In the garden, and RAIN!!!!
POSTED BY: SIGNYM
UPDATED: Thursday, December 25, 2025 04:27
VIEWED: 1005090
PAGE 1049 of 1154
Back and in on a dry and sunny day.
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Well, I'm keeping on keeping on. Did some "indoor work" on the hot days (just general tidying up, mail-sorting, voting, cleaning, ordering stuff online and doing some cooking-ahead). Friday was "doctor day"... I had three (THREE) medical appointments related to side effects from treatment (kidneys, heart, lymphedema). SIGH. And then I couldn't get to sleep for whatever reason until 5AM so I did a big kitchen cleanup at stupid o'clock.
But I did manage to get out today and start prepping the garden for vegetables. I'm so happy I thought to tarp the garden last year, it saved a lot on weeding. So I'm about third of the way thru even tho I only spent an hour and a half on it. Looks much better now!! More gardening planned for tomorrow, maybe if I push it I'll be done with that and then on to raking and planting. Once I get that done I can get back to the front yard. Wish I could tarp it like I do in the back, it would kill weeds and (even better) weed seeds, but it's such tempting item I'd be afraid to leave it out for weeks at a time.
Dog was having a blast chasing after ... whatever she was chasing after. Lizards, prolly. I have another area tarped and she had maaged to dig/worn her way under. I can imagine her going after rats in tunnels. And tonight, she treed a raccoon. Haven't seen them around for quite a while. I definitely don't want them in the yard so I might use your trick, SIX, of putting out ammonia-soaked cotton balls.
Saw a scrub jay today, too, after not seeing any for quite a while. It found a peanut so I hope it'll be back. Found a black feather with white spots- I kid you not. I think it's from a woodpecker of some sort, I hear them from time to time in the avocado tree which tells me it's infested with something, most likely termites. And I saw the usual squirrels, they're always looking for a tasty meal!
-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE someone poor - William Blake
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Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
You'd be great to have around when I need help. What I consider the good stuff always seems to be on the top shelf. Cereal, ice cream. Very annoying.
I don't fit in a purse though and you've already got too much to carry around with you.
Back in the day, I remember seeing milk cartons all over the place in the grocery stores so people could get a little extra height to grab things they couldn't reach. I'm sure that's something that OSHA here and whatever the Canadian equivalent took out of the stores because a few people fell off of them and sued the stores or something.
:(
If I'm not careful, I get employees reprimanding me for climbing up shelving to get stuff that's too high from time to time. I get it. It's their job to do just that. But any time I've done work in retail I've always been climbing shelving to do my job better and getting yelled at by managers for that too.
--------------------------------------------------
Me: "Remember Covid?"
Useless Idiots: "What's Covid, durr? Russia, Ukraine, Putin, NATO *drool*. DURRRR!!!!"
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Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
I hope the mice didn't make it any farther than the basement and it is great that you can help your grandmother and aunt like that.
I saw a few droplets on the back porch closet floor, but nothing screaming out at me on the kitchen countertop or floor, or anywhere else I've been in the 1st floor. 2nd floor is fairly sparse these days compared to back when I lived there and nothing was visible. I'm thinking there was some activity outside of the basement, but hopefully nothing like the horror show I went through the last few days over there. What I had under the stove and the dish washer in my house was concentrated and far worse, but their problem in the basement overall was bigger than the rest of my house was before I took care of it.
I'm sure my grandma appreciates having me around more, but I don't think doing that for her means anything to her one way or the other. She's got a pretty small world she lives in these days that pretty much spans her bedroom, bathroom, living room and kitchen. Anything I've done so far hasn't disrupted any of that in the least. I'm just thrilled that she seems so easy going about me getting everything out. I wasn't expecting that at all. I was so impressed that I actually showed her the before and after pictures of the work and what she doesn't have in the house anymore and she actually seemed pleased that I was doing it. Back when I lived there I couldn't get her to allow me to throw anything out at all, so my uncle and I just had a system of "don't ask for permission, but be ready to beg for forgiveness."
This really is more about helping my aunt out. It's just all become too much for her. She still works full time despite the fact that she could technically retire right now, and to come home to a giant house that is never clean on top of having to take care of my grandma... well... It did ruin her vacation time that she was talking about for the last few months. At least I was able to come over and start cleaning the basement out and get her laundry area bleached down so that wasn't a weekly nightmare for her. And this time while I was cleaning all of those totes I really knocked loose a lot of the sludge in that slop sink and was able to get it about 80% cleaner than when I started, which is actually a lot because that was just downright gross.
I like seeing her in good spirits. It's better for both she and my grandma.
Quote:
That is so cool that you found photographs like that of your grandmother, Jack.
Yeah.
I have some other surprises for her in those boxes too. Once I get around to clearing out the stuff they don't' use anymore from the rest of the house and I can just come over to mostly enjoy their company, I plan on bringing those boxes and totes up one at a time and sitting down with her and seeing if we can't figure out who some of those unmarked photographs are.
That's something I wanted to do with her 20 years ago, but life kind of got in the way.
Quote:
It'll be well worth the wait to have them come and see your place. I'm sure they'll be really proud of what you have done.
Yeah. Not only that, but there are things that neighbors have done that didn't cost me any time or energy or money that made my place look better since they've last been here. Slowly but surely getting things done around here.
--------------------------------------------------
Me: "Remember Covid?"
Useless Idiots: "What's Covid, durr? Russia, Ukraine, Putin, NATO *drool*. DURRRR!!!!"
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Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
You'd be great to have around when I need help. What I consider the good stuff always seems to be on the top shelf. Cereal, ice cream. Very annoying.
I don't fit in a purse though and you've already got too much to carry around with you.
Back in the day, I remember seeing milk cartons all over the place in the grocery stores so people could get a little extra height to grab things they couldn't reach. I'm sure that's something that OSHA here and whatever the Canadian equivalent took out of the stores because a few people fell off of them and sued the stores or something.
:(
If I'm not careful, I get employees reprimanding me for climbing up shelving to get stuff that's too high from time to time. I get it. It's their job to do just that. But any time I've done work in retail I've always been climbing shelving to do my job better and getting yelled at by managers for that too.
--------------------------------------------------
Me: "Remember Covid?"
Useless Idiots: "What's Covid, durr? Russia, Ukraine, Putin, NATO *drool*. DURRRR!!!!"
Back pack and that is true.
I don't remember anything like that when I was a kid but back then it was easier to find a clerk to get something down for you. Or going farther back. My dad could easily reach stuff for my mum off the high shelves.
I have done the climbing up shelves to reach things but that day I didn't feel like it so I got the mop.
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From my experience, the problem with "too big" houses is that they tend to become junk traps. It's far too easy to put "something" in that (those) spare room(s) with the idea "I'll get to that later" until it becomes a nightmare. You don't see any messy ship cabins! Everything is selected for size/utility, and everything has to be "stowed".
It would be better to clear out those extra rooms, like you're doing SIX, and close them off.
How does your aunt feel about renting out a room? I know it's a hassle screening prospective renters, but it could add to her income and maybe allow her to not work so many hours. I'm sure going thru the process would be a big burden on her, but in the end it ay be helpful. Or possibly having someone there as "live-in" help? I don't know how well your grandma is doing, but- having taken care of two people with some sort of dementia- they can become agitated and prone to wandering and very hard to take care of bc they get themselves into all kinds of trouble with trying to cook or go somewhere. Altho maybe your grandma is declining physically and incapable of that, which in a way is a blessing in disguise. IDK their situation, but I thought I'd toss that our there as an alternative.
Our older sis is living in our family home, and it's too big for her. She essentially lives on the ground floor, the 2nd story is like a museum of our childhood but it needs to be cleared out. I would LOVE to go over and help! Too bad it's 2700 miles away.
But then, I really need to start HERE. After getting the front and bak yards in tolerable shape, I should set a good example and clean out my "office". Maybe with that example it will inspire hubby to get rid of HIS junk. Another thing I would love to dois put glass or lexan/acrylic doors on our bookshelves. I've mentioned more than a few times that this is a very dusty neighborhood, and it's a lot easier wiping down a glass-fronted bookcase than it is trying to dust every single blessed item! But what to do about dear daughter's stuff? Her eyes work great, but her mind doesn't process what she sees: SHOW her something and she has a hard time describing it, but blindfold her and put it in her hands and she'll tell you right away what it is. It's like she's "mind blind". Altho electrons are tiny and cheap to store, pictures just don't do it for her; she needs the real physical thing to link to memory.
Maybe we just build a lot of storage for her so she can keep her stuff out of the way and where it won't get dusty.
OK, so I know what my next project is ... unless we get derailed by another health problem, that is ... my office!
THANKS for the good example! Now I can say that BRENDA has set such a good example with scheduling and you with cleanup. 
-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE someone poor - William Blake
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Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
I hope the mice didn't make it any farther than the basement and it is great that you can help your grandmother and aunt like that.
I saw a few droplets on the back porch closet floor, but nothing screaming out at me on the kitchen countertop or floor, or anywhere else I've been in the 1st floor. 2nd floor is fairly sparse these days compared to back when I lived there and nothing was visible. I'm thinking there was some activity outside of the basement, but hopefully nothing like the horror show I went through the last few days over there. What I had under the stove and the dish washer in my house was concentrated and far worse, but their problem in the basement overall was bigger than the rest of my house was before I took care of it.
I'm sure my grandma appreciates having me around more, but I don't think doing that for her means anything to her one way or the other. She's got a pretty small world she lives in these days that pretty much spans her bedroom, bathroom, living room and kitchen. Anything I've done so far hasn't disrupted any of that in the least. I'm just thrilled that she seems so easy going about me getting everything out. I wasn't expecting that at all. I was so impressed that I actually showed her the before and after pictures of the work and what she doesn't have in the house anymore and she actually seemed pleased that I was doing it. Back when I lived there I couldn't get her to allow me to throw anything out at all, so my uncle and I just had a system of "don't ask for permission, but be ready to beg for forgiveness."
This really is more about helping my aunt out. It's just all become too much for her. She still works full time despite the fact that she could technically retire right now, and to come home to a giant house that is never clean on top of having to take care of my grandma... well... It did ruin her vacation time that she was talking about for the last few months. At least I was able to come over and start cleaning the basement out and get her laundry area bleached down so that wasn't a weekly nightmare for her. And this time while I was cleaning all of those totes I really knocked loose a lot of the sludge in that slop sink and was able to get it about 80% cleaner than when I started, which is actually a lot because that was just downright gross.
I like seeing her in good spirits. It's better for both she and my grandma.Quote:
That is so cool that you found photographs like that of your grandmother, Jack.
Yeah.
I have some other surprises for her in those boxes too. Once I get around to clearing out the stuff they don't' use anymore from the rest of the house and I can just come over to mostly enjoy their company, I plan on bringing those boxes and totes up one at a time and sitting down with her and seeing if we can't figure out who some of those unmarked photographs are.
That's something I wanted to do with her 20 years ago, but life kind of got in the way.Quote:
It'll be well worth the wait to have them come and see your place. I'm sure they'll be really proud of what you have done.
Yeah. Not only that, but there are things that neighbors have done that didn't cost me any time or energy or money that made my place look better since they've last been here. Slowly but surely getting things done around here.
--------------------------------------------------
Me: "Remember Covid?"
Useless Idiots: "What's Covid, durr? Russia, Ukraine, Putin, NATO *drool*. DURRRR!!!!"
I'm glad the mouse problem doesn't seem to be a big issue at your grandmother's. Having you as some company around her house, I am sure she appreciates more than she can say. That's the important
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Another movie to go back to the library tomorrow. "1917". Very good movie and quite the period piece too.
Started watching "Robert the Bruce" last night. About a Scottish king. Can't bring up the Close Captioning using the regular button on the remote. Got to check out another one that should bring it up. I have a film like that. "Rob Roy" and I have to use the set up button on the DVD remote to get the Close Captioning to come up.
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Out for my walk on a dry day. It was suppose to rain today.
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Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
From my experience, the problem with "too big" houses is that they tend to become junk traps. It's far too easy to put "something" in that (those) spare room(s) with the idea "I'll get to that later" until it becomes a nightmare. You don't see any messy ship cabins! Everything is selected for size/utility, and everything has to be "stowed".
Oh... I know that.
I don't think I'll ever reach my goal of whittling down my possessions to just enough that would fit in a studio apartment while I'm living here, but life has been so much better since I got rid of around 70% of the things I did have everywhere.
Quote:
It would be better to clear out those extra rooms, like you're doing SIX, and close them off.
Yup. I guess that's the plan. My aunt is going to move into the old bedroom that has been an kitchen overflow/junk nightmare for decades now. Sadly, the only shower in the house is on the 2nd floor, but otherwise the intent is to close off the basement and the 2nd floor and only use them for laundry and showering, respectively.
Quote:
How does your aunt feel about renting out a room? I know it's a hassle screening prospective renters, but it could add to her income and maybe allow her to not work so many hours. I'm sure going thru the process would be a big burden on her, but in the end it ay be helpful. Or possibly having someone there as "live-in" help? I don't know how well your grandma is doing, but- having taken care of two people with some sort of dementia- they can become agitated and prone to wandering and very hard to take care of bc they get themselves into all kinds of trouble with trying to cook or go somewhere. Altho maybe your grandma is declining physically and incapable of that, which in a way is a blessing in disguise. IDK their situation, but I thought I'd toss that our there as an alternative.
There's no way she'd rent a room out. Unless they lucked out with an amazing tennant, I'd be worried about that person being around my grandma all day while my aunt was working anyhow.
A care person could work out nicely, but I don't think there's any money in anybody's budget for something like that, and I doubt you'd find somebody who would do it for room and board.
Quote:
Our older sis is living in our family home, and it's too big for her. She essentially lives on the ground floor, the 2nd story is like a museum of our childhood but it needs to be cleared out. I would LOVE to go over and help! Too bad it's 2700 miles away.
If I ever start my own business, this is probably what I'd be doing. I'll give you my business card.
Quote:
But then, I really need to start HERE. After getting the front and bak yards in tolerable shape, I should set a good example and clean out my "office". Maybe with that example it will inspire hubby to get rid of HIS junk. Another thing I would love to dois put glass or lexan/acrylic doors on our bookshelves. I've mentioned more than a few times that this is a very dusty neighborhood, and it's a lot easier wiping down a glass-fronted bookcase than it is trying to dust every single blessed item! But what to do about dear daughter's stuff? Her eyes work great, but her mind doesn't process what she sees: SHOW her something and she has a hard time describing it, but blindfold her and put it in her hands and she'll tell you right away what it is. It's like she's "mind blind". Altho electrons are tiny and cheap to store, pictures just don't do it for her; she needs the real physical thing to link to memory.
Maybe we just build a lot of storage for her so she can keep her stuff out of the way and where it won't get dusty.
OK, so I know what my next project is ... unless we get derailed by another health problem, that is ... my office!
I love that idea. It&
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