Mama Don't Take My Kodachrome Away!!

Mornings like this morning, I am so happy to have relief from my "digestion"  I was up early, made LL's lunch, emptied dishwasher, cleaned kitchen, started 2 loads of laundry, and made beef stew and put it in the crock pot all before 7:00am. 

I wanted to get my responsibilities done so I could go out and play with Baby, my new camera.  After taking care of the chickens, dogs, Max, and showering and primping.  OK I don't primp but I do brush my teeth.  I was out and about by 9:00.  Put gas in the car,  took a couple mural pictures with my new camera, which you will see in a future post, and made my way to Mt. Angel. 

Stopped at Mom's for a little while and then I was a woman on a mission.  To try out my Baby.

No this is not a professional photo, I just took this of St. Mary's church a few hours ago.

Made my way up the Abbey Hill.

Look how clear and vibrant this picture is.

This is the new bell tower at the abbey.  I like the angle I chose for this picture.

This is the church up at the Abbey.  I then saw that the weather was changing, and I wanted to take pictures at the Oregon Gardens, so I could show you the difference between my point and shoot camera and my new Nikon.

Point and Shoot

Nikon

Point and Shoot

Nikon

Point and Shoot

Nikon

Point and shoot

Nikon

The rain came fast while I was at the Gardens, and I did not want my new camera to get wet.  So I went home and.......

Started bread to go with tonight's stew.

All this before 12:00 noon. 

Love it when my "digestion" allows me such a fabulous morning!!

By the way, this is how new I am at this.  I forgot to mark my photos with the copyright:(

On a down note.  My son Kane, found out yesterday that he has been laid off.  And if the business he has been working for doesn't turn around and do better, he is without a job.  So he is here with me now, working on his resume'

What To Do.........What To Do?

Have you ever had a lot to do and don't know where to start.  Here it is, almost 11:00 AM and I am dealing with this dilemma by not doing anything.  It is raining here in Silverton Oregon, and I could be content just sitting here, on computer and not doing anything else.  Here is what I need to do this week...........

1.  My uncle gave me a whole bunch of apples that are waiting to be made into applesauce and juice and put into the freezer.  This would take up most of a day and be left with a sticky messy kitchen.  I will put this off until tomorrow, maybe.

2.  The motor home smells like campfire, bedding needs to be washed and put back on, and a good wash for the cupboards and floor to get rid of smell.  I will put this off until Thursday, maybe.

3.  Clothes from the weekend for LL, Max and I needs to be washed.  Even things that didn't get worn because it all smells like campfire.  This definitely needs to be done today:(

4.  My bedroom has not been picked up and cleaned for weeks.  It is a disaster.  To do well might take a few hours.  Maybe today?  Maybe.

5.  I need to back bread and have peaches that will go bad if I don't do something with them today.  Definitely needs to be done today.  Maybe.

6.  I need to get to library, drugstore and grocery store today.  Maybe.

I need to get up and do SOMETHING............anything.  Can't get started though.  I have more on my list like, Laundry folded and put away, Laundry room is dirty and a mess, bathrooms need a good scrub.  Chickens nests need to be cleaned out and fresh bedding put in. 

OK Konnie, click publish and start moving.  See ya later:(

Tie-dye and Polka Dots!

"She's so unusual". No, I am not talking about Cyndi Lauper. My LL says these words to me on occasions. It's code for "Oh my, she is off her rocker and why did I marry her". I sure have been hearing him say this a little more often. I must admit to occasionally Kareokeing to "Girls just want to have fun". Frankly I think I channel Cyndi while singing and the neighborhood dogs don't howl too loud. OK they do, but still I sing. I have always been quirky, as my mom and siblings can testify, but since my cancer (my check up was good by the way) I have decided to embrace my eclectic personality. OK eccentric. In one way this comes out is my attire. I am not into fashion. I don't care what is in or what is out. I try not to look too dumpy when I go places, but that is the extent of my primping. My niece Kara always accessorises perfectly. Shoes go with clothes, purse goes with shoes. She loves me and rarely says anything. Once in a while when she is going with me she will ask if I am going to change clothes or am I going to where that? So keeping in mind that fashion is not my forte and I am a little weird, it shouldn't surprise you that I love Tie-Dye....................

And Polka Dots!!

I have started to wear aprons when working at home. It keeps my clothes clean and I need to wash my clothes less often. I only had one apron. It is black. I have been looking for aprons at thrift stores. No luck. But while shopping with Bailey at Ross Dress for Less, I found three aprons that were very inexpensive. And get this..............They have polka dots and tie-dye.

So now, while baking, cooking, doing dishes, gardening, taking care of chickens, cleaning.......I can wear my polka dots or tie-dye apron WITH my tie-dye crocks.

Also, next time I am wearing my tie-dye crocks and Kara asks if I am going out dressed like that. I will say "Oh Kara, you are right. I better put my polka-dot apron and hat on to go with MY Outfit:)" She'll just die.

While Bailey was going out the door to go to work, I had her take this picture. Her words to me as she was going out the door was. "God Mom, you are so weird". Well Yes! Yes I am:)

The Clothes Line Poem

I found this poem on-line while reading one of my regular blogs. I enjoy drying clothes out one line. The rest of family doesn't like the stiffness of clothes and towels, but I think the freshness and smell more than makes up for the crunchiness. So here is this cute poem.

THE CLOTHES LINE POEM
A clothes line was a news forecast
To neighbors passing by.
There were no secrets you could keep
When clothes were hung to dry.
It also was a friendly link
For neighbors always knew
If company had stopped on by
To spend a night or two.
For then you'd see the 'fancy sheets'
And towels upon the line;
You'd see the 'company table cloths'
With intricate design.
The line announced a baby's birth
To folks who lived inside
As brand new infant clothes were hung
So carefully with pride.
The ages of the children could
So readily be known
By watching how the sizes changed
You'd know how much they'd grown.
It also told when illness struck,
As extra sheets were hung;
Then nightclothes, and a bathrobe, too,
Haphazardly were strung.
It said, 'Gone on vacation now'
When lines hung limp and bare.
It told, 'We're back!' when full lines sagged
With not an inch to spare.
New folks in town were scorned upon
If wash was dingy gray,
As neighbors carefully raised their brows,
And looked the other way.
But clotheslines now are of the past
For dryers make work less.
Now what goes on inside a home
Is anybody's guess.
I really miss that way of life.
It was a friendly sign
When neighbors knew each other best
By what hung on the line!
-AUTHOR UNKNOWN

Here comes the pain again

When putting on an outside party in Oregon, you must take full advantage of the weather. Since the prediction was clear Monday and Tuesday. Rain Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, we knew a lot needed to get done by Wednesday. Over the weekend, I did replant cucumbers because the first ones were destroyed by downpours of rain.


I finally put in my peppers.

On Monday, I wanted to get some household chores out of the way before I went out and helped LL. So I baked bread, made pizza dough and sauce in prep. for dinner.

While doing this, LL was finish the pool cleaning so he could spot paint in the afternoon.

I also did three loads of laundry.

Made and ate lunch, and then it started................................................

Horrible sharp cramping that comes so fast and hard it takes your breath away. Swelling in the abdomen and inflamed intestines I can only describe as if someone took a Brillo pad to your bowels. I have an obstruction:(

That night I was up in pain and vomiting. LL wanted to take me to the hospital but I know the routine from there on. Admit me, do lots of tests, and decide to do surgery. My youngest child is graduating on Thursday. I will not miss it. So I have been waiting it out.

It has improved but I can tell still partially blocked. I have started taking percocet and hope to ride this one through. The party is on Sunday. Sunny and 88 degrees is the prediction. We lucked out. I e-mail my Doctor this morning. He will not be happy with me. My feeling is that I and especially my daughter have sacrificed so much over the last year and a half. Her graduation is the one and only thing on my mind for a year. Meaning I wanted to be alive and well enough to be there. So I am taking the chance my body will heal enough to be there Thursday night and put on a party Sunday. After that I will probably be in the hospital having surgery. Or if I am lucky, the doctor will figure something else out. Thanks for letting me unload.

Here comes the sun

I am not sure how long it will last. They say showers tomorrow. Clear Monday, Tuesday and most of Wednesday, and then rain again. I am not sure what the weather will be for Bailey's party on Sunday, but........................for today, Here comes the sun!!!!

I got a load on the line as soon as I could this morning.

Went to a garage sale. Here is my Goodwill dress with my garage sale rubber boots I bought today. Yes, I am styling!! I am so an embarrassment to my niece Kara and my daughter Bailey who are looking on right now:)




LL is taking out my way over grown oregano so I have room for my peppers I have been growing in the greenhouse

We went to my Mom's and had her absolute best apple pie. Don't ask for the recipe. In the 47 years I have been alive, I still don't understand her process. A spoon full of this, a hand full of that. Seriously, her crust is not made with ice water like everyone else. It is made with hot water, lard, milk, and I don't know. She has shown me over and over again. I still don't get it.

Plastic Surgery While Shopping

In trying to live a more sustainable life I am finding more challenging than I thought it would be. But while my long term goal is to have as close to a zero carbon footprint as possible, my short term goal is that every month I improve. A couple weeks ago, I started to tackle two areas. Transportation and Laundry. I kept track of my use in these categories and will continue to do so. I would like to see improvement every month to the point that I feel I am doing the best I can do. Here is where I am at.

Transportation

Out of town in car-9 In town in car-0 Walk-1 Bike-7

If I was to double the results, that would give me an idea of a month's worth of transportation. Obviously I did well in town but need to reduce out of town trips in car.

Laundry

Other people using dryer-5 Dryer-2 Clothes line-5

The last two weeks have been challenging because we have had almost nonstop rain. The first problem is we don't reuse towels enough. 2nd is that my son comes and does his laundry but doesn't stay long enough for his clothes to dry on the line. We will work on this.

June's new focus is PLASTIC!!

In the US, most of our waste is plastic. All the plastic that has ever been made still exists or has been burned which releases toxic chemicals into the air because of petroleum. There are several garbage swills in our ocean. The Largest is called the Pacific Gyre. Or The Great Garbage Patch. It is 2 times the size of the continental United States. It is responsible for killing marine fish and mammals and vegetation.

I have looked at my buying habits. Oh boy, my family is terrible when it comes to purchasing items in lots of packaging. My goal is ultimately reduce all packaging. But for the month of June I will be just keeping track of plastic. No plastic is good, but some is recyclable. I will save all plastic that is not recyclable that we normally would throw away. I want to see how much I collect in a months time. But I will also be working on reducing. Like buying more bulk items using reusable containers and purchasing less items covered in plastic. A lot of what we already have in our house is packaged in plastic, so I don't anticipate we will do well for the month of June. My short term goal is not perfection, it is improvement. We'll see how I do. This will drive LL and B. nuts but OH WELL.