Life is difficult

One of the blogs I read is Thrifty at Sixty. It is a well written, interesting blog.  Cindi's husband has recently been diagnosed with cardiac problems at age 59. It is doubtful that he will ever be able to work again. They are neither destitute nor enormously wealthy, but like many, somewhere in the middle. They are facing some difficult changes in life.  Cindi wrote a post about always expecting a catastrophe just around the corner.  I think she was just overwhelmed with the seriousness of her husband's condition and the unknown situation in the future.  I don't live expecting a catastrophe but I think life is difficult. Not just for me, life is difficult in general.  I think everyone has problems that must be dealt with in a reasonable manner.  It makes me treasure the good times and the good people in my life.  It makes me cautious not to take anything for granted. I think once Cindi knows the extent of her husband's cardiac damage and knows what limitations he will live with, she will make plans for handling the changes. I wouldn't want to live constantly expecting catastrophe but I think it is wise to realize that life is difficult.  

August Meditation

"Someone's sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago."
- Warren Buffett

August Poetry

"Whilst August yet wears her golden crown,
    Ripening fields lush- bright with promise;
Summer waxes long, then wanes, quietly passing
    Her fading green glory on to riotous Autumn."
-  Michelle L. Thieme, August's Crown 

Goals for Week of August 28-September 3, 201)

Spiritual
     ABF/Church
     Daily Bible Reading
     Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis de Sales 

Physical
     32 oz. water daily
     Salad for lunch
     Exercise DVD 5 times

Quilting - Clean out quilting drawer

Reading
     The Beauty and the Sorrow by Peter Englund
     The Invention of Nature by Andrea Wulf

Cooking
     Macaroni and Cheese 
     Baked Fish, Carrots/Thyme
     Veggie Soup
     Spaghetti and Meatballs
     Peanut Butter Cookies

Home -- House Cleaners!  Yea!
             Home Depot - Faucet for kitchen sink, non-skid tape, towel rack 

Personal
     Haircut
     Mani/Pedi
     Make vet appointment for Henry
     Fasting blood work for annual physical 

Around OakMeadows

A quilt that I made several years ago. 

We have had a variety of butterflies in the garden this week.  Lovely Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Monarch, Queen, Gulf Fritillary, and an unidentified brown skipper. We've also had several big black and yellow bumblebees on the salvia; they are so heavy that the salvia sags with their weight as they hang on to feed. 

The last of the barn swallows left sometime last week.  Everyone else left two or three weeks ago.  This pair pulled off a late brood and had to wait until the babies were strong enough to make the long flight to Central America.  How I would love to know where my swallows spend the rest of the year!  Speaking of birds, the mockingbirds are feasting on the beauty berries. Thanks to all the rain, we have a bumper crop of beauty berries this year. 

I'm reading The a Invention of Nature: Alexander Von Humbolt's New World by Andrea Wulf. So far it is excellent. He is really the father of environmentalism.  He saw and wrote about in the early 1800's the absolute interconnectedness of everything.  I am now reading about his journey in 1800 through what is now Venezuela. Fascinating.

It has been so hot and humid that my rosacea flared up. I had to go in to see the doctor to get a new prescription.  I really didn't want to go in because I have my annual physical appointment at the end of October.  The problem is though that it causes inflammation in my eyes and I couldn't wait 2 more months. So I jumped through the appropriate hoops and got my Rx. It usually takes about a week to start improving. Soothing eye drops in the meanwhile.  

Chewy Coconut Cookies

I had some coconut leftover from making the icing for the German Chocolate cake that I made for my BIL's birthday so I decided to make cookies.  They were delish!

Chewy Coconut Cookies

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/3 cups flaked coconut 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Combine flour, salt, and baking soda; set aside. 

In a medium bowl cream the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla extract until light and fluffy. 

Gradually stir in the flour mixture; then add in the coconut. 

Drop dough by teaspoonful onto ungreased cookie sheet about 3 inches apart. 

Bake 8-10 minutes until lightly toasted. 

Cool on wire racks. 

Sunday Meditation

"What dreadful hot weather we have! 
It keeps me in a continual state of inelegance."
-  Jane Austen

Saturday Poetry

"How sociable the garden was.
We ate and talked in given light.
The children put their toys to grass
All the warm wakeful August night."
-  Thomas Gunn,  Last Days at Teddington

September Menu

September Menu

1. Leftovers

2. Out

3. Bacon Sandwiches, Oven Fries

4. Pancakes and Sausages

5. Baked Fish, Carrots, Cabbage

6. Chicken-Rice Bake

7. Steak, GMP, GB

8. Leftovers

9. Out

10. St. Wieners 

11. Slow Cooker Chicken

12. Shrimp Jambalaya

13. Chicken Tenders, Bush's Beans, Corn on the Cob

14. Pork, Sweet Potatoes, Broccoli 

15. Leftovers

16. Out

17. CB Hash

18. Schlotzsky's 

19. Tuna Salad Sandwiches 

20. Chicken Parmesan 

21. Pizza

22. Leftovers

23. Out

24. Mac and Cheese

25. Slow Cooker Beef

26. Seafood Pasta

27. Fr. Stir Fry

28. Spaghetti and Meatballs

29. Leftovers

30. Out

Around OakMeadows

A quilt I made several years ago. 

Around OakMeadows

When we woke up Sunday morning, it was quite apparent that something was wrong with the downstairs air-conditioner. Of course, it had to happen on the weekend.... Since the unit for upstairs was still working, we put fans on the stairway to blow some cool air down.  This and closing all the blinds and doing all cooking outside kept us, if not cool, about lukewarm. Sleeping Sunday night was not really comfortable but with fans and wet cloths, we managed. Fortunately, we were able to get the repairman out by 10am Monday morning and by noon, life support was operational once again. I did not have air conditioning when I was growing up and well remember the long hot days and nights. Hooray for air conditioning!

Over the years we have bought various chemicals for use in our yard, many of them quite toxic.  Our county has a household hazardous waste collection at the recycling center every Monday.  So Sunday I boxed up all kinds of yard poisons that I would never buy today and took them in Monday morning.  I'm not sure how they dispose of them but at least they won't be poured out to get in the water table.  I found out that they take paint and roofing asphalt so I will gather all that up and take that in next. 

It was time to go to the optometrist.  Nothing out of the ordinary. Needed a new prescription for my glasses. My eyes show some age-related cataract development but not enough to require surgery yet.  My new lenses will be ready later this week.  

Friday I have an appointment to get a TSA Flight Pre-✔️ card/clearance so I won't have to stand in the horrible security line at the airport when we go to LasVegas later this year.  It costs $85 but it is worth it to me. I think it lasts for several years but I'm not sure how many.  Since I can't walk through the scanner, I have to have a body pat down. The women TSA agents have always be sensitive and courteous but it is still embarrassing and annoying and a total waste of time and effort. Anyway, the Pre-✔️ will eliminate that hassle. 

That's all the news from OakMeadows where the cats and the people are thankful for air-conditioning!

One Hot Mama

Mama raccoon cools off in the birdbath then she climbs the tree and drapes herself across a limb to drip dry and cool off. 

August Menu (A Bit Late)

August Menu

1. Baked fish, Carrots/Thyme, Corn on the Cob

2. Chicken Rice Bake

3. Steak, GMP, GB

4. LeftoverS

5. Out

6. St. Wieners, Corn

7. Pancakes, Sausage

8. Shrimp Jambalaya 

9. Fruited Chicken Salad

10. Cutlets, GMP, GB

11. Leftovers

12. Out

13. CB Hash, Cream Style Corn

14. Slow Cooker Chicken p.80

15. Tuna Salad Sandwiches

16. Chicken tenders, Bush's Beans, Veggie Tray

17. Beef and Bok Choy

18. Leftovers

19. Out

20. Scrambled Eggs, Sausage, Toast

21. Schlotzsky's 

22. Seafood Pasta

23. Roasted Chicken and Veg

24. Pizza

25. Leftovers

26. Out

27. Mac and Cheese

28. Slow Cooker Beef

29. Veggie Soup

30. HBs

31. Spaghetti and meatballs 

Meditation

Nothing is so strong as gentleness. Nothing is so gentle as real strength.” 
― Ralph W. Sockman

Saturday Poetry

"As for me, I know nothing else but miracles, 
Whether I walk the streets of Manhattan, 
Or dart my sight over the roofs of houses toward the sky, 
Or wade with naked feet along the beach just in the edge of the water, 
Or stand under the trees in the woods, 
Or talk by day with any one I love, 
Or sleep in bed at night with any one I love, 
Or watch honey bees busy around the hive of a summer forenoon... 
Or the wonderfulness of the sundown, 
Or of stars shining so quiet and bright, 
Or the exquisite delicate thin curve of the new moon in spring... 
What stranger miracles are there?"

-  Walt Whitman

Goals for Week of August 7-13, 2016

Spiritual
     ABF/Church
     Daily Bible Reading
     Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis de Sales

Physical
     Weight Watchers
     Exercise DVD
     32 oz. water daily

Personal
     Make appointment for sleep study
     Go to appointment for TSA Pre✔️
     Make hotel reservations for October trip to Montpelier, Monticello, and Mount Vernon

Home
     New pictures for small bathroom

Quilting
     Finish the Scrap 9-Patch top

Reading
     Make It Fast, Cook It Slow by Stephanie O'Dea
     The Birds: A Natural History by Colin Tudge
     A World to Live In by George Woodwell
     
Cooking
     Shrimp Jambalaya 
     Fruited Chicken Salad
     Cutlets, GMP, GB
     Slow Cooker Albondigas Soup