will fix my TV or my computers anytime and there is no extra charge. 

At the fourplex, in Coffeyville, which was near a creek, we had foxes stroll by almost every day. Momma fox and four or five baby foxes. Josh lived in the country so he set little cages  and caught those foxes and took them out to his place in the country and set them free. He was afraid they would be hit by a car in town or someone would be afraid of them and kill them.

More later.... It's 11:59AM now and I need a lunch.I will make myself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

And a peanut butter and jelly sandwich is what I had for lunch. It's always good and peanut butter has lots of protein. 

More even later ...

I went out to Sonic and bought a Reese's Blast like a couple of days ago. I really wanted a Butter Pecan flurry but that drive in still has not received their new vanilla ice cream machine. So I went to Sonic instead and got a small Reese's Blast...the next best thing. Then I noticed my radio and clock were not working. They had disconnected the battery from the starter and that lost the code you have to put in to use the radio and clock. I searched through all the books in the glove box but could not find the radio and clock code. Finally I went up to the garage and finally had to get Sherry, Josh's sister, to come help us find the correct booklet with the codes and I put them in and had radio again and then I set the clock too.

It's 6:40PM and I just took my bath. I will read until my bedtime somewhere around 9:00PM. I am back to reading my Kindle again. I finished the library book.

More later...

Thursday and Apartment Cleaning

This was another of those sleepless nights. I am so concerned about the cost for the new starter for the car and the labor to install it. And this is one of those months when I don't get my social security until the 14th of the month of September.  I told Josh that and he said I could pay him when I got the social security.

I slept pretty well until about 2:00AM because of the exertion of the mowing and then I got up to go take my meds and then could not get back to sleep. It's 3:30AM now. I don't know if I took some melatonin if I could get back to sleep but I suppose it is worth a try.

So more later... 

I went back to bed but I was never able to get back to sleep even after taking two Melatonin tablets. So, at 5:18AM, I just got up. I have way too much on my mind to sleep.

I will fix myself some breakfast and maybe I can relax after eating. I will read awhile this morning too before I begin my cleaning. That may help me get my mind off of what is troubling me. It's 5:36AM now.

I have had my breakfast now but, of course, nothing has changed. Maybe reading will help. I will check the weather and then later, the cats.

I looked for the cats but they were not out there yet. But I did catch "the weather on the 8's". It has changed a bit.

Today is to be 98 degrees and sunny, Friday is to be 99 and mostly sunny, Saturday 97 degrees and partly cloudy, Sunday is to be 92 degrees and PM thunderstorms, Monday 91 degrees and scattered thunderstorms,Tuesday 92 degrees and AM thunderstorms, Wednesday is to be 91 degrees and AM thunderstorms. So, four days of thunderstorms.It will be interesting to see how much of the rain actually develops. I am skeptical.

Still no cats...I wonder where they are this morning? It's 6:57AM now.

It's 7:02AM and both cats finally came for their breakfast. They are eating now. I will go watch the CBS news.

It's 8:00AM now and I have finished all the mopping and vacuumed the bedroom, hall and den.

I will rest a while and then vacuum the living room and dining room.

More Later...

I got the living room vacuumed and will rest awhile before I do the dining room. I got all the dining room chairs pulled into the kitchen and living room. So I will vacuum that last room in a little bit.

I will dust and polish the furniture tomorrow.

More Even Later... 

I just had a woman call me from Cox...supposedly. She had a very thick Mexican accent and tried to tell me I had trouble with my modem.  I did not believe she was from Cox and so I hung up and called my Cox Complete Care. They confirmed that it was a scam.

Always something!!

I read all afternoon and nearly finished by book that I checked out at the library yesterday.

I called Josh to find out if he got my starter and he had received it. They will come get the car tomorrow and put the starter in. I'm glad because I will have transportation for church on Sunday. I will be here all day tomorrow and they will come get it.

I went out in the back yard and cleaned up the few leaves that had fallen from my south neighbor's tree and then I watered my back flowerbed. I watered the front one with a couple of pitchers of water.

It's 6:47PM and I just took my bath. I am hoping this will be a better night's sleep tonight. I will read some more until bedtime. Then I will go to bed sometime between 9:00PM and 10:00PM.

 

 

 

Wednesday and Game Day

I slept fairly well last night. I was up once or twice in the night but got right back to sleep. I got up around 5:00AM and made the bed and got myself ready for the day. I am having my breakfast right now. 

My hair appointment is at 9:00AM with Toni in Coffeyville and then I will go to the library and read my Kindle until 1:00PM when game day begins at the senior center.

I had set my little solar cat out yesterday during the day so it could soak up some rays and glow last night. I went out this morning and brought it back in. Leslie gave me that as a gift several years ago.I have always enjoyed it. I am a cat person.She also gave me a solar cardinal that does the same thing. I put it in the flower bed in the back yard and it glows every morning.

I will check out the weather report in a little while and also the cats. They did come back last evening for their supper. I don't know whether they will be out there again this morning or not. I will be leaving for Coffeyville at 8:30AM this morning. It's almost 6:00AM now.

I checked the weather report on TV and today is forecast for 95 degrees and mostly sunny. Tomorrow is to be 98 degrees and sunny, Friday will be 99 degrees and mostly sunny, Saturday 97 degrees and partly cloudy, Sunday 93 degrees and scattered thunderstorms,Monday 94 degrees and scattered thunderstorms and Tuesday 93 degrees and scattered thunderstorms. Looks like three days of rain forecast.It will be interesting to see how much of that actually develops.  

I will go check out the cats now.

Blondie was the only cat that was out there for breakfast and he didn't eat much. He must have eaten at home earlier. Scruff didn't show up..at least not yet. 

More even later 

I left for my hair appointment at 8:30AM and got to my appointment at 9:00AM and  she got me right in and got my hair washed and done. I read at the library until time to go to the senior center to play Skipbo. We had a good time and a good visit. We played until3:00PM and then we had our treats and I came back home.

I was going to mow the back yard this evening but it's so far it's still 92 degrees so I will wait until later to try to mow. The front looks so much better that I would like to do the back too if it cools down enough for me to do that. The west side will just have to wait because I am quite sure I can't handle that too. It's too much larger. And it's way too hot to try.

More later...I am going to go out to Sonic and get their Child's Wacky Pack for $2.18. It's Wednesday and they offer that every Wednesday. That's two large chicken strips, some tater tots or french fries and a small drink You can't beat a deal like that. It includes a small toy and I save those for our Back to School Night prizes at church.

More much later... 

As if I didn't have enough to be concerned about, I went out to Sonic to get my $2.18 Wacky Pack and when I got my order and was going to come home to eat it, I couldn't get my car to start. It wouldn't even try. I tried it several times but no response at all. Keith bought me a new battery over the Memorial Day weekend so I knew it couldn't be my battery. So I called Josh Elliott  and told him what it was doing and as I was talking to him, I tried it again and it started. He suggested I come by his garage and let him check it out. I thought that was a great idea so while it was still running I went right over there. He checked the battery anyhow just to be sure and it checked out fine. Then he checked the starter and sure enough, the starter is the culprit. Josh is going to order me a new starter and put it in and let me pay the bill when I get my social security on the 14th of September. The car is 14 years old and I have to expect some of these things, I guess. I just hope I can just pay it out, as I can, on a regular basis.

Josh thinks the new starter will be here either tomorrow or Friday. Whenever it comes in, they will come pick up the car.  

I am still paying for my tires and will be for another 6 months at $57.90 per month.... at no interest though... if I can just get them paid off in 6 months. I have made two payments already on those tires.

I was planning to mow the back yard this evening if and when it cools down. I hope it does cool down. I know I can't do the west side but it doesn't look as bad as the front and the back does...or did.The front looks pretty good now that it's mowed and trimmed.

More later

I waited until almost 7:00PM to mow the back yard and it wasn't half bad. It looks much better now. The west side is not a big problem because it hasn't grown as much. I can probably get Krystal to mow it if it needs it before the  front and the back.

It's almost 7:00PM now and I will take my bath. I am pretty sweaty just from the effort. But the back yard is in the shade and that helped a lot.

I called Leslie to check on her eye lid surgery. It went well she said. It will be a week before they can take the stitches out. I know she has wanted this done for a long time. I had it done first in Wichita but the doctor that did it did a bad job of it. Later, I had a doctor in Joplin do it and he did it right.

I will get back to this later...after the bath and I get my pajamas on and my robe.

More Later...after I read awhile.

 

 

Tuesday and A Restless Night

It was another of those restless nights. I must have woke up three or four times in the night and always got back to sleep until 4:00AM when I just couldn't sleep....so I got up, dressed, made my bed and got myself ready for the day. I don't have a specific plan for today. I will probably just read and also water the flowers and feed the cats....nothing new. I will need to get some milk today at the market.

Tomorrow I will get my hair done. Outside of that, I have no plan for the rest of the week. I bought gas yesterday at Dewey where it was cheaper. It was $3.43 a gallon yesterday at Miller Brothers in Dewey.

More later...

I haven't seen the cats yet this morning. It's 6:22AM and usually they are here wanting breakfast by now.

I did finally catch "the weather on the 8's".

Today is to be 94 degrees and mostly sunny,Tomorrow (Wednesday)  is to be 95 degrees and mostly sunny,Thursday is forecast for 97 degrees and mostly sunny and Friday is forecast for 98 degrees and mostly sunny, Saturday 95 degrees and partly cloudy and Sunday 94 degrees and scattered thunderstorms,and Monday 91 degrees and scattered thunderstorms .

Well, finally Blondie came for his breakfast and it's 7:36AM but so far I have seen no sign of Scruff. It looks like Blondie has finished his breakfast and left so I will bring the cat food into the kitchen and wait to see if Scruff will eventually come for her breakfast.

More later... 

I have been watching the CBS morning news. They have some new people on it today and I can enjoy watching it today. It is 8:02AM now.

I read until about10:30AM and then I stopped and trimmed on the yard. I didn't have it mowed this week because it hasn't grown enough to be mowed. I did start trimming it but then I ran out of trimmer cord and had to load another one in the trimmer. I trimmed a little bit more but then the battery ran down so I loaded the battery into it's charger and plugged it in and then went out and swept off what trimming I did get done. It's too hot to finish trimming when it finishes charging. It's 82 degrees now and getting hotter.  I will finish the trimming this evening after it cools down a bit. Basically it's the back yard  and along the west side next to the house I didn't get finished before the battery went down.

I may try to mow the back yard this evening after it cools down a bit. It's fairly small and easy. I may even be able to do the front then too. But the west side is just too much for me. It's too big.

I need to come up with something for my lunch. It's 11:17AM

Good! I had two "Smart Ones" frozen meals and I will have one of those for my lunch.

I had the frozen lunch and it was alright but only something to put in my stomach. Nothing to write home about. At least I am no longer empty.

I have been trying to read this afternoon but I can't get interested in a book. 

More even later.....

I made up two new directories for the church. We only have one left on the foyer table. I will give them to Karan to sew together when I see her at game day tomorrow.

Karan contacted me to remind me that tomorrow afternoon is "Game Day" at the senior center. I will go. I will take my Kindle with me and read after I get my hair done until time to play the game. If it's hot I will go to the library. I have a used cartridge of printer ink to donate to them anyhow. They donate them to a company that cleans them and refills them. 

I never did see Scruff today. I hope she is alright. Only Blondie came for breakfast today. And then he came back between lunch and supper and ate some more.

I had a Nestle Blast out at Sonic and then came home and mowed the front yard. I could barely manage it and I am exhausted. It's amazing how much things change in just one year. I will mow the back tomorrow evening. It's much smaller. The west side will have to wait for Krystal. I can't manage it... .I am sure.

I did finish trimming earlier too after the trimmer battery was fully charged.

More later..after a warm bath.

It's amazing what a nice bath will do! I feel like a new person now. It's 6:06PM and I will read until 9:00PM when I plan to go to bed. I'll bet I sleep well tonight!

Monday and Laundry

I slept well again last night. Of course, it helped that I visited with Keith and Esther quite a long time on the phone. They are always so helpful.

I was up at a little before 5:00AM and stripped my bed and changed the sheets and also am washing the towels from the bathroom. Everything is in the dryer now.

I fixed my breakfast and as usual am eating it here in the den while I do my blog.

After I get that finished and everything dried and put away, I will go down to Bartlesville to see Nancy and take her for a ride to get her out of the assisted living for awhile.  I usually leave here about 10:00AM. When I get there I always have to get her out of bed and encourage her to get dressed. Nancy sleeps to escape her life. She has done that for several years. When she was living in her own home, I always had to ring the doorbell to wake her up no matter what time I went over here...morning or afternoon. 

Of course, if I had only one son and he came to see me once a year for a week and never called in between just to chat, I would be depressed too. 

I hear from my boys fairly regularly and I see Leslie at church every Sunday. From time to time she asks me to go to Bartlesville with her and she is taking me to Independence, Missouri for the 50th anniversary of the John Whitmer Historical Association in September. I have belonged to that history organization for 35 years. I didn't think I would get to attend that 50th anniversary celebration but she registered me and then told me she had done that and that we were going. It will be held in our Temple there in Independence, Missouri.

She always takes me with her to our Mission Center Conferences in Springfield, Missouri, too. That is October 1st and 2nd. I assume we will also get to attend World Conference next April. They always take their camper up there for us to stay in for the week of Conference. We have missed having a World Conference since the pandemic.

I have finished my breakfast now and will go check on the weather forecast and the cats. It is 6:05AM. 

I checked on the cats and they were not there...at least not yet. It is 6:25AM now and they are late. 

I got the laundry dried and folded and put away for another week.

It's 6:44AM  and still no cats. I hope  they are alright.It's unusual for them to be this late...especially for their breakfast.

 More even later...

It's almost 7:00AM and the cats finally came for their breakfast. I took their food out for them and they are eating now.

The weather also came at the same time and I took a photo of that.

Today is to be 92 degrees and partly cloudy,  Tuesday is to be 93 degrees mostly sunny, Wednesday is to be 95 degrees and mostly sunny, Thursday is to be 99 degrees and sunny, Friday is to be 97 degrees and mostly sunny, and Saturday is to be 97degrees and partly cloudy and Sunday is to be 92 degrees and scattered thunderstorms.  

One day of rain forecast. Otherwise, in the 90's all week.

I see the cats are finished eating and gone. I should get that cat food back in the house or garage and cover it before the ants find it.

More Later....

I left about 10:00AM to go visit Nancy. I stopped Miller Brothers in Dewey to buy gas. It was $3.43 there and they filled up my tank for me. 

Then I went to the Mr. Klean car wash and washed my dirty car and vacuumed it out. Then I went on to Nancy's and sat out on their patio and visited with two other ladies and Nancy. 

Then we went to the Bartlesville Eggbert's and had lunch. Then I took her for a drive downtown. Then we went back to the assisted Living and learned that her son, David, had been there to see her. She didn't even know he was coming. They told him I had taken her to lunch. He said he would come back later. I came on back home. What a crock! He must think he doesn't even have to tell her he's coming! She will just be waiting with bated breath for whenever he can work his mother into his schedule.

I read all afternoon and finished my latest book. It is 5:45PM now. I am watching the CBS evening news.

At 7:00PM, I will take my bath. 

More even later.... 

It's 8:07PM now and it's too early to go to bed.

Sunday and Church

I slept through the night without waking up once! I was up at my usual 5:00AM but I had had uninterrupted sleep for the first time in ages. I am really well rested!  I made my bed and got myself ready for church. And it's 6:00AM and I am just now having my breakfast.

I have yet to check "the weather on the 8''s" and the cats. I will finish my breakfast first.

I am speaking today at church and I should be refreshed since I had such a good night's sleep. However, I really am not wild about today's scripture theme. I am usually not too inspired by the Old Testament, so time will tell. The theme is from Jeremiah and it's "Listen for the Prophetic Call". I struggled with it. I prefer the New Testament.

Afterward, if Phyllis is there this morning, we will go over the Cherryvale to "Just Us" for lunch. We really like their buffet. 

This evening Stephen intends to come over and try to straighten that portion of the fence in the backyard that is leaning a little. The ground around it is cracked and dry and termites or some kind of bugs have been in it at ground level. Then we had a bad wind one evening last week and that seemed to be what weakened it even further.

More later.... 

Both cats were out there for their breakfast and so I took it out and they ate their fill and left.

Then the weather forecast came on and I checked it out. Today is to be 91 degrees and partly cloudy, Monday is to be 93 degrees and mostly sunny, Tuesday is to be 94 degrees and mostly sunny, Wednesday is to be 95 degrees and sunny, Thursday 97 degrees and sunny, Friday 96 degrees and mostly sunny and Saturday 96 degrees and partly cloudy. No rain in that forecast!

It's 7:00AM now. I plan to leave for church about 9:30AM. I like to get there a little early, about 10:00AM, to clean up any bugs that might have crawled under the front door. And I want to turn on the PA system and check out the bulletins.

So More Later... I need to get that cat food back in the garage before the ants find it. 

I got that cat food put away and covered. Then I watched the news for awhile and finally took up my book again and read for awhile. It was 9:30AM when I left for church. 

When I got there I did some cleaning of the bugs that had crawled under the door and also swept off the door mats.

When everyone showed up, we began.   I spoke and it went well. I guess going over the material several times helped after all. Anyhow most of the people seemed happy with the sermon.

Then Phyllis and I went over to Just Us and had lunch. We called ahead for a reservation. It's a good thing we did because they were swamped but Kay had saved us a table. As usual we had a good lunch and after we paid for it, I took Phyllis back to the church to get her car and I came on home.

Now I will work on my September 4th sermon.

It's 2:23PM so I guess I have plenty of time. First I will do the letters for those that did not come today and put a copy of the bulletin in the letter too and get them out on the mailbox to be picked up tomorrow by the mailman.

So, more later...

I worked on the theme for my September 4th service this afternoon and after that I trimmed my hedge. It's 5:05PM now and my Kindle is being charged again so I can't read yet. In a little while I will try to download the Mission Center's Zoom service on the desktop computer.

Stephen texted me this evening to tell me he would not be coming this evening after all. He has a few things to do for his wife's mother and that's needed a lot more  then doing something for that fence.It doesn't look a bit worse and if we don't get another bad wind storm it will probably be just fine.

I watched the Mission Center service. They did a very good job of covering our Back to School party at Crossroads.

It's 7:20PM now and I just took my bath. I will read until bedtime at 9:00PM.