I Love To Go A Gardening
Growing Our Life in Northern Michigan
In the Night
We are all sleeping fitfully this night.
JJ fell asleep on the couch as soon as we got home from a whirlwind day of medical exams and tests. He has been video-chatting with a friend across the country. He is actually handling this quite well. We have a courageous son.
EJ slept a bit in his recliner. I heard him and JJ’s voices talking at some point in the night. EJ has also chatted with family and friends on FB.
I tried to sleep on the little loveseat. It’s not the most comfortable place to sleep. It’s too short, for one thing. About 4 p.m. I went upstairs to try to sleep. I know that I need energy for the coming day. The bed is comfortable, but the aloneness is not. After a few minutes of crying in the lonely dark, I headed back downstairs to rejoin EJ and JJ.
I have been trying to share what has happened in general terms so as not to embarrass JJ, but he said a few moments ago that I have his permission to share exactly what is happening. Who knows? Maybe this will help others be aware–more than we were.
JJ has a mass in one of his testicles. The mass is very big. Like the size of a baseball. The urologist said that there is a more than 95+ chance that the mass is cancerous. He said that if JJ were in Stage 1, trying to do a biopsy would push him immediately into Stage 4. So the testicle is being removed in a few hours. We only hope the cancer hasn’t spread. I am worried because JJ has gotten very thin. We thought he wasn’t eating because of the stress of working and starting college. He’s been very, very busy. Jared said that at first he thought, “Oh, wow, I’m a MAN!” Uh, they don’t get THAT big, son.
This has happened so quickly that we are stunned. We haven’t had time to adjust to anything. We believe that God is good, and He loves us, and He will help us through no matter what we have to face. However, we also are facing a terrible thing: Cancer, a person’s worse nightmare, a parent’s greatest fear. We want to hang on to hope, but not false hope. We know that God can heal. However, we also know that sometimes really awful things happen. To me, faith isn’t about only trusting God in good times, and it isn’t about trusting Him only if things turn out the way that we want–in this case, that JJ would come through this ok. Faith also involves trusting God when our world is falling apart.
I once went through a very difficult time. Well, actually I have been through many difficult times, but in this particular time, I cried with a friend. And after we had cried and talked for a bit, she said, “You know, TJ, your faith and my faith isn’t pretty. It’s messy. We cry and struggle. But deep down below the messiness there is within us a solid foundation that says, “I love and trust God and I will not let Him go.”
I have always believed in honesty, in being real about where I am. My faith isn’t always pretty. I don’t want this thing to happen to JJ. I want to be angry, but I don’t know who to be angry towards. My heart breaks that JJ has to endure this surgery. I do not know how I will endure if the cancer has spread. One moment at a time, I expect.
Meanwhile, we try to face this honestly. JJ says, “You know, this really sucks.” And we agree. It does. He says, “I can endure losing a testicle, but it’s going to be really bad if the doctor finds out that I have to lose two, or that the cancer has spread through my body.” Absolutely. We agree. He said, “Oh, wow, if I get through this, does that mean I can wear a ‘I survived cancer’ t-shirt?” Of course. He also is honestly looking at the possibility that he might not ever be able to have children. Only one testicle is involved right now, but if it spread to two? “I’d adopt,” he says.
EJ and I are facing the nightmare of having a sick child. We would suffer this for him if we could. I feel as if I am on the edge of a cliff. We are thinking, “How can we endure if JJ’s cancer spreads?” Please, my Adonai, do not let it have spread. Please let us have joy at the end of this day. But if not, help us endure.
Our friend finished working on my not-working computer a day or two ago, but we haven’t had time to retrieve it. EJ is sharing his computer with me. A few minutes after I rejoined my family, EJ handed his computer to me and settled back down in his recliner to try to sleep a little bit more.
I am overwhelmed by the love and support and prayers of people. As I read the comments here and elsewhere, tears slipped down my face. “Stop crying, Mom!” JJ said. Ok. I wiped the tears away.
But I am crying because I am scared and I am crying because God won’t let me go through this alone. He is sending wonderful people.
Near, Not Alone
First thing this morning I called the specialist, as directed, to get an appointment for our son JJ. The doctor took a moment to look at the reports that had been sent to him and then said that he wanted us to get to his office ASAP. So we got there as quickly as we could. The doctor examined JJ and said that there was a 95+ percent chance that the mass was malignant. He said JJ needed surgery to remove the mass. He ordered blood tests and a CT scan to make sure the cancer has not spread to other parts of his body. He will have surgery tomorrow at 12:30 to remove the mass.
JJ has been really healthy through his life and has never experienced being a patient in a hospital and all that it involves. Now he has experienced blood tests, an ultrasound, and a CT scan, all in just a couple of days. He is also experiencing not being able to work, having to drop out of college, and many other difficult possibilities.
Jared is handling this all pretty well, considering. We try to keep things light so he can laugh. I am very glad that he can vocalize his questions and fears. We don’t try to offer him false platitudes but let him express that he hates this, or is afraid, or ask questions of how this will affect his life. We honestly discuss the realities of the situation and the options we have.
As parents, we have to face the greatest fear a parent can have. We have to face the fear that our only son is sick, that his cancer could have spread, as well as the fear that we could lose him. These are hard things. We are aware that no matter how strong a person’s faith is, sometimes heartbreaking things happen. Pretending it can’t happen isn’t helpful to me. Knowing it can happen and then struggling to trust God with it is more honest to me. We know He is near, but it’s ok to cry.
Of tremendous comfort are those who have gone through this sort of heartache, who understand the fear. To have them wrap their arms around us and cry with us and give us their wisdom is of great value. One friend, who has a disabled son, wrote such a beautiful letter. Part of it says:
Whatever you want to share or talk about – I am here for all of you…I am weeping with you my friends and maybe this will be one of the times that we see Adonai work His miracles – I am praying for it – pleading for it. There is a hope for our children,TJ. Yeshua [Jesus] is collecting up all the tears we weep and bringing them before the Father.
I am crying too hard to say things the way I mean and to be encouraging. You are a strong family and your faith is strong. Hang onto Yeshua and He will not let you go! He is our strength and our refuge – we can hide in the shelter of His wings. Hide there and you will remain strong.
Other friends have written similar things, and I feel strengthened by their tears and love
. It is also a comfort that so many friends are praying for JJ, and they are asking their friends to pray for him. It’s like a web reaching around the country and world. How awesome.
We are exhausted.
We are all sleeping downstairs tonight on recliners and couches. We need to be near each other, not alone.
An Unwanted Journey
Today we started out on a new journey, one that we never wanted to have to take.
Last night JJ told us about a health issue he was having. First thing this morning we went to a doctor about it. She told us to go immediately to the ER in a big hospital about an hour away for an ultrasound.
The results weren’t as good as we wanted. JJ has a mass. We don’t know yet if it’s benign or malignant. First thing tomorrow morning we have to call an urologist and get things going. Hopefully we can get in right away.
On the way home, JJ said, “You are being calm about this.” I think we are actually rather numb right now. It hasn’t sunk in. I told JJ that I think that the hardest point is before you have a diagnosis because then you fluctuate between hope that it is minor and fear that it is not. Once you have a diagnosis, even if it’s bad, you begin focusing on treatment and what to do next.
JJ has begun considering how this will affect college, work, and his future. Should he quit college? Quit work? It’s a lot to deal with. I told him to take one thing at a time, hold on to God, and seize moments of joy.
We stopped for Chinese food on the way home. A moment of joy.
Interesting Things
On Monday, EJ and I went to the book sale at the library. We can’t resist book sales. We ended up buying another couple dozen books for $3.20.
As we arrived at the library, we saw an older man on foot pull a good-sized wagon and park on the library lawn. EJ talked to him a bit and discovered that he is walking across America. Usually people who are walking or biking across the country have some reason for doing so–a personal challenge, to experience the country up close, or to raise awareness for a cause. EJ said this man didn’t say why he was making this journey. He just said that he is looking for a place to rent over the winter before continuing on his way in the Spring. I thought it was really interesting.
I often think that there are interesting people and events happening all the time. Some of them are big and some are small. Today EJ and I went to the grocery store, and we saw a woman with a dog on a leash at the deli counter inside the store. I always enjoy encountering cats or dogs in a store, but usually they are not allowed in grocery stores unless they are service dogs. Usually service dogs have vests on indicating that they are working. This dog had nothing of the sort. We wondered why there was a dog in the store. Did the woman sneak the dog in? Did she have permission from the store? And, if so, what was the reason? We will probably never know, but it’s interesting to speculate.
I have been caring for my neighbor’s little dog while she at a wedding in another state. I walk the two blocks to her house twice a day–once in the morning and once in the evening–to let the dog out and feed him. I think caring for an animal involves more than just providing for his physical needs. It also involves giving him love and attention. However Keno is very timid and skittish and for four days he kept out of my reach, running away when I got close to him. I kept speaking gently to him, and when he was ready to come back inside, I would gently pull on his chain to draw him close and pet him. He always ran away as soon as I got him unchained and in the house.
Monday morning, for the first time, he came close to me on his own. I sat down on the couch and he pressed his little body against my leg so I could pet him. That night when I had provided for his physical needs, I sat on the couch again and he ran up to me and jump into my lap. I held him for about 20 minutes, talking to him and stroking him. Now we are buddies. He watches for me at the window and greets me with excitement when I come into the house. As soon as I finish caring for him and sit in the big chair, he leaps into my lap and cuddles with me.
Keno reminds me of little fawn. He is very small and delicate, with doe-like eyes. His face is very expressive. He studies my face intently, as if he is trying to see what will please me. When I talked to him, his ears perk up. He is very adorable. I’m always somewhat sorry to leave him because I think he must be lonely. I spend as much time as I can with him. His owner will return in a few days.
Today was a beautiful sunny day. This afternoon I went outside and harvested my sunflowers.
My Birthday Gift
Today is my birthday. I am <mumble, mumble> years old. 🙂
For my birthday gift, EJ is going to build floor-to-ceiling book shelves along one wall of our living room. I can’t wait. We have an upstairs room stuffed with books; it will be wonderful to have our favorite books downstairs where they are more accessible. We would have bought the materials for the shelves today, but it rained so we will get them another day.
I enjoy gifts, but my favorite birthday gifts are memories. I love to simply spend time with my family doing something enjoyable. Often for my birthday we go on a drive enjoying the beautiful autumn trees and talking. One year we drove to a beautiful bird sanctuary. Some years we have driven to cider mills. Today EJ and I drove to a home improvement store for insulation.
Ok, that might sound like an awful sort of gift, but I actually loved it. First we drove to East Lansing where Michigan State University is located. There are a lot of interesting shops and restaurants there. EJ planned to surprise me by stopping at an Asian Market for “real” kimchee. However, the market was closed today. Oh, well. We stopped at a Chinese restaurant to eat. I love Chinese food. It was interesting because we were the only non-Chinese people in this restaurant. The food was delicious. The portions were huge, so we ate what we could and then boxed up the rest for JJ. He is a late night-owl and hates home improvement stores, so we didn’t wake him this morning to go with us.
After we ate, we finally got around to stopping at the home improvement store. EJ and I love to browse through home improvement stores. We dream and drool over tools and fancy appliances and kitchen cabinets and bathroom showers and admire the color and texture of various things. We exclaim, “Oh, would you love this in our bathroom?” or “We could do our cabinets like that.” We discuss future projects. Today we admired a beautiful bathroom sink that looked like a leaf. We loved the color and texture of it even though it wouldn’t really work in our house. EJ lingered over a wood-splitter and he got a huge case of “lust” for a new washer and dryer that were on sale. We have a stackable washer/dryer in the bathroom, but the washer part quit working a year or so ago, so we’ve been washing our clothes at the local laundromat and bringing them home to dry. We only have space for a stackable washer/dryer, but the bad thing about a stackable is that if it breaks, we have to replace the whole unit. We have begun discussing the possibility of taking out the bathtub and putting in a shower so we can fit a regular washer and dryer in the bathroom. After EJ finished talking to the salesperson, I reminded him that I don’t need a fancy new washer and dryer–I would be happy with used ones. He agreed. We left the store with the insulation and nothing else.
After a brief stop at Gander Mountain, a sporting goods store, we drove to a wonderful grocery store that has the feel of a farm market. It has fruits and veggies, flowers, free coffee, and sometimes live music. It has regular fruits and veggies like apples, oranges, potatoes, and cabbage, but it also has very exotic produce that we’ve seen nowhere else–like cactus leaves and star fruit. Some of the produce looks like alien food from a science fiction movie.
I also love the store because of the people. I love to people-watch, and there are so many interesting people from many different cultures at this store. Sometimes there are brief encounters. Today, a man saw me put cinnamon sticks in our shopping cart and he asked, “Is that cinnamon?” I explained that I use an electric coffee grinder to grind my own cinnamon. It’s cheaper that way. He thought that was interesting. We walked a little further and a store employee saw the bottle of Sholom wine in our cart. He asked, “Is that Sholom wine? I’ve often thought about trying it, but never have. Is it any good?” So we paused and explained that whenever we go to this store, we buy at least one thing that we have never had before, just to try it. Sometimes we like the strange food and sometimes we don’t, but it’s always interesting to try. This time, our strange new “food” was the wine. Usually we have kosher grape juice for Shabbat, but this time we decided to try the kosher wine. We talked to this young man for maybe five or ten minutes. It was fun. A few minutes later, as I was scooping peanuts into a bag, I heard a woman walking by say to her companion, “…I would like that. I am not a reader…” Just a snippet of conversation that caught my interest. “How can ANYONE not be a reader???” I thought with horror.
Rain had threatened all day and finally hit as we left the store. It was a gentle rain that was not unpleasant to walk through. All the way home, I shelled the peanuts we bought at the store, giving one to EJ and then one to me. When we reached home, JJ helped us unload the groceries. Then we got out the leftover Chinese food. We let JJ have most of it because he hadn’t eaten all day and he loves Chinese food as much as I do. Yum.
Later, at twilight, as EJ and I walked to our neighbor’s house to care for her little dog while she is away, I looked for a rainbow. The setting sun was shining on dark rainclouds so I thought there was a good chance for one. At first I couldn’t find any, but then I spotted a small one just above the trees. It was beautiful.
It was a wonderful gift of a memorable day.
Enjoyable Temptations
This was one of those days when I was busy from sunrise to sunset. However, it was an enjoyable busy and an enjoyable day.
I woke just before 7:30 a.m. and immediately started making challah bread. I knew we had errands to run, so I wanted to get it braided and rising for the last time before we left. After I got it rising for the first time, I made pancake batter for breakfast. I put in whole wheat flour, buckwheat flour, oatmeal, wheat germ, cinnamon, and apples. It’s a filling hearty meal.
As soon as we ate breakfast, EJ and I loaded some stuff that we were donating to the Hospice store. Danny tried to come along, jumping in the car through an open door, but we had no room for him so I had to pull him out of the car and into the house. He wasn’t happy.
We dropped the stuff at the first Hospice store in a larger town about 30 minutes away. One of EJ and my favorite things to do is drive through beautiful countryside and talk. The drive is a delight because every day the trees get more and more colorful. When we had dropped the items off, we drove to the furniture Hospice store across town. I had seen a behind-the-couch table the last time we were there, and we wanted to consider it. However, it was already sold and gone. Oh, well. No great loss.
We drove on to the grocery store for groceries. EJ bought me a couple jars of Kim-chee. He knows that I like it so he often sneaks some into the shopping cart when we go to this store. I developed a taste for Kim-chee when my Korean sister-in-law made it for my family when she first came to the USA years ago. Yum.
On the way home, as we drove through another town, we decided to stop at the Farmer’s Market that is set up every Friday in the Hospital parking lot. While EJ bought honey and maple syrup, I stopped at the booth of the lady selling herbs. I have bought herbs from this woman before and she is very willing to share her knowledge of herbs. I wanted to buy a sage plant. I have sage already growing in my herb garden, but it is very large and I want to try to grow herbs inside during the winter so I need a small plant. I selected a sage plant and then the woman showed me some tarragon and invited me to break off a leaf and taste it. It tasted very good, sort of licorice-ish. I set a tarragon plant next to my sage plant. I will have to read up on how to use it in cooking. I saw a plant called Lady’s Mantle and asked the herb lady about it. She said that these days it’s grown mostly for ornament. She said it’s very pretty. So I bought one. All three plants didn’t cost very much. A man was playing a guitar and singing as we shopped. EJ dropped some money in his case as we left. It was fun. I think next week is the last Farmer’s Market until Spring. I will miss it. Farmer’s Markets are delightful.
When EJ and I got home, we carried in the groceries and I put my challah bread in the oven to bake. While it was baking, EJ and I decided to stop at a couple of yard sales we saw down the street. We love thrift stores and yard sales. We didn’t buy anything. We returned home and I scrambled to finish baking the bread and fixing soup.
After EJ left for work, I drove to the elevator at the end of our street to buy cat food. Then I drove to the other end of our small village for our mail. Our village is so small that there is no home delivery within village limits. We all have post office boxes. I was dismayed by this when we first moved here–I mean, whoever heard of no mail delivery??? However, I quickly learned to enjoy walking the two blocks to the post office every day. I had no mail today, but the post office is right next to our library and I had read on Facebook that the library was having a used book sale. We love thrift stores, yard sales, and book sales. The book sale was large with books for sale everywhere, on every table and in boxes under tables. It was a booklover’s paradise. The books were very cheap: 25 cents for a hardcover book and 10 cents for a paperback. I had a very happy few minutes browsing through all the books. I bought a couple dozen. All those books only cost me about three dollars! Later on Facebook I hinted that the library should continue the sale next week so EJ could enjoy it as well and our librarian commented, “Your wish is my command.” We have the sweetest librarian. That’s one of the perks of living in a very small town. We don’t have mail delivery, but we have sweet librarians.
When I got home, I took Danny for his walk. We had a risk for some storms, but the storms have gone around us, as they often do, so the walk was nice although it was humid. We met some neighbors–a husband and wife–walking together. As the wife gave Danny some lovings, she said that she never knows if some dogs are friendly, especially if they are running free, but Danny is so cute and lovable and wanting to greet everyone that he makes her laugh and she loves to pet him. Danny has a lot of friends along our route. The kids all know his name. A little further along our route Danny and I encountered a couple more garage sales so we stopped at them. I didn’t see anything I wanted, which is just as well since I didn’t have any money with me. I did, however, enjoy a nice chat with a couple of women holding one of the sales.
JJ left for work, and I spent the next few hours doing dishes, cleaning the house, and planting my new herbs. The sage and tarragon I put in pots and brought into the house. Winter better come soon or I will have a jungle in my house as I add more plants on my window sills. I weeded my herb garden for a while to make room for the Lady’s Mantle.
Then it was time to go care for my neighbor’s dog, Keno. This neighbor lives two blocks away. She is actually the sister-in-law of my very dear friend who moved away several years ago. The family is going to a wedding out-of-state and she asked me to care for her little dog while she is gone. Starting today, I have to go every morning and evening to feed the dog and let it outside. Keno is quite cute, but he doesn’t know me very well, so he was a bit nervous to have me there. He kept barking at me and running away. I was calm and gentle as I tried to reassure him and make friends with him. He let me pet him finally, although he was still unsure of me.
When I got home again, I prepared parsley for drying in the dehydrator. I am looking for a parsley plant or seeds to grow, but until then I just bought cut parsley at the grocery store today. I want to be able to make Scarborough Tea this winter.
Finally, I was done with the tasks of the day and could sit down and relax. It was a beautiful day, filled with enjoyable temptations.
Autumn Projects
Yesterday morning EJ and I got another load of firewood from our friend RB’s place. We just put the wood into the back of the pickup truck rather than try to pull the trailer home. Today’s wood was heavier–we took the lighter pieces yesterday–so EJ did most of the work. I moved the ones that I could. We picked a couple more apples, but this time I guarded them so Danny couldn’t steal them. They were tasty.
The day was beautiful so we took Danny along with us. I didn’t want to risk Danny running away in unfamiliar surroundings and I wasn’t sure how he would react to the chickens so I kept him on his leash. His leash is retractable and long so he could wander a little. He was pretty calm around the chickens. He occasionally looked at them but didn’t get excited about them.
When we got back home, EJ and I unloaded the firewood. Then EJ dragged out the junk steel we wanted to take to the steel place today. I fixed lunch and then I spent most of the rest of the day working in my garden. I am planning to change my gardens a bit for next year, maybe take out some ground cover and planting edible plants or veggies. EJ and I discussed where we would plant a couple of dwarf apple trees and some blueberry bushes. EJ reminded me that blackberry leaves can be used to make tea, so I cut back some of the bushes and stripped them of their leaves. I began to dry them in our food dehydrators yesterday, and worked on it some more today after I had finished all my other tasks.
This morning EJ and I loaded the steel into the truck and then we (and Danny) drove to the steel place. They buy steel. We drove up on a scale and they weighed our truck. Then we drove to a spot where we threw the steel stuff out. When we emptied the truck, we drove back onto the scale and the difference between the full truck and the empty truck is calculated. Then EJ drove up to the office and was given money for the steel. The old microwave, lawnmower, and water heater we got rid of gained us $21.88.
On our way home, we stopped at a home improvement store. EJ bought a fence panel and gate hardware so he can make a gate. He will complete this project when he has time and a sunny day. We got home just in time to make and eat lunch. Then it was off to work for EJ.
After JJ got home from college, I took Danny to the vet. He suffers from skin allergies at this time of year so he needs a shot to stop his itching. He already had a shot a few weeks ago, but he started scratching again and I could tell he was feeling very miserable again. As soon as Danny and I walked into the vet’s, Danny peed all over the floor. He has never done that before and I felt bad about the mess, but the staff said not to worry about it, it happens frequently. While the vet was giving Danny his shot, he asked how all our cats are doing. I told him about Luke teaching himself to use the toilet. He thought Luke was a genius to teach himself to use it. I think he is pretty amazing too.
The Apple Thief
After JJ left for school and we had eaten breakfast and cleared a bit of sleepiness from our heads, EJ and I drove to our friend RB’s place in the country to get a load of the firewood that he said we could have. He had stacked the wood high in an old trailer made from a pickup truck. It was stacked too high for us to hitch the trailer to our truck, and it didn’t have a hitch ball (or whatever it is called) so we just loaded some of the wood into our truck. As soon as we can, we will come back and pull the trailer with the rest of the wood to our house to unload.
The trailer was nestled in the weeds next to an apple tree. We each picked an apple from the tree. EJ ate his right away, but I decided to save mine until later. I put it in on the seat in the truck. We drove home and then unloaded the wood into the woodshed.
We had bricks stacked in front of the RV, but now that it is sold and gone, we moved the bricks to another out-of-the way place. I got a lot of the bricks moved yesterday. Usually I carry four or five bricks at a time, but these bricks had a lot of spiders and bugs on them, so first I threw them on the grass and then I tapped them to dislodge creepy crawlies. i carried only two bricks at a time because I didn’t want to have an armload of bricks and have bugs crawl all over me. Today EJ helped me move the rest, but he went and got the wheelbarrow and loaded them in. It went a lot faster that way.
While i went in to fix lunch, EJ measured the opening in the fence where the RV had been parked. Thursday we hope to take a load of steel (from an old microwave, old lawn mower, and old water heater) to the steel place. They pay for steel. Then we will go to a home improvement store to buy a piece of fencing and other stuff we need for projects. We are developing a list of all the tasks we want/need to complete. The list is getting long, but the tasks are fun when we do them together.
A couple of days ago my computer broke. The fan had been making funny noises for quite some time, so i think it needs to be replaced. It also needs to be cleaned. AND it suddenly stopped charging for some reason. A broken computer is a very, very horrid thing, but I might survive because my dear husband is letting me share his computer. He uses it when he is home, and I use it when he is at work. His computer keyboard is a little different from mine and none of my bookmarks or pictures are on it so I miss my computer, but I am grateful I have a computer to use. We have a friend who is knowledgeable of computers and he is going to try to fix mine. I really, really hope he can fix it. My computer is my precious.
We took my computer to our friend today after lunch. He was at work (he works at the same company as EJ but a different shift) and left it with his wife. We invited Danny to go with us. He eagerly jumped into the truck…and immediately stole the apple that was still lying on the seat. I had my camera with me so I took a picture of him. I decided that I would not eat the apple after all.
After EJ left for work, i took Danny, the Apple Thief, for our walk. The day was very beautiful. It was cloudy today, although it didn’t rain. Some of the trees are colorful, although many of them are still mostly green. We have not yet reached the peak of color. I love the colors of fall–the beautiful trees, the colors of the fields, and the deep blue sky or very dramatic dark clouds. On our route, Danny and I always walk past a new community park the village is developing. I walked down a trail in the park just a bit so i could take a picture of the scenery. Our village is very small–about four blocks wide and long–and the park is on the edge of fields.
After our walk, i dug up some mint, oregano, thyme, and fennel plants and put them in pots and added them to my collection of indoor plants. I hope that I can keep them alive over the winter. I dry herbs from my garden, but i think it would be nice to be able to have fresh herbs too. I have clusters of plants at all my livingroom and kitchen windows.
Today was a wonderful day.
“Come Little Leaves…”
Autumn is here! Every day is beautiful in autumn, no matter what the weather is. I like rainy autumn days because I feel cozy. I like sunny autumn days because the sunshine lights up the colorful trees.
The two maple trees in our front yard are getting more and more colorful. They always turn a brilliant shade of red. I honestly think they are the most beautiful trees in the village.
When I was two years old my elderly neighbor, a widow who had had no children, began to take me to church with her. It wasn’t too long before I (and later my younger sister when she turned three years old) began to spend Saturday night and all day Sunday at her house. My parents had six children and it was just easier and less hectic for my sister and I to spend the night at Mrs. K’s house and have her get us ready for church. We loved spending the weekend with Mrs. K and I have many special memories of those days with her. She read stories to us, and played games with us, and many other things.
One of my special memories is that every autumn, Mrs. K recited an autumn poem. It wasn’t long before my sister and I memorized it and recited it with her. Although Mrs. K died long ago, I find myself carrying on her tradition of reciting the autumn poem. I taught the poem to my son as well, and every year we recited it together as he grew up.
Mrs. K also had a poem she recited every Spring….but that will have to wait until Spring.
Friday was special because we had a guest for Shabbat. The 18-year-old daughter of our friend RB has celebrated a couple of the Biblical feasts with us, and she enjoys them so much that she asked to celebrate Shabbat with us. She says she always learns so much and feels as if she has feasted on Scripture when she is with us. After EJ left for work, she and I talked for hours. It was so much fun. She is starting college tomorrow and her life will get super busy, but I told her she can celebrate with us whenever she can.
EJ and I woke up this morning to a rainy day. We spent quite a while sipping coffee and deciding what to do with the day. We wrote a list, and then decided to begin with making a stew for lunch. I peeled potatoes and carrots and an onion and EJ put it all together. He also made a sort of sweet potato pie. Yum.
We were planning to get a load of firewood from our friend, but then there was a knock on the door. It was a former now-retired co-worker friend of EJ’s. EJ invited him in, but the guy said something–all I heard was “murmer, murmer, murmer”–and EJ went outside. I didn’t know why he came to our house, but I spontaneously prayed, “PLEASE let him want to buy our RV.” We have been hoping to sell it because we haven’t managed to find the time to enjoy it–and even if we did have the time, we really no longer have anyone to watch our cats for us. The only activity we do with our RV these days is maintain it, which is becoming a burden.
After a while, EJ came back inside. He said that his friend had come to our door to ask us if we wanted to sell our RV. He wanted to buy it. EJ showed him the RV and explained its flaws. His friend kept saying, “That’s no problem.” He left while EJ charged the battery and returned later with money–and then he and his wife drove off with the RV. Yay! Although we had fun in it, it’s a relief to have it gone. It’s also nice to have an unblocked view again.
Now we have a new task on our list of autumn tasks: Our RV was too long for our driveway, which is wider than it is long, so we had to drive its nose past the fence and a little bit into our back yard. Now that the RV is gone, we have to put up a gate again to enclose our yard. We will have to buy another fence piece.
We never did any get to our friend’s place for firewood. Tomorrow.
Autumn Chores
Autumn has arrived and the leaves are changing colors, although they aren’t yet as beautiful as they will be in a few weeks. Even though we’ve had some warmish days, they feel cooler. The nights are definitely cooler–some nights the temperature has dipped into the 30s. It was so cool one evening that we built a small fire in the wood stove–and then it got so hot inside that we turned on the fan. EJ had placed bricks behind the wood stove for thermal mass and it really held the heat. I think EJ said it was 89 degrees. We are going to be toasty warm this winter.
We have been busy trying to prepare for winter. Over the weekend, EJ harvested most of the veggies in the garden. I cut back some of the berry bushes. I also brought in the plants from the front porch. I could have kept them outside for a bit longer, but I couldn’t resist bringing them in on a cool evening. I feel like doing autumn chores. I have more plants to bring into the house this year than previous years–two Rosemary plants, a Bay, a Lilac, two Ginger, horseradish, two cacti, and my spider plant, which my cat Tessla slept in so it’s looking quite pathetic. I also dug up a little bit of mint today and hope it will grow in a pot over the winter. I’d like to find some parsley to grow inside because I just discovered that mine died in the garden over the summer. I don’t know if I will find any at this late date, however.
Most of our windows are quite narrow, but our window sills are very wide–perfect for window plants. However this year the plants are in big pots so I can fit only a few in each window. The others will be on stands near the windows. The cats love to sleep on the wide window sills also so I have to leave space for them or they will sleep in my plants and squash them. I happily keep moving the heavy plants to find the best place for them all. Once the window air conditioner is taken out, I can put some plants in that window as well.
Sunday afternoon we visited EJ’s friend. RB has a place in the country about five miles from us. He has some old trees that he took down and he is going to give us the wood–maybe about 6 face cords. He even cut it all up. We just have to find the time to go get it. In previous years we got wood during the week and then EJ could drive the car to work while JJ and I unloaded the truck. However, with JJ driving the car, it’s harder to find the time to get wood because we’d have to get it all unloaded in the mornings before EJ goes to work. He can hardly drive a truck full of wood to work. Really, the only day we can get it is Sunday, and often Sundays are busy too. But I think RB has a wagon so maybe we can tow it to our place and then unhitch it and I can spend the afternoon unloading it.
RB also gave us three dozen eggs from his chickens, and said we could have more. His chickens are free range and they followed us as we walked around RB’s place. I thought the chickens were very beautifully colored. They made me feel sort of wistful. If we had a place in the country, I’d raise beautiful chickens too. And I’d have fruit trees and a big garden and maybe a cow or steer. And maybe I’d have bees so I could have my own honey. <Wistful Sigh> Maybe someday…
This morning EJ and I had to go to the store in a town about 30 minutes from us. It is the only local store that sells the delicious grape juice we use for Shabbat. The hospice stores are in the same town and EJ remembered that the last time we were there he saw a couple of glass doors that might work for the book cases EJ is planning to build in our living room. We love books and have a room upstairs filled to overflowing with books. I can’t wait to have floor-to-ceiling shelves downstairs where they are more accessible.
Anyway, since we were in the same town, we stopped in at the hospice store to check out the doors. They were two glass doors for $15, but we decided that they wouldn’t be suitable. They were actually exterior doors and too thick for a bookcase. However, while we were at the store, we wandered around through the rooms and we saw the perfect Lazyboy recliner chair for EJ. His current chair is shabby and falling apart so we had been planning to buy him a new one as soon as a suitable one showed up at the store. We didn’t expect it to happen so soon. It was only $35.
We also found a very nice sturdy, well-built, four-drawer Steelcase file cabinet. I have been wanting to find a four-drawer file cabinet for a long time because my two two-drawer file cabinets take up too much floor space. Our house is smaller inside than it looks like from the outside so we are always trying to be more organized and space-saving. At first I told EJ that we probably shouldn’t get it–maybe wait until he got paid again. The file cabinet was so inexpensive, however, that EJ insisted on getting it also. A bargain like that doesn’t happen every day and there’s no guarantee that it would still be there in a couple of weeks. I think that if we bought it new it would cost about $200. EJ will use the old file cabinets in his shop in the basement.
EJ and I had so much fun together today. We are very blessed in that we are best friends who enjoy hanging out together.
The Hospice Store
Today was a splendiforous day. I love that word. It just rolls off the tongue. It means magnificent and wonderful.
After JJ had left for school, EJ and I set off to the hospice store in a nearby town. The hospice store is a thrift store which raises money for the hospice. There are actually two hospice stores in the same town run by the same organization. One store has smaller items like clothes, books, toys, dishes, and knick-knacks. The other has larger items like couches, tables, dressers, beds, and exercise equipment. We enjoy them both. Today we set off for the second store to search for a couch to replace the one our cat, Annie, ruined.
I love thrift stores and yard sales. I love that shopping at thrift stores is a lot like treasure hunting. We never know what we might find. We might find nothing or we might find something totally unique. Often we can buy good quality items for not much money. Also, I love that I don’t stress if a secondhand item gets stained or ripped, which is important if there are pets in the home (or small children). I mean, it’s one thing to have a cat pee on a $10 couch and quite another to have her pee on a $1,000 couch that has to be replaced with another $1,000 couch.
The hospice store has rooms filled with furniture. Sometimes we go there even when we aren’t shopping for furniture. We just like to browse. But today we went there hoping to find a couch. I have missed having a couch. I tried to get used to sitting in the wingback chair, but it just wasn’t as comfortable. And I couldn’t curl up and fall asleep in the chair if I got tired while waiting for EJ to get home from work.
EJ and I wandered through the rooms and found a lot of couches. The style of many didn’t suit us. Some weren’t comfortable. Then we found a couch that would work AND it had a matching loveseat. It had a few flaws–it is, after all, a used secondhand couch–but it was in good condition. We kept looking…because you never know what other treasure there might be. We found another couch that would also work that was in even more excellent condition. We considered them both and decided to get the couch and loveseat. It just appealed to us more. Together they cost only $185.
We loaded up the couches and took them home. We had fun putting them in place. The amazing thing is that they match our curtains really well. When we first moved into our house, we had furniture with blue accents so we bought blue curtains. However, we bought our previous couch (the one Annie ruined) at a neighborhood yard sale in a lake community for only $10. I think the owners were moving across country and needed to sell everything. The couch was high quality and in absolutely excellent condition. Never again will we find a used couch as good as that one for such a low price. The same day, we bought an excellent recliner that exactly matched the couch at a different sale for $5. They were both green. They did not match our curtains. When you treasure hunt, you can’t always choose color or pattern. However, the couches we bought today are blue and match our curtains as if we had specifically bought them with the curtains in mind.
EJ’s recliner is getting worn out, but we couldn’t find any recliners that we liked at the hospice store to replace it. We will keep checking the store to see if they get one in.
The only dilemma we have now is that EJ was planning on building us ceiling-to-floor bookcases on one wall of the living room so we can bring our library downstairs where it’s more accessible. However, we have placed the loveseat along that wall. So now we have to re-think our plan. We have to decide whether we want to still build the bookcases there or, if we do, how we will place our furniture. Every dilemma should be so enjoyable.
Before we left for the hospice store this morning, I walked into the bathroom and saw someone peeing in the toilet. My first reaction was to say “Oops, sorry” as I backed away. Then I realized that it was our cat, Luke. He was actually using the toilet. I was so surprised. We didn’t teach him this. He has been isolated in the bathroom while we give him meds for a health problem. I have a litter box in the bathroom for him, but apparently he decided to use the toilet. EJ and I were so surprised.
We had such a fun day today. It was a gift.
A Dagobah Day
Order and sanity is returning to my home.
The cats all seem to be in good health…or on their way there. After we took Luke to the vet the other day, we put him in the bathroom. The bathroom is smaller than the back porch, but we were able to give Luke lots of loving attention whenever we went into the bathroom. We have a cat door into the back porch but had closed it off to isolate the sickest cats there. I had to put a litter box in the house for the other cats. It was nice to be able to return all the litter boxes to the back porch where they belong. Luke seems to be doing better, so we let him out of isolation early this afternoon. He missed us. He’s sitting on the arm of the chair as I write this post.
This morning I went outside to give Annie lots of attention. She actually is doing very well outside, but I was thinking that her life has changed–she is no longer an inside cat because she has committed the Unforgivable Sin. People have debated for years what the Unforgivable Sin is. I now know: It’s peeing on me and the couch. As I cuddled Annie, I found myself singing to her: ♪ It’s a hard knocks life for you… ♪ Then I laughed because the song is from the musical Annie. We originally named our cat Anakin, thinking “she” was a male. Then we discovered “he” was actually a female, so we switched her name to Annie. The name “Annie” actually suits her very well because she has the most musical meow I’ve ever heard. She sings her meows. No one except us has ever heard her though because she refuses to meow on command.
The weather is becoming more and more autumnish. During the night the temperature has been dipping into the 30s or 40s, and during the day it’s only reached to the high 50s or low 60s. Definitely sweat shirt weather. It almost feels cool enough to build a fire in the woodstove. Almost. I love it.
Yesterday it rained all day so we did inside tasks. EJ painted the woodstove with heat-resistant paint and then he put oak trim on the longer shelf above the woodstove to match the shorter shelf below it. I cleaned the house and cut up the hot peppers our neighbor had brought us on Saturday. I put them in the food dehydrator to dry. For the rest of the day, the house smelled very strongly of hot peppers. It was almost over powering.
This morning when EJ returned to the house after taking out the garbage, he said “It feels like Dagobah outside.” Dagobah is the planet in Star Wars where Luke first met Yoda. It is gloomy and misty and wet there. We used to fight clone troopers and droids on Dagobah when we played Battle Front games with JJ on his Playstation game system when he was in his early teens. He had only two controllers so we took turns playing each other, two at a time. We also fought on the moon of Endor where the Ewoks lived. The Ewoks really irritated me because they would follow us around constantly yelling “Ai-yi-yi!” So I started shooting them. Really, I did. My son gasped, “You can’t shoot Ewoks! They are on our side!” I replied, “No they are not. They are irritating and their constant chattering is giving away our position to the enemy.” Then I shot another one. He wouldn’t let me play on the Ewok plant anymore unless I promised not to shoot Ewoks. I told him I would try not to shoot them, but I could make him no promises. Then I shot another Ewok. “Oops!” “That wasn’t an accident! You shot him deliberately!” “You can’t prove it was deliberate….” I’m probably the only person who shoots cute little Teddy Bear Ewoks.
Anyway, this morning was damp like Dagobah. Later it got a bit sunnier, although there were still some clouds and dampness in the air. EJ worked on a variety of tasks, including FIXING THE LAWN MOWER! Yay! After he left for work, I walked Danny and then mowed the lawn. It looks so nice now.
Not the Worst of Summers
It also has not been the worst of summers. It has also not been the best of summers.
Compared to problems many other people are experiencing, our lives are greatly blessed and our problems are small. I have a loving husband. My son is doing well at work and college. We are not homeless or hungry or sick with a scary disease. Our car survived JJ putting diesel in the gas tank instead of unleaded gas.
Still this summer has been wearying, and this last week was not fun either.
EJ didn’t feel well and ended up staying home from work from Monday through Thursday. On Wednesday we took him to the doctor. She sent him for a blood test and x-ray to check for appendicitis or some sort of blockage. The tests came back negative, which is good, but we still didn’t know what was wrong. EJ returned to work on Friday. Several co-workers said they also have been sick, and they described his exact symptoms, so maybe it’s just a bug going around. I sure hope so.
It’s been two weeks since I have mowed the lawn. I tried again to mow the lawn on Thursday, but again couldn’t get the stupid mower to work. EJ said a wire is probably shorting out (or something) and he could fix it, but he’s been sick so he hasn’t been able to fix it yet. The mower is a small problem, but it’s another problem in a frustrating summer and I really felt like taking a sledge hammer to it. I really wish it could have lasted another month so that we wouldn’t have had to worry about it until spring. If the grass gets more then about six inches long, the Village will fine us $50.
I have spent most of the summer cleaning up diarrhea from the cats, washing and disinfecting litter boxes and the back porch where we had the sickest cats in isolation, I’ve also scooped up worms and poop and urine to be analyzed by the vet. EJ and I have given a variety of meds to struggling unhappy cats. We have bought more expensive, better quality foods for the cats. Most of the cats got better, but some cats continued to have problems. I was getting exhausted and the situation was becoming intolerable. We had to make some difficult choices.
Earlier this week, Annie was sitting next to me on the couch and she peed all over me and the couch. We moved the cushions and discovered that she had been peeing on the couch for probably about a week. We hauled the couch to the truck and took it to the landfill the next day. Fortunately, the secondhand couch had only cost us $10, but it was a very nice well-made couch and could have lasted years more. We can’t have any more furniture peed on, so Annie has become an outside cat. We considered finding her another home, but in these tough economic times no one wants an adult cat who pees on couches. Fortunately Annie is adjusting well outside. I spend time with her when I am outside.
Luke had been peeing on the floor, so he was in isolation on the back porch with Yafah. He is JJ’s special cat whom we raised from a tiny kitten, so we decided to take him to the vet to see if he had a urinary infection. If he did, we would do our best to treat him. If his problem was behavioral, he’d have to join Annie outside. We took him to the vet yesterday morning and learned that he has crystals in his urine–so his problem is medical not behavioral, which is good. We have to give him antibiotics and a very special food. He is still in isolation, but when he improves he can join the other cats in the house.
That left Yafah. Yafah seemed to improve a little bit, but then her diarrhea returned. We believe Yafah is the source of the health problems and we couldn’t risk her re-infecting the other cats. Neither could we continue exhausting ourselves and our finances. So yesterday EJ took her to the vet on his way to work and had her put to sleep. He asked the receptionist if she knew of ANYONE who would take her, but she said that they have a long waiting list for healthy cute little kittens needing homes. There was no hope for Yafah. EJ cried as he left her. It was very sad. Yafah was a beautiful, sweet, and interesting cat, but the situation had become intolerable. When we took her into our home, she was a starving, wounded, and homeless stray. At least she had a loving home for the last year of her life.
I will be very, very glad to see this summer go. Hopefully the autumn will be more calm and peaceful.
On a good note, I got the garden path finished. A small section of bricks near the bees is not as level as the rest, but overall it looks pretty good. The path is now wide enough for me to get the mower through. When the mower gets fixed, that is.
A Blessing and A Curse
“May you live in interesting times” (Phony Chinese curse)
Sometimes co-workers greet my husband with “How’s life?” EJ usually replies, “Boring. Very Boring.” They always respond, “Oh, that’s too bad.” EJ says, “No, it’s good. Think about it: ‘Boring’ means there’s no explosions at work, we aren’t unemployed, no one in our family has been in a car accident, we don’t have any major diseases. ‘Boring’ is good.” “I see your point,” they say.
We have been living in very interesting times this summer. I’m ready to experience “boring” for awhile. Our lives keep getting more and more interesting.
Yesterday EJ and I went to the doctor about my reoccurring rash. Well, actually our doctor’s schedule was full so we saw her physician’s assistant, Kathy. Kathy is very sweet and she said that the rash is psoriasis or eczema. It is likely to recur, but it is not serious. She said she has dealt with this many times before (and many have worse cases than me) and she has developed a “rash plan,” which, if I follow, should keep the rash under control. She handwrote out her plan, which includes using some OTC meds like Clariton and Benedryl, a prescription cream, gentle hand soap, and gentle lotion. She wrote down when and how to use each item. I was so relieved to know what was causing the rash and to have a plan. I think the worse thing is not knowing what is causing a medical condition.
On the way home, I told EJ that it looked like our life was finally settling down for us: We have a rash diagnosis and plan, the cats diarrhea and worms are disappearing, the flea problem is under control. Whew!
And then life got interesting again.
Twice this week–on Tuesday and again on Thursday–JJ called me on his way home from school to tell me that his car was beeping that he had “low fuel.” JJ thought he might have been siphoned–and theft does increase in hard economic times–but I remembered that EJ had said that modern cars usually have anti-siphoning devices so a car can’t be siphoned. I thought JJ had just forgotten to check the gas gauge because he is not used to keeping an eye on it since he didn’t drive the car much until recently. Forgetting to put gas in the car once is just, well, forgetting. Twice in one week is getting old. “You are responsible for keeping enough gas in the car,” I told him, “and you MUST make sure you have enough.” The worrying thing is that EJ drives the truck to work and JJ drives the car to school so I have no transportation to help JJ if he has problems on the way home from school.
Photo: http://www.desvirtual.com
JJ made it home ok. He was very tired from not sleeping well the night before, but he had to work last night. He stopped at the local gas station before driving in to work. A few minutes after he left, I got a call from him: “Mom, I accidentally put $20 worth of diesel fuel in the car instead of gas.”
With all the other problems we have had this summer, this was too much. Instead of my life flashing before my eyes, our finances flashed before my eyes. If we are very careful and very frugal, we will have absolutely everything paid off, including our house, in about two years. Meanwhile, money is tight. The car isn’t yet paid off, we can’t afford expensive repairs, and we can’t afford to buy another car. If the car is ruined, JJ will have no transportation to get to college…
A flurry of calls and texts erupted. I called EJ at work and he said, “Tell JJ NOT TO START THE CAR under any circumstance.” I called JJ at the gas station. He said, “I had to start the car to move it away from the gas pumps…” I called EJ, “Oh, no! Call a tow truck and have them take it to the repair shop and call the repair shop…” I called JJ, “A stranger at the gas station gave me money to put gas in the car and he said the car is ok to drive.” I said, “You have no idea who this stranger is or if his advice is good. Do NOTHING until you talk to your Dad.” “But Mom…” “Do what I say! NO ARGUMENT.” Argue, argue, argue between my sweet strong-willed son and me.
EJ talked to co-workers who know cars. I do not know cars or car lingo, but apparently the stranger had advised JJ correctly about filling the gas tank to dilute the diesel fuel. The stranger had also bought JJ some…I think it’s oxidizer liquid or something…to put in the tank. These actions helped save our engine. EJ told me to cancel the tow truck and told JJ he could drive to work since he probably would still be driving on gas instead of fuel. Then EJ took a few hours off work, filled the tank again with gas from his gas can, and drove the car to the repair shop across the street. Then we waited.
Diesel nozzles are usually bigger than gas nozzles so that people can’t accidentally put diesel in their cars. EJ asked how JJ got the diesel nozzle into the car. JJ said the diesel nozzle slid right into the car with no problem. After investigating the car, it looks as though someone defeated the anti-siphoning device on our car, denting our car slightly, and did steal some gas. This is why JJ was unaware until too late that he was putting diesel in our car and that is why he had low gas.
I asked my FB friends to pray. Friends from around the world began to pray. (Did I tell you that I love FB?)
This morning EJ talked to the repair shop. It would have been best not to ever start the car, but the repairman said that every action taken after that was exactly the right thing to do. We drove to the repair shop and the guy repeated that it should be ok to drive the car if it is driven with care, gas is put in frequently to dilute the diesel, and the oil is changed in a bit, and stuff like that.
The shop charged us….NOTHING.
If the car had needed repairs, JJ was going to have to pay as much as he could for them. I asked EJ to let me tell JJ how much this was going to cost him. When we got the vehicles home, I called to JJ, who was upstairs studying, “You need to come down so I can tell you how much this is going to cost you.” He came down groaning. Because we love to quote from movies, I quoted from Jayne Cobb, a character on Firefly, our favorite TV series:
“Let me do the math here… nothin’ and a nothin’, carry the nothin’…”
“You mean it’s going to cost NOTHING?” JJ exclaimed. “Are you serious? Whew!” We are all so relieved. And so thankful. This is an answer to prayers from friends around the world. THIS is God giving us a gift. Of course, I think it’s also a gift when things don’t turn out the way I want because often those times end up teaching me a lot. However, those “not-turning-out-the-way-I-want” experiences are not so obvious or easy to see at first.
I found out later just how sweet the gift was. Besides the repair shop not charging us anything, while he was at the gas station, not just one stranger helped JJ, but a group did. A group of people gave him advice. Several people gave him money to get gas to dilute the diesel, and one man bought him the oxidizer. JJ is going to the gas station to see if he can get their names so he can thank them and offer to pay them back. I guess we raised him right.
We stopped at the Farmer’s Market when we went to retrieve the car from the repair shop. We bought honey, maple syrup, eggs, and a bushel of apples.
I didn’t have time to make challah bread this morning, so I will make it this afternoon. I also hope to mow the lawn this afternoon and try to work in my garden.
It’s a beautiful day.
NOOOOOOO!
Last night I saw that Timmy has worms. Will the nightmare never end?
I woke in the night thinking that we needed to give worm medicine to all the cats, and wondering how we could afford it.
I called the vet this morning and explained the situation to his receptionist. She asked how many cats I had and I replied, “Eight.” She exclaimed, “Oh, Wow!” She probably was thinking of what it was like to struggle with eight (very beloved) cats with worms and diarrhea. Or maybe she was thinking of the expense of worming eight cats. I know I was.
I told her that one cat was already taking worm meds so I only needed enough medication for 7 cats. Then I said that two cats were indoor/outdoor cats, but we were keeping them outside so they wouldn’t get what the other cats have and we could probably wait until our next paycheck to worm them, so we really only needed worm medicine for five cats right now. She said she would talk to the vet, and then returned a few minutes later to tell me I could pick up the meds at their clinic. With great dread, I asked her how much it would cost. I was surprised and relieved when she said it would only be $15. I have a suspicion that it should have cost more but the vet had sympathy on us. I never would have asked for a price break because the veterinarian is running a business, not a charity, and he needs to make a living as much as anyone. However, if he did give us a break, I am very thankful.
EJ and I drove to the vet office. When we walked in to the reception area, it was full of people sitting and standing around. We smelled a delicious aroma and discovered that the clinic was having a birthday party for one of the staff. There was food. We chatted to the vet a bit. He invited us to have some food, which was nice. EJ took a little soup, but I didn’t want to feel that I was crashing their party so I didn’t take anything, although I wanted to. EJ was drawn to the kittens in the “Free to Good Homes” cage. I was not even tempted. Not this time. Not for a long, long time.
When we returned home, EJ and I dosed five cats. Most of them were ok with it, but Annie hated it and really fought it. With all the meds we have struggled to give the cats in recent days, it’s a wonder any of them come near us. However, all of them still come for cuddling.
The situation really is improving (I think) despite the setbacks.
This afternoon Danny and I went out to work on the path in my garden. I really want to finish the path soon so I can get started on another project before colder weather arrives. For some reason, Danny didn’t want to go through the front gate so we went around through the back gate. I wonder now if he knew something that I didn’t?
It was another very beautiful autumn day. Summer used to be my favorite season, but over the years I changed and I now prefer autumn. There’s nothing like the blue of an autumn sky, and I love the colorful leaves (they are just beginning to change color now), and I love the warmness and coolness of the days. I was soaking it all in, rejoicing in the perfect day as I happily worked on my path, when I became aware that there were a lot of insects flying around me. Then I realized that they weren’t insects, they were bees. I figured they must have a nest in the ground. I thought it would be very good to retreat. I was retreating when suddenly….OWWW! A bee stung me in the arm. I haven’t been stung in years and years and years. Maybe not since I was a kid.
You know what? Bee stings HURT!
I am very, very thankful I got stung only once.
I called my Danny to come with me and I carefully retrieved my garden tools, put them away, and then asked my Eagle Scout son if he knew what to do about bee stings. He did know, so I took his advice and made a paste out of baking soda.
I decided that I was done working in the garden today. And tomorrow maybe I will start working at the OTHER end of the path. And maybe I will leave a section of the path unfinished until it gets too cool for the bees. Or something.
EJ texted from work asking how we were doing at home. I replied that I had gotten stung by a bee. He said, “Was it for sure a bee? Or a wasp/hornet/yellow jacket?” I replied, “Once I realized they were bees, I didn’t stay around to ask to see their ID cards.”
I will show EJ where they are tomorrow.
I Love To Go A Gardening 