In My Home This Week: In Which We Adjust the Pattern to Fit

Sunday:  We had a date yesterday.  John insisted he must take me out.  It's something he's been very consistent about this past year.  My husband is courting me and it's a lovely thing, truly it is.  I don't say it to brag.  I say it because I know how remarkable it is that 27 years into our relationship/lives together, he wants to treat me as though I am still the woman he courted years ago.  It fills me with awe, truly it does.



I won't tell you we go fancy places.  Yesterday we visited a favorite pizzeria and ordered a calzone.  The proprietor looked at us after we ordered and said "Have you ever eaten our calzone before?"  When we said "No" she told us she wanted to amend our order.  We'd ordered one for each of us.  She said they were huge and we'd likely only want one.  She was quite right.  It was absolutely delicious and absolutely huge.

We headed home after our lunch out and that was quite all right by me because I knew we'd be back in the very same area for church today.

We went into a different grocery today than we usually visit after church and discovered something interesting: the Sunday paper there is $1 less than it is at the store we usually stop at.  $1!  While in Kroger, I viewed my  rewards card on my smart phone and picked up my free items.  I also bought bread which we were out of at home, and asked John to walk with me down the syrup aisle.  He said "Do we need syrup?"  "Well...no.  But I've a number of coupons good here for the store brand real maple syrup and we've commented on how high it is at Aldi.  I just though I'd check to see how the price compares using the coupons."  It turns out that 12 ounce bottles were nearly $2.50 less than at Aldi, using the sale combined with the coupon.  I only bought one bottle because I knew we had some in the pantry at home but I have stopped thinking Aldi has the very best price always on all things.  Kroger sales and coupons are really very competitive.

John  wanted to buy me a coffee at Starbucks.  I do love a good cinnamon dolce this time of year, my preference over Pumpkin Pie Spice Lattes.  I thanked my husband nicely but reminded him I had well over half the balance left on the gift card his brother gave us at Christmas.  I used that to purchase my coffee.

While we were traveling I discussed the house insurance with John.  I have enough money to pay the bill in full but it costs just $16 a year more to pay for it quarterly.   We both like the idea of having it in our account as part of our daily balance and it

We came home to eat dinner, Roasted Chicken with microwaved baked potatoes and a big salad.  I'd left the chicken heating in the crockpot and this time I did it properly.  I started the reheating process on high when I first went into the kitchen this morning.  Then I turned it to keep warm as we left home.  The chicken was perfectly heated through but not dried out when we came in.

After dinner I really wanted to just sit and not fuss with housework.  I hadn't slept well the night before.   The time constraints of the week ahead nagged at me.  Tired vs. zone cleaning, zone vs. project work...I finally decided that lying down for twenty minutes would do me no harm.  I went right off to sleep and woke feeling refreshed.  Katie was here when I got up and we chatted a little and then she left to go home.  I tackled the start of the kitchen work, cleaning the cabinets well.  I got every one of those doors done within a thirty minute attack and was so happy to have that job behind me.  It looks so much nicer and I have done at least one larger job in my zone area for the week.

I stripped chicken from the carcass and started the bones cooking with a splash of vinegar to make bone broth.  I found a bag with two more chickens in it and tossed that in to cook too.  It smelled so good!  Later, I drained the bones and poured the broth into quart jars.  I'll pick over the bones tomorrow and will put the broth in the fridge once it's cooled enough.

After I'd cleared up the kitchen mess from our meal, I settled into my chair and John and I watched several episodes of a program we find funny.  It was so pleasant to sit and laugh over that silly show without feeling the slightest twinge of guilt.  I felt I'd earned that bit of luxury.

Monday:  I stripped the bed this morning after feeding the pets and then John and I took off after having a single cup of coffee.  We went over to Mama's old house and started ripping out overgrown shrubbery.  The miniature plants the lawn service had planted turned out to be not so miniature after five years and they completely masked the front of the house.  John cut and I hauled to the curb.  We worked steadily for an hour and half I think.

Home, we showered and started our home routine.  John did a load of clothes, then I washed a load of sheets and towels.  I took out the chicken leftovers and set half aside for Chicken Noodle soup and a portion for Chicken Salad.  I put on an egg to boil and settled in a chair to pick over the bones and separate out the meat and skin from the boney bits.  I feed the skin to the pets.

I started a load of dishes and then Katie called and asked if I'd go with her to the repair shop and pick up a rental car.  The drive is one hour from home.  It was almost lunch time and I still hadn't had breakfast.  John said to stop for something to eat and we really did mean to, but with delays at both places and ending up at a branch of the car rental place we weren't meant to be at, we missed all the fast food places and just drove home as quickly as we could.  I had a prior engagement to have the boys come visit.   I was 30 minutes behind when we got home but Bess had kept the boys outdoors playing all morning long and they were still napping when I got back home.  I had enough time to fold the laundry we'd hung on the line, unload the dishwasher and eat a chicken salad sandwich.

I heard Josh when he came running across the porch and had gone to greet him.  He came indoors and shouted "It's me!"  Bess fussed at him for not knocking but I was tickled at him.  I don't think you can't feel much more at home anywhere than to simply walk in and shout "It's me!"

We had a grand time with the boys.  John had promised Josh we'd have pancakes.  That child ate and ate.  He ate four pancakes, two servings of egg and four slices of bacon!   He can be rather picky about eating at times but I must have hit the mark on every single thing on the table tonight.   Isaac doesn't care for our 'chicken bacon' as Josh calls it.  It's a little too tough for him but he liked the eggs and the pancake just fine.

We took the boys home and stood around outdoors talking with Sam.  Josh and I walked a 'secret trail that his daddy had mowed through the weeds of a field and came out at the house again.  We admired the sunset and the yard together and he showed me how fast he can run.

It had turned into a very long day.  No zone work, and no project work either but I was done by the time we returned home.

Tuesday:  Listened to weather reports and determined that we will likely have some wind and possibly rain but not the flooding and destruction they are predicting further south of us.  I made out a short grocery list and a second list of things to attend to when I was home again this evening.

Katie and I went to visit Mama.  We ate out today.  It was my turn to treat for lunch.  We all enjoyed our meals and Mama enjoyed talking with the hostess who was seated at a table across from us.  She is studying to be a nurse.  Mama retired from nursing about 20 years ago.  She and the young woman talked throughout the meal.   At one point we were privy to her conversation with another of the waitstaff and that young woman explained just why she was studying hard to become a nurse.  Her reasoning was sound and Katie leaned over to whisper "She makes good sense!" as she explained her reasons for her personal ambitions to the other girl.
 
We stopped at the grocery.  I had a short list and I stuck to it: eggs, bread, fresh fruit and cheese.  Katie did shopping for herself and Mama.

After we settled Mama at home once again, we headed back to our town.  I dropped Katie off.  She kindly gave me a 50pound bag of dog food that had been delivered to that house back in the spring in a shipping mix up.  I am very appreciative of that 'gift'.  It's not Maddie's usual brand of food but hopefully she'll eat it as it's good quality stuff.

When I got home, I listened to the weather to see if any predictions had changed.  I decided it was worthwhile to take a few precautions though we're not meant to see any weather until the wee hours of Wednesday morning  and should be clear and sunny come Thursday.  I went outdoors and secured a few things I expected might be a problem.  I made a makeshift shelter each for Rufus and the cat.  I settled my potted plants on the porch floor rather than on the old ironing board.  I'll draw water in the tub tomorrow night and that should hold us until we are all clear of any incoming weather.

Wednesday:  We are as storm ready as we can be.  As a precaution we have turned over the patio table and chairs and nearer evening I will bring in the pets food bins.  I've made shelters for each of the pets.  We have been watching footage on Fox News which is live with the weather at present.  It appears to be going over us at this time.  Thankfully it is weakening.  Again, impact for us will be far less than what others shall experience.

When John came in from work this morning, I met him at the back door.  We went into town to drop off the bills.  I'd planned to mail them off yesterday but wasn't aware that he'd actually managed to get to the bank.  John and I were thinking alike this morning.  I'd made biscuits and had them ready to go into the oven.  He'd stopped on his way home and bought chicken biscuits for our breakfast.

When we returned from town, I baked the biscuits and did housework.  I am tired today and don't really feel up to doing more than I've done.  I am hesitant to defrost the freezer.  I would prefer to know that the electricity will be on for the next 24 hours before I unplug it.

The day has been pleasant enough.  I made my first Tarte Tatin and did it all wrong but it is still delicious if overly sweet.  I shall try again and reduce the sugar next time.

I made the Kielbasa casserole for our lunch.  Even though the air outdoors is heavy and humid it appears to be fall-like so that little casserole was a happy medium between a summer meal and a cold weather meal.

Every time I make this casserole I think of Brenda who shared the recipe one morning at work.  Brenda worked from 7-3pm in the hospital billing department.  She went home at three every day so that she could be home with her two children who were both involved in school sports.  This casserole was something she put in the crockpot after she got home one afternoon and let cook while they were at her son's ball game.  I am ashamed that it was some 15 years later before I even gave it a try because it is so good.  Now it sees a regular rotation on our menu through the fall and winter months.  Sometimes I use the crock pot and sometimes I bake it in the oven.  Since I was making the Tarte Tatin today, I used the oven to bake them both at the same time.  One thing that makes a pie (or in this case a Tarte) an easy dessert is that pies like a moist oven, so they can bake alongside a casserole dish, while a cake wants the whole of the oven space to  itself..

Amie called after lunch and John was in an unusually talkative mood today so he asked for the phone right away.  He had a nice long chat with her, congratulating her on her recent passing of her cosmetology exams.  She'd called to say she had an impromptu job interview today and was going back to do a styling interview on Friday.  She was excited at the possibility that she might be working as early as Saturday morning.  Amie worked long and hard to earn her degree, taking longer than any other student due to her partner's health issues and her children's needs, but she stuck with it.  We're incredibly proud of her and John wanted to tell her so in person.  We also got to speak to four year old Rosalyn.  She and Josh are just two weeks apart in age.

John has walked about the house and prayed over it and Sam has made sure that all gates are open and fences down between us and the power lines for easy access.  Now I think I shall go hide in genealogy and run down rabbit trails.  It's just the sort of absorbing sort of puzzle I need.

Thursday:  We had no damage here for which we are mighty grateful, nor did we lose power.  The storm bands hit us early and increased steadily but the peak at 2-3am found all calm and quiet and the skies clearing.  I think I went soundly to sleep about midnight and went right back to sleep in that wee hours time period when I woke, listened to the quiet.

We were more than a little surprised not to lose power.  It flickered on and off and on again several times.   I suppose after the same line broke twice this year due to storms that they fixed it up with a heavier duty line and made sure all the possible limbs were well away from it.   We turned off the air conditioner and didn't need it because temperatures had cooled down.   One more thing to be grateful for.

Katie lost power last night and at present there is no estimation of when it will return.  The entire little town is shut down and I feel terribly sorry for the small town merchants who are losing money left and right.  Gas can't be pumped, debit machines are down, cash registers won't work, food can't be cooked without electricity.  And these seem minor concerns in the face of a second disastrous hurricane devastating vast numbers of homes and businesses in less than a month's time.  Many of you I know live in these areas that have been hit and I just can't wrap my mind about the pictures I've seen these last few weeks, this whole past year.

Breakfast here was a simple meal of toasted leftover biscuits.  I told John I almost like leftover biscuits better than I like the freshly made ones, kind of the way Sam always wanted beef hash instead of the roast beef meal that came first.  I split and buttered some and put cheese to toast on others.  I like how they crisp up a little when they are toasted.

I made the pasta casserole for dinner and put half of that in the freezer.  It will be most welcome as an entrée when we return from our vacation.

I got the freezer defrosted but did not do too much rearranging of items.  I did manage enough space for Katie to bring in her things to keep them from thawing and spoiling, including her tub of ice cream.

Friday:  I am finding more and more that tiredness and amped up anxiety goes hand in hand for me.  Late yesterday afternoon I was tired and quickly got  overwhelmed with the multiple needs piled into my lap and felt the tensions within me twisting the rubber band of my nerves more and more tightly.

Journaling helped, as did drawing a visual aid of a head shot (think target range sort of head) and the things I felt were coming at me and hitting me super hard.  Later I was able to calmly list each thing and what could be done or not done about it and still later I was able to take those things I could do something about and created a list so I could start to work on those tasks and those for which I could do nothing I visualized myself  tossing  aside.

I took my anti-anxiety medication about an hour earlier than usual and took myself off to bed promptly at 10pm rather than wait upon John to stay up until his 'grown-up' hour.  I am so over 'grown-up' bedtimes and ready to just start going to bed when I'm naturally worn out.  I think that is the most adult thing I could possibly do!  I read a full chapter of my book and that helped to quiet my mind, too, though I confess I got little from my non-fiction reading last night.  I think I need to lose myself in something that is not in the least 'real'...There's a bit too much reality going on in my life at present.

I did not get quite enough sleep last night despite going to bed early but I was relaxed enough to drop off to sleep a bit after 11pm.  I slept hard enough I never heard John rise early this morning, long before the alarm went off.  Even when I did wake and realize he was up, I went right back to sleep until the alarm rang.  I won't say I had enough sleep even then.  It was chilly and I dressed before going to the kitchen, not my usual habit but a jacket and proper clothes felt good this morning.  After John was seen off to work and the pets given their work morning treats, I climbed back in the bed, pulled up all the covers and went right back to sleep.

John woke me calling to say that he'd arrived at work where there was no power and no cell phone coverage.  He was in another town entirely when he called.  He texted later from a nearby hospital where they'd carried a patient.  No one is expected to have power back on until Sunday.  I am so very very glad that we are not among that number though I daresay we'd manage fine today now that it's but 65f outdoors.

I've had a productive day despite my slow start.  I managed to get all the windows washed in the kitchen sitting and kitchen this morning.  There's a load of clean dishes in the dishwasher, a pile on the drain mat beside the sink, a load of clothes on the line dancing in the brisk breeze.  I've chatted with Bess for an hour and talked with Katie.  I've attended to phone calls that needed to be made and agreed to keep the little boys this afternoon since Daddy is in South Georgia helping with auto claims and Mama must go to work shortly after Josh comes off the school bus this afternoon.  I shall have them Sunday afternoon as well for the same reasons.

I've got every window in the house open at present and my feet are cold despite the jacket I'm wearing.  Half my mind is tangling with what the boys will eat for supper and the other is trying to figure out just what time might be best for Gramma to have a brief nap before they arrive and just what must be attended to before I do so.  And somewhere under all that is the very sincere hope that vacation doesn't get put off once more because I feel very deeply in need of it!

So at present, I must plan meals for tonight, tomorrow, Sunday.  I need to unload and put away the dishes, fold and put away laundry and do whatever meal prep I can between now and evening.  I have an apple cake in the freezer that will do just fine for sweet finishes this weekend.  I must once more alter the pattern of my week to fit my circumstance.

I am not upset about what wasn't accomplished this week.  I cleaned the kitchen cabinets, defrosted the freezer, have given the house two good routine clenaings and got the kitchen windows washed.  I might not have gone as far in my kitchen zone work as I'd hoped, nor had I planned to be sitting the boys three times this week, but I've managed, so there is that much.

Now I shall go tend to the dishes and laundry and look over the foodstuffs to determine what we shall do.  Katie is eating here at present since she's without power until at least Sunday so I must plan for 'extras' at the table.  Leftovers simply won't cut it I'm afraid.  They'll keep until Monday I guess.  Then I shall seriously consider lying down to rest a bit before the boys come in.

Have a great weekend all!