JAS, so sorry to hear about your friend's mom.

Thanks everyone, it's really hard for her because she has a bunch of other stuff going on in her life to deal with, now this. She is strong, I know she will get through it. I just wish I could spend time with her and comfort her.

I'm sorry JAS. It's tough when we can't be with a loved one during a trying time. I need to visit my sister who got terrible medical news and I am stuck here because I can't yet make a trip like that.
Today I'm going to get an order of groceries I put in for pickup since I was too sick yesterday to go shopping myself. When I get back I'll do dishes and clean out the fridge and put them away. If I have any energy left (doubtful) I'll do some laundry. I can't think of anything for dinner either.

Gosh, I sure hope your sister's going to be okay. I guess you must be feeling a bit better, sounds like you are moving around a good bit. Glad you are feeling well enough to get out of the house to pick up the groceries. That's a great service, we have a store here that will deliver them but I haven't used it (yet).

I've got a BJ's Curbside pickup shop tonight for dinner, looking forward to not cooking!

Thanks. I am feeling better some days. Ann says I overdo it on days that I feel good because for the next 1-2 days I feel terrible. She may be right but I'm just not used to sitting around all the time. I hate it.
If it weren't for grocery pickup service Ann and I would have lived on takeout for the past 3 weeks, which I hate. So it's been valuable and probably saved us a lot of money despite the $5 fee.

I want to start my windowsill tomatoes, but I can't find the packet of seeds from last year. Of course, there are no hardware or nursery shops. The place where I got them from last year didn't have any in stock.

Work . Errands. Watch the latest Agatha Raisin. That last bit was fun. Now, it is time for laundry and dishes.

So far two loads of laundry. Next I shall research the fat content of things I typically eat. I don't eat fried foods or fatty snacks like chips, but I do like things like half and half in my coffee and lots of cheese on everything. So I need to find out the sad truth about what I need to cut out, and figure out what the replacements shall be. Tonight is the season premier of survivor so I shall be in place for that.

Today I am making a sign for my garden that says "Leave room for the fairies to dance." I'm going to froufrou it up with painted on butterflies and various flowers. Wish me luck---I'm not artistic!

I am watching from my kitchen window as a crew of 3 experts disassembles and takes down a pine tree that is a minimum of the equivalent of a 5 story building. It stands partway down a hill from a 3 story townhouse and tops that by at least 2 stories. When these houses were built in 1982-83, the developer planted a 4-5 foot pine tree in the back yard of each home. Our community is slowly taking out all of the ones that are now causing hillside erosion and/or showing signs of increasing frailty. Since there are 300+ homes, this will take several years. We have also budgeted to replace each pine removed with a deciduous, slower-growth variety that will be more deep-rooted, as well as adding some terracing to the hills sides. This is a very well managed HOA, with no need to do any special assessments for this long-term project, and the good sense to contract with experts to do the removal tasks. All of the removed wood is chipped to recycling as mulch.

As someone with a serious fear of heights, I marvel as the well rigged and helmeted lumberjack ascends, one limb at a time, lops it off and waits for the other 2 to drag it away a safe distance before climbing higher and taking off another limb. Once they get to the height where he treetop will not safely hold the "lopper" person at a higher branch, , they will use a crane to "capture" parts of the trunk so that the lumberjack can to manage taking down the tree,trunk one 6- 8 ft segment at a time, and lowering those to the ground. What a stunt !!

I love watching those guys work too. Once we were watching them take down the neighbors huge 100+ year old walnut tree. The guy up in the crane thingie hooked his belt to something and dangled upside down to saw the limbs. I felt nauseous just watching.

Had a thunderstorm last night with some much needed rain. Monday the high was 79, and yesterday the high was 56. Our winters are always mild with crazy shifts in temperatures, sometimes in the same day. We don't have to deal with snow and ice, but the humidity is almost always a factor. My two chickens are doing well, laying regularly. Finally have the Christmas decorations out up except for the tree, please don't judge, lol. Last year I kept the lights on and I intend to repeat that.

My Dad had the tree removed from the side of the house I grew up in. My neighbor I grew up with said if any of his toys fell out, he wanted them back. I gave the tree cutter the evil eye. When it was down to a stump, I saw that the tree was dead. The inside was hollow.

We have a huge pine tree near the end of our driveway by the street that has died. It was probably 60 years old or more. I am sad it's dead, I really liked that tree. It needs to be cut down but that's going to be a tricky task given how close to the street it is.

A Tale of Two Trees:

It was the best of soil, it was the worst of soil..... And that is enough of that. In my little part of the world, the nearest pine tree lives in the neglected soil. Bird droppings pass for fertilizer just there, and rain and sun do the rest. The next nearest pine tree soars toward the firmament. Any day now, I expect pointed arches and permanently installed cherubic clouds to provide the appropriate backdrop. This tree is in the tended soil, and it shows.

Meanwhile, tomorrow is the last day for oddball errands. Yay! If all goes well time-wise, we will have lunch at a highly rated casual restaurant which will be coming to a location near me soon. Yay, again. It is too much-- or just too soon-- to hope that this place is shopped and will be my future paid-for food... but I will sign up for more companies and rummage around in the job boards anyway...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/13/2020 02:11AM by Shop-et-al.

Today was a somber day. It marks the 18th anniversary of my father's passing and today was also the memorial service of a wonderful 32 year old that I had the pleasure of having as a friend. I think about it almost every day, but life is so short and it should be lived to the best of one's ability.

I hear ya, I was looking at photos of my dad and my mom today. I miss them both terribly.

Jas <3 Me too. I lost them both and my sister fairly quickly. I'm not one of those "things happen for a reason" people" (in fact that makes me furious when people say stuff like that) but it has made me do things I probably never would have and taken chances that would have given me anxiety for days before. You only get one chance at this life on earth thing, so you better make the most of it.

I picked up some tomato and pepper seeds from the grocery store. I will put them in the windowsill tomorrow.

A couple of errands outside the house and then vacuum and dust upstairs and change sheets. Pretty big day.

Loss is difficult, yet it is good to remember. Today brings normal stuff along with preparing for the future so my daughter has everything in place. Later, lunch out, wash, making plans for lunch with my ex.

Watching out the window at my husband shoveling snow.

I have only been to the gym sporadically for the past two months. Today I went to one of the two locations that are convenient to my new house, and learned that they closed the location I had been going to mid-January :-)

Necessary errands. Pleasure trip to bookstore. Accepted an assignment (and will disrupt this most excellent hiatus for a few moments of work).



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/13/2020 08:05PM by Shop-et-al.

Homework, homework and homework,

You're almost there! Keep up the good work.

@HonnyBrown wrote:

Homework, homework and homework,

As MFJ says, "Home work is good for the soul."

Ha, I think he wrote homework, which to me, is different from home work.

And I have both!

Holy Toledo !!! That crew of tree experts is in the process of removing the similarly large pice tree that is 20 feet behind my deck. I can see them from my living room deck door!