The Week Behind: Blooming!

Saturday:  A lovely day at home today.  It began with some alone time.  I rose shortly after John left for the men's meeting at church.  I had coffee and sat in the kitchen sitting area in the swivel rocker.  I am very comfortable in that spot.  The sun shone in the windows, the orchids are growing and blooming and the sun fell across us both as I sipped coffee and had my crisp toast. 

I noted that one of the white Iris had opened.



I had a cup of hot tea with my Bible study.   I am still drinking hot tea.  I am partial to English breakfast but I keep hearing good things about Yorkshire Gold tea.  It's been mentioned three times today alone, so it must be good...and what are the odds that the name of a particular tea will keep popping up in conversations/blogs/vlogs in a single's day time?  I'll have to look for some of that.

I took time to given myself a fresh mani/pedi this morning while I was on my own.  I relished the quiet and the unhurried self care, but I found myself anxious to have John come in...and he did just about the time I felt I was missing him.

I mentioned that yesterday I made a cheesecake. It's not heavy on the sugar, just 1/2 cup in the mixture.   I'll share that recipe as it's super easy and an old Kraft recipe which I got from one of the family fun magazines I believe.

Easy Cheesecake
1 6 ounce graham cracker crust
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 8 ounce packages cream cheese

Mix the vanilla, sugar, eggs and cream cheese until smooth.  Pour into graham crust and bake at 325F for 40 minutes.   Remove and let cool then refrigerate for up to four hours before serving.

I made my own crust yesterday.  I melted 1/4 cup butter in the pie plate, then mixed in 1/4 cup sugar.  I then crushed a variety of crackers from my cabinet: 1 short stack of Ritz crackers (about 12) and 3 whole graham crackers and 1/4 cup chopped pecans.   This made a very tasty crust indeed!  Just proof too that you can 'gather the fragments' for making a crumb crust.

This afternoon, I guess I must have missed cooking...I had a meat entree to serve and was going to use some more leftovers as sides but all I could think of was cream corn.  I don't care for canned creamed corn, though John made sure to mention at supper tonight how much he likes it...However, I had some frozen cream corn in the freezer that I put up last summer.  I decided I'd have some for supper tonight.
 
As I cooked the corn this evening, I contemplated why I still put it up and sort of gently hoard it.  Each time I take the time to cook some of it, I feel like I have a bit of summer on my spoon.  So why am I not eating it more often?  It's not the carb count that makes me stop but that is part of it.   It takes time to cook, about 40-45 minutes and it requires keeping an eye on it and a lot of stirring.  So that is a factor, too.  It takes a lot of work to put this corn up and it's a messy process.   It takes ears and ears of corn to make enough for just two, much less a family, to eat.  So the physical work of putting it up factors in to why I hoard it, too. 

Why do I put it up?  Yes, it's good, but clearly it's more than how good it is.  Because Granny and Mama always did.  It was part of a summer ritual of gathering in harvests and even when they both stopped gardening they would go buy ears of corn in season and put it up as creamed corn.  But as I stirred my pan of corn today while it simmered slowly, I thought back to how often Mama and Granny served the cream corn they'd put up and I realized that it wasn't that often.  It was 'saved'  and served only for a very special  Sunday or holiday  dinner.  I don't recall a single holiday meal without it.

Here's the truth of it: I do it to preserve a memory.  Of summers long gone.  Of Granny, also gone.  It's a memory of Sabbath dinners, a different Sabbath than I keep and of a faith that long ago disconnected me from their realm.  It's a memory of family gathering, a family that no longer exists. But there's another truth, too.  I miss a me that is long gone, who wasn't older and wiser but believed that the good things would last forever and that love was enough to conquer all.  A me who could hide herself away from the bad things by dwelling in a book.

I'll not spend another summer corn season trying to preserve memories.   I'll finish what is in the freezer but I won't put up more. My family does not really like cream corn.  My children attach no special memories to the food.  John didn't grow up eating fresh creamed corn.  He grew up eating it from a can and while I find it totally unlike what I grew up eating, it's a whole lot cheaper and a lot less trouble to  buy the can of stuff he enjoys than it is to shuck ears and scrape the kernels of corn and then take up freezer space with something that I'll only rarely cook anyway. 

Sunday:  We woke late this morning and it was the one morning I'd rather have not.  I'd meant to make potato salad and coleslaw to go with our 'Gramma's Fried Chicken' today.  Well the sides didn't happen.   I did manage to make the bed, unload and reload the dishwasher, feed the dogs and make us breakfast.

Yes, I did all that and showered and dressed and got made up, too...even though I'd just last week staged a mini rebellion and done none of it, because I am the one who does all this every.Sunday.morning. while John dresses and waits.

However, I was pretty sure that we'd rush home, time with Taylor would be at a premium and we'd keep Caleb while Katie took Taylor to her daddy.  I also knew that I'd be just itching to get those chores done if they were undone all afternoon.

When we went out to the car, I noted the pollen covering it...sigh.  Allergies will ramp up for a lot of people.

Our church did NOT cancel services.  What they did do was offer two smaller less crowded rooms with a live cast of the service which wasn't traditional.    There were hand sanitizing stations and we were instructed to 'wave' at each other rather than touch hands.  I'd say about half the usual people were there.

We went by the grocery to get the fried chicken (and sides, too).  I refused to go in, knowing full well I'd be tempted to pick up extras and we really truly do not need a thing.  It's all best left for someone who hasn't anything at all.  John told me when he came back to the car that he'd asked if  they were having a lot of shortages.   The man he spoke with said not really, but he'd noticed lots of people he'd never seen before were coming into the store.  I might add that just last night I had an email from the grocer saying they'd be closing early each evening, to give extra time for employees to clean, sanitize and restock.   I didn't note the parking lot being any more or less full than usual on a Sunday afternoon.

Poor Katie came in with a dark look and went straight to the bathroom and cried.   Caleb is teething and had been awake and crying since 4am.  He woke Taylor who also got up at that time.  Caleb was still fussy when she came in with him but John soon had him soothed down.  After Taylor and Katie left I was able to get him to sleep and he took a second nap before Katie came back...She looked a good deal more calm, lol.  I do feel for these young moms...and glad we were able to help out this afternoon and give every one a respite.

The baby thinks I am absolutely the funniest person ever and he grins and coos and chortles at me without fail.  His last doctor visit he weighed 15.9 ounces and he's been promoted to baby foods.  Katie's started him on applesauce and he's pretty sure he likes it very well indeed.

Katie did mention that she'd gone out to look for something  late last week at the same store we'd visited after church  and the store had no toilet paper or paper towels and were out of several other things.  Makes me awfully glad that I can truly say we're fine here and not needful of anything except fresh fruits.

Monday:  Well...another Monday upon us.  You just never know what a week will bring anymore do you?   I woke about 7am today to find John sitting on the side of the bed.  When I asked what was wrong he said that he'd not wanted to leave me alone.  This was a rather odd statement in my opinion and since I knew he was likely ready to get up I got up too and we had silent first coffees in the living room sitting side by side.  He'd protested when I got out of bed but  I assured him if he felt he hadn't ought to leave me then I guessed I could sit with him so he was comfortable.   Just as we finished our coffee his phone rang and he was called in to work.  That put a rush into the morning!

I made him a lunch and breakfast while he showered and got dressed to leave home.  I sent him out the door with coffee in hand and then settled myself to drink my hot tea.   His last words to me were "Don't work too hard..." and it's been a terrific struggle not to work too hard today because it seemed everywhere I looked there was a mess and I wanted to tackle it ALL.

First I stripped our bed and both baths' towels.  I washed sheets and towels and put out fresh.  I tidied both bathrooms then the master bedroom.   I decided to wash the mattress pad and swapped that one out for a fresh one.   I put the spring/summer spread on the bed and took off the heavy winter one which John had started pushing aside each night.  He's far more cold natured than me and if he's shoving cover away, it's a good sign it's warmed up enough to swap the spreads out. So I washed the winter spread and put that away after it dried.  The dryer was on for hours today and I'm sorry and not all at once.  Pollen season is in high form, with daily warnings as oak, pine, juniper, etc. are all blooming at once.  'Tis the wrong season to be spring cleaning, but I missed my usual window for this sort of washing  as it rained all through the winter and didn't leave me a dry day to hang things out when there was no pollen.   So be it.  I'm awfully glad I have a dryer I can use on these days and awfully glad I can pay my bills when I do use it and all those days I hung things up instead of choosing to use the dryer more than make up for today's overuse.

Aside from tidying the house  (light dusting in the bedrooms and cleaning baths), and emptying the trash, I seem to have got caught in the need to organize things.   I'd noted that the little kitchen armoire (and it is indeed little...Oh how I rue not having gotten something bigger!),  was looking rather awful when the doors were opened, so I cleared all three of the upper shelves and wiped them down then organized the medicines and diapers and cookbooks in a more orderly fashion. 

Then I tackled the bin with my working files in the bedroom.  I'd been sitting on the trunk folding sheets and noted that the bin looked horrible.  The hanging file system had fallen apart and folders slumped and spilled contents everywhere.  I emptied that bin out then organized the loose paper and refit the hanging file system and got all those folders back in place.   That turned my attention to the overflowing tax return bin so I emptied and sorted it and got it in better order.  By the time I'd swept the porches and the kitchen, it was pushing 2pm...And here I'd been hard at work since 8:30.  Perhaps it wasn't hard work but I'd certainly been at it pretty steady!

I put the corned venison in the crock pot to cook.  I don't want it until tomorrow but I feel I want it cooked today since I'll be visiting Mama for a good portion of the midday tomorrow.

I stopped for a lunch of a tuna salad sandwich with far too many cheese curls and the last of oranges I'd sliced for the fridge.

As soon as I'd eaten I put away my dishes and then made up a pan of brownies.  I'm using a boxed mix which I got at Aldi for 85c...Even with the eggs and oil (I used half applesauce)  it's far less expensive to make from a box than my own homemade brownie recipe which uses twice the eggs and the better part of two sticks of butter.  Yes, homemade is good but the boxed mix is pretty good and less expensive which better suits my budget needs at present.

And then...

Yes, I did go back to work.  I went to the back and reorganized the pantry a little so that I could retrieve the bin that does not have the foam seal in the lid.  Then I gathered up all the genealogy stuff and found I could fit all my files, folders and books in it but NOT the photo albums of historic pictures, and most certainly not the boxes of pictures.  And finding that out meant resorting the cabinet that contained some files and all the photos.  It is a puzzle to me how you can take things out and put back in less and then the less doesn't fit.  Why is that?  I considered that quite enough work after all...and then realized I'd never put the mattress pad in the dryer!  So up I got once more to tackle still more jobs, because you know I saw more work when I was on my way to do that task.  Argh! 

I'll tell you truly that the paperwork part of the day (fixing files, filing, retrieving bits and putting them where they ought to go, etc.), all took far more time than any other job I tackled today.  I have no idea where I'll put that bin of genealogy things.  I'll just have to study upon that for a bit.  I want it where it would be convenient enough to get things as needed but not in plain sight.  So the pantry might be a good idea but I've worked hard to clear that closet of all but pantry items and I know too well it's a slippery slope when you backtrack like that.

I did spend about an hour today scrolling news stories and Facebook trying to get a clearer view of this virus thing.  I ended up terribly frustrated in that pursuit.  For all that it might feel we can't get away from it, when you try to pin down information you pretty much get nowhere at all!    The news media has done a relatively poor job of doing anything but creating fear or being totally inane in their response.  It's idiot news for idiots pretty much.  I've read how it will affect fashion as more and more Americans become 'work at home' types and how the fashion industry is going to suffer and how people are being foolish in hoarding.   I've read far too much about how one might entertain children who are at home and even how to entertain oneself if you are an adult and at home.  Heavens!  Have we become that sort of society that we must be TOLD how to entertain ourselves or tell children how to entertain themselves?

Other news had such a hard political slant towards one or another that I immediately dismissed it.   I don't think this thing is politically driven.  It's going to have even bigger financial repercussions than it's had at present with people out of work, small businesses closing and people losing their livelihoods, facing financial ruin in their personal lives, etc.  I don't think any political party is going to be foolish enough to sabotage a nation in their own supposed interests.  I mean seriously, who is going to win any popularity poll in this situation?

All we can do is all we are being told to do: avoid gatherings where there are 10 or more people.  Wash your hands, sanitize everything and if you think you are ill, STAY HOME, call your health care provider and remain isolated unless you are in respiratory distress.  Trust only the news put out by the Center for Disease Control and your local news stations at present.  Don't repost things you've found on the internet that have not been proven as reliable information and don't stoop to sniping and snarking at officials, local news teams and making silly allegations against God, government and man.

Tuesday:   The day dawned foggy and overcast all over again.  The tulips bloomed overnight but the stems are non-existent.  They are blooming from the leaves and honestly I measured how deep I planted them because I've never planted them before so I know they are not too deep   At least they are beginning to bloom.

Bess stopped by as I was getting ready to go to Mama's.  I asked her to stay a bit while I put on makeup and we chatted away.  She told me that Sam had gone to the Aldi that we normally frequent and said there were NO buggies available.  He asked a lady for hers as she unloaded.  The lady graciously gave him the buggy but he had to listen to her complaints that there were limits on many things she'd wanted to buy...There's usually a price of some sort isn't there?  Sam shared that he was glad there were limits.  Likely he wouldn't have been able to buy a thing and he wanted to be sure his boys had what they needed.

We discussed various things, mostly centered about the virus and the scarcity of goods.  Being home doesn't really bother me, Bess or Katie, no nor John and Sam, either.   I've always been a homebody as have the girls and it didn't take long for the guys to become accustomed to our stance.   So Bess and I agreed that not running to the grocery daily wasn't a hardship for us in the least and we could make things at home if need be.

I went on over to Mama's and at her request we went to drive thru for lunch.  But first...she said she needed bread.  I'd purposely driven by Kroger, Walmart and Publix and noted that the parking lots were full.  I headed to Dollar General which I'd noted in Ft. Valley wasn't packed and neither was the one I visited in Perry.  I told Mama I was going to get her bread if they had any and she immediately started her usual protest:  "No!  I only want..."  I was stubborn today.  I refused to listen.  "Mama, IF they have bread I'll get you some but right now we are not in an "I only want" society...You'll take what I can find."   With that I went into the store and found three loaves on the shelves, all apparently delivered this morning if the date was any indicator.  I bought the one loaf I was pretty sure was acceptable and took it out to her.  "Count yourself lucky on that one!  When this is all over, you can go right back to your 'I only want...'  business," I told her.   

Everywhere we went the servers and clerks were wearing gloves.  I stopped at the grocery where I buy our turkey sausage each month to get turkey sausage (I have no need of anything else), and the much older woman waiting on me didn't have gloves on, but a manager came up and handed her a pair and told her to put them on immediately or go home.  She complained that they wouldn't stay on.  I noted she was wearing those elasticized beaded bracelets and suggested she put a bracelet on over the cuffs of the gloves to hold them in place.  As I left she was moving bracelets around to do just that.

I noted in Dollar General and in this grocery in Ft. Valley that no one was being ridiculous with their purchases.  The young mother in front of me was buying about the average stock of groceries as was the grandfather behind me.  Did I see empty shelves?  I did.  In the grocery (not a major chain) there were no green beans or corn or green peas but loads of butter beans, sweet potatoes, carrots, collard, turnip and mustard greens, black eyed peas, etc.  The pasta shelves were looking pretty bare.  But there was lots of produce and the meat counters appeared fairly full.  I didn't walk any further aisles because I needed nothing.  It was just my usual time to pick up turkey sausage.  I generally buy it when what I have at home runs out.   I used the last of mine about 10 days ago.

All in all, it was a different sort of day out.  Mama seemed to enjoy the ride about country roads and kept mentioning trees she saw blooming.  Our lunch was good, and we ate it in the car at our favorite spot under a big old oak at the fairgrounds.   I didn't open car windows.  The oak was fully in bloom as are most of the trees that bloom this in Spring.  It seems every last one of them feels they must put on a show right now, the week before spring actually arrives, just in case we're unsure of the season we're in.

Wednesday:  The boys were here with us this morning.  Goodness, I haven't had them here since Millie was born about six weeks ago.  I could tell that Isaac had grown since then because I put him at the sink with a dishpan of water and a measuring cup and a bowl to occupy him while Josh and I had some one on one time.  I did that six weeks ago, too.  Today he could do something he was unable to do then.  He was able to reach the faucet handles and turn on the water!   He is speaking more plainly but he still refers to me as 'Damma Damma!"  He never says it just once; it's always doubled up.

Josh enlisted John to play a video game on his Kindle with him.  Then there was a bout of sitting on my lap to teach me how to win his game.  Josh is still very much the older brother but Isaac is definitely coming into his own as a match for Josh, lol.  The boys were a joy to have here and I dearly loved having them.

Isaac wanted to go out.  "It's not wet..." he said.  No, it wasn't.  But the air was yellow with pollen.  I couldn't go out with him due to the effects it has on me.  As it was my eyes itched, my ears itch and swell, and there is constant sinus drainage and a faint headache each time the door opens.  That's with the Vitamin C and allergy meds.  I couldn't go out and sit while he played.    It goes against this Gramma to say "No" to outdoors.  I find so many opportunities to teach when outdoors, to point out natural things and after all those days of rain how I hated to say "No".

Josh won't go outdoors now it's warmer.  He's allergic to most bug bites and they do love to bite him!  He glared at a carpenter bee that flew near the window pane.  "I HATE bugs," he said and I guess I would too if a single bug bite made me swell the way it does him.

The boys love a little commemorative bell I picked up at a thrift store.  They walk about the house ringing it.  Today, remembering the narrow boat videos we've watched and how the bells ring in the churches in England,   I was inspired to pull up videos of the bells in different countries of Europe being rung.   Both boys were glued to the screen.  Josh asked questions about why tones differed from  bell to bell so we studied  the shapes of them and remarked on which tones we liked best and what they were likely made of...So I might not have got them outdoors to teach them, but I find that little moments to teach come around and then we all learn something new.  That's one thing I love about having the children around me.  I get the opportunity to learn, too.

The afternoon was spent with Samuel.  We went down to visit a family who recently lost their wife/mother.  I was a little self conscious about going.  I hadn't seen anyone in the family in nearly 30 years but I once was very close to Shirley.  I guess for the better part of 5 years I pretty much went to my house to sleep and from waking until time to have supper, I was at her house.  We literally raised our four children together during those five years.   Sam asked me to accompany him and I reluctantly agreed to go though I felt very self conscious about it.  When I walked in and  the daughter Brittney threw her arms about me and held on for life there were no words to say.  I couldn't begin to express my sorrow for what she had lost in losing her mom.  I couldn't tell her what her mom had meant to me in those long ago days but somehow words weren't necessary.  It was enough that I was there and that she knew why I'd come.  It was the same when I greeted her father.

It was mostly family at the house, gathered in small groups, by no means a crush.  I don't think there were ten people at the house.  Mark indicated that the kitchen was packed with food, a good old Southern tradition when family dies that has waxed and waned and apparently is on the rise once more.  In today's grocery atmosphere this is a huge blessing!

What was most definitely in the home was Shirley's personality.  I looked at the room that I had seen in so many guises over the years I knew her so well.  She was a creative.  She loved change more than most.  I'd leave her house on Friday evening and spend a weekend at home and then return on Monday morning and I'd never know when I walked in the door where the living room, dining room, bedrooms would be...Furniture moved constantly in her house.  And paint went on walls and floors and curtains were changed.   I think she'd have made a wonderful interior designer.  Shirley had the ability to make a room look like a million bucks on a budget.  She was unafraid of any color.  Deep plum, dark teal, aqua blue etc were used liberally and without a consideration of what might be fashionable or the color of the year.

The room being used as the living room at present was a vibrant warm pink.  It didn't come across as a girly room nor as Bismuth colored because it was tempered with lots of neutral linen fabrics but it was so alive with Shirley's touch that she was just there in every detail I noted about the room.   She was literally in every detail from the shape of a lamp to the over sized paintings and the warmth of the room color. It made me wonder if her husband would find her so alive there yet that he couldn't bear to leave the house or if he'd find the rooms such a reminder of what he'd lost that he'd be unable to stay.  For myself, I felt her presence all about me in that room.    I left there feeling comforted.

We were closer than the average friends for five years, she and I.  It was a season of life when we both needed something the other had to offer.  She gave me confidence and encouragement and a refuge.  What I gave her isn't my place to say but I feel safe in saying it was a mutual closeness we shared, that we both grew in those years.  And when we parted it was partly because I had grown up and into the beginnings of the woman I am now and partly because  having grown, I had to pull away to complete the process.   That season of life was over.  I went to school, got a job, divorced.   Yet despite that season's end, she came to me when I was in the rehab hospital after the drunk driver accident.  She called me when I was in the hospital with embolisms.  I checked in with her last year when she was having some health issues.  Distant in years but there was a bond between us that never ceased.


I remember that a long ago close friendship ended when he moved far away.  On his last day as we said our goodbyes, he reminded me, "We'll always know each other..." and it's truth.  Having known someone well on that deepest sort of soul kinship level you never stop knowing them.  You might change, they might move or pass away but you always carry them with you.

Thursday:  I have just sent out a post that I spent the morning thinking upon.  I think you'll find blogging minds are thinking along the same lines of late but I hope you all appreciate what I had to share today.

Last night we watched church online.  John was a bit put out that the church had closed doors and were televising services but we seldom have been to a midweek service these last years because he was so frequently working.  I'd grown rather accustomed to seeing the service online.  I'm just appreciative of the technology that allows the Word we need for encouragement to be sent into our homes!

Katie stopped by while the service was on.  She wanted to get some butter beans I'd had leftover after making Brunswick Stew last month.   She'd been given some pork and wanted to make her own Stew.  While she was here she mentioned needing a handful of other items and then mentioned she was going to go by the dollar store to see if they had the ingredients required.  I had them on my shelves and happily shared with her.   Today she sent me a photo of bubbling pot of stew that she'd made using only chicken.  "This one is for y'all, " she texted.  How lovely!  I'm going to put mine in the freezer for a future meal, I think.

Sam and John took advantage of  Sam's recent brake work on his farm truck to gather odds and ends at our home and Katie's and take them to the dump.  Later John went over and mowed Sam's back yard.  Sam's mower is out of commission at present and he's waiting on parts to repair it.  I like this easy exchange between our households and feel we have refreshed older customs.  I expect that we shall see more and more of this amongst our family and neighbors in the days ahead.

I decided I needed to check my fridge for anything I might have missed that we could potentially used.  The buttermilk was still a week from expiring but I poured it into measured amounts and froze it except for 1/4 cup.  I mixed that with about 1 1/2 cups that were left in a jug that I knew was nearer expiring (I'd set a fresher gallon out to thaw).  It's sitting on the counter now where it will stay for overnight and should be cultured by morning.

I found the broccoli I knew I needed to use and didn't.  It had turned yellow but was not spoiled.  In today's current outage/shortage atmosphere I feel it's my duty to use all we have at hand, so I put the two heads into a pan to steam.  I mixed the yellowest part (finely chopped) with the 2 cups of brown rice I'd meant to use as a side and hadn't.  This made a lovely Broccoli Rice Casserole to go with our Roasted Chicken tonight.  I put the less yellow/more green stems in the fridge.  I'll make Almond Chicken this weekend and we'll have it as a side with that.

I also thought of the lettuce I'd tossed into the compost last night.  It might well have fed Bess's chickens.  I'm going to try and be more mindful of what her chickens might eat (I'll check with Bess) and carry it over to them.  The pen is actually between her house and mine so I can just take a short walk and toss it over the fence to them.   It will be a sort of repayment for their generosity in giving us eggs.

I also took time to take stock of our personal finances.  We blew last month's budget but I'm giving us grace and a pass only because so much unforeseen has come along.  We've needed to make small but necessary repairs to things (new tires for a trailer given us for instance and fixing a faucet that is determined to be chronically leaky).  I've needed more medication albeit over the counter things than I'd thought I'd need.   It's all just little things but those little things generally amount to a big impact when all combined.  I'm glad that we've pretty much stayed out of physical stores because we might have been very careless this month indeed. 

Part of my reason for checking in financially too is that last month I completely forgot a bill until the day it was due.  I'll have a late fee next billing and I can't argue against it.  I'd been so determined to pay bills once a month  I'd completely forgotten that one.  I know better now.  I wrote out a check today for a bill that had come in on Wednesday.   The amount was already written out of the account, but writing that check and mailing it to the provider is important.

I looked across the field to the west of us this morning and realized that several of the trees had fresh leaves upon them.  It made me feel rather tender towards the bare limbed shadow cast by the Faith tree on the front lawn this afternoon as I know that the tips are swelling to bud even now.   Soon the air will be free of pollen (yes! but I shall miss the carpenter bees with their pollen dipped noses peering close at me when I step outdoors) and the breezes will sound as fluid as water with the gentler rustling that green leaves make in Spring and summer.  A good reminder that seasons come and seasons go, at their own pace, regardless of whether we think them too long or too short.

I weeded the herb bed this afternoon when I went out to move cars so John could mow under them.  I hadn't planned to do that task but it was so glaringly in need of it. I think I spied tiny little oregano plants coming up.  I so hope so. I lost my oregano late last summer as I couldn't keep it watered enough during those two and a half months without rain.  Happy to see the mint springing to life, and that the lemon thyme is back.  The sage will need to be replaced and I wonder if any of the basil self seeded in that pot.  No evidence today.  The rosemary bush by the back steps has grown over the winter and is now about three feet around and almost four feet tall in places.   It's sporting the deepest blue blooms on a few of the stems and smells heavenly if you brush your hand over it as you pass it by. 

Puttering for even a few minutes in the yard, despite the horrible pollen, is so soothing...I need that sense of normality when so many things confuse and confound and want to cause worry.

Friday:  I'm late tonight but for good reason.  We've had grandchildren and girls here for hours on end today.   Bess and the baby and boys came over and spent the day, so that Sam could do necessary school work that was due today.  I got to hold my little girl...At one point I had all three children on my lap, Millie and both boys.  It was rather crowded.  Millie may or may not have ended up on the chair arm although she was still in my grasp.  I might add that she made no complaints.  I think she's accustomed to being crowded in with the boys.

We had a nice visit and the boys did spend a little time outdoors.  Josh was none to happy about the carpenter bees and dragonflies we saw when he initially went out but Bess felt he really needed to be outside for a while.  I looked out the window later and saw Josh trotting down the hills with Isaac in the wagon.  I laughed out loud watching him struggle to pull it back  uphill.  I noted he finally got Isaac to bail out and he pulled it over the hump and had him get back in until they reached the next one, lol.

I did think to ask Bess what I might save for the chickens rather than dump into my compost.  I have a better idea now of what they will eat.  I admit, some of what she suggested I generally wouldn't be tossing out!  Oatmeal never gets 'old' here...But yes, I will be taking a few things over to the birds a couple times a week.

After Bess and the boys went home,  I mixed up a chocolate cake mix.  Instead of water, I used flat soda that we didn't drink soon enough.   John was going to toss it out yesterday and was surprised when I said I could use it for something...I'm really trying to be as creative as possible in using up things we've purchased.  The cakes turned out beautifully.  I put one layer in the freezer this evening and will frost the other one tomorrow.

John returned. He'd taken the new push mower and hedge trimmers over to Katie's where they guys were cleaning up the yard.  He had no more than walked into the house when I heard Katie's loud music coming up the driveway.    She came in with the baby and showed me the four cans of green beans she'd gotten us, bless her.  She'd braved the grocery store (the baby stayed home with his daddy) for Mama today.   I'd asked Mama if she needed anything except the bread on Wednesday and she'd said no.   Katie said her list today was nearly all produce.

Katie brought out a pizza she'd gotten for us and some of the Brunswick Stew that she'd made.  She told me she'd taken some across to the elderly neighbor next door which I thought was rather sweet of her.  The neighbors next door were always good to Mama.  The man was a former schoolmate of hers and he has mowed the front yard for years, with no thanks from Mama.  I'm glad Katie made a neighborly gesture to the couple.

So we had a pizza supper and visited with her and that baby boy for a bit.  Katie cut her dad's hair and we chatted a bit longer before they headed home.  Then it was time for Shabat.

I thoroughly enjoyed today, I have to say, but I can also add that Gramma is tired...

How was your week?