Enter At Your Own Risk

Jules said:
Are they preparing for an extra cold winter? Brrr.
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Maybe so? Farmers Almanac says it will be an average winter. That's what they said last year; however, the snowfall was below average which put us in drought conditions. The winter before, it was way above average and the creek flooded, coming out of its banks big time. We placed some sandbags along the bank edge close to the house. It was a nerve wracking few days. You could hear the boulders rolling down the creek and the thought occurred to me that if it came up much more, those boulders would crash into the side of the house. This was a very rare occurrence.

This morning, I found several more stashes, right at the bottom edge of the bank of the creek, just barely above the water. That bank is a very steep, almost straight down, five foot drop slope. I managed to hang onto a few small trees to get down there with a small rake and drag them out where they were immediately swept away downstream. This evening, I see they have already started refilling those two spots. *shaking head* Maybe I should head to town (45 miles away) and get a pellet rifle? I don't want to kill them, I just want them to get farther away from the house so the dog doesn't bark so much.
 

Those little nippers definitely have some plan that they’re working on. Too bad they wouldn’t do it well away from your house and protective dog.
 
I have a creek with a big drop at the bank. We bought a big fat rope ay Home Depot, knotted it every few feet and tied it around a big tree at the top. It was an easy way to let yourself down and back up again.
 
It has been raining the past four days so no work has been done outdoors. A Good Thing as it is the first rain we have had since May/June. The floors had doggie paw prints everywhere so yesterday I vacuumed and mopped. So fun...Not! But it's done for now.

Yesterday, I went to town (25 miles one way) and restocked the fridge and pantry, replaced the toaster, a new pair of slippers and a long-sleeved t-shirt and spent over $250 (ouch)! Some of the fruit was purchased at a farm market. This year, that has been a disappointment. The peaches were not very good and the cantaloupe was so bad I took one bite and threw it away. Usually their fruit is really good but not this year. Maybe because of the drought? Or lack of pickers? IDK.

Not sure what's going on with the squirrels. They are still around but I haven't found any new stashes. Yesterday, in a lull between the rain showers, I booted up and moved the irrigation hoses to other areas. This water comes from the creek, gravity fed, so it can't be turned off. I did place the sprinkler ends of a couple of them (the ones that would reach) in the creek to return the water to it.

During the trek around the property, I heard two squirrels on the property behind me, chattering away "warning warning human afoot". They were in the trees on the other side of the fence. That was strange because there are no spruce trees back there, just junipers. Maybe they have moved to the neighbors downstream. One can hope. I do know they are still harvesting from my trees, though.

Babs2u said:
I have a creek with a big drop at the bank. We bought a big fat rope ay Home Depot, knotted it every few feet and tied it around a big tree at the top. It was an easy way to let yourself down and back up again.
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What a Good Idea! I may just do that. Thanks!
 
The rain has stopped, sun is out and sky is blue, in the 70'sF daytimes, high 40's/low 50's at night. Love it!

Yesterday, I decided to install the bat insulation in the open areas of the new walls in the former hot tub room. Got two pieces placed, then was distracted and never made it back. Today, I will get that done. It isn't that much. Not easy since each stud is a different distance from the next and I am trying to use up the remaining insulation from the roof project last year. It's too thick so I am removing about 4" of it to keep from having to crush it into the space. Waste not, want not.

I would also like to get the trim painted on the outside windows, which I sanded and recaulked last week. A quick and easy job.

Need to move irrigation hoses, too.

And do my PT exercises.

It will be a busy and productive day, I hope.
 
Irrigation hoses moved. It is so wet out there from the five or so days of rain that two of them I placed into the creek, returning the water to nature's source.

Insulation installed! Hooray! Got out the shop vac and cleaned everything up. Now, walls and floor will have to wait for a few months but at least my part is finished.

Window trim is primed. I may not paint it. Just wanted to get the bare wood sealed before winter snows begin. Those windows will be removed next spring/summer (I hope) so no point in making it "pretty" for now.

Will now do the PT exercises.

Tomorrow, will go out and pick up more pine cones. May de-rock some of the garden if the mud dries up a little more.
 
The sound of this creek is very loud. Conversation when sitting on that deck is difficult as one must speak very loudly, which can be a good thing. I keep the bedroom window slightly open on summer nights.
 
I have to go to town today for groceries. Almost out of coffee creamer. So bank (for cash), Safeway (for yogurt, bread and peanut butter, I like their brands of those items best), WalMart for whatever else is on The List. Yesterday, I realized it is September and my GS's birthday is on the 18th. So a gift card is mandatory. And the post office to mail it. Sigh. Seems like it'll be a wasted day. I do not like going to town.

The other day, the little spaniel alerted to a mouse under the love seat. I pulled the love seat away from the wall, the mouse ran across the room to under a dresser. Dog didn't see that; she kept trying to get under that love seat. Pulled the dresser away from the wall and showed her. She moved to that area, the mouse ran up the stairs to ??? Dog didn't see that either. We lost the mouse. I had a sitdown with doggie, told her, "Your nose is wonderful! But you need to watch more carefully with your eyes. Don't make me get a cat!"

Ever since then, she has been scratching and whining at the gate that closes off that room from the main living area. And jumping off the bed at night, hunting for that mouse. The Rule is only jump off the bed if you need to go outside. After three no potty jumps down, I had to fuss at her to stay on the bed. Traps are set everywhere, two in each room. So far, no luck.

Lots of family drama going on lately. A sibling has been denied a liver transplant. He will probably die in the next couple of months, if not sooner. The reason for the denial? His SO is a bipolar/alcoholic/drug addict and although he has quit all of that (he says), she has not and it is a high risk for him to fall off that wagon and kill the new liver with her around. I could write a book about this situation but will not. He lives in another state, far away from any of us. Our sister flew up there yesterday to try to get some legal things set up but he has, so far, refused to do that. It is and will continue to be a mess.

Life's little challenges. Maybe going to town isn't such a bad thing.
 
The past few weeks have been a challenge. Things have calmed down a bit because the source, my youngest brother, has died. His SO and her family have been an even bigger challenge, causing all kinds of trouble. That will also end soon because once the death certificates have been received, we will cut off all contact with her (the SO).

During the process of trying to get his affairs in order, we discovered he was not the person we all believed him to be. He had been in trouble with the law multiple times, even while in the Navy. He and his SO were (are?) deeply involved with drugs and alcohol which is what killed him. The lies and deceit that have come to light are overwhelming. The four of us surviving siblings have all been made fools by him and his SO.

All of this was discovered by a sibling who traveled to his home to help get his affairs in order. None of us are beneficiaries, btw, and that is fine. She has been emotionally and financially traumatized. Yesterday, she finalized the last of the legal stuff and left. Unfortunately, there were no available flights out of that city until Thursday. She decided to drive the four and a half hours to another city to stay with her adult daughter until a flight became available.

I was able to book a flight for her out of that city this morning. She will be on her way home in a few hours. We were on the phone, me on my computer, booking this flight. I insisted on paying for it.

After the purchase was complete, I told her the itinerary and that her seat assignment was 2B. A few seconds went by and she said, "Wait. That's in the front of the plane." I replied, "Yes, I know." A few seconds later, she stated, "That's first class, isn't it?" "Yes," I said, "you deserve this after what you have been through. None of us could have done what you have done." She choked up and just said, "Thank you."

So, today, she will get home to her loving husband's arms, her little farm with the newest baby animals, and plant a winter garden. The one good thing that has come out of this is that it has brought the surviving four of us closer together. She and I have had major differences in the past. Now, we have learned a newfound respect and love for each other. So all is not lost.

We alternate between praying for God to damn his soul to hell and asking for forgiveness for him, mixed with praying to forgive us for thinking these awful thoughts about our brother. I have decided to just leave that up to whatever God exists. Amen.
 
High 30'sF to low 40'sF at night, high 50's to low 60's during the day. Inside of the house has cooled down and has been very cool in the mornings. I turned on the heat once for a couple of hours. Trying hard not to use it yet because once you start, it's on until Spring. I can be such a tightwad sometimes.

There is an outside faucet with a very slow drip that needs fixing before we get into the real winter. I have not been pleased with the plumbing work that has been done in the past. The electrician referred me to another plumber. I called that plumber yesterday and he said he had a plumber friend who needed work and referred me to that person. I called, left a message and still have not heard back. If no call back by 0900 this morning, I will contact someone else. I want to tell the first plumber that I know why his friend is looking for work.

Meanwhile, my sibling made it home in spite of delayed flights due to weather, one of which was almost diverted to a different destination city. That would have been miserable for her. But all went well and she is home. We shall now all strive to return to normal life (whatever that is, lol).
 
The faucet leak is repaired, the bath tub faucets were reinstalled the correct way, the slow draining tub is still slow draining because we couldn't find a fixable cause. No vent? Something under the concrete slab foundation? Most likely it is a design/installation issue. It's an old house; it will just remain slow-draining. It's been this way for years. One thing I have learned these past two years with this house is that some things just can't be like I think they should be.

I call this my crooked house. My BFF sent me a carved wooden plaque (really well made and good looking) that I have hung on the wall at a crooked slant. It says, "Welcome to the Crooked House". A few people have come in and attempted to straighten it. It's a fun thing.

The past week has been spent doing household chores, laundry, grocery shopping, etc. It's a way to postpone working on the front garden area. Today, that is my planned chore. It will mean moving rocks around, adding soil amendments, and transplanting certain flora. I doubt it will be done in one day. I had arranged to have help but haven't heard from him so will do what I can and call him again for what I can't.
 
Spent the greater part of yesterday working in the garden. Three loads of dirt in a wheelbarrow from the back of the property hauled to the front. Became close friends ? with a shovel. Got one entire section cleared of rocks and transplanted with the lambs ears I dug up from another area. Was planning on doing a smaller area today, much easier.

Now my back is acting up again. I sit here knowing that if I move even the slightest bit in the wrong way, I will be on the floor screaming in agony. Took ibuprofen, placed a heat patch (capsaicin) on my back, and here I sit thinking maybe...just maybe...I will be able to do a little bit today. I hate this! Dare I even try to work out there today? Or even for the next few weeks, when it will be too cold to do this? Maybe not because the remaining work is with lily bulbs which should survive the winter if transplanted, right?

So what now? Sit around here feeling sorry for myself and being angry at the same time? The physical therapist warned me about pushing myself too hard. Apparently, that is what I did yesterday. Damn.

The bright side -- it rained a little bit early this morning and the transplanted lambs ears, which were pretty wilted looking after their relocation, are looking more perky now. Fingers crossed.
 
I had arranged for help on this garden project. That fell through. So for the past week, I have been working on it, slowly, carefully, for a few hours every other day to allow for a day of rest in between. Winter weather is about to arrive (tonight) so I managed to work all day yesterday and get this project finished. It is now ready for spring planting. As I sat there looking at the results, with my two little companions wandering around and sniffing at the new layout, I realized that I either need to temporarily fence it or mop the floors several times a day. This morning, I will go to the local hardware store and see what I can find that will keep the doggies out of the soon-to-be mud.

The irrigation system hoses still need to be disconnected and drained but that can't be done until the intake pipe is removed from the creek. This is dependent on my brother neighbor, who says he waits until the first freeze to do so. We have definite differences of opinions on this irrigation system and its use. Next year, I may not irrigate back there. This is the first year it has been done; I don't think it's worth it. That's a long story.

Tomorrow, doctor's appointment 70 miles away. Hopefully, the precipitation will be just rain, not snow. A couple of years ago, I was there and it started snowing; ended up driving home in a hard snow storm. Fun times, lol.
 
GoodEnuff said:
At age 46, 120#, I quit smoking, gained 78# over the next two years; then diabetes raised its ugly head. Joined Weight Watchers and that helped me get down to a healthy weight, along with smoking again. But no diabetes! They tell you "you may gain a little weight, 5-10#". Bull. And even after two years, I still had the cravings. They never stopped. (I have been smoking for 58 years.)

Quit for four months for a surgery, gained ten pounds. Started again after healing from the surgery, lost five pounds of it and held there until October, 2023, when I decided to quit smoking again. THIS time I was determined not to gain weight and be faced with diabetes; diabetes scares me much more than anything smoking can do. So out came the food scale, measuring cups/spoons, nutrition guides, etc. Limited myself to 1,000-1200 kcal/day. When I started, weight was 135#. Actually lost weight, to 113#, which was way too much. And started smoking again at Quit Day 70, after completely losing it and destroying some solar lights outside and did some damage to the fence with a galvanized steel pipe.

The medical community does absolutely nothing to help. Chantix turned me into a monster. Tried meditation, exercise, music, accupuncture, massage, hypnosis, the state quit-line program. I can recite in my sleep "Set a quit date; tell friends and family so they will support you (no, they won't); use nicotine replacements (here, have some of the drug to which you are addicted); chew gum; stay busy" blah blah blah. NONE of that helps! In fact, some of it actually worked against me. Tell someone and then when you slip up and smoke, they will smear your face in that failure.

The only thing that worked to help control the mood swings the first time I quit was ativan, an anti-anxiety drug that is very addictive. I don't want to do that again and possibly exchange one addiction for another. No thank you. Nothing helps with the extreme anxiety and anger brought on by quitting. I am thankful that I live alone.

So, today is Day 1 of another quit attempt. Five hours since my last cigarette, nico patch in place. The food scale etc is out on the counter. I do have two more pounds to lose from the last couple of weeks of eating the wrong things. Then back to normal-for-me meals, just to maintain.

I can already feel my heart rate increasing and the anxiety building as I sit here typing this. In reading over this for typos, etc., parts of it are confusing so now, enter the brain fog. Not sure if it's worth it. Because as so many say, it doesn't get better after a week or two. It didn't get better after two years! And I'm not sure I have the strength to go through this much suffering at this time in my life.
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Congratulations on quitting smoking. I quit smoking when I was 50 yrs old, Mine wasn't an addiction so much as a nervous crutch. The reason I quit is because my dad died of lung cancer and I didn't
GoodEnuff said:
Standing just outside my bedroom door...
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Absolutely beautiful!
 

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