Monday, February 25

[karlinann]

It's 57* going to 71* today and this is Dogwood Winter, which means a cool down all this week. Hurrah! I will get some things done today, starting with painting the ceiling of the shower stall. We got the paint yesterday at Lowe's in the Oops section for $2.50. The original price was $15 and it's Ultra White ceiling paint & primer. The tile guy said he already put the primer on, but I can see some of the concrete board showing through, so this is the perfect paint. It's Valspar. How lucky can you get?

Good morning Rounders! We ended up getting a shower yesterday afternoon and I'm thankful for that. I found 2 more of the Fountain grasses coming up and transplanted those to the bank. They are really pretty when they get big and the wind makes them sway.

I ended up not baking that cake yesterday because of the heat, so I got a box of Little Debbie cakes at Aldi's. LOL! The roast was delicious and now we can make roast beef sandwiches with Horseradish, or hot RB sandwiches. I got a cabbage at Aldi's for $1.99 and it was huge. This was last Wednesday and I made coleslaw on Friday night to go with Salmon. I made coleslaw again yesterday to go with the roast, and I've got a bunch of cabbage left to make more to go with the ribs tomorrow and I'm pretty sure there will be enough to make cooked cabbage for another meal or soup. What a bargain!

I have a dental at 8 am, which I'm dreading. I know it won't take long, but I just dread it. After lunch I will get after that painting and the bathroom will be done.

If I had a nickel for every little tree seedling that I've pulled up I'd be rich. Elm trees, Live Oak, Choke Cherry, Palms and Chinese Tallow. Among all those the worst is the Chinese Tallow. Their roots are so invasive that they can destroy your property in a short time. It's a good thing I know what they look like and can dig them out.

I'll be back late today to read up on what you write. Peace and Plenty.

[bethina]

Morning...I am in the e.r. I have been here since 9 last night dealing with a migraine that is worse than any I have had lately. I took migraine medicine 3 times and other stuff that help it work better each time. Nothing helped it go away completely and the last two doses of migraine meds didn’t help at all.

[bethina]

I think this what’s called a rebound migraine

[JoGee]

Good morning, everyone.
It is currently 36° here, but going to 67° today. (Tomorrow we start hitting the 70° ! Yay!). There was still patches of snow on rooftops and various vegetation for most of yesterday, but by suppertime it was gone.

Today will be just another day, doing what we have been doing. It willl be done sometime, but not as quickly as planned. Yesterday while working in the garage, E found that our water heater has a slow leak. He can’t find from where, though. So it will soon need replacing.
we really don’t need this happening.

But today the sunshine will be steady all day. ☀️ The clouds have wrung themselves out and residing somewhere away from us. The snow has fed the trees and plants, and our water table should be somewhat increased. I for one am happy to see that the warmth is returning.

So.....Karlinann, the roast beef sounds good.

Bethina, I would hate sitting in the ER for so long. I had a migraine that bad just once. My youngest daughter had to drive me to my PCP. I had called ahead, and the nurse completely understood my pain and they were waiting for me. They gave me a Vitamin B shot, and in seconds I felt the pain melt away. (I still wasn’t supposed to drive.). I never had another migraine after that. Minor headaches once in a while (probably allergy based), but no more migraines.

No big news here, so I will just wish you all a beautiful day! ☕️
It is a good day for a donut. LOL

[JoGee]

[Paula A]

Oh, yes, it's a good day for a donut! Unfortunately, it was a good day yesterday for making chocolate chips cookies. didn't I say I wasn't going to bake? Well, I did, so now I have to resist those all day. I did not resist yesterday.

I got alerts from the Sheriff's Dept that we are in a storm warning. Up to 3" of rain and high winds, which are howling now. The temperature is 52 outside so the cat thinks if she is on the step and can't feel the wind that it is a good morning to sit out.

I am making a hamburger soup for later and cookin gup some of the meat for daycare. It smells really good in here.
One of my favorite spice blends is form Trader Joe's: Everything But the Bagel...all the spices and seeds that are on an Everything bagel. I have a recipe to make it and will as soon as this jar is finished.

I didn't watch the Oscars but the ABC app kept chiming with who won what and I know the morning shows will be full of it. I just wasn't interested in it this year...not even who wore what!

A friend at church yesterday who lives up in cottonwood (about 15 miles away) was visiting our church and said how they were totally isolated in this last storm. They live on 5 acres and trees were coming down all over. They couldn't get out of their property. After 3 days friends came to see how they were faring; friends who came with chainsaws and a generator. No cell service or landline. He said he could see the landline wire down under a big oak. And with power out they could hear all the limbs cracking and the trees falling. There are still tree branches and limbs down. Around here most of the big trees have been cut up and there are piles of wood in yards all over town.
We are so ready for this winter to be over.
Last June, at the end of the month was when the Red Bluff fire destroyed some homes and businesses. Then the Carr Fire was in the end of July, I think and then on Nov 8, the Camp Fire...

Karlinann, I think I want some of that fountain grass for a couple of areas. It may be what we put in some planters for height and I will be looking it up. I also want some ground cover roses. They are planted at church with bark covering the ground. It was an area that used to have nandina (Heavenly Bamboo) and it sure cleared up space and looks so nice. I have large fruitless mulberry out front and have wanted to plant something. Some shade and some sun there. We will see...

Beth, I used to et migraines and a few times had to get a shot of Demerol. Puts you out! I hope you can find what brings yours on, I know they can be so debillatating. Not the correct spelling, but I lost my autocorrect somehow.

Hope you all have a good day and feel well, better or whatever you need.

[maxie]

Morning...no idea what today will be like. Have not listened to any news or weather. Blues tied yesterday so still picked up a point even though they lost over time. A tie is not a loss!

Sorry you are having to visit the ER Beth. I suffered migraines for years and usually ended up in the ER getting a shot. It was a small town ER so they would take me back and darken the room so I was away from others until I saw the doctor. Hope you get relief quickly because I sure can sympathize with your agony!

Karlinann you are the energizer bunny! Just go and go and go. Lots of energetic people around here...I used to garden and can appreciate all the time and energy you put into your yard. Wish we could see your seedlings...not much growing around here but icicles. As a season winter has been long and icky but as time it is passing quickly. I hate that time is flying and Sierra and I can no longer get along. No matter what I say or do she snaps like I am interfering in her life. A life I have for the most part paid for and given her. I have thought of moving out but Jon wants me to stay. It has simplified his life with helping with the bills and it allowed Andrew to come every day after school. Plus he laughs at the thought of me in a retirement community being around old people...I am just to antisocial for social living! Makes me wonder what life would be like if my husband were still here. That man was so social and would have been involved in the grandkids lives...can see him coaching a team of something. He played league sports and would come home after a game and a few beers with all the gossip. who says men do not gossip? Plus however good they were as fathers they are better as grandfathers. I see that with my brothers. Oh well, life is what it is and it appears after 21 years I still wonder about how different life could have been.

I have caught Cookie's and Paula's colds...Thanks! My ears are clogged but the nose is running. Feel sluggish and headachey. Maybe it will improve as the morning wears on. Not that I have big plans. Jon is off so he can worry about feeding the crew. He does have a doctors appointment this afternoon. He has a new doctor and they are working on getting his diabetes under better control. He has just never really taken it seriously. Sometimes I look around and think I am healthier than my youngest son! But these are things he has to fix himself.

Seems I have complained and whined through this morning so will move on and find something constructive to do...like blow my nose and then shower. I sure do need some sun and heat around here...we are getting the winter miseries around here!!

[karlinann]

I bet if you took a little vacay you'd be missed terribly and Sierra would have a change of heart. It takes a village to raise a child and you are helping to raise two. There will be bumps along the way, and I can tell you that no matter what you say or do it may or may not change their lives. I'm speaking from experience, because I made so many sacrifices raising mine alone and she blames me for all the discrepancies in her life. We have been estranged for over two years now. It was her doing and I died inside the day she told me by phone that she would treat me as a sister, but never a mother. So you see, we never know what the outcome will be, but it's life.

[cookielady]

Good Morning! Just got Blaise off to school. There was a 2 hr delay. I guess due to trees & branches being down? It's extremely windy here.

Yesterday was another lazy day, but it felt great. Kathy didn't bring Blaise home until 7:30. She actually had him 48 hrs! Of course she came in and told me what I was doing wrong...again. I would just like her to come in occasionally and say thank you, much appreciated. Maxie...I would think Sierra would be getting old enough to appreciate you again. How old is she? My girls were 21-22 before treating me like I had a brain again. She's not there enough to let her make you move out. Stick it out! Sorry about the cold. Today I finally feel human. Been using the vaporizer the last couple of nights, and I think that helped.

Slow start to my morning, but that's OK. Baking off a dozen oreo pie shells. Hope to then make 6 PB pies for the freezer. Not sure what the rest of the day will bring. Blaise has karate this evening. It doesn't start until 6:45 tonight, and I hate it being that late. I'm ready to be snuggled down for the night by that time.

Sorry about your migraine Bethina.

Have a good one all!

[JoGee]

Yes, our girls seem to have a need to show Mommy they're as good as if not better or smarter than her. With only a couple of exceptions my own 4 plus the 2 stepgirls at some time before they were 25 came back to say "Go ahead Mom! Tell me you told me so." I just gabe them a big hug and smile. But it IS difficult in the meantime.

Did I rebel against my mom? Sure. I told her she shouldn't try to relive her life through me. I didn't want to date Cecil because she used to have a big crush on his dad, and he had a very dull personality. She liked my blind date because he was a rich guy, I was a snot to him because I didn't like him at all....very self-centered. But he courted them knowing I would 'have' to date him. I even honestly told her I so didn't want to marry him, that I would leave home and elope with another guy. And I would SO not live close by to her so she could judge me and criticize me on everything. And all that came true, in time.
So I ask myself, would I do it again. I imagined every scenario differently. Discussing it......I tried that. She said I don't know anything about anything. She'd ask Dad to bring out the razor strop to hit me. He would bring out his gun. I fainted.
i quietly packed my clothes and piggy bank (it turned out she stole $300 of my savings). I left one midnight after my 18th birthday....the police couldn't send me back home. Yeah, she did call them to charge me with theft of my piggy bank.
Over the years, dad was quick to admire my strength as a person and respected me for it. and respect me for it. Mom didn't. She was like a dog with a bone, and forgives nothing. So maybe I was justified in leaving. We would go back and visit when we could. It always turned out bad, and my kids told me their worst experience was any time we visited her and had to be alone with her. I wished they'd told me sooner. But we left in the middle of one visit, and E told mom to her face that she treated me like a 3rd class citizen and he wouldn't stand for it.

But, I digress. Sorry. But yes, my girls had all had their nasty streak at "that age". But they came back. It's nice to have them as daughters again. In fact, they plan to be close by if I get infirm with age, and do for me what I need. My 4 ended up studying areas of healthcare. Two have general knowledge from studying text books. One is a physical therapist and one is in hospice work. That is their choices. But we recently had some really nice, close talks.
The 2 step girls, one is just very ambitious and intelligent, the other took care of her mom when she was dieing of cancer (but like her mom, she is alcoholic, unfortunately). The 3 step kids didn't actually live with us. But periodically we would get them to come visit, and I did have house rules (not too strict, but we have a few defined boundaries), and we did get on pretty well.

We never know what life will throw at us. I have needed to bring up patience I didn't know I had. I treat my kids and grands and great grands they way I would have wanted to be treated. Each situation is different. It hurts sometimes, but worth it in the long run. Trust in what's good in them. Sometimes it's tough love. Like I had to tell my son once that he needed to keep the cost of a phone call in his pocket. I taught him right from wrong, and if he thought he was going to get rich quick and sell drugs, then he should also have a good lawyers phone number in his wallet, too. He was shocked...."But you're my MOM!" he wailed. I said yes, but I taught him the difference between good and bad, so the consequences were his, because he was now 18.
I then became the worst mom in the world, til good sense dropped into his head. He got rid of that druggie dream. It wasn't easy for me to do that.

Didnt mean to write a book. But after reading this tonight, my brain wouldn't quit. Guess I'd better go to bed.