Sept 30 going...going...gone

Not much going on and I stayed home. Chuck came and mowed the yard. After all the rain the grass grew like crazy. There are still a few odd tomatoes in the garden that I should pick.



The weather is cool and pleasant. I like it, but hate to think of what follows. You know...



I cheated on my diet a little. I bought a baked fish dinner from Captain D's. The fish was fine, but I didn't need the rice or the bun that came with it. I rationalized that I hadn't eaten (much) all day so it was "O.K."



I slept "semi-late" this morning, mostly because I was as snug as a bug and didn't want to leave my cocoon. After awhile I did, 'though. Tomorrow I will get myself going and go to the store.

The only thing that is dropping in price is gas. Today it is $2.19. I have almost a full tank, but I probably should "top it off." I am sure it will go up in price.



My friend Debbie called late last night. She was in the last minute rush of getting ready for her trip to Roam. I wish I could have gone, too, but I don't think I am up to par for such a trip. My arm has given me fits for three days now; my own fault for trying to start that mower. My arm hurts, my knees hurt and I am too rolly poly for such a trip. I do hope she, some of the residents, Mother Superior, Father Ted, and all have a good time. The founding Mother of the Little Sisters of the Poor is about to be elevated. The Little Sisters really do good work. If they didn't I would not have worked for them for 32 years. And they took me in when I had my surgery and tried to spoil me rotten.



If the weather stays cool I will try making some home made bread. There is nothing better than the aroma of fresh, homemade bread wafting throughout the house. When I do make some bread, most will go into the freezer as I am trying not to eat too much. However, there is a vast difference between what you make at home and that paste/glue you buy in the store. Homemade is better than store bought because it doesn't have all the chemicals and additives in the ingredients. Basically it is flour(whole grain) eggs, yeast, sugar and liquid. I like REAL potato bred and REAL whole grain breads. If you buy the REAL bread in the store it will cost you some REAL dough. In other words it more expensive. No wonder America is obese. I think it is partly not how much you eat, but what you eat. Just my opinion, thank you. So, it is time to wrap up my opinions and call it a day.



END

Cool Hand Jack

Jack is coming to visit soon; Jack Frost, that is. He has packed his bag and is on his way. He will be blowing in here one of these days on a wayward wind. The average first frost here is around October 15 or there abouts. The temperature did drop down into the forties last night. It was supposed to be up in the seventies today, but only made it to 63 degrees. That's O. K. with me; it makes good sleeping weather.

Last night was the first night I wore more my "warmies" to bed. A fleece top and bottom keep me warm and toasty. No fan, or a/c were needed and 'though I had the doors open yesterday I did go and pull the screens down last night when I locked up.. The fresh air wafting in and out of the house during the day was nice and I wanted to enjoy it while I could.

There are many things to do before it does get cold. I don't know how much I can get done. After trying to start the mower yesterday I am reminded of how much I can no longer do. Maybe next spring I will get a mower with an electric starter on it and I won't have to tear my arm up. That is next spring so I won't worry about it today. When I went to the store today I could smell Ben Gay loud and strong so someone else must have done something the wrong way. too!!

I am trying to watch my weight as you may have guessed. I have really cut back on bread, cookies/cakes, sugar and fats. I am not suffering because of it, just tempted as I cruse through the stores, esp. now that there is all that good stuff out for Halloween. I am eating lots of soup and vegetables. My continued weakness is a package of instant hot chocolate in my morning cup of coffee...Oh me! I don't add more sugar, 'though. I am too short to be too fat. I don't want to reach the point where I could just "roll" about and around.

I have been inclined to ramble today; just call me the happy rambler. LOL!

END

Some Wind in Your Sails

It has been a really pretty day even with the wind blowing and the trees dancing in the swift breezes. The shifting winds don't seem to bother the Monarch Butterflies because the garden is full of them, flitting and capering on the big red Zinnia's. The leaves are flying from the trees all about and soon I will have to try to rake them up.



I tried hard to get the mower going, but it won't start so I put it away for a try on another day.



I have been reading about cloves. Everyone knows that they are good medicine for a tooth ache/decay. It's interesting to find how much more cloves can do as a herbal alternative. I found more information on line than I did in my book. Here is a list of some of the herbal medical uses of cloves.

Cloves can be used for:

intestinal gas

nausea

diarrhea

fungus's and athlete's foot

some types of viral infections

diseases caused infections

tuberculosis

malaria

scabies

coughs

parasites

For most uses you can make an infusion of clove tea by bring water to a boil and letting a couple of cloves steep in the liquid for about 10 minutes. You can add lemon and a small amount to sugar to taste. As in all herbal alternates you should use common sense and read about the herb. Clove herbal medicine is not to be used every day; just as you need it. You can find more information on line as all I have posted are the basics.

If you look at the little wind picture at the top search for the boy sailing along. There may be two faces to find if you look close enough.

September rolls along

I didn't take any pictures today I just couldn't spot or think of anything of interest. I did go shopping 'though the sky is very overcast and the air is humid . We may get more rain before we get the sunshine that has been predicted.



I bought 10 boxes of Swiss Miss instant cocoa mix. That is 10 envelopes to a box=100 envelopes. I will get some of my calcium this way. I am trying to ward off any and all broken bones. The Surgeon said I had "soft bones" so I intend to "harden up." My next appointment is coming up in Oct. and when he takes X-Rays I want to have some evidence of stronger bones. I already had started drinking more milk, but for a long while I had not been consuming milk of any significant amounts. I don't know why I got out of the habit of drinking milk, but I am trying to make up for it.



I wanted to get a flat of Bean Soup, but I guess everyone likes Bean Soup because the shelf was empty. I should be back in stock on Wed.



I bought gas today at $2.25 per. gallon. I wonder how long that will last. I already had about $15.00 worth in the tank and added another $20.00 dollars worth. It did not fill the tank. As I have determined that I am going to get out more while the fall season is nice, I thought filling the tank would be a good idea. I want to be out and about so I don't get cabin fever.



I seem to be a bit sleepy; probably because of the dreary, rainy weather. Elvis sang a song about "Kentucky Rain" and I think of it every time the rain comes down.



Tomorrow, being Sunday, I give myself permission to take the day off...and you should. too.



END

Audubon State Park

This is a shot of the small lake in Henderson at the Audubon State Park. The building is part of the Audubon Museum. The park is named after...you guessed it..John James Audubon. He was a famous artist/resident of this city. I believe the park and lake were built by the CCC Boys during the depression. I didn't post all the shots of the park, but I saw a wild grape vines as thick as my arm winding up and through the trees. Wild grapes make good preserves.

In his early days Audubon was a failed business man and had a mill along the Ohio, not far from where I took these pictures. You might guess he spent his time painting instead of running the mill. Many of his paintings are on display in the museum as well as some of his personal belongings. To say he was a naturalist begs the definition. He killed a lot more birds than he painted. The 600 acre park is within the city limits; a nice place to sit and contemplate. At this time of the year hardly anyone goes there.

It's hard to keep up with the changing season and scenery. Right now I can get out and take a few pictures. The weather is cooler and the leaves are falling. My tree has not started to shed yet, but the tree next door has been carpeting my lawn with a yellow tapestry. That's OK, because soon my Elm tree will be blanketing the yard, too.

Chuck has not been over to mow for two weeks and it shows. All that rain has made the grass grow. Maybe I can get the mower started and mow in a straight line...maybe not. My neighbor's yard looks worse.

I got my little book out, "O Pioneer," by Willa Cather, and started reading it again. I had forgotten how simple yet difficult those early frontier settlers/pioneers had it. They endured. We endure.

P. S. For those that worry about my little money jar, I don't think there is enough for anyone to take the risk. After all, I do have a little bang-bang and I am sure it would hurt..OCH!

END

Up and running

The root of my camera problems turned out to be a defective memory card. I took the camera into CVS and they tested it on their computers and all I needed to do was replace the memory card. Bingo.

The bookcase I built in an opening that held a window at one time. After I bought this little house I had the carport closed in and it is now my bedroom. The window was no longer a window. I had hired a guy to build this in, but he did such a bad job I tore it all out an did again-myself. I meant to put moulding around the edges, but never got around to it. Now I can't, but it doesn't look half bad. The clock is a cypress wedge I bought at a yard sale. I bought a clock kit and numbers and hung it on the wall. I didn't quiet get the numbers in a proper circle, but close. It needs batteries. I can't do the things I did a year ago, but I have made lots of progress. So be it.

Of course it is raining and Green Street flooded as did some of the other main streets. I am high and dry and lucky. When this city was laid out and planned they made the streets very wide-100 ft. wide to prevent fires from jumping the main streets. In the 1700's western Ky was forest land, rich in timber and fine farmland all along the river. When the Ohio flooded in the spring all the top soil was deposited in what is called the "bottoms." This is still rich, sought after land. There was a man at the nursing home whose family owned about 1200 acres of bottom land. He didn't like farming so he became a banker.

I went to the Chinese Restaurant for a late lunch. I have plenty of food at home, but I think it is good to get out and about. If you happen to read about pioneer woman, more than one went bonkers from loneliness and isolation. Even the constant wind whistling across the prairies would send people over the edge. I have in that book case a book called "O Pioneer." It is an older book and easy to read. It relates some of the hardships the wives and daughters of the early settlers endured. I do get peeved when some of the bloggers complain about their wives who won't "get on board" for prepping and survival. Even into the 20th and mid-20th century life was hard for rural woman. Just ask my mother...if she can hear you from up yonder.

END

Dumb Down Day

I don't feel like reading. There is nothing on TV. I didn't go to the store. I did wash two loads of cloths and put them through the dryer. I do feel like eating. I have pork chops, sweet peppers sweet potatoes and mixed vegetables in the pressure cooker. I did drink my water and I did what comes naturally after absorbing my hydration. "Good to go."

The weather is not shopping friendly which is why I didn't go to the store. A little rain won't hurt me, but might mess up my hair-what's left of it, LOA.

I am fighting with that little camera again. I guess I will have to take it to the store. The little memory disk is on "protected" and I can't get it off...Darn.

Here is a picture of my money jars. I took the shot the other day. The little round thing by the penny jar is a silver dollar-real silver. I figure if I have a jar full of change I will never be broke. I keep a number 8 playing card in my pocketbook, too. If you keep a no. 8 playing card in your wallet you will never be broke. It actually works. I don't know why it works, but it does-try it. No investment necessary, which is even better.

I am running both air conditioners and a fan. No, it isn't hot, but I would rather have my liquid in a glass or cup instead of breathing it. The humidity is 90% again, it is raining again and the a/c helps get some of the moisture out of the house. So much for trivia. So...how was your day?

END

Waterworks

Hey, I am on a water kick. You know, "Water is the Universal Solvent." The reason for this is that I am not glugging down enough H20 for proper hydration. I drink one cup of coffee in the morning, generally one cup of tea and just recently one cup of milk. Does that sound like enough to you? Not to me. You can live for weeks on a starvation diet, but only a few days without water. Like all older people I subconsciously have cut back on fluids. My B/P medication keeps me forever a slave to the Bathroom
Genie. So, like the residents that I used to take care of, I stopped imbibing in water. It shows up in skin. You know, all those little wrinkles on your arms and some slightly sagging skin here and there. I have a nice "fat face" so the wrinkles or dehydration signs don't show up readily in the mirror, but it will eventually. So, now is the time to belly up to the bar and drink up, mate. Have a cold one on me.

New Rule: Drink one full glass of wa wa before that morning cup of coffee. Drink at least one glass of water with lunch and with supper. Drink tea per. desire anytime in between.

The water will flush out the toxins that we all build up.. out of the liver and kidneys. These days we are all toxic to some degree and I don't want to be put on a "Government Toxic Waste Cleanup" list. Getting scraped up and buried in some toxic landfill just doesn't appeal to me. "Oh, Bury Me Not On A Toxic Prairie." Just call me "Toxic Woman!" Yeah!

Yup, water does a body good...just like milk. That being the case, you can drink too much water and in rare cases become drunk on water. You body cells can and have literally exploded with the ingestion of too much liquid. It is called crenation though it is not as common as spontaneous combustion. There(yuk, yuk)...there isn't enough water to put the fire out..LOL! More common than crenation or self-immolation is the real possibility of flushing out important vitamins and minerals. So enjoy yourself, but don't drink and drive. The next filling station (with a bathroom) may be twenty miles away. I never stray to far from mine.

All silliness aside, proper hydration is a serious issue and a lot of illnesses might be avoided with an adequate intake of "liquid medicine."

All right: I got most of the things on my "to do" list done in between downpours. I got my hair done by a different hairdresser. When I said "chop it off" I didn't mean a baldy. I think I have about one inch of hair left. Well, at least she shaved my neck. I didn't get to the grocery store, either. Good thing there is always a tomorrow. Oh, I know what I forgot: backup batteries for the little camera...darn.

Lazy Me on the last day of summer

I admit it. I was lazy. I didn't get much done today. Maybe because summer went out with a teary eyed sky full of liquid and the humidity of 91 %. It like breathing water. I did a little dusting..very little, and a little vacuuming..very little. I really need to get at it. Spiders just love me because of the lowness of this house in relation to..dirt. Old houses are no fun to clean.

I didn't take any pictures, either. What can you take in the rain? I was going to take some inside pictures, but didn't want to scare anyone with shots of spiders, spider webs and haunted house interiors. Maybe tomorrow.

I have bacon in the micro oven and it smells good. It set me to thinking again and you know how dangerous that can be. I was reminiscing over cheaper prices of a couple of years ago. It wasn't uncommon to find bacon for around $00.99 cents per package. Now, even if you are a super shopper/bargain finder, you pay $2.50 and higher per package of bacon. The price of milk has come down some. Eggs were cheaper and bread was cheaper; gas was a whole lot cheaper even though it drops occ. I expect the price of bread to rise because of wheat shortages and foresee shortages on lots of other commodities.

Tomorrow I think I will buy a flat..not a case.. of Bean with Bacon soup. I love the stuff. It is also high in protein and low in calories and an excellent source of fiber. At my age I need all the fiber I can get..LOL'! I can make it, but it still hot and humid in the kitchen, so I will buy it for now.

I have a few items to bring in from the van; not food, but stuff. I may get a haircut tomorrow and go to the Dollar Store for some goodies. I ate all the goodies I had. Yum to the Tum. And that is that.

END

I took these pictures of the old Henderson Railroad Station. I wish you could see the old station closer up. It was built in 1881 and opened in 1882. It is now owned by the Henderson Historical Society. No one is taking care of it and it has fell victim to time, weather and disrepair. The new tourist replica of the old station is in the upper right hand corner. It is the old station that has the character and represents a vanished time in history. Do you believe that the old depot was built for $5.000.00 dollars in just one year? It was and the later link between Evansville and Henderson via the rail road tristle across the Ohio, brought trade and commerce across the river. I did make a mistake in a previous post. The railroad bridge across the Ohio was started in 1901. At one time Henderson was the 12th richest city in the world! They grew all the tobacco you could want for fame, gain and world markets.

I did go out and retrieve some more tomatoes, mostly Roma and Cherry tomatoes. I found one cantaloupe and ate some of it, but it lacked the flavor of the summer grown ones. I looked for some more green peppers, but the nasty bugs (mosquitoes) found me before I found green peppers.

I really wish you could see the details in the the old rail station. Like everything else in this nation..it is falling into decay.

END

Too Much TV

I fried slices of sweet potatoes which are really good. I think I want to try to deep fry them like potato chips. I fried Orange Roughies(fish) for supper, but was not happy with them. They fell apart in the frying pan. I ate them anyway; who can afford to waste food these days.

I went to bed very late...or early, at 1:30 a.m. I had started watching a movie on TV and wanted to see how it turned out. It was OK, but predictable. I got up late, too. I won't say what time...LOL! Therefore, I didn't do much creative or otherwise.

My intentions were to go out with that little camera and take a few pictures. I wanted to get a few shots of the old railroad depot. It a historic building in disrepair and boarded up. This city has been busy this summer tearing down old historic buildings and houses, making room for progress...hmm.

Arthritis has been kicking up in my left thumb in the first joint, of all places. It does that to let me know that rain is on the way. The rain they predicted two days ago never materialized, but now I know it is coming with a vengance.

I picked a couple tomatoes off the vine and should have picked off a couple more. On cloudy, humid days nasty mosquitoes do dastardly deeds so I came back in the house. I haven't had much of a tomato production this summer and hate to not get out out there and pick what I can. There is a volunteer cherry tomato plant coming up by the fence. At first I thought it was a straggly weed, but now I can see the tiny red tomatoes on the vine. I will watch it grow as the season shortens and the sun is less powerful.

I will go to bed early tonight. I have circles under my eyes...got to stop that stuff!

END

Broadband

Now I have it. The guy from Insight was here from 9 a.m. until about 2:30 p.m. Now I can screen my calls and block one if needed.I have the phone, TV and Internet all in one package. I have intended to switch over for a long time and have finally done it.

I have stayed in all day because of the guy(s) working and running in and out of the house. Old houses are hard to work on so they had job of it. Anyway, it is done and up and running. I took a couple shots of my old radio, but they came out pretty dark so I will not post them.

There isn't much to post other than I have been aggravating a couple of other bloggers. It's called Freedom of Speech.

Anyway, it is getting late so this is a very short script. I am hungry and gotta eat.

END

Reading the Blogs and thinking

I have been lazy today. Yesterday I moved an antique cabinet radio in order to get in behind it and clean. I can't get it back in place. Its spot is very tight and my arm just won't lift it well enough. I tried to rock it back and forth, but the darn thing just won't go. I'll think of something before this day is over, 'though.

I have to quit eating sweet potatoes, but they are so good. They are also sooo much starch, even if they are loaded with minerals and vitamins.

I have learned that if you cut cabbage in the center and above the main root the plant will produce another cabbage from the center. They are smaller because the season is late, but good just the same.

I have been reading Bison's blog and wonder about his veracity. He says he and his companion only use 2 gallons of water per day. I wonder what they flush with and how they wash cloths. He says he rides a bike to and from work which is OK if you can do it. What about when the snow and ice arrives? Or maybe he lives where there is "climate control." The One Acre Homestead guy says he gave away his bender-didn't need it. All these survival guys seem to hang on to their computers and Internet connections. The only blogger that seems to really live what he preaches is M D Creekmore at the Survivalist Blog.

I, for one, do not want to live to survive or survive to live as they did in the Dark Ages. I want electricity and heat, transportation and a working phone. I think in a true collapse of society and the economy, survival would become pretty primitive, not at all as heroic and romantic as the bloggers make it seem.

The weight of the world, home and hearth, would fall on the shoulders of woman, just as it did in the pioneer days and the opening of this country. Men often married several times as their women wore down and out. Child bed fever was a scourge as was any of the illnesses and injuries leading to premature death. Just take a walk in the older sections of any cemetery and calculate the ages of the many woman deceased. They died young; so many of them. Even into the early part of the 20th century people were exposed, deposed and carted off to the grave to repose...as there were no antibiotics or penicillin, good sanitary knowledge or habits. Penicillin didn't come into use until just before the second World War.

Those bloggers and armchair survivalist better hope their predictions and scenarios never occur. You can never prepare enough or be ready with the body bags for such a catastrophic human demise as some advocate. You can prepare for the short term as I have done, to stave off winter storms and inconveniences, but you can never have enough. Relie on your good sense and good faith and carry on.

So much for whatever comes down the Pike. Get your flue shots, a pneumonia shot and practice living.

END

Railroad Bridge

This is the second time I am posting this. My first post evaporated into space and time. I have tried to retrieve it; no luck thus far. This a picture of the old railroad bridge built around 1913. It is still in daily use. You can just spot a freight train coming across the bridge. This old railroad trestle links Kentucky and Indiana. It was used in the 1937 flood to rescue people along the river and carry them to safety. The water got so high they had to stop running the trains. Many people walked across the bridge from Indiana to Kentucky as this area is on a bluff. Many had to be barged to safety. Over 5,000 people died from the flood. It had rained for 19 days without stopping. Cattle, chickens and hogs drowned in unknown numbers. This picture was taken from a small park near the river.

I cooked sweet potatoes, cabbage and green peppers in my pressure cooker. It turned out well.

Yum is the word. I added a couple hot dogs. Ordinarily hot dogs are not all that good for you, but the pressure cooker seems to steam the chemicals and salt out of them.

I have been cleaning out behind some furniture trying to get rid of spiders and dust. Now I have to push things back where it belongs.

END

Green...for now

The "green" in the middle is a grape vine that needs to be pruned back. In the flowers is a pretty Monarch Butterfly that you can't see well,either. I know right where it is and tried to capture it, but it doesn't show up among the flower heads. You can jsut see the chicken coop in the left corner of the right top picture. The leaves are starting to turn and fall, esp. in front of the house. Hard to believe it is mid-Sept.

I went and picked up my new frames; they were still under warranty. I got new ear pieces on my old glasses just in case I might need to wear them again for some reason.

It's supposed to rain on Tuesday. Harry, in Dallas, got plenty of rain and now it is moving this way. We need it, just not as much as Dallas received.

I need to go after spiders again tomorrow. They are prolific little breeders.

END

Some Whoppers

When Chuck came over to mow the yard he also dug up the Sweet Potatoes. Many are very large. I have never seen them as large in the store. He also started cleaning out the dead stuff and putting the non-producing plants on the compost pile. He showed me where a "volunteer tomato had made a home in the vacant chicken run and is producing tomatoes. that may be the place to plant tomatoes next year.

There isn't much to post, but I thought I would get these pictures up today. The batteries in the camera do not seem to hold up for long so I guess I will buy some new ones.

P. S. It is a good thing I love Sweet Potatoes!!

Cast Iron

Here is a shot of my cast iron frying pans. They are old, beat up, but still usable. They heat evenly and retain the heat. The two tiny ones are an ashtray and a "sample." The two big ones are number 8's and a number 6. The one on the bottom right is a 6 1/2 and on the left is(darker)a 6 3/4 pan. The one small pan is pitted, but serviceable. I continue to look for an old Dutch oven with a lid, a deep chicken fryer and a long griddle. I used to find cast ironware in yard sales and at the Salvation Army or the Goodwill store. They have become very scarce because people are buying them up as antiques or for real cooking. I use mine for cooking. I made my spaghetti sauce in one of the big pans.

I took my van to the auto shop and they checked the tires. While I was there I got the oil changed. If you keep the oil changed and car greased your auto will serve you well for a long time. If I cleaned out the inside it would serve me even better!

Chuck came and mowed. He also dug up the sweet potatoes and a healthy crop it is. You can not buy sweet potatoes as big and pretty as these are. I will leave them outside overnight and let the dirt dry off before putting them in a box for storage. I will try to post pictures of them tomorrow or on Monday.

The little female wild canary was in the sunflowers eating the seeds again. She loves those seeds! There are honey bees after the flowers, still, and nasty little sweat bees, too. If you have never-or ever been stung by a sweat bee, than you will know why I call them nasty. They really, really hurt.

My eye glass frames are finally in, but it is too late to go pick them up. This old pair will "see" me through 'til Monday.

Melanie, tell Big Ellen about this blog site. It will give her something to do or look at. Maybe Christine and Denise, too.

Because I was out at lunch time I stopped in the Golden Corral for something to eat. I got a bad piece of liver that was starting to have liver-quiver. A couple weeks ago I got a bad piece of chicken that was turning. Yuk. They never used to have bad meals.

Beverly said I could freeze Spaghetti in 1 qt. freezer bags. I am gonna try it and see how it turns out. What can you do to preserve sweet potatoes?

It is half-past time to put my frying pans back where they belong.

END

H

Above is a picture of my 1960 Nash Rambler

4 door Classic. It is an old 6 cylinder Flathead.

I wish I could sell it as I can't afford to restore it.

The driveway is mine, but you can't see the house. The tree in the front yard I planted when it was just a little bigger than me and about as thick as my thumb. Look at it now. It grew tall; I didn't!! Up in the drivway is my old Motor home. You can't see it. I will try to get some better pictures later. Umm, you can see the house, but it is shedded out by my tree.

I love this gravestone marker...or maybe it just makes me sad. The inscription reads

"DAUGHTER OF BART & ISABELLA BOURH(hard to read... could be R-C)

BORN NOV 8 1885

DIED OCT. 8 1891

She doesn't seem to have a name, but she must have been dearly loved for that is not a cheap marker that oversees her resting place. Someone at some time put plastic flowers in her hand.

I managed to sleep last night after tossing until 1:30 a. m. I finally got up and took a Melatonin tablet. I am still tired, but at least my eyes are not bloodshot like someone that was out drinking all night.

I went to the reg. grocery store to get milk. I looked around to see how much I saved on the big meat sale. I only saved about about 15 cents a lb. on the hamburger, but I saved big on the chicken at .50 cents a lb.

I stopped at the Salvation Army store to look around. I found a cast iron frying pan and a cast iron griddle for ...$7.00 dollars each. They were both in bad shape, esp. the griddle. The manager would not take less for them so I left them there. I looked at a coat in the "Prime" section and they wanted $40.00 dollars for it. This Salvation Army store is a rip-off. Another person shopping there said the store in Sturgis is much better and I know the store in Evansville is cheaper.

Gas went up-way up, over night. Yesterday it was $2.18 and today it is $2.47 per gallon. So I didn't get gas. Another rip-off.

When I got back from the store I noticed a bulge in the side wall of the front driver's side tire. Back to the tire store tomorrow. Theses tires only have 33.000 miles of careful, slow driving on them. Factory tires are not the best tires. No wonder the economy is in trouble: nothing is made well anymore. Now I gotta go to the b.r. Bye

End

Short Days, Long Nights.

Well, what else is new other than the days getting shorter. Duh. I do enjoy the fall weather 'though.

Either my TV or the DVR just went into Eletro Heaven, the place for all dying boxes of news and graphics. Well, I do have a big book to read.

The floor is done now and it was really pretty bad. I think it will outlast Obama 'though, 'cause I don't think I see re-election in the tea leaves in the bottom of his cup. You kind of feel sorry for the guy because he has really messed up his first six months of grace. He should have hired a better builder/carpenter.

I continue to have problems with my camera. I put the batteries back on the charger to see if that would make any difference. It just will not transfer pictures to uplaod...@%*%#!!

I made a big pot of spaghetti. I had a craving for spaghetti for quite awhile. You generally can't find good spaghetti "out."

In my sauce I included a chopped egg plant and a handful of oatmeal, with all the appropriate spices. I let it simmer in a big ol' number 8 cast iron frying pan. I have always been told the secret to making good spaghetti is in the sauce. Mine turned out pretty good. It has all the right stuff in it; iron from the pan, veggies form the egg plant and green peppers, starch form the spaghetti and fibre from the oatmeal. I did forget to toss in the oregano, but it turned out pretty good without it. Yum.

My lamp in the bedroom burned out or became defective. I went to the Goodwill Store and found a nice one for two bucks. I got a couple pairs of slacks and a couple blouses while I was at it. The store was really busy. I guess everyone is looking for or in need of a bargain.

I keep wanting to fill my gas tank and get distracted with other stuff. Gas is down to $2.18 per gal. I don't know how long it will stay that low or if it will go lower. I should get my tank filled tomorrow.

I have not slept well for two nights. I hope I sleep tonight. At least I won't have to get up early.

I ready for a refill on my spaghetti. YUM.

END.......P. S...TV and DVR came back on after a two hr. absence. Maybe the satellite dish?? Strange.

Floor Work

This isn't a good day to post as the floor is being worked on. The pictures that I am trying to upload into the blog won't go. They show up on the camera, but just won't upload.

I haven't got much accomplished because the house is torn up. It should be finished tomorrow.

I did get new frames ordered for my glasses. They should be in tomorrow, too. I see pretty well with this old pair, but the frames on these are in poor condition as well.

Nothing to convey this day. Summer is over; the leaves are coming down and I put more scraps on the compost pile. I should be interesting to see what comes up from all the different seeds that I have dumped on the pile.

END

Labor Day, 2009

Here on the left is what little I picked put of the

garden on Saturday.

Just above, on the right is what is left of the garden, which is mainly flowers. There are some squash still producing along with a few Okra. The Sweet Potatoes are still in the ground. The butterflies, honey bees and at least one Hummingbird love the flowers. The wild Canaries enjoy the Sunflowers, which don't show up in the picture. The very tall plants on the edge and among the tomatoes, are Caster Bean plants. They may be the reason for the poor tomato output. Caster Bean plants are supposed to keep moles out. I have not seen any of their burrows this year, but it may be the Woodchuck has evicted them from his chomping grounds.

My front yard is full of black feathers. There must be a stray vampire-predator-feral- feline about. I hope it isn't getting the song birds, too.

This morning I broke my glasses. The left arm just snapped off. I had given most of my old glasses to my eye Dr. to take on his next mission trip in South America. I held one pair back as a "just in case" pair I am wearing them now and see pretty well with them. I guess it is a trip to the eye Dr. in the morning.

I am supposed to get my floor fixed soon. We will see. Hope you like the pictures Melanie... and anyone else that may look at them.

END

Storm a-brewing

I have been outside in the garden trying to salvage what is left of the garden which is mainly little Cherry tomatoes, a few Okra and some poor looking beans. Insects have been in the beans and there is only a handful. After cutting away the bad spots there probably won't even be a handful. The yard and garden is full of white cabbage moths. Chuck thought they were butterflies. Maybe the birds will eat them.

My camera is still not working well even though I put in the new memory chip. I will put in some new batteries even though I don't think that is the problem.

I stayed home today. I have a new book that I started; THE HITCH HIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY and all his following works, all in one big book. When these books first came out I was doing my 3 to 11 thing and then some. Although I did read during those years I knew I had to go to work the next day and be awake. Now, if I want, I can stay up all night (I don't) and read if I desire to do so I guess the latest I stayed up was last week when the Space (Cadets) Police came and woke me up and ruined my night.

For lunch I steamed green beans and sweet potatoes with sausage. The green beans were missed and I picked the off last week. It was a pretty good meal and I have enough for supper.

We are having a minor thunder storm at the moment and the humidity is high. We really need the rain. It has rained all around, but not where my garden waits for it.

My cousin has passed away form a tumor on her spine. She was just 64 years old. My other cousin passed away a few years ago from kidney cancer and she was only 54. Her mother died of cancer at age 44. I think there really is something in the water...or the environment.

There is thunder and lightning off in the distance so I think I will end here. Opps. power just went...running on batteries.

END

Shopping

Here is another picture of a female American Gold Finch.

Well, I have been shopping again. I went to the big meat sale. I bought four chickens for the freezer at 50 cents a lb. I also bout five lbs of hamburger for $1.40 a lb. The hamburger I will divide into smaller packages for the freezer, also. I will keep some out 'cause I want to make some 'sgettie(spaghetti). I spent about $17.00 bucks 'cause I got some distilled water, too.

It was an interesting shopping trip. People were buying chicken by the case and they soon ran out of chicken as 50 cents per lb. is a pretty good price these days. The meat counter was very, very busy, but everyone was calm and polite. They were also selling whole slabs of rib eyes at almost $5 bucks per lb and people were snacthing it up. Well above my price bracket. I got what I went for and went home, happy with the chicken and ground meat.

I am just about done with filling my freezer. I am afraid if I try to put anymore stuff in it, it just may fall through the floor. Now I can sit back and relax knowing that I have enough food to get me through a bad winter if one comes knocking on my door. I won't have to go out. I may go get a few incidentals now and then, but I have what I need.


I bought a couple bottles of Ginger Ale a few weeks ago to have on hand in case I ate too much and got indigestion. I was looking at the labels and discovered that all the ingredients were artificial, even the ginger. We have become artificial humans. No wonder we get sick and develop so many deceases and ailments. I probably will buy some real Ginger Root next time I go shopping.

Installation for broadband has been rescheduled for September 17 due to the fact that they came very late and didn't have all the supplies they needed. An aerial? Hmmm. And I went and cleaned house...darn.

The End

Gold Finch

While sitting on the back patio I thought I saw a Gold Finch flitting in and out of the Sunflowers. I haven't seen a Gold Finch an a long time. Some people call them Yellow Canaries. They seem attracted to all the flowers and blossoms that are still colorful in the garden. It has been a long time since I have spotted a humming bird, but I am sure they are around. There are lots of Honey bees in the yard and garden, too.

My camera says it is out of internal memory. I have only taken 22 pictures with it. When I bought the camera they said it would take over 200 pictures. I do have a memory chip to put int the camera, but m wondering if I did something wrong or if it is defective.

I went to the local cemetery to find a statue of a little girl holding flowers. I found the stature; no Kodak moment...no memory. I will go back and get the shot even if I have to use my old Pentax 35 mm. camera.

Tomorrow is supposed to be a big meat sale from a truck at a local market. I will go see if I can get some hamburger/ground meat at reasonable price. If not, I will walk away.

I went to the library and checked out some new books. I will be reading for awhile as the one book is about two inches thick.

I went to the $1.00 store and loaded up on trash and garbage bags. I may get more.Halloween stuff is out so I got some Halloween candy, too. It may not last until Halloween...LOA!

I know very little about very little, thus I will end it here.

END

Phone desease

I finally got myself to Wal-Mart. I forgot a couple of things, but I can go back another day. Anyway, I can get milk at the grocery store. I did get two Rotisserie Chickens; one to eat and one for the freezer. I also got a Caramel Apple Pie. I usually don't buy pies, but I wanted one. Every once in awhile you have to give into your whims.

When cell phones first came out I would see people walking around talking and I thought they were talking to themselves. Now everyone, everywhere is traipsing about with a cell phone sticking out their rears..er, I meant ears...didn't I? I never use a cell phone in public. I don't want the world in on my life. Others do and are not at all discreet, quiet or morally aware of what they they yak about or care who hears their prattle. What really gets my goat is when I am in a restaurant and someone wants the world to know that they have a cell phone and are loud in advertising the fact. No one cares and most of us don't want to hear it. There is more to life than having electronics sticking out their r-ears. There is a time and place for all things.

I finished off all my books and now I have nothing to read. Its back to the library time. We have a library tax included into our utility bills here. It is a tax I don't mind paying because Henderson has a fine library and a fine selection of all most everything. You can even check out pictures to hang on your walls. If the weather gets bad and I can't get out they will come to me with the book mobile. If I have a good book I am a happy reader.

I hope to get out and get some more pictures with my camera. Henderson has a lot of history and interesting buildings. Henderson was also the home of John James Audubon and once owned and operated a mill here. It is said that he was a poor business man.

I was trying to watch Glenn Beck on the TV and of course, I got a phone call. That was the end of that.

It has been cool at night,but for me it is pleasant sleeping weather. I like cool nights and fewer mosquitoes.

I don't know no anything of interest so I will give this blog a rest.

END

General comments

When I tried to crop this picture it came out grainy/fuzzy so I left it alone. If you could see it close up you would see that it quite a nice piece of statuary. I may try to crop it again, but not today.

While in Evansville yesterday we stopped at the day old bread store and I bought several loaves of bread and loaded up the freezer.

I am glad to see that the new Farmers Almanac(just out) agrees with me. It predicts a long, numbing, cold winter for the center of the country. I guess the lack of sun spots may have something to do with the coming winter. The National Weather Service does not agree with me and predicts a warmer than usual winter. We will see.

I have just about every thing I may need to get through a harsh winter if it something nasty does come blowing down out of Canada. I need to get some kerosene for my kerosene heater just in case. I didn't need it last winter in spite of the ice storm, but it is best to be prepared.

I suppose the desire to be ready for anything is born out a childhood of being poor and living in upstate NY's snow belt. If you were snowbound in the boondocks of upstate NY you were just "stuck" in more ways than one. The survivalist who advocate beans and rice never really tried it in most cases. Ain't no fun and I hope that the people of this country never have to live in privation 'though I am sure many do in this present economy.

I read that our government has quietly sold off the wheat reserves and it is now at a "zero reserve." You may see a raise in all products that require flour for food production. And why not; the price of everything else is going up by the week. We will be depending on what the farmers are able to harvest this year.

I would love to have some venison in my larder. My mother would can venison in her big canner and it was the best; tender and juicy. It isn't likely that I will have venison now or in the future, but one can wish.

END