Diary of a Homemaker's Week: Autumn Preview

 

Saturday:  I was not happy to hear the alarm go off this morning.  The night was far too short for my liking!  But we had plans and a timetable, so I got up and got ready for the day.  I'd planned in enough extra time to have a leisurely cup of coffee.  That's my gift to me on these sorts of days.  I'll do the same tomorrow before church, too.

John performed for the Outreach ministry.  We were all done and wrapped up a good bit earlier than usual.  That's because a different pastor subbed for the one who runs the ministry.  I enjoy the people watching.  Over the past year I've watched one little boy go from baby to toddler boy and each month I look forward to seeing how he's changed.  Another little family came in, a mama and three children.  The glow on her face as she looked at each of those children!  And the care she'd put into making sure those three were presentable.  It was a joy to see how she talked and laughed with them.  It was very genuine.

I'd texted with Katie who was back at the hospital again last night and was discharged, again.  She was on her way to pick up Taylor and this time had to drive the full three hours to get her, which meant a six hour round trip for her.  I would happily have gone to get the child myself if she'd asked.  I had honestly thought she'd cancel the weekend, but she was already on her way to pick her up when she stopped to reply to my text asking how she was.  She said she wanted to just skip lunch this weekend.  I said Okay. 

John and I went by Buc'ees.  The plan: get a brisket sandwich for lunch here at home and an Icee, because it's summer and we haven't had a single one all summer long.  We should have known better.  We were both hungry and the sandwich turned into two sandwiches plus chips and then pickles and John needed coffee, too.  It's a good thing we have our entertainment budget and that our meal out earlier this week was covered by a gift card! 

But the big thing at Buc'ees was that Buc'ee himself was there today!!  John and I both looked at each other on the way home and said, "WHY didn't we take a picture with him?!"  We regretted that, truly.  It's silly but it would have been a fun little touch to the day.  Instead, we regret that we had to be such grown-ups that we didn't bother.

Once we got home, we ate a hearty lunch.

And listened to thunder rumble loudly.  I drifted off to sleep, taking a nap in my chair, while reading emails.  It was much appreciated.

I finished the book, Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe by Heather Webber.  Y'all this was such a good read, with a nice plot twist, chaste romances and just a darn good plot all around.  I'll look for more books by this author.

I also wanted to mention a movie John and I watched about two weeks ago.  It was based on a play by the same name and starred George C. Scott and Joanne Woodward.  The title was "They Might Be Giants".  We really enjoyed it.  It was funny and sad, and strange in a nice way.  It's about a widower who believes he is Sherlock Holmes who meets a repressed Psychologist.  Really do recommend.

Sunday:  I was tired when the alarm went off this morning.  Tired enough to lie there and wonder two things...First I wondered what day it was and did I actually have to get up.  That answer soon came, "Yes...it's Sunday and you're going to church."  The second wonder was, "When did it begin to be this dark at 6:30? " Just last week I was awake even earlier and it was fully light outside.  Not today, and no, it wasn't clouded over.

At church, I had four offers from the golf cart drivers to take me up to the church doors.  It became quite funny because you see, I'd just come OUT of church.  John wanted to stop and talk, so I just walked slowly out to the car and let the windows down so it would cool off a bit.  And so everyone who drove by apparently thought I was gathering energy to walk back in.

We stopped for gas and coffee on the way home.  Gas station coffee is much less expensive than pricey coffee shops coffee.  I opted for a Starbucks Frappucino (no carrageenan) and a cup of ice which makes mine almost as pricey as coffee shop but is a lovely treat.

On the way across the river swamp, I noticed that the change in the trees was markedly different with many more trees changing colors.  Now instead of a textured green forest, the trees are all sorts of colors.  NOT quite autumn colors but definitely starting to change, so the woods look like patchwork from the top of the hill overlooking it.

I've heard nothing from Katie today.  I know she is beyond miserable. She is apparently in prolonged labor which means she's having contractions but is not progressing into full labor.  I'm trying not to worry...I'm not saying I'm succeeding, but I'm trying!  She asked us to skip bringing dinner in today and I assumed that meant visiting, too.   We obliged but I sure did miss seeing her and the kiddos.  However, I do not want to add to her misery and stress by putting her in a position of being sociable just now.  I want her to rest as much as she can.

I hung one platter on the kitchen wall as a start to finally getting something up on them...and I've changed my mind about the kitchen color yet again.  I've been saying for months now that I wanted 'Waterscape' but I'm leaning harder towards 'Hazel' which has more green mixed with the blue and looks less beach-y aqua.  I've been moving the Samplize swatch all over the kitchen and last week placed it next to my curtains and realized that is the exact color of the pattern in the curtains.  I LOVE my curtains!  I just don't want such a matchy-matchy sort of look.  I want a complimentary color.  So Hazel is now where I'm leaning.  Besides I think Hazel sounds like an English Country name, don't you?

Monday:  I went to bed very early last night and went right to sleep and then went right back to sleep after John came to bed.  I woke in the wee hours of the morning with a painful hip and worrying about Kate.  I got up to take some over the counter pain reliever and sat in my chair in the living room.  Do you know I actually got cold?  I realized the AC wasn't running and when I checked my phone it told me the outdoor temps were in the 60's.  When the pain reliever finally kicked in, I went right back to bed.  It felt good to get under the covers!

I went to work on the kitchen this morning.  I have a plan for how felt I should work on the floors and rugs today.  

So, I shifted furniture in the kitchen, vacuumed the rugs and then treated the stains. It said to 'agitate' the spots after you'd sprayed them.  I used a nail brush and scrubbed at them because I didn't know how else to 'agitate' a spot, and I don't have a scrub brush.  It worked fine.  I had John haul them both outdoors to dry in the sun afterwards.  The spots came up great, but honestly the amount of dirt that fell off the rug that is nearest the back entry floored me.  Either it just needs a good beating, or I need a new vacuum.  John says it's not the vacuum...so beating it is.

After the rugs went outdoors, I was in a time crunch.  We had an appointment at 2pm and needed to drive there.  It was 12:45 and I needed to make lunch, put on my makeup and get dressed.  I wanted to get the floor mopped though.  I managed to get it all done and we were out of the house and on our way in 45 minutes.

We took the gas can with us so we could buy gas for the mower.  

Our meeting was on the patio of the Subway shop in a town near us.  We've met there with this guy before to tend to business since we're both halfway in between.  There was a lovely breeze, we were sitting in the shade...It was this very patio that inspired John and I to go ahead and build our back porch.  

Anyway, I found that as long as there was no traffic I could hear well enough but if there was traffic, I had to do a lot of lip reading.  I guess I'm getting pretty good at that because I only missed a word or two and they were apparently unimportant to my understanding of the options we had.  We were pleased with the results of our meeting, having been offered a second option that was better than the first.  I think it will turn out to be a profitable meeting for us.  

We drove from there back to our little town to purchase gasoline for the mower.  I discovered my debit card was 'missing'.  It wasn't.  I had apparently put it in a different spot in my wallet.  Looking back, I realized that I hadn't used my card since last Thursday.  I was a little impressed with myself.

I talked to Katie this morning and she's still having labor pains.  Her doctor is adamant that there will be no baby for three weeks.  I wonder...I really do.  Tonight is the Super Blue Moon...No I'm not superstitious but a woman's cycle is tied to the moon so it seems reasonable to think her labor might be as well.

Tomorrow I will get my pictures hung in the kitchen and I'm officially going to leave the room and start another project.  I want to clear out the buffet in the living room which is severely overloaded.  Then I have two cabinets and the bookcase to go through.  I will dust this week in the living/dining areas as well.  I'm happy I got so much done in the kitchen and am looking forward to moving into a new space.

Tuesday:  I slept very well last night.  I bought a magnesium lotion that has lavender and melatonin in it, and I went right to sleep after prayers and slept the bulk of the night.  I can't say I was over tired...and considering it was a full moon last night it was a wonder.  I often find nights with full moons are especially difficult for sleep.

Up late this morning and then only because John's phone rang.  I had most of a cup of coffee before making a light breakfast.  I often feel guilty when I make such a light breakfast, but it worked out this morning because John wanted to get outdoors and mow.  Typically, he waits until late afternoon, but he was out well before lunch today.

I walked outdoors to carry compost to the bins and stopped at the iris bed next to the shed door.  Sedge grass had grown up in the iris and it looked so overgrown and unkempt.  I find sedge often comes up fairly easy, unlike some other grasses because it tends to grow in hanks that allow you to separate and pull.  I cleaned up my mess in the yard and then came back indoors.

I went to work on housework and ended up getting that all done, then moved on to the guest room where I sorted what I was keeping, what I plan to sell and what I plan to donate.  Then I went in search of picture hanging equipment and ended up cleaning out my two toolboxes, too.  Finally, I started measuring out my arrangement for the wall section above one island.  I moved another Currier and Ives print to hang above an old platter.  I want a new frame for that but until I get it, I'll leave it in the old frame.  I have another print that is unframed, so I also need a frame for that one.  And I've just ordered another print from eBay last night to also go in the kitchen.  I'll wait until that arrives and then take all three to Hobby Lobby with me to get them framed.  

I swear the math required to get that arrangement centered on the wall was nearly my undoing, far harder than any other task I've done today!  Then I needed John to come along and reach the higher two pictures.  We stopped at that point, though I've got the four plates to hang as well.  I'll likely go in and work on those here in a little while.  later:  When I came in to hang the plates, I realized that one side was a good inch lower than the other so had to redo that side.  Then the plates got hung up.  I'm quite happy with how well it looks.  Whenever I finally get color on the walls, I think it's going to be absolutely lovely.

I'll have the children this afternoon through supper time.  I'm going to try to get my pizza ingredients together prior to their coming in from school.  If I can get the plates hung, and the pizza stuff ready, I'm going to call my afternoon done.  I know I won't get much work done once the kids are in from school.

Wednesday:  Yesterday, when I went up to meet the bus, I pulled into the shade and soaked in the peace and quiet over at The Manor.  John asked me later if I'd checked to see if the grass needed mowing.  I told him I hadn't noticed.  Then I explained why I hadn't noticed.  I was in the perfect position to view the clouds which were so white and fluffy in the blue, blue sky above.  And there were dragonflies and Billy bees and butterflies all flitting about.  There was a breeze that felt heavenly, and it rippled the taller grasses in the old garden area and the wildflowers were dancing, too.

And it was QUIET.  Sam only lives two fields over from us but the difference in his place and ours is that he's not as near the highway as we are, which we can hear quite well from our house, as well as a secondary roadway that comes into the neighborhood.  So, I listened to leaves flutter on the trees and birds chirping...I told John I was astonished that he lives so close by and yet the noise at his place is completely natural, while ours is composed of neighbors chattering and traffic sounds.  It was almost a half hour before the bus arrived and I was steeped in peacefulness by the time the bus came.

And it wasn't hot.  There was that breeze blowing, so I had all the car windows open, and I'd opened the driver's door so Sheldon the dog could come up and get loves.   It was just lovely all around.

We had a grand time with the kids here yesterday evening.  Isaac had a bit of homework that was classwork he'd not understood.  I saw the light dawn in his eyes when I explained what he was meant to be doing.  He kept popping out of his seat though to just tell us this or that or show us something.  I kept nagging him, "Isaac sit down and do your work..."   

Eventually John got up and went to sit beside him while he worked, and I heard Isaac explaining to him how it all worked.  He was so proud to 'get it'.  He must have been distracted at school while the teacher was explaining the paper.  "That was so easy!" he told us when he was all done.  "Yes, most things are once we understand what we're doing, " I replied. 

We made pizza for supper.  The kids played outdoors and in.  Josh curled in a chair and played his game or watched videos about playing his game, but they all stopped what they were doing and came to talk to us at various times.  I'm afraid that when Sam came by to pick them up though they were very slow to get ready to head home.  

Sam has started his college courses.  He has to go to class/lab two days a week, but the rest of his week is online learning.  He was telling us the other day of the ridiculously high cost for textbooks, including the digitized ones that you can't print out and won't ever own for longer than a semester.  ZOWIE.  But it's a path he planned to take earlier in life and has now returned to take.  I'm proud that he's taking this time to pick up his passion once more.  I know back years ago he struggled hard, working three part time jobs, going to school full time and pinching pennies hard to stay in school.  He was so discouraged when the school he was attending changed degree requirements and instead of 9 months more he was looking at 2 more years...and he decided to give it up and purse that career in insurance where he stayed for the next 14 years.

When he got laid off, he had enough funds to live off for the rest of the year and we urged him to think hard about what he wanted to do.  "Look at this as a second chance," John said.  And in the end, he decided that he still very much wanted to be a teacher.  So here he is, following that path once more.

Today, I officially am done with the kitchen. I wiped down all the cupboard doors and then moved on to the living/dining room.  I'd planned to dust and sort out the entire room, but I was over ambitious.  I managed to dust the dining room/entry area and do those floors though not the deep vacuuming (room edges and under things) I'd planned to do.  

I sorted out the buffet and am much happier with what I left in it.  Yes, I removed quite a lot of things.  Broken single candles that had no mates, papers the kids weren't using and didn't want to play with, napkins that don't look as nice as they ought and napkins, I know full well I'm never going to use because they are impractical for daily use.  I removed dishes I no longer want and stored only those I do want.  

I often feel guilty over the two sets of China.  One is a six-piece setting of a rose pattern that at the time I bought it, reminded me of Royal Albert China.  I still think it's quite pretty and I still smile when I look at it.  It was purchased a few pieces every two weeks as a grocery store special.

The other set is Mandalay by Royal Doulton and it's 'real'.  I have a full four-piece place setting minus two bowls.  I don't know if I'd like to go to the Replacement pieces site and buy the remaining pieces, sell my extra pieces or what.  It was the pattern I chose when I got married the first time.  I still like the pattern.  I am reluctant to part with it.  I use it, but mostly in Autumn and most often for those Thanksgiving Days when there are just us two for dinner.  

The two sets don't match in the least.  They don't have similar colors.  The grocery store China is white with gold rims and has tiny rose buds scattered over it in lovely pink, red, and two shades of green.  The real China is a soft ivory with a white overlay and browns and blues. 

I've often said I'd start using each for Shabat dinner or Sunday dinner when it's just the two of us, but I don't.  So why do I keep it?  I really like it, both sets.  So, I've made up my mind, when I next need new dishes, these will go into the everyday dish cupboard.  In the meantime, I'll try to be mindful of pulling these out to use for a special dinner each week.

It took me a few hours to do all this by the way.  I was surprised it took so long because I was working steadily.  That's why I said I was overly ambitious.  

I also cleaned the ceiling fans in all the rooms and vacuumed up the mess left behind.  By the time I was done, John was back from mowing the other yard.  I figured that was plenty of work for me for today besides making and clearing up meals.  It's been a good week thus far for accomplishing things.  

Tomorrow I'm going to try and get a load of stuff in the car to be donated...I'm ready to get it out of the house.  I'm so ready that I've already got it packed in bags and a box.  

I truly never would have believed I'd have this much stuff, especially from the kitchen since I just cleared it out in December.  

Thursday:  We had a rare occurrence yesterday...the UPS man stopped to drop off packages.  Back in the late Spring, Amazon started shipping stuff through the USPS.  In Georgia, as you know, we've had a heck of a time with delayed mails and 'lost' items and lately stolen things (all sourced out of the new distribution center).    Yesterday my packages were delivered by USPS and a couple more by UPS.  It was so good to see our familiar delivery driver's face.  He greeted me with joy.  He told me he had missed seeing his 'people' who were regulars on his route.

I did not sleep last night. I think it was due to the fact that the past two nights I'd slept like 12 hours each night.  I think my body has decided it has had an abundance of sleep.  I dozed but I never fully slept until sometime near 4:30 am.  And I was awake when John got up shortly before 8am.  I have not napped today, nor do I feel tired or weary.   

John went out to feed the pets while he was making coffee.  I heard him go right out the front door when his coffee was finished brewing.  I knew it must be really nice out this morning, so I quickly got up to make my coffee and went out to join him.  I didn't even get dressed first.  I just wrapped a lightweight fleece blanket like a shawl around my shoulders and went right out the door.  It was so lovely, not chilly but definitely cool and breezy. 

 I looked at the trees and the grass and I can clearly see the change of season is upon them all.  The grass has had rain, but it's already slowed its growth.  The trees are dropping those first leaves, not the autumn lot but the end of summer is near ones are dropping.  The golden rod is standing tall and proud, the wild grasses have that fully mature look to them.  Morning glory winds up stalks and stems...It looks very much as though the end of the season is here.

I went to see Mama today and took her for a ride after our lunch (eaten in the car).  We drove through the country or what is left of it.  Mostly we looked at a lot of new houses, modern day 'homestead' sized places of 5 or 10 acres with houses and garages and shops or sheds or barns...It's quite a change from the very rural area where we lived while I was in junior and high school.  Mama kept saying sadly, "Everything has changed.  It's all change, change, change."

Then she wanted to talk about a further change in her life.  She doesn't want to live alone, is thinking of assisted living but I don't think she qualifies.  She is still mobile but she's afraid of falling, but she refuses to do the physical therapy exercises to improve her balance.  She's only fallen once this year and has let the fear of falling take over.  She insists that a nursing home will take her, but I know that nursing homes are for those who truly need medical care. Even in the 1980's we had people who were truly unable to care for themselves mentally or physically and some were very ill indeed.  Those who were ambulatory and cognizant had a bevy of medical needs before they were allowed to come into a nursing home.

She insists she has long term care insurance.  I'm unsure she has a policy that will do more than put a tiny Band-Aid on a money hemorrhage.   

I am unfamiliar with how senior living or assistive living facilities work but I'll wager they are pricey.  Ad I don't think long term care covers those.

I'm not sure she has the money to do either of those options.  Mama is accustomed to living off a certain amount.  She has a generous income from various sources   She has some in savings, too, but she does not curb her spending in any manner to increase her savings. 

If she ran out of savings, I'm not sure her income would even begin to pay for a month by month stay, and my brother and I can't supplement her income needs.   

Having her live with us is not an option I would consider for many, many reasons.  The least obvious is that while we've made a few improvements with our senior years in mind, we have more to go, and we can't afford to do that work just yet.  In fact, we were informed that due to law changes we cannot draw any further money from our small retirement fund until John is 74 without penalties.   My brother's place has steep stairs to get into his home.  He has already set Mama up in his home once before and it proved to be disastrous for him and his relationship with his daughter and then long-term girlfriend.  Which brings me back around to why I cannot have her live with me.  

She seriously suggested that the best idea is for me to move into her 2nd bedroom, and leave John, 'because he doesn't need you to take care of him and I do.'  Needless to say, I nixed that idea.

I made the suggestion yet again that she consider moving to a one-bedroom apartment and get a maid service to come in once or twice a week to help with housework.  She thinks that my niece vacuuming and getting groceries for her once a week is enough.    I think she needs someone who will do other tasks that also ought to be done.  As well it would mean there is a third party checking in on her.  I think it's the best idea, as she will remain in control of her own finances have some independence and a place of her own.  She is within a block of her doctor and mere two blocks from the local hospital and ambulance services.

I am fairly sure because this last is the most reasonable of plans for the moment that she will refuse to consider it in the least.  That has been her pattern in the past and I don't expect it to change.  

I don't know what will happen in the future but I'm certain that it will be difficult and inconvenient and hard because that is the way Mama does things.

One more item on my prayer list...

Friday:  John and I had a long talk yesterday afternoon and into the evening and continued in bed last night.  It was continuous but it was the same subject repeated over and over again: our more senior years and what expectations we have.

Given longevity in my family and general good health (Mama is 87 and other than knees being arthritic she continues to do things pretty much independently), it seems reasonable I might expect the same, as had John.  We hope to remain independent in the future and while we know we shall inevitably slow down, and that no one's future is guaranteed, we both agree that we shall just face things as they come.  

I woke this morning snuggled under the covers...The temperatures went down even further last night to 61F.  There will be a warming trend coming now but we've had a taste, a sweet taste, of what autumn might be like.  

Our usual Friday routine ensued: stripping bed and bath, laundry, cleaning for the weekend ahead.  I'd suggested that John might consider going out today but after all the work was done he said he just wanted to be home.  I said that was quite all right with me and went on to pursue a few extra tasks and to plan meals, which, beyond breakfast, had been unplanned until I knew how he wanted to form his day.

I have a bunch of cloth napkins that look dingy and greyed and have a slight aroma about them.  It's a combination of built-up soap and grease and food orders that simply haven't come out in routine washing, much as the dishcloths and towels start to smell.  I have them on the stovetop just now in a heavy pot in boiling water with baking soda.   This seemed the most reasonable place to begin with them.  I've never in my life done this but I've read here and there of old-fashioned homemakers doing this, so I thought I'd give it a try.  

I urged John to load my donations into the car so we can go by the store to drop them off on Sunday or Monday.  I haven't even looked to see if I have anything in the shed that ought to go.  It's enough to get this stuff out of the house.

While we were carting things outside, he decided to do some trimming he'd meant to do yesterday.  I walked around the back flower beds and did some weeding, then gathered coreopsis seed to plant next year.  I know that what I have will return, and now that I've learned deadheading will keep it blooming from spring until fall, I've been gathering seeds to plant in other areas.  I think the happy yellow flowers of coreopsis are so pretty to see dancing in a breeze.

The air outside is wonderful.  It's warm, but not hot and there's a cool layer woven into that breeze that adds a fresh element to the atmosphere.  

I plan to take the kids to the library tomorrow and then out for a picnic lunch which is Millie's request.  I'm hoping this lovely weather will keep up through then.  Next week we'll be hot, hot once more, but we've had a foretaste of autumn, and I will be glad when it is here to stay.

How was your week?  Any special plans this weekend? Next week is our last week of August...I'm already thinking of September goals...Are you?

Come share in the comments!

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