Coming to You from Shingles' Central

😒😩😧😪😫😡

   No actual picture for this post because ain't nobody want to see my Shingles rashes.  They are all up and down my right arm and even a spot on my back.  They are ugly, painful, angry things and have brought with them their cohorts fatigue, gastrointestinal issues, and itchiness. I did go and seek medical help and am on antivirals, which do seem to be helping.  I chose not to get the vaccine for Shingles because it could make my Fibromyalgia go into a really bad flare that could last for weeks, months, or even years.  That was a chance I was not willing to take.  So...I will get through this and hopefully never have them again!

   Jeff has, as usual, been my knight in shining armor, taking off from work to get me to the only available opening to see someone at one of the clinics in our system here.  It was the furthest one from our home.  We got to the small town about an hour earlier than we thought we would.  We had left early because you never know what you are going to run into on these farming route roads.  The drive there only took us about 45 minutes.  We had not been to this particular town in years and a lot had changed.  There were some new shops open, including a thrift store, which thrilled me to no end.  We took a quick look in there and ended up getting some brand-new Fall themed fabric napkins.  We also met lots of really friendly people and one of the ladies actually makes the drive over to our little town every Sunday for church.  She is good friends with one of our dear friends and carries honey from the farm of one of my former students.  Such a small world!

   I don't know how many disaster movies Jeff and I have watched to keep my mind off the Shingles blisters.  My dear hubby knows that I am a natural disaster movie fiend.  I know, it is strange, but it relaxes me and I get a kick out of how bad some of the special effects are on the, shall we say, lower budget ones. ;)  I've taken numerous naps and have had some sleepless night.  I am finally getting my appetite back.  Jeff is going to have to make a grocery shopping trip for us tomorrow before he comes home from work since the gastrointestinal issues are keeping me homebound.  Yep, having IBS is not helping either.  

   Jeff is working another 3 days in a row week (he usually only works 2 days a week) since they are moving into the new expanded area of their store at work.  He has been really busy with that and comes home tired and sore.  I have been missing him while he is gone.  I can do the 2 days a week, no problem, but you throw in an extra day, and well, I just get to missing him so badly.  You would think I enjoy spending time with the man or something. ;)  I can also see that that extra day tends to take more of a toll on him also.  I wish he could fully retire, but there are still bills to pay, car repairs to be done, savings to get built back up and unfortunately, our social security checks alone do not stretch far enough to do it all.  Hopefully once he gets the repairs done on his little car, we can give it to our oldest grandson as promised since he will be able to legally drive within this year.  Bradley is going to have to get a job to help pay for insurance on the car and gas for it.  Hopefully he can get one at the grocery store that his uncle manages.  That will still leave us with my car and the truck.  We will also have Josh's truck here for 3 years come this late Spring, so we are going to need the space in the driveway.  

   Anyway, I wanted to check in.  Be blessed my friends and I pray you never get Shingles!

   

  

Checking in once again...

   Hello once again.  I know that I have been horrible about keeping up with posting here.  It seems to be a trend with me and I wish it was not so.  I have been MIA for multiple reasons.  I wish I could say that it is because we have just been extremely busy (which we have been).  I wish I could say it is because Fibromylagia has been kicking my behind (yep, it has).  But the truth is that our family suffered another loss with the death of my Uncle Ed, and it hit me hard, harder than I thought it would. 

   My Uncle Ed was so much fun, and I enjoyed many moments of intense laughter, the kind that makes your stomach hurt, with this dear man. He was an outdoorsman and took his family camping for a good portion of each Summer while his sons were growing up.  He helped them learn about the flora of the 48 lower states as they visited each and every one.  They also visited Canada from what I remember.  He was one of my dad's close friends in college and it was through my dad they he met my Aunt Lucy, my mom's sister.  Love bloomed and they got married and had 2 sons, my cousins Mark and Tim.  As Jeff and I grew our own family years later, they would stop and see us at our home, or we would meet them at my parent's place in Montana.  My boys got to know them and Josh especially became close with them and with my cousin Tim.  It was wonderful watching my own kids and my grandkids getting to know my aunt and uncle.  He was such a special person to me and to them.

   This week I had every intention of getting a bunch of things done and then I got a message that another friend died.  Randy was a sweat soul who I have such fond memories of.  He was one of my little brothers through the fraternity where I was a Little Sister.  I was also close with his older brothers Chris and Kevin.  The last time I saw Randy was at one of my best friend's husband's funeral last year.  It threw me for another loop and bam...huge fibro flare.  I know I am at that age where friends and family are passing away, but man, this has been a hard year and a half for our family.  

   Jeff is in physical therapy and going twice a week.  He is doing really well and making great progress.  His range of motion is coming back quicker than we thought it would.  He has a doctor's appointment tomorrow, along with his physical therapy and he is hoping he can get the go ahead to be able to return to work starting in August.  He has already spoken to his boss who has agreed to let him work 2 days a week instead of 2 one week and 3 the next.  This will allow him to continue physical therapy if needed.  I am hoping he will be done by then because his health insurance is not covering any of it and it is expensive!  Oh, our Rachel also had her knee surgery and is now home recovering.  There have been some rough moments for her with this recovery, and I would really appreciate your prayer for both her and Jeff.  Thank you!

   Anyway, we will keep plugging along and then getting the medical bills, along with some other things needed before Fall paid off.  We have one more rough month financially before my Social Security kicks in now that I am 62.  We are working on projects around the house and harvesting things from the garden.  I am trying to be mindful of what we have in our gardens, freezer, fridge and pantry and not waste anything while being creative with meals.  Some days I am better at it than others. ;)

   

Surgery for Hubby and Other Things

 

   Jeff was finally able to get his much-needed knee surgery.  There was more damage than they thought, but all in all it was the best outcome possible.  He is now having to keep his knee totally straight for two weeks and not put any pressure on it. Week three he can start to bend it and we will see at that point if he can start to put any pressure on it or not.  The doctor figured that he would be off work for about 6 weeks and then can go back but be careful with his knee for a bit more time.  Getting around the house with his walker (which he decided yesterday that he was done with and switched to crutches which he had me retrieve from Chris and Heather) was wearing him out, especially the getting up and down part.  I know he thought the crutches would be easier, but sadly, that is not the way it turned out.  Between the surgery on Tuesday and expending all that energy, he is exhausted and taking multiple naps a day.  We are staying up until 11p.m. for him to take his pain pill before bed, and then are back up at 5:15 a.m. for another pain pill.  Of course the fur babies all think that they are starving at that point, so I get all of them fed, coffee going for Jeff and I and then get him something to eat.  By 9 a.m., both of us head back to bed for a bit.   Now, if I were a normal and healthy person, this would not also be taking a toll on me so much, but you have to remember that I have fibromyalgia, along with hip and back problems.  I am doing my best at trying to take care of him, the house and yard, but let me just say this...some things are definitely slipping through the cracks.  I will be enlisting the help of my oldest grandson Bradley next week to mow the yard and possibly get Jaysn over here to work on the swamp cooler this long weekend since the temperatures are supposed to get up in the high 80's.  YUCK!

   Before Jeff's surgery, I tried to get as much done as I could and get stocked up on everything we needed grocery wise except for the fresh produce and dairy products.  I did get some apples, since the last longer, but Jeff loves to have a banana a day, so I will have to run into the grocery store at some point for that.  Since Jeff will be without a paycheck for about 6 weeks, I told him we are just practicing for when he fully retires.  I will be getting a very small SS check starting in July, but we are going to try and save half of it and use the rest to pay for windshield replacements on both Jeff's car and the truck, and get the rest of the things Jeff needs to fix some other things on his car.  We are waiting to see how much his Medicare/Medicaid will pick up in costs, since we will have to pay off his knee surgery also.  At this point he is saying he wants to retire this Fall, but he also wants to make sure we get these other things done and paid for first.  I get where he is coming from.

   We are hoping our garden does well this year.  I have spinach, radishes, lettuce and potatoes already coming up.  My tomato plants have been living in the greenhouse and will be planted out tomorrow.  I have 5 different plants of different varieties.  I wanted everything from cherry tomatoes to pear tomatoes and onto big slicers.  I didn't pick out any Roma plants this year or grow any from seed because I still have bags and bags of them frozen from last year that I still need to process.  I started zucchini and cucumbers last week in the greenhouse and am waiting for all of them to come up and get a bit more established before I get them planted out.  Beans will be directly seeded this coming week and I am hoping I get lots of them also.  Jeff and I love green and yellow beans, and I'd like to blanch and freeze at least 15 bags of them this year in addition to eating some fresh.

   There really is not much else going on around here at the moment.  Other than going to the doctor for Jeff's knee surgery checkups and doing the occasional grocery shopping, we will pretty much be home bodies for the next 6 weeks or so.  Steven will be joining us on Fridays in early June, so that will be a much needed and delightful distraction for both Jeff and I.  He just celebrated his 8th birthday and lucky for me, is still cuddly.  ;)

  

I hope you all have a nice Memorial Day weekend.  Please take a moment to remember the reason for this long weekend and send up good thoughts and prayers for the families of those who have lost loved ones who served.  Please also pray for those currently serving and for their families also.  With the way the world is right now, our brave men and women can be put in harms way at any moment.  This is coming from a mom who lives with this knowledge and possibility every single day.  Thank you and God Bless!

   

   

Yes, I am still here...

 

  We finally have Jeff's Aunt Helen all moved up and settled into her new home.  Her new care center sent down a lovely man named Jeff to transport her up in their van.  Jeff and I arrived about an hour before the big move to get her all packed up and reassure her that we were coming up to get her situated and to meet with the staff there.  Everyone who worked there greeted her by name from the time we arrived.  They all knew she was coming and were doing their very best to make her feel welcomed.  We got her unpacked and then met with her new social worker and signed a bunch of paperwork.  We also deposited some money into her account there and got her signed up for getting pampered with a new haircut.  I went over some things with her nurses too about her likes and dislikes.  We got set up to do Google Meet every Monday at 4 p.m. and that has been a blessing.  

   Two weeks later, we went up again to see her and surprised her with some new clothes for the cooler months.  I had great fun making sure that I coordinated her 2 new shirts and 2 new soft sweatshirts with a new cardigan so they could all mix and match.  I also took up the soft sweatpants and a nice pair of dressier pants for her.  Jeff painted her small shelf that she had in her home and we took it up and put it next to her bed.  I also surprised her with a new soft mauve colored coverlet for her bed  and a really fun purple throw blanket to cuddle up with.  She said she felt like a princess. 😊 I later told Jeff that I am now on the lookout for a tiara for her to complete the "princess" theme.  I think she will get a huge kick out of it.  We will be going back up within the next 2-3 weeks to see her again once she gets over her cold.  I feel much more reassured that she will be getting the care she needs there.

   After the past few months that we have had, I took a good look around our home and realized just how out of control the clutter has become and how much of a deep clean it needs.  I am trying to do a few small projects every week now and I can see that I am making some progress, although it is slow going.  I don't want to push myself or Jeff too much though because we are both trying to recover from the physical and mental toll everything has taken on us.  We both have been pushed beyond our energy and emotional limits and it has affected us.  Self-care is much needed as we try to heal and to finally get a chance to grieve the loss of my cousin and the deal with the losses that we are seeing as our dear Helen battles with dementia.  I hate seeing another loved one slip away slowly day by day as this horrible disease takes her away from us.   I know all too well what is coming having gone through this with our beloved Aunt Norma and Uncle Bob.

   Well Jeff just got home and I need to get our dinner ready and take care of our Maggie Mae who is dealing with an infection that needs twice daily cleaning and medications.  Be blessed my sweet friends.

 

   

   

Frugal Friday Wrap Up Over the Past Month

   I want to first thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers for my cousin Jeremy, Jeff's aunt Helen, and for us.  The loss of Jeremy has taken a huge toll on us emotionally.  We appreciate it and all of you so very much.  Jeff's aunt continues to have health struggles that we are trying to get to the bottom of and to get her the best care plan possible going forward.  We are also trying to get her trailer sold.  After a visit with my parents, we can see that my daddy is having some struggles with his balance, and we can see that he is definitely slowing down. It's hard to see him that way because he was always such a strong man physically.  He is in his late 80's now and I know just how blessed I am to still have him in my life.

   Below is a compilation of things that we tried to save money and some of the "curveballs" that life threw our way.  I know there are so many things that I missed, but given what all we were going through at the time, I'm sure that you will all understand.  I hope that you find something that will help you on your frugal journey in the post below.  

   

     Also four weeks ago:  Well, it is a good thing we did so well a few weeks ago with our frugality because we needed the money we saved to cover getting my car ready for long trips this summer.  New brake pads, fixing a rotor and a complete transmission flush was NOT cheap, but needed to be done.  Hopefully this is the end of car repairs and/or replacements for years to come.  UGH! This did not help with my fibromyalgia flare at all.

   Four weeks ago:

~I cut up and froze 4 pints of strawberries and 2 packages of Kalua Pig.

~Jeff built me a cucumber arch and I got cucumber seeds in and also planted more lettuce, spinach, and pok choi.

~Jeff got more well-rotted and aged chicken poop dug into more of the areas in the garden that I still need to plant out.

~ We had to go back up to work on Jeff's aunt's home, have a meeting with her care team and we also went to her physical therapy with her.  She did so well and really enjoyed having Jeff right there to help her.

~After our time with Jeff's aunt, we went out to lunch at Olive Garden.  We ordered off the lunch menu.  With our $25 gift card, we only ended up paying a little under $12 for lunch.  I did notice that they have changed their menu and there is way less on it now.

~Tuesday was a rough day for me after the really busy day before.  I ended up on the couch and in bed for most of the day.  I still managed to make dinner for us thanks to instant mashed potatoes, canned pears and chicken tenders quickly done in the air fryer.

~I fed my sourdough starter and made some sourdough discard crackers.

~The hummingbirds are back so I made some hummingbird food and filled then hung up the feeder outside for them.

~I called my cousin Jeremy and had a phone visit with him.  Please keep him in your prayers and pray for healing for him.

~We are getting our dates planned out for our trip to Utah to see Josh, Lauren, Tate and Peyton!  We will be down there for my birthday and I am so very excited.  We are already planning out things to do and see.  Josh reminded me that it will be really hot and he is being protective of me since I do not do heat well.  I think we will be going to the splash pads and the river near them.

~Jeff and I stopped into a Goodwill and found 2 brand new and fun t-shirts, some brand new tennis shoes in the exact size and brand that he wears ($7.99), a book, and some decorative ivy vines that I wanted for decorating.

~I continue to "cherry pick" the sales.  Oh my goodness, we all need to be on the lookout for deals and stock up when we see them.

~I called my dad on his birthday and we had a nice visit.

~I set up auto pay on our vehicle loan after the check we sent for a payment never made it to them.

   Three weeks ago:

Family emergency came up and we had to take a trip down to see my cousin Jeremy and pick up his dog.  We tried to be frugal on our trip, but it was still about $500 all included with gas, hotels costs, eating out, etc.  We now need to buckle down even more.

~Josh and Lauren graciously paid for our hotel room the first night of our trip.

~Instead of going out to eat all the time while on our trip, I packed snacks, we had burritos from the truck stop store on night and bought sandwiches several times. We did eat out at Applebee's one night with my cousin Andy and my Aunt Phyllis.  Andy made us breakfast one morning also.  

~The hotel that we stayed at on our way back home greeted its guests with a glass of wine.  Since there were two of us, we got two glasses of wine.  Jeff does not drink, so I had them both.  They also had a nice breakfast buffet that we took advantage of.  

~We spent one of the nights with my cousin Andy at the beautiful townhouse he rented.  I took full advantage of the big deep bathtub for a much-needed soak after a long drive.

~We took a side trip up to Crater Lake on our way home.  I asked about buying a National Park pass and they saw my handicapped parking placard. They handed me a form to fill out and I got a free lifetime pass because of my disability.

~Jeff and I stopped at 2 Goodwills, including 1 with a bins room.  I was able to find some nice and fun shirts, as well as some other home items that we had been looking for including a second pizza stone.

~I made a meatloaf one night for dinner and served it with some beans that I had grown and frozen last season, and some mashed potatoes.

~The next night I took the leftover meatloaf and made a macaroni , beef and cheese bake.  The sauce was a canned spaghetti sauce that had leftover red wine, more spices and cheese in it.

~I bought Maggie 3 large bones from our local meat shop here in town.  I gave her 1 and froze the other 2 for later. Talk about a happy dog.

~Maggie and I went for a walk around the neighborhood.

~Jeff fixed the lawnmower yet again.  He is a very handy hubby!

~We brought home food and canning jars from Jeremy's house.

~I've been talking to Jeremy every day and sending him pictures of Maggie and her adventures.  Being stuck in a hospital bed, he has really enjoyed seeing these pictures of her.

~My parents have offered to pay for our gas for our trip over to see them and all of our expenses will be covered while we stay with them also.  They have graciously agreed to let us bring Maggie with us too.

~I cashed in my points at Safeway for a free 2 lb brick of cheese.  I picked the most expensive item that we use on a regular basis to use my points on.

~I noticed that I have several volunteer tomato plants coming up in the front raised garden bed,  I think most of them are cherry tomatoes, but there is one that may be a Roma.  These will be transplanted to another spot.

~We had two nights of frost warnings so we covered up some of the raised garden beds with old sheets and a large tarp that went over the strawberry, rhubarb and blueberry patches.

~I picked, stripped, blanches and froze a 5-gallon bucket full of spinach that had overwintered.

~Heather, Chris, Bradley and Isaiah came over and brought dinner on Thursday night.  She made tacos with homemade sourdough tortillas (yum).  It was wonderful to have time with all of them.  Maggie (dog) enjoyed bounding around the backyard with the boys as they chased each other.

Three weeks ago:

~We took a trip over to see my parents and my brother in Montana.  Maggie came with us and Shannon took care of the cats.  It was so nice to be there with them and we got to visit with our friends Burl and Maggy also.

~While visiting my parents, we were invited to go to the dress rehearsal of the musical "Beauty and the Beast" at the Bigfork playhouse that was going to be opening to the paying public the next night.  It was absolutely wonderful and we were so blessed to have been in the right place at the right time to get the invite.

~Yes, you know it, we checked out the thrift store and I found a few things there.

~I called the hospital where Jeremy was at on Tuesday morning and got the sad news that he had passed away about an hour prior to my call.  Oh my heart hurt.  Since we were with my parents and brother, we all contacted family members to let them know.

~We stopped at the Care Center where Jeff's aunt is on our way home from Montana.  We took Maggie in to meet her and the staff and other residents there all spoiled Maggie rotten with treats and lots of petting.

~We ate out of the pantry, fridge and freezer upon our return home.  

~We ate out of the pantry, fridge and freezer upon our return home.

This past week:

~My new car, yes my new car, has developed transmission issues  UGH!!! Luckily we had bought a warranty for it and hopefully the cost, minus the $250 diagnostic test, should be covered.  Jeff, Steven and I took it down to Lewiston to the dealership.  Still waiting to hear what they come up with.

~I bought some shorts, a few shirts and soft summer dress at a few thrift stores.  I also bought some baskets and a few books.  Steven picked out a magic set.

~Steven helped me pick out a new collar for Maggie and we made her a nice new info tag (her jewelry) so if she gets lost, people can contact us.  We also picked up a huge 44 lb bag of dog food.  It was about half the price by unit than the smaller bags.

~I made a big tuna pasta salad.  It provided two meals for us.

~My doctor sent in a prescription for 3 month supplies of all my meds.

~Jeff brought home the leftover popcorn from the big popcorn machine on Saturday since they would be closed on Sunday.

~I made two loaves of bread.

~We got stocked up again on fruit and veggies since there was not a lot in our house.  I have been planning meals around them since we are trying to eat healthier.

~I picked my first strawberry off our new strawberry patch in the side garden.

~After getting a tetanus shot, I got really tired.  I don't know if there is a connection there because of my fibromyalgia or not.  I decided to take a nap and put off my afternoon plans of working in the garden. I later found out that it did the same thing to my grandson Bradley.

~I found a book that I had been looking for at a small little store across the street from my doctor's office.  I had been looking for a copy of "Five Little Peppers Grown Up" for years.  I found one there that was given as a gift from an aunt to their niece for Christmas of 1918.  How cool is that?  I love old books and was thrilled to find this treasure for just $12.

~I booked a hotel in Boise for our upcoming trip (it is the halfway point for us) through Priceline and got a great deal on a hotel with a pool and free breakfast.  I also was able to Use Rakutan, which will get me more money back.

~I chatted online with my cousin Andy (Jeremy's brother) for a bit.  He flew back over from Thailand to be with his mother and to spread Jeremy's ashes in a place that is special to my aunt.  Oh how my heart aches for them.  He asked about Maggie and I sent him a picture of her with her new collar and her chewing on a bone.

~ I found more volunteer tomato plants coming up in another raised bed where I grew them two years ago.

~We have been eating lots of leftovers for lunches.

~I finally got all my summer clothes and winter clothing switched out in my dresser.  I now have 3 bags full of clothes to try and sell at our yard sale.  I still have the closets to go through.

~Jeff and I broke down and bought some cantaloupe plants for the garden since only one of the seeds I planted came up.  We found two containers that had 3 plants in each of them so that saved us a ton of money right there.

   Life continues and we are adjusting to our new "normal" of having both Remi (Helen's cat) and Maggie (my cousin Jeremy's dog) living with us.  Maggie gets along well with all our cats, except Remi.  Remi is the cause of that though and she does not get along with any of the other cats either.  Maggie has also made friends with Whiskey, Shannon's youngest dog.  It is sweet to see both of them looking for each other when they are out in the back yard.  Please forgive me the lack of pictures.  I have not taken many lately.  Hopefully that will change with my next post.  Be blessed my sweet friends!

   

    

My dear cousin Jeremy has passed away

 

   My dear sweet cousin Jeremy has sadly passed away.  Jeff and I got a phone call about 2 weeks ago from my cousin Andy that Jeremy was in bad shape and were we still able to take his dog Maggie to live with us.  Jeff and I packed our bags and headed down that same evening.  It was a 12 hour drive.  We drove part way and spent the night and headed out early the next morning.  We got to spend some time with Jeremy, my cousin Andy and my Aunt Phyllis.  We said our heartfelt goodbyes the day after we arrived and brought his precious Maggie home to live with us.  Within a little over a week, Jeremy was gone.

   Jeremy left this life on Tuesday, passing away peacefully after a courageous battle with a very aggressive form of cancer that took over and ravaged his body.  My heart is breaking for my cousin Andy and for my Aunt Phyllis.  My heart is also breaking for my hubby, my kids, my grandkids and for me too.  Jeremy was one of the most generous, kindhearted and loving people that I have ever been blessed to have in my life.  His time here on earth was way too short and we cherish the time that we had with him.  We feel so very blessed to have connected with him and having been able to build a very close relationship with him.  He was more than just my cousin, he was also one of Jeff and my closest friends.  He loved our kids and grandkids and took great delight in spoiling us all.  

   Jeremy's final "gift" to us was bringing my cousin Andy, my Aunt Phyllis, Jeff and I together.  He wanted us all to meet.  The last time I saw my cousin Andy and my aunt was when I was 2 years old.  He loved seeing us together and getting to build those close family bonds that were so needed in a time like this.  All of us spent time together and I hope it brought joy to Jeremy knowing that his wish for us all had come to fruition, even though the circumstances were not what any of us wanted.

   Jeff and I got the sad news when we were in Montana visiting my parents and brother Fritz.  Jeff and I took some time to go into Bigfork and we found a beautiful piece of art that spoke to me and represented to me the bond that Jeremy, Jeff and I shared.  Jeff bought it for me knowing that I needed something beautiful to look at to remember our sweet Jeremy by.

   Maggie Mae, Jeremy's faithful companion is now happily living with us.  I kept the promise I made to my cousin when he first brought Maggie home to meet.  I named her and told him that if anything ever happened to him, I would take Maggie and make sure she lived a happy life.  None of us could have ever imagined that within 5 or 6 years, I would be keeping that promise I made to him.  Maggie is the sweetest red nosed pit bull and loves other dogs and cats.  She has bonded big time with my hubby Jeff and is his shadow when he is home.  She is very smart and learns quickly.  I love her so much and am so happy to have her here with us,  Jeremy told me on our last visit that his main concern was making sure Maggie was taken care of.  It brought him great comfort to know that she was with us, people who loved her and would take good care of her.

    I'm still processing my grief over the loss of my dear cousin.   I know that I will break down at some point, but for now, I have too many other things and people that I feel I need to stay strong for.  I feel his loss so deeply and I fear he will not be the only family member we lose this year.  Plans are being made for us to travel to Tahiti to spend time with my sister who has been given a "timeline".  She is flying Jeff and I down and wants us to stay 2 weeks.  He first grandchild should be born around that time and she wants us there for that.  Please continue to keep her in your prayers also.

   

My Oh My!

 

   I am beyond exhausted and just want to find a warm spot in the sun and take a nap!  So much has happened over the past few weeks, and I have felt like I was in either "push it to the max" or drowning mode.  We have had medical emergencies including a late night run into pick up Steven from the emergency room where Rachel was for the second time within a 24 hour period (it turned out to be a very nasty and painful stomach virus that mimic gallbladder trouble, she is fine now thankfully) and bring him home with us and then get him back into his town for school the next morning.  We have had horrible news about our car and how much it would cost to fix it.  The fix is more than the whole car is worth, so we had it towed home and decided we would contact a salvage company to come and get it.  Jeff and I have both been battling sinus issues and our backs have been really acting up but gardening season is upon us, so we could not let down.

   

   We finally decided to bite the bullet and start test driving cars.  The first two we test drove were not our favorites and Jeff did not even fit well in either with his long legs.  The salesmen there tried every high pressure gimmick they could though to get us to buy one of them though.  We walked away from them and their nefarious ways!  I saw a Subaru Forrester that I thought would work for us so we went down to see it and before we could even get the keys to test drive it, Jeff saw the Chevy Impala above.  Jeff was sold on it!  We took it for a test drive, they took our Ford Flex in for a trade in (and they are going to pay to have it towed), and we also put some money down, so our payments are around $200 a month.  That is more than doable, and we will be throwing extra money at the payments to pay it off early.

   

   I've been trying to stretch the money like I stretch a chicken!  Above its meals 4, 5 and 6 off a roasted chicken that I got from the Walmart deli that was marked down to $3.32.  The first two meals were chicken legs, thighs and one of the chicken breasts.  Oh, I also made a chicken salad for sandwiches, so that would be meal three.  I then took the remainder of the chicken and put it in a shallow crockpot along with some water and a little chicken seasoning and let that cook overnight.  That gave me a rich broth that I cooked the cheese tortellini in while I picked the chicken off the bones and put most of it back into the pot.  I did save some and put it in the freezer to add to some soup later.  I also made some udon soup with green onions from our garden and made Jeff some crispy chicken sandwiches for dinner another night.

   Jeff and I stripped out our strawberry bed in the side garden and since we had to cancel our trip to see my parents because of all the car issues, I put out a post on Facebook that I was looking for some ever bearing strawberry plants.  A dear friend said she had some and that I could have all that I wanted.  Upon our arrival at their home I was met with the cutest little dog who wanted nothing more than to love on us and at least 12 raised beds of various types of strawberry plants.  We got ever bearing for the side and are trying some June bearing in the front around the bird bath.  Luckily Jeff had our side garden bed ready for the plants and he was I both worked on getting them in after I got dinner started.  We had a 30 minute window to get them planted and watered in while dinner cooked and we just made it!  We were both really sore with our backs aching and mine having locked up to the point where Jeff had to help me stand, but we did it and hopefully will be rewarded with at least a small crop of strawberries this year.  I am dreaming of more fresh strawberry topping for pancakes, waffles and Angel food cakes. 

   That is about it for now, I need to get the taxes all signed, copied and sent off in the morning after having finished them today.  I have a feeling that today was a rough day for Jeff at work and I did not want him to have to help me again with them tonight.  Anyone else think doing taxes is a real pain? 

Polar Vortex, Frozen Pipes and Incoming Freezing Rain

 

   My poor birdbath has been through the ringer.  First we had a Polar Vortex that left the water in it frozen solid and then the snow came, lots of snow.  Now we are expecting freezing rain, right in time for the afternoon/evening commute.  Just lovely....not!

   We had the Polar Vortex cause us to have below zero temperatures here on the Idaho/Washington Palouse.  Many people had water pipes that froze and burst.  Luckily, we just had the hot water pipes going to our master bathroom freeze.  The cold water pipe still worked though.  Thank goodness the pipes in the rest of the house were okay and we have a second bathroom that we had hot water in so we could still shower.  The kitchen hot water also remained working.  Yesterday the hot water pipes to our master bathroom finally thawed out so I was able to use the shower in there this morning.

   During the Polar Vortex, we were going through 2 bags of wood pellets a day to keep the house warm.  We did plan ahead and bought a Buddy Heater in case we lost power.  We also have our generator if needed.  Even with Jeff home for 10 days, we did not get a lot done because we spent most of our time cuddled up under cozy throws and blankets near the pellet stove keeping warm.  Jeff also had a sinus infection (which he finally went to the doctor for), so he was not feeling all that great before he got his meds.  

   Jeff is back at work today and will also work tomorrow, then start his new work schedule next week.  He will be working 3 days one week and 2 days the next, rinse and repeat. 😉  We are still waiting to hear from Social Security on his claim, but we do know that they are processing it.  We planned ahead, so financially we will be fine if it is delayed a bit.  Since we are also doing a "no spend January" other than needed things, it is saving us a lot of money.  We are eating out of the pantry and the freezers for the most part, just supplementing here and there for some fresh fruit, veggies and a few other items.  I'm glad we are because 1 1/2 bags of groceries the other day was $70, and we did not get that much!  The only meat we bought was some salad shrimp, and those were marked down.  I divided that package up into 3 smaller portions and froze them to use in salads.  Each portion is about $1.10 this way.  

   Earlier this week, we had our friend Roni, who is like a sister and is also our kids "other mother", up for dinner.  I made some lemon chicken pasta with chicken that our Chris and Heather grew and processed.  She brought a nice bottle of wine.  Both the wine and the dinner were really good, but the company was even better.  We talked for hours and laughed about so many things. 😆  She is one of those friends that you can always pick right back up where you left off, no matter how long it may be between visits.  Hopefully we can make those visits happen more often though...we have all missed each other.

    I had better get going, Chris just called and I need to talk with him.  He has a lot going on and just needs to talk.  Poor guy is so busy and just exhausted.  Be blessed all.

Rescuing Dogs and Digging Potatoes

 

This is Todd.  Todd was rescued from being hit by semi-trucks on the highway north of our town.  Shannon, our very tenderhearted hanai sister saved him while trying not to get hit and killed by the semi-trucks herself.  She brought him home to me and asked if I could help her find his family since she had just come off a 12 hour shift at the hospital and desperately needed to get some sleep so she could do the same long shift again that night.  Steven and I put out posts on Facebook groups and tagged people in the area where he was found along with taking Todd to a local vet to see if he was microchipped.  He was not.  We took him to some local families here who farm up that way to see if they recognized him.  Finally we found out that Todd's family was desperately searching for him and we got into contact with one another.  Todd's very grateful family came to pick him up and brought us a bouquet of flowers as a thank you.  I am so glad we were able to find his family as he is a total sweetheart and the young children in that family were so sad when he ran off.

   In addition to reuniting dogs with their families, we have been busy in the garden digging up potatoes.  The last batch to come out were our all blue potatoes that are supposed to stay blue if you do not overcook them.  I would say I dug up about 25 pounds out of that raised bed.  We also finished digging up the Huckleberry Golds and got another 20 pounds of those in addition to the 20 pounds or so we already dug up out of the half whiskey barrel. The Yukon Golds yielded us about 25 pounds.  All in all, I would say our potato harvest has been very successful and I still have a small patch of volunteer Huckleberry Golds to dig up once they are ready.  It has been hard work digging them all up, especially when you are dealing with health issues like I am, but it has been so worth it and I love the "treasure hunt" aspect of it!

      The garden has kept me busy.  I've been harvesting raspberries, which are thankfully winding down, along with blueberries.  I have also been getting the first of the zucchini and yellow squash and some Sun Gold cherry tomatoes.  I replanted one of the raised beds that had the Yukon Gold potatoes with bush beans and some spinach.  The beans will help fix nitrogen back into the soil and who does not like fresh beans?  Am I right? 😉  My front garden bean patch is growing like crazy, as are the rest of the tomato plants.  I had to put tomato cages up around more of the cherry tomatoes and it looks like I will need to be staking the Black Crim tomato plants up to the trellises soon.  I still need to do some seed saving on some flowers that I love that have their seed pods filled to the brim.  The apples will be ready in about 2-3 weeks, and I will be busy making applesauce like crazy.

   Meals around here have had to be quick and easy.  Homemade steak fries, coleslaw, green beans and chicken stir fry, mashed potatoes and ham steaks, and potato cheese soup made with the leftover mashed potatoes, have all made their way onto our dinner table in the past few weeks.  Tonight will be taco salads, using up some of the bottom of the tortilla chip bag broken chips.  The taco meat is already cooked and in the freezer, and the cheese is already shredded.  Thank goodness because today I am continuing to work on getting things ready for our town wide yard sale.  I have gone through my closets, drawers, etc. and am continuing to go through my costume jewelry, our dvd collection, cds, kitchen cabinets and drawers. etc. .  Jeff has already gone through the garage and gotten things ready to go there.  I still need to wash down the high chairs and strollers, along with a nice wood dining room table and some toys that our grandkids no longer play with.  If I have the energy and time, I will go through books also.

   Our Isaiah turned 10 years old on Monday and to celebrate, went on a camping trip per his request.  We will be celebrating with him next weekend with a big family dinner and I will of course be making his favorite homemade macaroni and cheese. 😊 Steven, Rachel and Jaysn are on a trip at the moment visiting Rachel's cousin in North Carolina.  Steven was so excited to get to go on an airplane for the first time! ✈  I asked him to bring me home a pretty shell from Myrtle Beach that he finds while beachcombing.  

   I continue to be astounded by the rise in prices for groceries.  Going through the sales ads yesterday, I noticed that the sale prices are double what the sale prices were on some items just a few months ago!  It is beyond ridiculous.  How on earth are families supposed to be able to afford to feed their families at this rate?  I talked to Chris yesterday and he also shares my concern.  He is really hoping to be able to fill their freezers with venison and elk this Fall, as well as fill our's and Jaysn and Rachel's. With four of them hunting this Fall, they have lots of tags they can fill.  

   I had better end this post here and get dressed and ready for the day.  I have a long "to do" list and will try to get through as much as I can.  I am in a major Fibro flare and my arthritis and back are also in full attack mode today.  I don't think there is a part of my body that is not sore at the moment. Even typing this up is painful, but I wanted to get it done.  Enough of the whining on my part.  😜  Let's all try to focus on the positives in our lives and less on the negatives right?  

   

Frugal Friday Wrap Up 7/30/23

Friday:

~Steven was here with me and we did that watering in the morning in the garden. 

~I did a load of sheets and towels and hung those up outside to dry.

~After lunch, Steven and I headed into town to run some errands.  First stop was the thrift store where they had their buy one book get one free.  I found some wonderful books for the grandkids and also for myself and my father.  I also found a rolling 3 tiered metal cart that I had on my "want list" for $9.99.  It now houses my garden seeds and other garden related stuff in the house.  Steven also found a nice lego like building set that he and his Daddy and/or Mommy can work on at home.

~Next stop was Grocery Outlet where we got Gummie Bears (I bought enough for treats for Steven for the Summer), some sugar cookie mix for .99 for a large package (Steven loves to make sugar cookies), some garlic and a few other items.

~Dinner was a pot roast and Air Fryer roasted potatoes along with carrot sticks.

Saturday:

~Jeff had to work until 2 p.m. so I worked in the garden for 3 hours.  I was really tired, but I got a lot of work done.

~I picked some cherries, strawberries and raspberries from our garden.

~A large load of laundry was done.

~Jeff and I decided to have a fun "snacky" kind of dinner.  We had Mozzarella sticks, jalapeno poppers and herb salt crusted potato wedges.  We enjoyed them while watching the movie "80 for Brady" on tv.

Sunday:

~Our morning was a leisurely one.  Jeff made us pancakes for breakfast and I had mine with blueberry syrup.  YUM!

~We decided that we were going to have a "date day" so we got ourselves ready and headed to 2 yard sales first thing.  At one of the sales Jeff scored a really nice hydraulic car jack in a hard shelled carrying case for $15.  That was a steal of a deal!

~We went to a botanical garden that used to be well kept and were sad to see that it was not being well cared for anymore.

~Jeff took me out to lunch at one of our favorite places and we then walked across the street to a used bookstore.  I love just looking at all the books and seeing if I can find a new treasure.  I did not find one this time, but it was still fun to look. 

~Our last stop in town was up to Walmart where we ran into some good friends that we had not seen in ages.  We shared hugs and got caught up on each others lives.  Dave, our friend, was able to share with Jeff how to repair one of his tools that he thought was broken.  

~At Walmart, I hit the clearance aisles and found bath towels for .73 each and bath sheets for $2.00 each..  Some of our towels have been looking really "ratty", so picking up a few more new ones sure made me happy!  I also found Fushia plants on sale for $2 each, so I bought 4 of them.

Monday:

~I got up early in the morning and got a load of linens going in the washer and then hung them out to dry.

~I finally got the kale all transplanted.

~I used a hanging basket that I had here and loaded it up with some potting soil and the 4 Fushia plants.

~I repotted about 25 cherry tomato plants into larger pots.  I am still trying to figure out where to plant them all out.  I already have about 17 plants in the front raised garden bed.

~All the watering for the day was done bright and early.

~Hamburger was pulled out of the freezer to thaw for dinner.

~Meatloaf and rice, along with fresh fruit from the garden made up dinner.

Tuesday:

~Raspberries, cherries and a lone strawberry were harvested from the garden.

~Two loaves of homemade bread were made.  It has been at least 3 weeks since I made bread since we have had bagels, hamburger and hot dog buns that needed to be used up.

~It was a hot day so I closed the curtains to keep the cool air in the house and keep the heat out.  I also put on some soft jazz music with rain sounds on YouTube.  It helps trick my mind into thinking it is actually cooler.

~Dinner was chicken salad sandwiches on my homemade bread.

Wednesday:

~I picked raspberries and gave them to my neighbor Shannon who loves them.  I just wanted to bless her.

~More strawberries were picked.

~The watering of the gardens was done in the morning.  While doing that, I was delighted to see that my bean plants are coming up.

~The rest of the chicken salad was finished for my brunch.

~Jeff picked 5 gallons of cherries super fast.  I had to finally tell him to stop because he was hurting doing it up over his head.

OK here is where things went sideways fast...Early Thursday morning, Jeff woke me up.  He was in severe pain in his back and chest.  So much so, that it was making it hard to breathe.  He asked me to call Shannon and an ambulance.  Yes, it was that bad.  Shannon came over and the ambulance arrived within 5 minutes.  Jeff took the ambulance to the hospital and Shannon and I followed along behind.  After many tests, a heart problem was ruled out and it was determined that it was in his muscles.  That made sense since he had been speed picking those cherries.  They did however find something on one of his kidneys which may just be a cyst, but we are following up on that this Wednesday.  I was able to add Jeff to my appointment time, so we will be able to just do it all together.  Thursday was spent sleeping and yes, Jeff was home with me per doctor's orders.  Friday he also stayed home since he was still really sore. but doing better.

I am beyond thankful for our town's EMTs who arrived so quickly, to the staff at the hospital, Jeff's coworkers and most of all to our neighbor/hanai sister Shannon.  Shannon helped Jeff and I get through something very scary and, with her medical background, was able to reassure us and explain what was going on.  She became my rock in a very scary situation and I cannot thank her enough for that.  I honestly thought I might lose my husband to something heart related and all I could do in that room was look at him and rely on God to make things right again.  Jeff is still a bit sore but is so much better now.  He reluctantly agreed that yes, he and I are getting older and we cannot do all that we used to do.  He, in particular, is going to have to ask for help from our boys to get certain things done.  This is not easy for him to accept, but it did get him thinking more about how he wants to spend the rest of his life and is having to make some hard changes.  Hopefully there will be no more ambulance rides in our future and that spot on his kidney will just be a cyst.   Now I need to come down off my high stress alert and calm back down so I can get our of this horrible flare.

So there you go...that is what our week was like.

Homemade Turkey Soup and Monday Musings 4/3/23

 

   I did not do a Frugal Friday Wrap Up for this past week.  It was a really bad week for me pain wise due to my Fibromyalgia acting up with all the weather changes and my back continuing to bug the $%#& out of me.  I spent a good deal of time in bed and was so happy when I was actually able to sleep through the pain.  Even with that though, Jeff and I were able to get some things done around here. 

   I went down and got commodities from our local food giveaway.  They had so much food there and were telling people to take as much fresh produce as they wanted.  I ended up with pears, apples, tangerines, tons of oranges, potatoes, onions, garlic and carrots from the produce table.  I also brought home lots of cereals, canned meats, veggies and fruits, rice, dehydrated potato flakes, dried milk, beans, peanut butter, frozen meats and fish, HBA items, bakery items and some other things that are slipping my mind at the moment.  Jeff and I got that all sorted out and put away. I left a package of frozen pork stew meat out to thaw in the refrigerator and made a nice creamy pork stew with that and served it over mashed potatoes the following night.  The items that I got there allowed me to cross all but 3 items off my shopping list.  It's a good thing too, because Jeff went out this morning to take my car to work and the battery was dead.  He had to buy a new one today to replace the dead one.  I was able to just shift some of the money in our budget to take care of that expense since I did not need much for groceries.  The other HUGE hit to the budget was having to file our Federal and Idaho taxes and owing way more than we had imagined on our Federal taxes.  That is all filed now and taken care of also.  Next big hit will be the property taxes.  It sometimes feels like we are just bleeding money.  I did make a very frugal dinner after all of that with the last of the Yaki Soba noodles and sauce that I had in the refrigerator.  I added veggies and some ham to it and had a nice glass of wine with it.  The wine was from my neighbor/hanai sister Shannon.

   Over the weekend, I made a very nice turkey dinner for Jeff and I.  I needed the room in the big chest freezer so I put the turkey in a cooler on the back porch to thaw.  It took 4 days to defrost that sucker!  And yes, the space that the turkey had occupied was quickly filled up with some wonderful fish, hamburger and pork chops, along with some of the taco soup I made last week and froze.  The turkey was a little over 11 pounds, but out of that, we will get many meals.  In addition to the turkey dinner with the trimmings, we also have turkey slices for sandwiches, turkey cubed up for enchiladas and a casserole (these will be frozen to make later), and a HUGE pot of turkey noodle soup.  I am really looking forward to having some of it tonight, some later in the week and freezing some for another meal at a later date.

   I finally got some good news, my echocardiogram was finally approved!  It has only taken about 6 months, multiple attempts and switching health insurance companies (which means we had to start all over again) to get this thing going. My appointment is for this coming Saturday and Jeff can be in there with me holding my hand.  I have terrible PTSD from having to do most of the tests, imaging, and bloodwork, along with getting super painful penicillin shots monthy all alone as a child due to heart issues then as well.  It left me scarred emotionally for life.  I have had therapy to help me deal with those issues, but I still need to have Jeff with me.  I am praying that whatever is going on, that it is just something minor that we can just monitor or is an easy fix (and is not going to be too expensive).  I would hate to add another large medical bill to our debt.  If it is going to be a big expense, then I will apply for some help through the hospital's financial aid program.

   Anyway, that is where we are right now.  I am hoping that our weather will get better so that I can finally get some things started in the greenhouse.  It has been snowing here today, but I am so grateful that we are not experiences the horrendous storms that some of my friends and family are getting hit with.  My hearts go out to everyone who has lost loved ones, homes, businesses and been affected by all of this.  My prayers are with you also.

   

Work Smarter and Harder

 

      I think most of us have heard the expression "Work Smarter, Not Harder".  I have lived by that for most of my life, however I now believe that we all must be working harder as well.  Everyone I know is facing some kind of financial hardship or uncertainty.  For Jeff and I, we were hit with some unexpected costs including medical bills, higher taxes owed, car repairs, and of course, inflation causing the costs of everything we buy to go up in price.  Here are some examples of why we need to work smarter and harder that Jeff and I have been dealing with and doing for a few days now...

   

   Well, our weekend was eye opening, busy, and not at all frugal. UGH! 😟  Jeff's car is proving to be a huge pain in the tushy, a major time sucker and a money pit.  He was not able to get things fixed like he wanted after two weeks of trying, bought new tools to work on it, broke tools while he was trying and hurt himself numerous times.  The skills and tools needed to fix that thing are not in his "wheelhouse".  That thing is a money pit and I finally had enough of it and told him so. He reluctantly jerry rigged the thing back together and told me he would just drive it until it dies.  (He was able to return the new parts he bought back to the store, so we did get that amount refunded to our debit card at least.)

   After the car debacle and me finally losing it, he got busy in the gardens finishing some projects that he had on his list of things to get done.  The fruit trees are now fully pruned and that was a huge job.  We have 2 pear trees, a huge of cherry tree, a very old apple tree, and 3 newer plum trees.  He also cleared out the raspberry patch of the old canes and worked on the raised beds.  We are trying to grow more this year to preserve, eat fresh and to share with others.

  Sunday we worked on the taxes. 😧  We got a very unwelcome surprise in how much we owed the Federal Government. The only "bright point" is that we are getting back $22 from Idaho.  That will not even make a dent in what we owe to the Federal government.

   With all of the added expenses it is time to buckle down even more.  While Jeff has been tackling getting the garden ready for this coming growing season, I have been doing my part as well.

   I decided that despite the fickle Spring weather, I would start hanging out the laundry on the line again.  Lugging the heavy laundry baskets full of wet items though is really painful for my back and neck.  Jeff suggested that I use the heavy duty garden wagon to haul the laundry baskets.  Wow, not only does it help to not have to carry them myself, but it also puts them up higher so that I do not have to bend over as far to get the items to hang on the line.  Yes, I do freeze my fingers off in the morning hanging things out, but I get to take them back down later in the day when they are all dried. I do love the smell of line dried clothing, sheets and bath rugs.

   I went through the big chest freezer and found a gallon sized bag of cook pork taco meat.  I used 1/3 of it to make a thick and hearty taco soup.  It is a favorite of ours.  Jeff and I were able to get 3 meals out of it and still freeze some for a future meal.  Next, I went through our refrigerator, got it organized and prioritized what needed to be used up ASAP.  Lastly, while in the pantry, I made a list of the items that we needed to restock.  I am amazed at how quickly we are going through canned veggies, but at this time of year, I guess that is to be expected. Now to menu plan based on what we have and what needs to be used up.

   The free food grade buckets that we have been getting from Safeway were all washed and dried.  I emptied some packages of sugar and a big bag of flour into them so that they would not get "buggy".  Flour is something that we go through rather quickly since I make most of our bread and I will be needed lots of sugar for jams, jellies, syrups and pickles come this Summer.  I don't want to have to run out to get some or pay the ever-increasing prices that I am seeing each time I am at the grocery store.

   My project for this afternoon is going to be planning out the garden beds and making a list of what seeds I need to get started in the green house at what time and which will just need to be directly sown into the garden beds when the weather is warmer.  I know I want to get those tomatoes started in the green house soon so that I can have larger plants that will yield fruit sooner and longer.  Later in the week, if the weather allows, I will be washing out all of my pots and hanging baskets so they are ready to be planted up. 

   I am realizing more and more that with my increasing pain levels and limitations due to all the health issues that I have, I still have to work smarter and harder.  I cannot and will not let this stop me from doing what is needed.  Jeff is also dealing with increasing pain from his own health issues.  He feels the same way that I do about getting things done.  We need to find work arounds and ask for help when needed IF we cannot do it ourselves.  I told our kids flat out that we are getting older and are going to be needing their help getting some projects done around here.  Luckily for us, they are all amazing people and are willing to help with just about anything.  Our oldest 3 grandkids also pitch in and help where they can.  We are so very blessed!