Hump Day and End of the Month

Laura finally got to the end of the treatments. She peeling off now. I know she’s ready to get done with this. She’s premature gray like her father. No longer a redhead!

This morning I walked to Astrid’s gardens and watered everything. The sprinklers don’t seem to be sprinkling. Laura got the soakers on. I picked a lovely purple bell pepper and fixed an omelette for my breakfast with it. Her mandevilla is full of blooms but next year it’ll be even better.

It’s really pretty. The leaves are deep green and glossy.

Yesterday L and A went on a train ride. They saw some beautiful sights. They move on toward Moab today I think. Eric’s father lives in Salt Lake. They’ll have partners for a few days. I am praying Asti gets to behold the wild horses!

Kay and I are going to Opello today to eat at a new place, Nana’s. My turn to pay. Hoping it’s good.
 

Tuesday

 

Laura’s dermatologist prescribed Florouracil 5% for her face. She has to apply this skin eating stuff twice a day. As the days go by it has looked worse and worse. Laura is a redhead who has loved the sun all her life. This is chemotherapy to destroy precancerous lesions on the skin. She has a special hat to wear outside. This hurts me even to see her. I’ll be glad when it’s over.

Sigrid and Logan E. took Astrid's indoor cat to their place while Asti and Logan are out west. Sig couldn’t find the cat. She called Logan E. He came home to help her search. The cat was hiding in the couch. All’s well that ends well.

Sigrid with some of her pharmacy friends. She’s mentoring two first year students.

I bought some new tennis shoes. The brand is Topo. I wanted them but didn’t feel I deserved them. I can’t walk that far and my pace is slow. I resisted getting them even though they were on sale. I went back telling myself if they were still there I was getting them. They were and I am pleased. They really help my left knee not roll in. 

My friend Kay are going to eat tomorrow at Nana’s. It’s at Opella, AR about 35 minutes away. I hope they have catfish.

Monday, Monday

Ada loves church. The lesson was about the Good Samaritan. Looks like Ada is the traveler who was robbed and left for dead on the road to Jerusalem. The Good Samaritan helps her. The lesson is for us to show mercy and help those in need. I’m sure Ada got the gist of the tale.

Her afternoon was spent at soccer games again. Her Dad does gun shows each weekend. He was in Poto, Ok.

Today when I hobbled along with stick in hand, I was amazed at how beautiful the trees’ image was reflecting off the water! The colors mingled and gleamed as if the lake was a looking glass!  Then I spotted the Prairie Tickseed blooming nearby. It’s of the Aster family and gets its name because its seeds look like seed ticks! Sometimes, I have to push myself to get moving, but afterwards I’m happy I did!

Logan and Astrid started their vacation yesterday. They left at 2 in the morning and are to their first camp site. It’s between Durango and Silverton. She said there was a drizzle and it was 45 degrees.  

She has an agenda for the entire trip. They took their four dogs. 

Yesterday I used the rest of my mellow apples and made crockpot apple butter. Helen used to make it. I added no sugar. It’s really good if I can boast. I made 3 pints. Fleta gets one!

Lord’s Day

My Wandering Jew likes the cooler weather. I’m trying to decide if I should bring it in when the cold weather comes. I may. I got it by pinching a sprig from a large plant where I get my hair cut. I rooted it and planted the sprig.

Nature planted this bouquet. Daisies and False Foxglove contrasted with green—very pretty.

I was out early to walk 30 minutes. The sky was gray and we’d had a sprinkle of rain. I saw several flights of Canadian geese who had rested on Galla Lake last night. They are traveling south and our area is in their flight pattern. In the spring, they’ll come through once more heading north to Canada.

Behold a rainbow over Galla Meadow!  

September 26

Greta plays lots of sports. Ada has to attend. Today Greta had 3 soccer games. That’s hours. Ada started out reading. Her mother won’t let her wander.

She found a friend to play with. She even visits with the other parents, Erin said.

Ada asked this new friend if she could read to her. That girl is probably older than Ada. Ada had a great week at school. 15 out of 15 on her math test and a prefect score on her spelling test.

Eric’s school celebrated Dolly with 9 2 5 day. I like his hat. 

Sigrid wanted to give one of her teachers pumpkin coasters. So I whipped out more.

The Harvest moon was really large last night. My camera doesn’t take good sky pictures. 

I cleaned some today. Where does all the dust and dirt come from. I moved furniture and cleaned next to the wall. It was gross.

Eric is grilling steaks tonight. Laura is making twice baked potatoes. It’ll be delicious.  
 

Friday

I had a wreck with my mailbox. I bumped it with my side by side and knocked it off the post. Mr. Fix It repaired it for me! His assistant Astrid helped!  Thank you to these two who always rescue me!

Saw my neighbors on my walk this morning! Manchi and Whiskey were showing me how to move faster. These neighbors are friendly but mind their own business❤️

Kitty loves little Lovetta.

Yesterday was mowing day. Not many more times this year. It was not hot thankfully. Finally we have lows in the high 60’s at night and 80’s for highs by afternoon.  Takes it longer to heat up when the lower lows.

Logan and Astrid are heading west in their camper next week. I know Utah but not all the places. Dogs are going too. They’re takin their dirt bikes. Astrid has been lightening up the camper. It was really dark inside.  Below are some after pictures. 

 

September 24

We had the nicest cool morning. It was 60  so I walked my time at 7 AM. Look at the sky. It was a glorious walk. Then I ate raw oats with milk for breakfast. My Dad use to have that sometimes. I don’t buy dry cereal anymore. I went on to Focus Fitness and rode the bike and did my weight lifting. I think the hardest for me is the crunch machine. I put it on 70 pounds and crunch 75 times. I do 50 and then all I can the second set. Today I made it to 30 on the second set. So I did 80.

My brother Clayton was born on this day. He passed in 2014. He would have been 82 today.

This afternoon I mowed. All my diesel is in the mower. Still hoping for a reasonable price. It keeps climbing. I feel for the poor truckers. I’ll have to mow again if we get rain. Today’s job was a dusty one.

Laura made hand pies with some of her apples. I got two on my porch this morning. She delivered on the way to work. Yesterday the library called saying I had a book I’d requested. I picked it up and am enjoying it. 

Dr. Rasool said what I have is SVT (Supra-ventricular tachycardia). It’s an electrical misfire in my heart.  He said it’s not that critical. I’m to stay on the Beta Blocker and come back in 3 months. I’m happy I don’t have to take blood thinner. He said my heart looked great for my age. 

 

Hump Day

Fleta brought Astrid Aunt Helen’s crocheted rug. She placed it in the front entry. Her house is decorated vintage country. Helen wanted to make a rug and I gave her a big hook and helped her get started. She used some white sheets but dyed them. After she mastered this one, she made a big one for her dining room. 

Greta played volleyball last evening where I went to high school. She’s making a strong hit at the net in the picture. It was videoed and I got to watch her play. She had a great game and they won. She’s on Jr. Varsity, only a sophomore. Greta's a great athlete. This reminded me of my high school years. There were no sports for girls….none. Long before my time a girl on a team got pregnant and they blamed that on sports. Boys had sports and we had none. Title 9 corrected that but we are moving backwards again. 

Ada will not be playing many sports I don’t think. The PE teacher said for the class to run a certain amount of laps. Ada told him she couldn’t run as her leg hurt. She said she had “growing pains”. He said run one. She ran and fell down and bloodied both knees. She came home walking stiff legged wearing two big band aides. The picture of Ada is by the gym for my old high school. It’s new. We used one of the old WPA built gyms.

I grabbed my stick before 7 and walked my minutes. Since last September when I sprayed Pop’s Pond and injured my knee, I’ve been unable to take my morning walks. I’m not as fast as I once was and I have to carry a stick along but being in God’s garden again is invigorating! This morning finally felt like fall.

The star of my ambling along was the Goldenrod. I spied Boneset and Blue mist too.  Goldenrod flowers are a magnet for flies, beetles, wasps and butterflies. Goldfinches and sparrows love goldenrod seeds. Cattle and horses aren’t fond of it. Pioneers used it as a yellow dye. It’s pollinated by insects and does NOT cause hay fever. The pollen does not float through the air…that’s ragweed. Goldenrod contains latex. During World War I the price of rubber soared and Henry Ford asked his friend Thomas Edison to see if any native plants could be used as a source of rubber. Of the plants Edison tested, he found several goldenrod species contained latex compounds. One species had over 6 percent in the leaves. But synthetic rubber was produced in the lab and both Ford and Edison passed during World War II, so nothing ever came of making rubber from goldenrod. There’s a multitude of other medicinal and health uses. It acts as a mild diuretic and astringent to help flush the kidneys and bladder, supporting recovery from minor urinary tract infections or passing small stones. Goldenrod can dry up excess mucus, easing symptoms from seasonal hay fever, sinusitis, and postnasal drip. When applied topically as a wash, poultice, or infused oil to soothe skin irritations and minor cuts. Herbal teas and tinctures are made from the yellow flowers. Seeping the leaves fresh or dried creates Goldenrod Tea and soaking them in alcohol makes Goldenrod Tincture.

After I finished walking, I used my dolly and put rocks around the Lantana astrid gifted me forMother’s Day. I’ve moved it in ground but I couldn’t get the hole I planted it in very deep. I’m going to build up around it with mulch and donkey poop when winter gets closer. I filled in behind it with monkey grass. The rocks were big but I was extremely careful and my knee didn’t twist out of place.

I weed eated around several areas. I can’t get close with my mower. My mower is diesel and I need some. I’m trying to let the price drop but it’s going up instead. 

Heart Doc today at 1:30. 🤞