I Love To Go A Gardening
Growing Our Life in Northern Michigan
Great Crested Flycatcher
Yesterday I finished the Peppermint Candy Coasters that a woman ordered from Teric’s Treasures. I boxed it and was going to mail it this morning. I had to get to the post office and back before JJ had to leave for work at 9:30 a.m. JJ’s new hours limits my use of a vehicle. I went out to the Buggy, started it, but I couldn’t move the lever out of “Park” even though I tried several times. I finally gave up. I was a little concerned that JJ wouldn’t be able to get to work, but he had absolutely no trouble. He has been teasing me about this.
We’ve been having a lot of trouble with a lot of little ants coming into the house. I spray them, but they keep coming. It would help if I knew where they were coming in. EJ said we need to get Boric Acid, but so far we haven’t gotten to the store to get any. Do you have trouble with ants? What have you found to be useful?
I have noticed a little pile of debris in the back of our mail box–like a small pile of shredded toilet paper or something. Today we had one envelope in the mailbox, so I used it to nudge the pile. I discovered that the small pile was actually a group of ants with eggs. Apparently our mailbox is an ant nursery. If I remember tomorrow, I will take the spray with me when I go get the mail and give the mailbox a good spraying.
I’ve moved my preferred “place” from the couch to the new recliner next to the window. I really like this new spot because I have a better view through the window. This afternoon I was sitting in my chair and I spotted a bird sitting on the bird house that I just moved near the big rocks. I couldn’t see him clearly, but I thought he looked unusual. I was going to get the binoculars, but I remembered that I left them in the suburban. So instead I got out my camera, zoomed in, and took several photos. When I transferred the photos to my computer, I saw that it was, indeed, an unfamiliar bird. I opened our Birds of Michigan book and discovered that it was a Great Crested Flycatcher. I read that they are a
“Common bird of wooded areas throughout the state. It lives high up in trees, rarely coming to the ground….Feeds by gleaning insects from tree leaves. Nests in old woodpecker holes, but can be attracted to a nest box placed high in a tree….Frequently stuffs its nest with a collection of fur, feathers, string and snakeskins.”
I had never seen one before so I was really thrilled. I showed EJ my photos when he got home from work and he said he had never seen one before either. I love my recliner by the window!
Hundred-Acre Woods
With my Premium WordPress upgrade, I get access to a lot of new layouts. I was really drawn to this one, which enables me to give my guests the option of going to the blog or my store, and which I think has a clean, uncluttered look.
I discovered, though, that in order to have a store here at my site, I have to upgrade to the Business Plan, which costs more. I think we will eventually do this, but at this moment, I have my hands full of remodeling this site, and we really have a lot of research to do, as well as discussions about our goals for our store. Eventually we hope for EJ to begin making items to sell, and we have a few other ideas as well. So we decided that we aren’t quite ready yet to upgrade to the Business Plans. Meanwhile, I’m going to try to set up a link so that clicking on the store column will take a person to my Etsy store.
It’s kind of fun doing all this, although I haven’t had as much time this weekend to play around with it as I anticipated. I have an Etsy order to fulfill, but as soon as I get the peppermint coasters finished, I will be able to devote some more time to setting up my blog. If you notice anything not working right, please let me know.
After breakfast yesterday, I went outside to mow the lawn. I wanted to mow while the morning was still fresh and cool because I knew the day was going to heat up. It takes me about 2 hours to mow the lawn. Usually I try not to take any breaks, but yesterday I took three because it was so hot and humid that I could feel myself overheating. The first time I stopped to take a break was when I saw JJ come out of the house to go to work. I always pray with my guys before they go anywhere. After he drove away, I stumbled into the house to drink iced tea and sit in front of the fans. I looked at the thermometer, thinking that it was probably up into the 80s or 90s. I was surprised to see it was only 70 degrees. I don’t think the temperature went above 80 all day. I thought that my friend in Texas would laugh at me because she says that when it’s in the high 80s in Texas, she’s tempted to put on a sweater. But in my defense, it was extremely humid yesterday.
I finally finished mowing the lawn. I love the look of a freshly mown lawn. After a break to cool off, I hung the laundry on the clothesline. Later I decided to dig up another wooden post when a birdhouse that the birds never use on top. I dragged it over to the big rocks and put it up next to the climbing rose bush growing there. I nailed a piece of chicken wire on the post so the roses can climb up it.
This morning we drove across to the Lake Huron side of Michigan to the 100-acre woods, where EJ’s best friend’s parents live. EJ knew the family from his school days and he considers them to be a second family. He usually goes deer hunting at their place. T’s parents had recently ordered some new living room chairs. I think it’s sad that T’s Mom ordered the new furniture a month or so ago, but she suddenly died before they were delivered. T’s Dad, who looked very feeble, gave us the old recliners. EJ’s recliner was getting old and becoming uncomfortable so we were glad to get the new chairs. T’s Dad also gave EJ a wood splitter.
The drive to and from the 100 acre woods is very beautiful. We went through elk country, but we didn’t see any elk. On the way home, EJ drove on a road where he and JJ had seen a bunch of bald eagles on their deer hunting trip years ago. He was hoping we would see some today, but we didn’t see any. We did see a large flock of turkey vultures feasting on a deer carcass. EJ counted 22 turkey vultures! That is the most we have ever seen! Here’s a video I took of it. I’m sorry it is so shaky, but we were bouncing down a rough rural road. I probably should explain that in western movies, vultures or buzzards are always circling over dead cowboys so when we see the scavengers circling overhead, we always say there must be a dead cowboy.
When we arrived home, JJ helped bring the two recliners into the house. They are very comfortable and look nice in our living room. We had planned that EJ would have one recliner and I would have the other. I can more easily see the view out of the windows from the recliner. However, at the moment I don’t have room to set my stuff on–my computer, drinks, crochet stuff, books, etc. Both EJ’s and my stuff won’t fit on the end table between the recliners. I might have to keep my place on the couch. I will give it some thought.
The Plunge
So I took the plunge and upgraded my WordPress Blog!
The upgrade gives me a lot of new features, including new templates and fonts. I will be playing around with them over the next few days so expect surprising changes when you visit. If you like a look or feature please let me know. I aim to please.
I think I have a new domain, whatever that means. I think that my new site URL will be ilovetogoagardening.com. Or not. Hopefully I will not get lost in cyberspace somewhere. If I do, please come find me because you all mean a lot to me and I’d hate to lose you.
So here we go…..!
Down and Up
As soon as EJ left for work this morning, I walked up and down our long steep driveway three times. Well, actually I walked down and up, but it’s easier to say up and down. I came into the house and took my shower and ate breakfast, and then I went down and up the driveway three more times. A little later I went down to the mailbox, and I took an extra trip down and up for a total of two more times. That’s eight trips.
It was quite cool this morning, but there was a clammy tropical feel to the air so I knew it was going to be a very hot day. The high temperature reached only 80 this afternoon, but it was so humid that I melted whenever I went outside. At times I could feel sweat trickling down my back. I took a lot of breaks in the living room with two fans blowing on me to cool off.
My beautiful happy yellow chicken shoes arrived in the mail. They are awesome. I will wear them whenever I am in the garden/chicken/duck pens. If they get all mucky, I can easily hose them off.
I made the chickens a nice treat by pouring some mixed vegetables into a bowl and freezing it. I put it in a bowl of water in the chickens’ outdoor pen and they keep cool by pecking at the ice to get the veggies. I didn’t make any for the ducks because I figure they can keep cool by swimming in their pools.
We installed drainage tile when we worked on our driveway our first summer at our new home. There was a length of it that has been sticking out of the ground at the top of the driveway. We had been planning to find some sort of basin to collect the rain water and funnel it into the tile, but we couldn’t find anything to use and I got tired of it sticking out of the ground, so this morning I cut it off, put the cap on the end remaining in the ground, and buried it. Then I carried stones to build a small dam to funnel the water into the tile. Good enough.
I also removed some of the boards from the pallets that were not good enough to to use in our raised garden. I want to use the boards to paint an Enchanted Forest sign welcoming wanted visitors and delivery people and warning people who come to sell us something to turn back. Actually, EJ said he would do the lettering for me.
In between working outside, I researched how to set up a e-store. It’s more complicated than I thought–but then things usually are. When EJ got home, I told him the results of my research and we discussed our plans.
After supper when the temps had cooled a little, we walked down and up the driveway twice. In totally, I made ten trips down and back again. I’m going to try to do that every day, if at all possible.
Stormy Heat
The heat and humidity have been terrible since Saturday. I sometimes joke that I must have some snowman DNA because I feel as if I’m melting in the heat and all the energy drains out of me. I seriously don’t know how people in the South can endure it. I’d much rather have cold than heat.
Saturday my sinuses were throbbing–I suspect it was because of approaching severe weather, although the storms ended up going north of us. A couple of years ago my friend sent me a mask that I can warm up or freeze to sooth my sinuses. I put it in the freezer and then wore it until it warmed up, and then refroze it again. JJ came out of his bedroom, saw me wearing my mask, paused, and gave me a look like “NOW what crazy thing is Mom doing???” I told him it was my Superhero mask and when I wore it, he couldn’t recognize me. EJ piped up, “Trust me, if you ever wore that in public, there is no way I’d recognize you.” Ha ha. Everyone is a comedian.
The other evening, before it was dark, I opened the door so Danny could go outside and Little Bear escaped. I shouted, “Help! Little Bear is out!” and then I ran outside to try to capture him. As I ran out, I grabbed a can of moist cat food to help entice him to me. He is an indoor cat only and he was under the vehicles but was too nervous to be interested in the food. I ran to the other side of the vehicles so he couldn’t run into the forest. He was nervous and ran toward the front door, but when I followed to let him in, he got scared and ran under the vehicles again. We did this a couple times before JJ came out. I yelled for him to hold the door open, and then I went around the car, Little Bear ran toward the house and through the open door, and the story ended well. Silly cat.
We keep blankets on a stand in our bedroom for when we get cold. It really is the best place for them so they are there even in the summer. Yesterday I was refolding one of them and a large black spider scurried across it. I think it was a wolf spider. EEEEK! I dropped the blanket and ran and got the spider spray. I sprayed the blanket, sprayed under the bed, sprayed the blanket, sprayed under the cabinet. Then I nudged the blanket and the spider scurried across it again, so I sprayed it again. I took the blanket outside and drapped it across the patio chairs and sprayed it some more. I couldn’t see a body, and if there isn’t a body, I can’t know for sure that the spider is dead, so I sprayed the blanket again. Then I thought that with all the spraying, the blanket must now be very toxic and unsafe for humans. So I stuffed it in the washer and washed it, and then dried it in the drier. I didn’t see a body, but the spider surely couldn’t have survived all that….right?
After supper, EJ decided that he would cut my hair. He actually does a very good job, I really like what he does, and I think he could easily be a hair stylist. He wanted to do something new so he cut it very short. It almost worked, but we agree that he didn’t quite achieve the style he was trying for and he cut my hair a little too short. He wanted me to comb my hair down in front of my face and then flip it over (I can’t help but think of Prince Charming’s hair flip in Shrek). He said I looked better without a part. However, despite my efforts my hair insists on falling into a part. I told EJ that I really think he needs to give me bangs. I told him that it was ok if this current effort didn’t exactly turn out as planed because the only way to get good at cutting hair is to do it and hair will always grow out–although perhaps he should cut my hair in the winter so I can wear a hat if it doesn’t turn out. Ha ha! I told EJ that letting him cut my hair is an indication of how deeply I trust him.
Although the first storm that rolled through during the weekend missed us, we were hit with a couple others over the following days. The storms did not diminish the heat and humidity. I continued to melt and feel drained of energy, so I didn’t accomplish a whole lot this week. This morning, however, the temps were in the mid- to high-60s. It was perfect. After EJ left for work, I walked up and down the driveway six or seven times for exercise. I’m going to try to do that every day, unless it’s too hot in the mornings.
While it was cool, I did a bunch of stuff outside. I dragged the old unusable garden hoses to the old green pickup truck and threw them in the back. We are going to get new hoses soon–like by this weekend. We want one hose for the back yard so I can more easily water the chickens, ducks, and garden, and one hose for the front yard to water the flower garden and EJ’s beloved apple trees.
The climbing roses in the front flower garden needed something taller to climb. I eyed the wooden posts at the edges of the forest that hold my bird houses. They would be perfect if they didn’t have bird houses on them. Then I thought, Oh! They would be even more perfect if I kept the bird houses on them!!! They would be very decorative. And it’s not like the birds ever use the houses. This is the third summer that we have lived in Northern Michigan and I have not yet seen a single bird build a nest in any of the four houses I set up. Why would they be interested in a bird house when they have a whole forest of trees to nest in? Duh.
So I took out the t-posts/fencing that weren’t tall enough to adequately hold the roses. I moved them to the smaller rose bush near the front of the garden. Then I pulled up two of the bird house posts out of the ground, dragged them to the flower garden, used a post-hole digger to dig holes, and set the posts in them. I cut off two 10 foot lengths of chicken wire and nailed them to the posts, stretching them between the posts. I put one length of chicken wire high and one length low so all the roses would have something to climb. Then I twined the roses onto the chicken wire. I think it looks really good–although despite my best efforts, I wasn’t able to pack the dirt around the posts firmly enough so the posts keep leaning toward each other a little bit. EJ said he would fix that for me.
The heat rose during the day and overcame the coolness. By the time I finished with the posts and roses, I was melting and drained. I took a small nap before beginning supper preparation.
This evening a big storm came through. The National Weather Service for our area said we could get 60 mph winds and 1″ hail. We saw the storm getting closer on radar, so just before it hit, we went out to shut the chickens and ducks up for the night. Usually I have no problem putting them in because the chickens voluntarily go into their coop at twilight. However, tonight it was an hour earlier than usual and they didn’t want to go in. It’s very difficult to get unwilling chickens in their coop. I picked some lettuce from the garden and tried to lure them in while EJ and JJ went into their side of the outdoor pen and chased them in. They were not happy, but I did a headcount and when I knew that they were all in, I shut their little door. It was no problem herding the ducks into their coop. We got the coop shut up tight just before the storm hit. It has been storming for a few hours now. It rained really hard for a while, but I haven’t really heard strong wind or hail.
Both Etsy and Facebook will “promote” products for an extra fee. It’s steep enough that I can’t really afford to promote my products, so I think those who can promote their products get more notice and those who don’t get lost in the crowd. EJ and I have been talking for some time about paying for an upgrade to this blog so I can move my store here. I’m not getting rid of my blog; I’m just adding a store section. I will try not to make the store part annoying. We have discussed items EJ can maybe make and sell too. I’m going to take the plunge soon, I think, so you might notice changes that come and go as I try to learn how to do it. It’s sort of an adventure and might be fun.
Happy Yellow Chicken Shoes
After several days of working really hard, my energy sort of crashed. I’ve had low motivation days in which I’ve taken naps and done only my daily chores–nothing strenuous. Both EJ and I are still struggling somewhat with the sinus infection, although there’s been improvement. If the sinus infection lasts for too much longer, I’m going to give it a name.
My friend and I are finally back to studying Hebrew together! Whoo hoo! We live in different states so we learn together by videochat. We studied Hebrew for a couple of years but then had to stop because of JJ’s cancer. Our life situations since then have prevented us from studying, but we are finally back to it. We have forgotten a lot of what we had learned so we are pretty much starting over, but we don’t mind. Hebrew is a very beautiful, amazing language. Unlike other languages, Hebrew is more than grammar and pronunciation. Each letter or word has deep meaning so our lessons involve discussions of life and faith. We love it! We are so glad to be back to studying!
Yesterday afternoon EJ texted me: “I got a huge sliver in my left hand so now at hosp. I am ok, waiting for Rx for antibiotic before heading back to work. It is stiff, swollen & sore…” I asked him how big the sliver was, but he ignored my question. When he got home, I asked again and he told me “You don’t need to know.” I told him that I really wanted to know so then he told me that the sliver was several inches long–about two inches of it went into his thumb. He pulled it out and almost passed out with pain–and he can handle a lot of pain so it must have REALLY hurt. He wasn’t going to say anything to his boss, but his hand began to throb so he told his boss who told him it was company policy that he needed to go to the hospital to have it checked out. So he went, and they did an x-ray even though they didn’t think a wooden sliver would show up. It didn’t, although they did find a sliver of something else in his hand–probably magnesium from his previous job. There is no way to tell if there is still a wood sliver in his hand so they gave him an antibiotic to prevent any infection. Hopefully if there is a sliver, it will work itself out.
As EJ was telling me all this, I said, “Yuck, yuck, I think I’m going to be sick.” He said, “Next time you need to trust me when I tell you that you really don’t need to know.” I said, “But I care about you!” He said, “I know you care, but you don’t need to know.” I agreed. Even as a child I was so empathetic that I almost fainted (and sometimes did) when I saw/read/heard about suffering.
One a happier note, yesterday these really cool garden shoes appeared on my Facebook timeline. They are called “sloggers” and they are
- Made in the USA
- Waterproof garden footwear with farm-inspired designs
- Wide opening shoes make them easy to slip on and off
- Deep-lug tread provides extra traction
- Made from 100%-recyclable materials
- Easy to clean—rinse with water and let dry
Best of all, they have chickens on them and are my favorite color of yellow! I have never particularly liked pale yellow, but this yellow–what I call “school bus” or “construction sign” yellow–fills me with strong feelings of warm happiness whenever I see it. It’s the same happiness that I feel when I see cute puppies or kittens. It’s very difficult to resist garden shoes in happy yellow.
I’m in and out of the house all day so I like slip on shoes that I can quickly slip on when I go outside and kick off when I enter the house. I don’t want to have to keep pausing to tie my shoes whenever I go outside or risk tracking dirt, straw, or poultry poop into the house. My current “work” shoes are dirty, worn out, and scruffy. Often I accidentally slosh water on them as I water the garden, fill/empty the ducks’ pool, or carry buckets of drinking water for the poultry. I save my good sneakers for going out in public. I wistfully showed the yellow garden shoes to EJ and he said, “They aren’t that expensive. Buy them.” So I ordered them this morning. In a few days, I will have happy yellow chicken shoes to work in.
Tasks, Chores, and Jobs
This morning I glanced out the kitchen window and was surprised by a breathtakingly beautiful iris in our flower garden. The flower garden was planted by a previous owners and we are often surprised by what unexpectedly appears. We also are overjoyed that some flowers that we love were already here when we moved. For example, EJ always wanted climbing rose bushes. We tried to plant some at our old house but our yard was very shady so, while we did get roses, they didn’t grow as well as we hoped. We found climbing roses waiting for us when we moved into our new home and they are growing beautifully in the sunshine. At our old house, we did have a beautiful lilac bush. I love lilacs (so does EJ) and I was sad to leave it behind. Our new home doesn’t have a lilac bush–it has THREE. They are light, medium, and dark lavender. I love them! Usually I cut bouquets of lilacs and put them in vases in the house. Their fragrance is heavenly! But this year our noses were all stuffed up with our bad colds and we couldn’t smell anything so I didn’t bother cutting bouquets.
After EJ left for work this morning, I went out to the garden to put up a few more posts. Yesterday we had put up posts at the corners of each raised garden bed and then fastened chicken wire fencing to them. The previous owner had left behind raised beds that were long and narrow and four posts were not enough–the fencing sagged in the middle. So I nailed wooden posts to the middle on each side of the boxes and then nailed the fencing to the posts.
After I competed that task, I started washing clothes but I waited until after JJ left for work at 9:30 a.m. to take the wet clothes out to the clothesline. Well, actually, I had to mow the lawn before I hung up the clothes because it’s not smart to mow under and around the clothesline when there are wet clothes hanging on it. The day was perfect for mowing–beautiful sunshine and a coolish 70 degrees. I like working when the temps are cool; heat drains me. EJ had put the wheels of the new mower at a higher setting when he mowed last time because the grass was so long, but he instructed me to lower the wheels two notches before I started mowing this time, which I did.
I mowed under the clothesline first, then mowed around the chicken and duck pens to the back yard, and them the front yard. I had wanted to get all the lawn mowed, but despite the cooler temps, I could feel myself over heating, so with just a little bit to go on the far side of the hill behind the large rocks, I stopped the mower, went inside, drank tea, and sat in front of the fan for a few minutes. When I cooled down, I took the baskets of wet clothes out to hang on the clothesline and then I finished the lawn.
The lawn looked beautiful when I finished. Our neighbors mow acres of their property but even though it looks nice, mowing so much always seems to me like a waste of time, energy, and gas. We only mow up near the house and leave the rest of the property wild for habitat for wildlife.
After I finished mowing, I put the mower away and then walked down the driveway to get the mail. As I walked, I admired my anti-erosion efforts. Our hard work seems to be paying off. We were told that the first owner of our house had only a two-wheel drive car. In the winter, he had large barrels of salt placed up and down the driveway so whenever he got stuck–which was often–he would shovel salt on the driveway. I suspect that all the salt killed the plants along the driveway, which allowed rain to rush down unhindered and cut deep gullies on either side. We spent our first few months in our house shoveling topsoil and stones into the deep gullies. We spent last summer building small rock dams every few feet down the driveway to slow the rush of water. And we’ve planted grass seed, wild flowers, and lilies because plants grip the soil and prevent water from washing the soil down the hill. The following two photos–one from June 2015 and the other from this year–shows the difference. From the driveway to the right edge of the rock dams was bare ground in 2015.
As I walked back up the driveway, I noticed the berry bushes in Deer Meadow. We call it Deer Meadow because the deer often bed down there. There are many blackberry and raspberry bushes in the meadow and also along the edge of the forest near the house. I just love our property with our garden, and fruit trees, and berry bushes.
When I got back to the house with the mail, I made myself some lunch and then did a bunch of little jobs:
When we had returned home after our visits to the various garden centers on Saturday, I was surprised to find two morning glories among the other plants. I thought, well, EJ must have wanted morning glories, which is fine. Yesterday I asked him where he wanted to plant the morning glories he bought. “I didn’t buy the morning glories,” he said. “I thought YOU did.” I said, “No, you bought them.” He replied, “No I didn’t.” Somehow the morning glories made their way into our shopping cart. Oh, well. I planted them near our little deck where they can climb up the bird feeder poles. They are crimson. Maybe they will attract hummingbirds.
A few weeks ago I read that chickens do a tremendous job breaking down a compose pile. We can throw whatever into the compose pile and the chickens will eat what they want and scratch up the rest. Sounded good, so I made a small enclosure with pieces of cattle panels in the back corner of the chicken pen near the right side of the garage. The holes of chicken panels are large and the chickens went through them and scattered the scraps I threw into it all over the pen. So today I fastened chicken wire fencing to the cattle panels so the chickens can only enter/exit through the door way. I’m hoping it will cut down on the scattering. The chickens are cute because they have quickly learned that when they see me come around the right side of the garage I have possibly yummy things to eat. They all come running to the compost enclosure and wait for me.
My house had been neglected over the weekend as we worked in the garden so in the midst of my other odd jobs today, I vacuumed, swept, and mopped the floors. I brought in the dry clothes from the clothesline. I fixed supper (leftovers) and after we ate, EJ and I made a quick run to the grocery store for a couple of items–the most important was kitty litter. I was out. Then I washed dishes and folded the clothes and put them away.
I was really tired by the time I was done with all my tasks and chores and jobs. But it was a good day and a good tired. I enjoy working around home.
Our Kind of Fun
Usually we make sure we have quiet, restful Saturdays, but this Saturday became busier than we had planned. We were going to make a quick trip to our favorite nursery to buy Strawberries, Peppermint, Spearmint, Chocolate Mint, Chamomile, and Borage plants. I had seen all of these plants at the nursery when we there last weekend, but the Memorial Day rush depleted a lot of their stock. I found (and bought) Peppermint and Orange Mint plants, but no Chocolate Mint or Spearmint. I bought two flats of Strawberries, but they were ones that ripened in June and not all summer like we wanted. They no longer had any Spearmint, Chamomile, or Borage. I think EJ bought some seed potatoes and maybe one or two other items.
So we decided to drive on to Lowes. We found a couple of plants there, including a twisted apple tree–two varieties that are twisted together. We got a Braeburn twisted together with a Gala apple tree. We didn’t find Spearmint or Borage or Spearmint, so we decided to go on to Home Depot. At Home Depot we found small planters filled with Strawberry plants that ripen all summer. They were fewer than a flat and more expensive, but we bought four planters full because we want strawberries all summer. For the most part, I can’t really remember what plants we bought where, but I tried to list the plants we ended up getting:
Sweet mint
Orange mint
Chocolate Mint
Peppermint
Chamomile seeds
Aloe
Pepper plants (more of them)
Strawberries (2 varieties)
Seed Potatoes
Cantaloupe
Sunflower Seeds
Lettuce Seeds (because the other ones were in my jeans pocket and got washed)
Bok Choi (2 different kinds)
Radish seeds
Beet seeds
Braeburn/Gala Apple Tree
As you can see, a few plants we didn’t intend to buy found its way in our cart. I think going to nurseries/garden centers is a bit like going to a book store–very addicting. Those plants were added to the ones we bought last weekend:
Tomatoes
Bell and hot peppers
Watermelon
Cucumbers
Zucchini
Squash
Thyme
Basil
Oregano
Parsley
Cabbage plants
I already owned Rosemary, Bay, Sage, and Chives.
We brought our new plants home and worked together to plant them. Since we had bought more plants/seeds than planned, I was concerned that we wouldn’t have enough boxes/pots to put them in. However, we had enough–with three small pots left over. I dug up a clump of chives from the front flower garden and put it in a pot and EJ planted his new apple tree with the one he bought last weekend and the three he bought last year. We now have two twisted Braeburn/Gala trees, one twisted Honeycrisp/Honey Gold, one twisted CandyCrisp/Haralson, and an Empire. We now feel we have enough apple trees to provide us with a good supply. Now we will concentrate on cherry trees.
While we were planting, EJ noticed the ducks nibbling at the all-summer strawberry plants and they were also nibbling my chives! Not good! We aren’t planting a garden as a smorgasbord for the ducks! So we stopped our work, EJ shut the ducks into their smaller pen away from the garden, and we drove to TSC to buy two 150 foot rolls of 24-inch chicken wire fencing. Chicken wire has small holes that duck bills can’t get through. Then we came home and fenced in the strawberries.
By this time it was beginning to rain and we were really tired, so we quit for the day. A big thunderstorm rolled into the area at about 11 p.m. One clap of thunder shook our house! The storms were still going on when we went to bed but we didn’t hear them. We obviously got a ton of rain: In the morning, a kitty litter bucket (we use them for everything!) was filled to the top with rain water.
I planted the two flats of June-bearing strawberry plants this morning. I didn’t plant them yesterday because we didn’t have the fence up yet to protect them. EJ and I spent all day today fencing in all the raised garden beds. We used some of the smaller t-posts until we ran out and then EJ made posts out of wood. He put in the wooden posts while I pounded in the t-posts. I sucked at nailing the chicken wire to the wooden posts so EJ fastened the wire to them while I fastened the wire to the t-posts.
It was really hot today–about 80 degrees and humid. Ugh. Not particularly pleasant for working. Sometimes we overheated and had to take breaks. However, we worked until we got all the raised garden beds protected–about 6 p.m. or so. Even though it was hot and tiring, we both agreed that we had tons of fun. We would rather do this than almost anything.
Oh, and EJ found the time to hang up the xylophone in the coop for the chickens.
Here are some photos of our garden. You can click on them to make them bigger.
This and That
Tuesday I worked really hard in my garden, which I described in my post, Expansive Dreams. The next day I had absolutely no energy. It didn’t help that we had scattered rain showers–just enough rain that I couldn’t work outside. So I slept instead.
Later in the afternoon, the UPS delivered the metal bed frame that I had ordered. Danny was very excited and he ran up to the delivery truck door when I let him out. The UPS man gave him a couple of dog biscuits and a bit of lovings.
The package was large and heavy so I enlisted JJ to help me take it into the master bedroom. As soon as we had eaten supper, I put the bed frame together. It wasn’t difficult, but I still felt satisfied at my accomplishment. Our bed has a headboard, footboard, and side boards that fasten together. I put the metal frame inside it. I was able to connect the headboard and sideboards together, and one side of the footboard, but for some reason I couldn’t get the last corner together. The bed frame was a hair too big–although why it fit at the headboard and not the footboard, I don’t know. EJ came home as I was struggling with it–he had to work late and got home at 7:30 p.m. He worked on it a bit and finally “corn-cobbled” it together until he can work on a permanent fix at a later date. Since the metal frame and the wooden bed aren’t connected, it won’t cause us any real problems.
The bed frame is very comfortable so we might have finally solved our uncomfortable bed problem. EJ said he even woke up pain-free–although he had to plunger the toilet and that hurt his back again. But still….! There is improvement!
Yesterday was a beautiful day and I had regained my energy so I worked in my garden all day (except for a brief nap). I scrounged around in the garage and found some more wooden boxes. I took photos of some of them with my phone and sent them to EJ at work, asking if he minded if I took them. I didn’t want to take any that he wants to use for projects. I also found some pots. I arranged them on the wooden pallets I had dragged to the duck pen the other day. I gathered some old straw and put a bit in each container and then I shoveled three wheelbarrows full of dirt from our black dirt place and divided the dirt among them. I ran out of time and energy before I got all the boxes/pots filled so today I filled two more wheelbarrows with dirt and finished filling the containers and then I mixed in a little mulch in each.
Now all I have to do is get more plants to fill the containers. I would like to buy strawberries, chamomile, mint, and borage. We also need to plant the garlic and EJ’s onion sets. Oh, I finally found the package of lettuce seeds that I had misplaced. They were in my jeans pocket and went through the wash. Oops. I don’t know if they will grow now, but I planted them just in case they are still good. We will buy more lettuce seeds in case they aren’t. We will go to our favorite plant nursery on Sunday.
The ducks are doing what they are supposed to do: wandering among the pallets eating insects. I call them my Duck Patrol. The chickens are responsible for the compost pile.
Last night I was sitting at my computer when I heard a cat growling. I know what that means–and sure enough, Little Bear had a mouse in his mouth. Timmy and Luke followed Little Bear around as Little Bear growled to tell them to back off. He let the mouse go and it ran toward me so I screamed and climbed on a chair. I’m not exactly scared of mice but I don’t want them climbing up my leg either. JJ laughed. (EJ was asleep and my scream sort of woke him up). Little Bear caught it again, but then released it. I didn’t find any dead mouse body this morning so I assume the mouse got away. I wish the cats would just kill the durn rodents. At times like these I really miss our cat, Princess Winter. She didn’t really like the other cats so she mostly lived upstairs at our old house. Whenever she caught a mouse, she immediately pounced on it and killed it. Sometimes we could hear her crunching bones under our bed. Sort of gruesome, but she got the job done quickly and efficiently–no playing with mice and letting them escape.
This morning when I came back into the house after letting the ducks and chickens out of their coop, I happened to glance outside–and then I shouted, “OH, WOW, WOW, WOW! I NEED MY CAMERA!” Alerted, EJ went to the window and he was overcome with WOWs too! There was a beautiful vibrant rainbow in the sky. We agreed that it was the most vibrant rainbow we had ever seen. I went outside with my camera, but I was unable to fully capture the intense colors of the rainbow. It was much more vibrant than this photo shows. I felt as if I truly live in an Enchanted Forest.
By the way, the Jews say a beautiful blessing whenever they see a rainbow:
Baruch ata Ado-nai Elo-heinu melech ha’olam zocher ha’brit v’ne’eman bivrito v’kayam b’ma’amaro.
Blessed are You, Lord our G‑d, King of the universe, who remembers the covenant, and is faithful to His covenant, and keeps His promise.
This afternoon I talked on the telephone with one of the co-founders of the abuse ministry who wants me to join their team. He told me the vision for their ministry, and we discussed our abuse experiences and beliefs/thoughts about it. I think it’s important to make sure that we are on the same page. He planned to only talk to me for an hour, but we ended up talking for an hour and a half. He never did get around to talking about what part he would like me to play in the ministry so he is going to call back later. We will see where it goes from there.
Expansive Dreams
I have found a new theme song. Unlike the song, though, I’m the one who gave the cold to EJ–after JJ gave it to me.
Ugh. I’m so tired of being sick and cough, cough, coughing all the time!!
We have lived in our new house for two years–we moved in on June 1, 2015–and this is the first summer that we haven’t had to spend weeks driving to the old house downstate. Staying at home and putting in a garden this year is important to me so I am determined that nothing will stop me–not sickness, not coughing, nothing. I have been working hard…and taking naps when I get exhausted. I quickly run out of energy and suddenly crash.
This morning I planted the hot peppers in the boxes at the side of our little deck. They are at the end of the flower garden at the front of the house. I put the peppers and potted plants on the deck next to the flower garden so if I need to water the flower garden this summer, I can get all the plants in one shot without moving the hose around.
I hoed and yanked up the long grass along the flower garden where the mower couldn’t get. I also pulled a few weeds in the flower garden but it’s already mostly weed-free. I raked up all the weeds I pulled and threw them into the corner of the chicken pen that we are using as a compost spot. I read that the chickens will eat what they like and scratch up the stuff they don’t. They are good composters. They loved the fresh grasses.
I decided to drag more of the salvageable old pallets that the previous owners left behind into the duck pen in preparation for expanding our garden. If we don’t get the garden expanded this year, the pallets will be ready for next year–at least they won’t be mouldering in the leaves. The pallets were piled on top of each other at the edge of the forest and the ones near the bottom of the stack were almost buried in leaves. I wore gloves but I kept imagining reaching into the leaves to grab a pallet and finding a snake or dangerous spiders jumping out at me so I went into the garage and found a rope, looped it around a board, and pulled the last few pallets behind me, one by one.
Each time I dragged a pallet into the pen, the ducks eagerly explored it for insects. I dragged ten pallets into the pen, stacked them two-by-two, so I have five additional surfaces ready for boxes/pots.
The empty surfaces are calling to me and I am feeling eager to expand the garden now. I think I have just about run out of boxes, so unless EJ can bring me more, I will have to use plant pots, or the plastic store-bought window boxes we brought up from the old house. There are also three large metal wash tubs, but I don’t want to use them if EJ intends them for some other purpose. Once I gather additional planters, I will have to transport more black dirt from our black dirt area. That’s a lot of work.
But I already have some more plants to plant. I had forgotten that EJ had bought some onion sets the other day. I need to plant those. And when I weeded the flower garden this morning, I found some chives that I had forgotten were there. I want to transplant those. And then one of the garlic bulbs I bought a few weeks ago is growing and I thought, “Oh! I should plant it!”–although I don’t really know when to harvest garlic. I suppose I can learn. I also have to plant the package of lettuce seeds we bought yesterday…but I can’t remember what I did with them.
But most of all I want to buy some strawberry plants. One of my FB friends read my post yesterday about making strawberry shortcake and she asked for my shortcake recipe. I told her that I have made shortcake in the past, but I actually just prefer to make regular biscuits and cover them with strawberries. Yum. I suppose I should call it strawberry and biscuits instead of strawberry shortcake. My friend thought that was a wonderful idea, especially since she has planted strawberries in her garden. And I suddenly remembered, “Oh, I want STRAWBERRY PLANTS!” I kept trying to grow strawberries downstate, but never had much luck with them. I don’t think I had a good enough spot for them. But up here in Northern Michigan, anything is possible, even strawberries! I have to find planter boxes or pots to hold them. There are all sorts of creative ideas on the internet for strawberry planters–including pallets–but I have to have something duck-proof. I am eyeing the metal wash basins…As soon as I can figure out a container for the strawberries, and can fill it with dirt, I hope to buy strawberry plants.
This all just goes to show you that inspiration can have a domino effect–like my biscuits inspiring my friend, who inspired me with her strawberry plants. 🙂
After dragging pallets into the duck pen, I went to the old pickup truck parked at the side of the garage. Its bed is filled with junk that we plan to get rid of. Only…I have found junk to repurpose. Today I dragged out more old fencing. Most of it is not good enough to use for fencing, but I used EJ’s big red wire cutters to cut the salvageable fences in half and pushed them into the garden boxes as anti-duck fencing. The almost unusable pieces–bent and pulled out of shape–I cut and wrapped around the tomato plants as cages. They aren’t pretty, but all they have to do is hold up the tomato plants and keep hungry ducks away. I also found three real tomato cages in the garage for three of the tomato plants. I really could use more fencing, but I think I was able to find enough to protect the plants that need it most.
I found an article today about herbs being good for chickens–for digestion, stress, getting rid of insects and parasites, and all sorts of things. Any culinary herb is good for chickens. The author suggested putting extra cuttings from the herb garden in the nesting boxes. I saved the article, and then I began thinking that I would really like to plant some mint, chamomile, borage (the flowers are edible and taste like cucumber)…I had a really good herb garden downstate and would like to grow one here.
In between everything else, I did laundry today. I didn’t hang them outside to dry because there was a chance of rain. At times the clouds got dramatically dark, but it never did rain.
JJ is loving his park ranger job. The other day a little girl’s bike had a flat tire. JJ used an air compressor to inflate it. The girl was so happy that she gave him a marshmallow.
Planting
We decided we ought to make the raised garden boxes less accessible to the ducks so Sunday morning I went out and dragged some of the old pallets that the previous owner had left into the duck pen. I stacked them two high and placed the boxes on top of them.
Later, EJ and I went grocery shopping for a few things–including items for a cookout for Memorial Day. After we got home, I prepared lunch and made a potato salad for the next day. It began to rain–an amazing downpour.
Before it began raining, EJ worked some more on the lawn mower. He finally gave up on trying to fix it–at least for now. Our grass is getting longer and longer and we need results. After lunch we drove to TSC to buy a new mower. Lowes had one that was a little cheaper, but we really didn’t feel like making the long drive to Lowes. After we bought the mower, we stopped in at Meijers (it’s a store sort of like Wal-mart) to buy some vegetable plants and herbs. It was still raining so we got pretty wet browsing through their outdoor garden center. We bought some tomato, bell and hot peppers, watermelon, cucumbers, zucchini, squash, thyme, basil, oregano, parsley, and cabbage plants. There may be a couple more plants that I’m forgetting. I didn’t buy rosemary because I already have a rosemary plant–and I also have a bay plant.
We used to go to Memorial Day activities when we lived downstate, but we aren’t really aware of where ceremonies are up North. Plus, with EJ’s back hurting and us both feeling sick, we just wanted to putter around home.
Today after breakfast and several cups of coffee, I went outside to prepare the garden boxes for planting. All morning I kept coughing and coughing–deep hacking coughs that I couldn’t stop. As soon as I went outside, I vomited several times in three different places. I actually felt better afterwards. I’m still coughing, but not as constantly as before. Ugh. I hate these sinus infections and will be glad when EJ and I are feeling better. It feels as if we have been sick FOREVER!
I used old straw from the coop and put it in the bottom of the boxes. Then I spent several hours digging up black dirt from the only non-sandy area on our property. I shoveled the dirt into the wheelbarrow, wheeled it into the duck pen, and filled up the boxes. It took me lots of wheelbarrow loads. I forgot to count how many trips I made. I was exhausted by the time I was finished filling the boxes.
Meanwhile, EJ put together the new mower and mowed the lawn. He said the mower worked really well! Since the grass had gotten so long, he put the mower on a high setting. Next time we mow, he will put it on a lower setting so the grass is cut shorter.
After mowing the lawn, EJ got the charcoal grill going, and cooked the delicious steak he had bought yesterday morning. When the steaks were almost done, I started boiling the corn-on-the-cob. We also had potato salad that I had made yesterday. JJ didn’t have to work today so he went to the store and contributed with some corn chips and strawberries. I made strawberry shortcake for dessert. The meal was delicious–especially EJ’s steak!!!
After we ate, EJ and I went back to the garden to plant the veggies and herbs we had bought yesterday. EJ really wanted to help me, but his back is still hurting (poor, poor guy) so he sat in the lawn chair and handed me plants and helped me decide where to put them. When we finished, we still had room for more plants, so we decided to go to the beautiful plant nursery that isn’t very far away. It started to rain as we drove, and I was thinking we were going to have another day of looking for plants in the rain, but the rain quickly stopped. At the nursery I bought a few more pepper plants (both sweet and hot), a few more tomato plants, and lemon grass (it’s supposed to help fight cancer). I added some aspargus plants to my cart, but EJ said, “Where are you going to plant it? It needs more than a box.” I said, “Uh, I dunno.” EJ’s family grew aspargus when he was growing up, but I have never grown any. I put it back–for now–until I figure out where to plant it.
EJ bought an Empire apple tree–his favorite kind. When we got back home, I sort of helped EJ plant his apple tree. He actually dug the hole and place the tree in it–which he shouldn’t have done because it increased his pain again. Poor guy. 😦
Then we went out to the duck pen to plant the new plants. I told EJ that he didn’t have to come with me if he was in too much pain, but he said he enjoys being with me, so he sat in his chair while I planted. The ducks started eyeing the lemon grass, which was in a shallower box–and then one of them nibbled it. Grrrr! They are supposed to eat the bugs that menace our plants; they are NOT supposed to eat the plants!! I found a piece of cattle panel and leaned it against the box so the ducks can’t access it as easily. I might have to see what bits and pieces of fencing I can find to block off the shallower garden boxes.
EJ wants to keep the sweet pepper plants separated from the hot pepper plants, so we planted the sweet peppers in the raised garden and I am planting the hot pepper plants in the boxes on the front porch. I didn’t get the hot peppers planted because I was too tired. I will do it tomorrow.
I’m so excited about our garden!
After we finished our gardening, I washed the day’s dishes, set up the coffee machine for tomorrow, cleaned the litter boxes–all my regular chores. Then I dished us up some yummy strawberry shortcake.
I’m really tired!
Mercy to the Guilty
This is Day 366 of my sinus infection.
Ok, not really.
It’s actually been only a week and a half. However, it feels as if I’ve been sick for a year and a day. Breathing too deeply triggers fits of deep coughing. And I feel very fatigued. I have been taking lots of naps. EJ feels just as sick–although I think his suffering is worse because he also has intense back pain. A co-worker told him about a chiropractor who does “alternative” chirpractory (I don’t know if that’s actually a word), and EJ is considering going to him. He needs to do something to get his pain under control.
Yesterday someone shared this meme at FB:
I actually think the meme the poster shared said, “Mercy to the cruel is cruelty to the innocent.” I think that “cruelty” is one of the adjectives describing an evil person. Other adjectives that I would add would include “abuser,” “unrepentant,” “deceptive,” among many other similar words.
I got into a discussion with another commenter…until the original poster deleted her post. That made me sad because I thought the discussion was very respectful and could have done much good. Too often these days people shut down good discussions. I can’t share the actual discussion–it’s been deleted–but I would like to discuss some of the concepts that the other commenter brought up. It’s something that many Christians seem to struggle with–or maybe it’s that they repeat them without really struggling with them at all. They are concepts I run into repeatedly.
The commenter mentioned that we need to forgive people because we, ourselves, need forgiveness. She said that the Apostle Paul had done many evil things but he was forgiven.
She is correct. King David had also committed evil acts–including adultery and murder–and he also was forgiven. However, both David and Paul received forgiveness because when they were confronted with their wrongdoing, they acknowledged it and repented (turned from it). Because of their genuine repentance, they both were forgiven. Their forgiveness was a result of their repentance.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
People seem to treat everyone as if they are the same. “We all sin. We all need forgiveness.” True to a point. However, there is a HUGE difference between a “normal” person who acknowledges his wrongdoing and turns from it, and an evil person who refuses to acknowledge wrongdoing and refuses to repent. I think that a major truth an abuse victim learns is that there are some people who delight in causing suffering to others. God treats the repentant and the unrepentant differently. One is humbled by his sin, the other harden’s his heart and finds pleasure in doing wrong. One receives forgiveness, the other doesn’t. The Bible says the following [Sorry about the number of verses. Uh, well, I’m not really sorry. I believe that if I just list references, many people won’t look them up so I quote entire passages in the hopes that they will be read and pondered. These are just a few of the many other verses that address these topics]:
Don’t follow the path of the wicked
or walk on the way of evildoers.
Avoid it, don’t go on it,
turn away from it, and pass on.
For they can’t sleep if they haven’t done evil,
they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone fall.
For they eat the bread of wickedness
and drink the wine of violence. (Prov 4:14-17)
Crime speaks to the wicked.
I perceive this in my heart;
before his eyes there is no fear
of God.
For, the way he sees it,
crime makes his life easy —
that is, until his wrongs are discovered;
then, he is hated.
His words are wrong and deceitful;
he has stopped being wise and doing good.
He devises trouble as he lies in bed;
so set is he on his own bad way
that he doesn’t hate evil. (Ps 36:1-4)
The wicked plots against the righteous
and grinds his teeth at him…
The wicked have unsheathed their swords,
they have strung their bows
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slaughter those whose way is upright… (Ps. 37:12, 14a)
“Now this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, but people loved the darkness rather than the light. Why? Because their actions were wicked. For everyone who does evil things hates the light and avoids it, so that his actions won’t be exposed. (John 3:19-20)
There are many other such verses. These people are not those who occasionally do wrong. They intentionally plot and plan. They do not fear God. How does God feel about these wicked people? Glad you asked:
Adonai tests the righteous;
but he hates the wicked and the lover of violence.
He will rain hot coals down on the wicked,
fire, sulfur and scorching wind
will be what they get to drink. (Ps. 11:5-6)
But by your stubbornness, by your unrepentant heart, you are storing up anger for yourself on the Day of Anger, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed; for he will pay back each one according to his deeds. To those who seek glory, honor and immortality by perseverance in doing good, he will pay back eternal life. But to those who are self-seeking, who disobey the truth and obey evil, he will pay back wrath and anger. (Romans 25-8)
The LORD is far from the wicked,
But He hears the prayer of the righteous. (Prov 29:27)
How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, Whose hope is in the LORD his God, Who made heaven and earth, The sea and all that is in them; Who keeps faith forever; Who executes justice for the oppressed; Who gives food to the hungry The LORD sets the prisoners free. The LORD opens the eyes of the blind; The LORD raises up those who are bowed down; The LORD loves the righteous; The LORD protects the strangers; He supports the fatherless and the widow, But He thwarts the way of the wicked. (Ps 146:5-9)
The Lord is a God who avenges.
O God who avenges, shine forth.
Rise up, Judge of the earth;
pay back to the proud what they deserve.
How long, Lord, will the wicked,
how long will the wicked be jubilant?
They pour out arrogant words;
all the evildoers are full of boasting.
They crush your people, Lord;
they oppress your inheritance.
They slay the widow and the foreigner;
they murder the fatherless.
They say, “The Lord does not see;
the God of Jacob takes no notice.”
Take notice, you senseless ones among the people;
you fools, when will you become wise?
Does he who fashioned the ear not hear?
Does he who formed the eye not see?
Does he who disciplines nations not punish?
Does he who teaches mankind lack knowledge?
The Lord knows all human plans;
he knows that they are futile. (Ps 94:1-11)
We aren’t comfortable with the idea of an angry God, are we? Yet, I think it’s very comforting to observe exactly who God is angry with. He is a God who judges wickedness and is against the wicked. I think it’s very comforting that God loves those who are oppressed and needy, crushed and broken-hearted. God is NOT angry with the oppressed. He does NOT support the wicked.
The commenter I debated quoted that we are to “love our enemies” and “do good” to them.
Most people who I have encountered quickly quote “love your enemies,” but I do not believe they ever really pause to define what “love” really means. Uh…have you considered what it means?
To most, love seems to be some vague, nebulous concept that means that we are never to speak against evil, never challenge the behavior of an abuser, never say “This is wrong.” I think they think it means that because any time a victim speaks out against abuse, she is told that she is unloving and needs to forgive and “love her enemies.”
By that definition, God, the prophets, Jesus, and the Apostles were very unloving because they said some pretty harsh things. For example, this is one “woe” in a chapter (Matt.23) filled with many statements of “woe to you”:
Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
Not exactly a statement filled with nicely sweet “love,” is it?
So could it be that “love” is not just nice, sweet, nebulous words? Could it be that a loving person is not one who keeps silent when evil is done, but one who challenges and confronts evil, who exposes it, who stands against it? Could it be that when we speak out against evil and challenge the evildoer, we are “doing good”?
Elohim stands in the divine assembly;
there with the elohim [judges], he judges:
“How long will you go on judging unfairly,
favoring the wicked? (Selah)
Give justice to the weak and fatherless!
Uphold the rights of the wretched and poor!
Rescue the destitute and needy;
deliver them from the power of the wicked!” (Ps 82:1-4)
Open your mouth for the mute, For the rights of all the unfortunate. Open your mouth, judge righteously, And defend the rights of the afflicted and needy. (Prov. 31:8-9)
Have nothing to do with the deeds produced by darkness, but instead expose them. (Eph 5:11)
Whoever says to the guilty, “You are innocent,” will be cursed by peoples and denounced by nations. But it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and rich blessing will come on them. (Prov. 24:25)
Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed.Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow. (Isa. 1:17)
I have been hearing a lot about a Netflix series called The Keepers so I began watching it last night. It is a 7-episode documentary that explores the unsolved murder of the nun Sister Cathy Cesnik who taught at Archbishop Keough High School, and how her former students believe that there was a cover up by authorities after Cesnik suspected that the priest at the school, A. Joseph Maskell, was guilty of sexual abuse. It’s a very horrific and heartbreaking series to watch, but very eye-opening. It is a very important series to watch.
I remember years ago when numerous stories began to surface of sexual abuse within the Catholic church. I thought it was horrific–but I’m not Catholic. Catholics were “them” and it’s not surprising that “they” would cover up sexual abuse. “My” denomination wouldn’t do such things. Or so I thought. I think everyone would like to think that “my” church, family, or organization are safe places filled with good people and such things couldn’t happen there.
As I experienced abuse and began to research it, I began to realize that most sexual predators know their victims and many are in positions of trust: family members, family friends, teachers, pastors, counselors, children’s leaders. As I have said many times before, predators go where they can find prey, and their favorite hunting grounds are churches, schools, children’s clubs, counseling offices.
Christians do not want to hear this. Whenever a person tries to speak out about abuse in the church, he/she is immediately accused of being unloving, unforgiving, judgmental, unChristlike, bitter, angry. She (or he) is instructed that she must “love her enemies.” I’ve almost never heard anyone express any concern for the victim or mention anything about showing the victim love, mercy, and justice. In fact, Biblical concepts have become twisted: challenging evil is seen as unloving, longing for justice is seen as being judgmental, repentance is legalistic. This is not what the Bible says–go back through and re-read the Scriptures I have shared if you need to. Or do your own research. Look beyond the few verses you always look at.
Woe to those who call evil good
and good evil,
who put darkness for light
and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet
and sweet for bitter. (Isa 5:20)
By the way, I think it’s more important to pursue righteousness–to do what is right–than to cover up evil in order to protect the reputation of a family, group, church, or organization.
I watched three episodes of The Keepers last night and I was so troubled that I had trouble sleeping. I ended up having a nightmare in which a woman was abusing her foster kids. “Stop!” I cried. “Don’t do this! What you are doing is wrong! It is not right!”
Indeed.
Here are a couple excellent links posted at the Church Protect site:
WHY CHILD RAPISTS ARE TREATED FAR BETTER THAN THEIR VICTIMS IN THE CHURCH
The Xylophone
EJ went back to work today–although between his coughing and our uncomfortable bed, he didn’t get much sleep last night. He could barely walk this morning, but he couldn’t miss another day of work. I prayed for him constantly throughout the day. He made it through the day, which is an improvement.
This sure is a nasty sickness! EJ says his lungs feel as if they are burning. I can’t take a deep breath without triggering a terrible coughing fit. I didn’t sleep well last night either, and I kept coughing when I went to bed tonight and I didn’t want to keep EJ awake so I decided that I might as well come out to write. If I continue to cough, I will sleep on the couch tonight so he can sleep. EJ said that one of his co-workers told him that his wife had the same symptoms we have and she didn’t get rid of the sinus infection for three weeks. Ugh.
Despite the coughing, I’m feeling better. I was still going to take it easy today and maybe take a nap or two, but I ended up doing a lot of stuff–more than I had planned.
First of all, I dismantled the platform EJ had made for our bed. We have been having a lot of trouble sleeping comfortably. Even I, who don’t struggle with back problems, wake up with a sore back. I have never had such problems with a bed before we moved up here. I suspect maybe something got damaged in the move. The problem is that we can’t figure out the source. We have made several “tweaks,” including buying a box springs (we had to leave our old one downstate because we couldn’t get it out of the house…long-ish story), buying a memory foam topper, building a platform, and buying a new mattress. Our tweaks help a little, but not enough. We are running out of things to tweak. Last night we moved the memory foam topper to see if that would help, but EJ could barely walk this morning. So after he left for work, I removed the platform and later ordered a sturdy metal bed frame that had high reviews. Maybe that will work. I hope so. Until the bed frame arrives, I put the box springs on the floor inside our wooden bed frame with the mattress and topper on top. I think it felt more comfortable, but couldn’t stop coughing enough to really check it out. The biggest problem is getting out of bed because the sides of the bed are a bit higher than the box springs and mattress.
In addition to dismantling the bed platform, I maneuvered the box springs and mattress inside the wooden bed frame, washed the mattress covers, sort of worked at organizing EJ’s garage just a little bit, cleaned the house, and took the house plants outside. I think it’s warm enough now that we won’t get any frost. I did my regular poultry chores, including cleaning their coop a bit, and I walked down the driveway to get the mail. I made potato salad and hamburgers for supper. I also looked on-line for an inexpensive lawn mower in case we can’t get the mower started and we have to buy a new one. One way or another, I want to mow the lawn this weekend. The grass is getting long. I read at FB that it’s possible to rent a goat to keep a lawn short, but EJ was against that. (LOL). I might have done a few more things. Or not. I can’t really remember. I know I did a lot and I didn’t get a nap.
At 5 p.m. tonight the UPS Man arrived with our package. He gave Danny two dog treats. Danny loved that! The package contained vacuum cleaner bags, a book for EJ, and the xylophone for the chickens. I was in the middle of cooking supper so I had to wait to take it out to them. Once we had eaten, I took it out to the coop. Chickens are always wary of anything new, but Henny Penny did peck it a few times. She is my favorite hen because she always comes running when she sees me. She also is the most willing to try new things. Of course, I videoed the chickens’ first encounter with the xylophone:
The ducks wondered what all the fuss was about, so after I left the chicken pen, I showed them the xylophone. They nibbled it a little, but lost interested when they saw it wasn’t something to eat. I think the ducks prefer eating and talking.
We had a bit of rain this evening, which is good. We need rain.
Feeling Mighty Low
I think yesterday–I can’t even remember what day it was…Sunday?–was the low point for me as far as this sinus infection goes. I felt weak and tired. I kept coughing deep wracking coughs and I couldn’t breathe through my nose at all. When I tried to get up, I faint and a bit nauseous. It was awful. I didn’t even want to watch Netflix because it sounded too noisy.
Even though EJ is also sick–and in pain from his back–he took care of me. I think that though he felt bad, he felt slightly less bad. He did the dishes and cooked us a simple broth soup, which neither of us could taste because our noses were all stuffed up. EJ also came outside with me to gather the eggs. I didn’t want to go alone because I was afraid I’d faint, but he didn’t know where the ducks and chickens laid their eggs and he couldn’t have reached down to retrieve them with his back as it is so we went together. I gathered the eggs and he was there in case I fainted or vomited.
JJ agreed to put the poultry in their coop for the night, but since he had never done it before, I went with him to show him how. I think he rather enjoyed herding the ducks into the coop. All a person really has to do is get them started and they waddle into the coop themselves. Tonight I was a distance from them and I just pointed my rooster whacker cane at them and they waddled off to their coop. Ducks are goofy, but not stupid.
JJ said several times over the last few days, “You could go to the doctor, you know.” However, I’m 99.999999% sure that I have the same sickness as he did so I simply followed the advice his doctor had given him: which was to take an OTC medication (can’t remember the name–we bought the store brand), drink hot lemon water with honey in it, and get plenty of rest. The only thing I didn’t have was the Flonase, but EJ said it could be bought at the store without a prescription. I bought some this afternoon, so I’m good. I’m doing everything the doctor told JJ to do AND I have put Vicks on my throat.
I slept most of this morning, and when I woke, I noticed much improvement. Which is very good because EJ had a doctor’s appointment at 4:15 p.m. and he was feeling bad enough today that he needed me to drive him there. EJ has to be feeling pretty bad to want me to drive–not because I’m a terrible driver (I’m not), but because he likes to drive and I like to let him drive so I can enjoy the scenery and take photos.
We took the Xterra to the doctors because the parking lot at the doctor’s is narrow and EJ said that it’s sometimes difficult to pull out of the parking space in the Suburban. The Xterra is shorter. I stayed in the Xterra while EJ went in for his appointment. I could relax, read my book, sip my tea, and not annoy other patients with my cough, which is still terrible.
When EJ came out, he said that the doctor had given him a new prescription for his pain meds and cleared him to go to work tomorrow. We stopped at the store on the way home so he could get his prescription filled. I bought some Flonase for me.
I felt well enough that I was able to do some laundry, and fix supper, do dishes, and put the ducks and chickens in their coop for the night. I’m definitely beginning to come out of it.
JJ only was sick for four days. I have been sick for almost a week. I’m hoping EJ will feel better tomorrow so he won’t have a difficult day at work. Poor guy.
Sicker than a Dog
So I’ve been sitting here thinking “I feel sicker than a dog.” Then I thought that I have never seen a dog as sick as I am so, being who I am even when I’m sick,” I googled “sicker than a dog origin.” All I really found was that
There are several expressions of the form sick as a …, that date from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Sick as a dog is actually the oldest of them, recorded from 1705; it is probably no more than an attempt to give force to a strongly worded statement of physical unhappiness.
Well, duh. I thought I’d find an interesting origin story, but all I found was that it means “a strongly worded statement of physical unhappiness.” Ok. I am sicker than a dog.
I thought I was feeling slightly better yesterday, as if–though still sick–I had turned a corner. No food seemed appealing but I made us some soup. We were almost out of fake NyQuil (the store brand), and we were all out of stuff to make a hot lemon drink with honey and ginger, and we didn’t have any frozen burritos–which EJ calls “bachelor chow.” We keep frozen burritos in the freezer for those days when, for whatever reason, we need a quick no-fuss meal; we can just throw a few in the oven. Anyway, I decided to go to the store to gather more provisions while I was feeling a slight upturn.
As soon as I turned the suburban onto the road, I thought, “I have no business driving” because I felt woozy and sluggish. It’s only a couple of miles to the grocery store, so I focused on keeping the sub between the lines of the road. I made it to the store, grabbed a small cart, and entered the store, and then I stood there for a minute and thought, “Why did I come to the store? What was I supposed to get? Who sent me?” I almost texted EJ to ask him what I was supposed to get, but then I remembered. I got a few other things too. Ground beef was on sale. I bought some paper towels. Cat food. And other things.
I took my small cart up to the cashier, and the bagger asked, “Paper or plastic?” They should know by now that we always want paper, shouldn’t they? But I dutifully said, “Paper” and then the bagger asked if I wanted help carrying out my groceries or if I would like my groceries in a bigger cart, and I just stood there while my mind sluggishly worked out the English meaning of the English words she was using. I finally told her that I could carry out my own groceries (thanks) but maybe I could use a bigger cart. So she got me one and I paid for my groceries, and I drove home, focusing on keeping the suburban between the lines in the road.
And the rest of the day I felt sicker than a dog.
But I still washed the dishes and did a couple loads of laundry. I did the laundry because EJ brought me a cup of fake NyQuil but he filled the little cup too full and some of it spilled on my soft fuzzy bear blanket and on my clothes. So I had to change and do laundry so I wouldn’t have fake NyQuil stains on my blanket and clothes.
I felt a little sorry for myself that when I get sick, I still have to go to the store, and wash dishes, and do some laundry, and take care of chickens and ducks, and make us hot meals and hot lemon drinks with honey and ginger. But I feel more sorry for poor EJ is sick too PLUS he has his aching back to deal with PLUS he has to go to work on Monday. Poor guy. We are trying to take care of each other. (Meanwhile, JJ is on the definite upswing. He went to the theater with a friend last night to watch Guardian of the Galaxy 2. They watched it on IMAX and 3D. He said it was awesome.)
I feel sicker than a dog, and keep coughing until I almost barf, and then I shiver with cold. Meanwhile, EJ says he feels hot and is “sweating like a pig.” I was determined not to look up the origin of “sweating like a pig,” but I did–of course I did–and it has a cooler origin story than “sicker than a dog”:
Pigs don’t sweat much, so they wallow in the mud to cool off their bodies. So how did the English language expression “sweating like a pig” develop? It’s actually a reference to pig iron, which is form of iron smelting:
When pig iron is originally created from iron ore, the smelter needs to heat the ore to extreme temperatures, and then move the liquid metal into the mold. Until the liquid cools, it can’t be safely moved, as the extremely hot metal is liable to spill, burning whatever it comes in contact with.
How does the smelter know when the metal is cool enough to transport? When the “pigs” “sweat.” As the metal cools, the air around it reaches the dew point, causing droplets to form on the metal’s surface.
So there ya go.
EJ lay in his lazyboy yesterday with the fan pointed at him and I lay on the couch wrapped in granny’s quilt (until my fuzzy bear blanket was washed and dried), and we watched Netflix. We finished the series we were watching–The Travelers. It was only one season (so far?) and ended on a cliffhanger, which I groaned about. Then I went searching for another Netflix series. I noticed that Sherlock had new episodes so we watched two of them.
Today is probably going to be spent much like yesterday, although I’m not going to drive anywhere. I think I feel worse today than yesterday.
Oh, yesterday I ordered a child’s xylophone from Amazon for the chickens. This is how sick my mind is. Actually, we’ve been wanting to get one ever since we saw a video of chickens playing with one. We intended to get one at Goodwill, but all we could find is the battery operated keyboards. Anyway, stay tuned for my chickens’ recital. 🙂
I Love To Go A Gardening 