Eating out of a cooler - and a lesson for everyone.

So here is my beautiful newish refrigerator - dead!

That is why it is propped open.

And here is my current refrigeration system.  

Actually my current refrigeration system has shrunk considerably since June 1, when my 19 month old state-of-the-art refrigerator died full of food in all its compartments.  On June 2 we started with these two coolers, 4 styrofoam cold chests and two cooler grocery bags.  And since June 2 (14 days ago) we have purchased ice every single day - for a total of 45 bags of ice (10 pound bags or 450 pounds of ice ... so far!!!)  

Buying ice. 

Every day.

Changing out the coolers. 

Every.Single.Day.

What a chore!

I am so over it!

But somewhere around day 10 - after we threw away or ate most of the perishable items, I began to think on this experience as 'camping out' in my condo.  The upside - I have air conditioning, and there is no sleeping on the ground.  I don't get rained on.  No bugs.  I have cable TV.  Not too bad for camping.  And we eat some of our meals as take-out from restaurants.  Normally eating out is a plus.  But even restaurant take-out food is getting old.  

Just in case you think we aren't pursuing a fix for this equipment - let me assure - you we are.  The latest update on the repair - we don't anticipate any forward progress until hopefully next week.   It is only a hope now because the last 2 visits from the repairman resulted in disappointment.  There is an electronic computer board that controls everything (a very expensive piece that is covered completely by our appliance coverage) has come in twice - but was the wrong board.  What was ordered was right.  What was received was not.

The story gets more complicated because this unit is an LG - and was highly rated by consumers, BUT getting parts is way more difficult than a GE or a Frigidaire unit.  LG has 3 suppliers in all of the US - one is in New Jersey.  If the part you need is out of stock, you might have to wait for it to arrive from .... wait for it ... Korea!!  KOREA!!  I should have ask Trump to bring one back with him.

And the repairman suspects that the reason we keep getting the wrong number - an 07 board - is because LG refrigerators are built in Korea (except when they aren't) and the 07 is a substitute for the 01 which is what we need.  Ours was built in Mexico and just won't accept the substitute board of 07. If it isn't an 01 - it won't make our fridge run.  

Everyone still with me?

Actually the only thing that is important for you (and for us if we are forced to buy another unit), is that when buying appliances, buy brands like GE or Frigidaire.  As the repairman remarked - really, everything being produced now is trash - even if the consumer ratings are very high (like ours was), and it is better to get a unit where replacement parts are easy to get.

Yesterday we went food shopping.  It was a challenge an adventure.  Buy only enough fresh veggies for 2 or 3 days.  Buy only items that are packaged and don't need refrigeration.  Buy only the smallest  containers so that once it is opened, it is used up and doesn't need to go on ice.

For dinner tonight??

Hamburger Helper!  Yes, I am reduced to Hamburger Helper.  (My apologies to anyone who buys and enjoys this.  We used to have this when I didn't know how to cook.  It was pretty wooden then.  Doubt things have improved.)  This one is called Salisbury Steak.  We will have a tossed salad and some crusty bread with butter.

I am planning on topping dinner off with a stiff Vodka Tonic!  Over ice!!

Maybe two!

49 years!

Today is the 49th Wedding Anniversary for my husband and me.

Sometimes I just can't believe what a big number that is.  Of course, we will be approaching 50 years married next year.  Yikes.  We met in 1967 - so I have known him for 51 years.

We have had our ups and downs - but we are still together - standing side by side - learning to live as two old timers who have changed greatly from the happy couple in that picture - and have created a great family.

An achievement.  

Happy Anniversary to us!

The Zookeeper's Blanket by Justine Walley

I am a knitter!  

Not a weaver or a crocheter or a spinner ... 

although I sometimes dabble in those other crafts.

Sometimes non-knitting projects grab me ... and won't let me go until I have done them.

Crochet is one of those non-knitting project offenders.  The first project was called The Island Playset and here is the link to that project.  I owned the pattern for a year before I had a special little boy (a grand nephew born in 2017) that I could make it for.  When I started it I had to relearn crochet.  I had to put ice on my left thumb to stop the pain.  I had to have this project so I pushed on.

This year a second project caught my eye called The Zookeeper's Blanket.  My eyes said "Ohhh.  You must do this."  My thumb said "Hell, no.  I am warning you."

This is the Zookeeper's Blanket as created by the designer.
I have already identified 3 animals that I will not make
 because I think I can find better ideas.
But the blanket, even as shown, is darling.

"Caught my eye" is really downplaying its impact on me.  I purchased it right away.  No thought.  Must have!  Must make.  Must set my knitting aside (did I just say that??).  And a worthy recipient, my darling grand daughter, was already on hand.  Is this Kismet or WHAT!

Now here is what I objectively think about crochet ...

• Love the look
• Not good at it.
• Hurts my left thumb.
• Struggle with the instructions.
• Not relaxing.
• Hurts my left thumb.  
• Able to make designs/shapes not easily made in knitting
• Great for toys and blankets
• Not so good for wearables.
• Hurts my left thumb.

But I wanted this Zookeeper's Blanket -  I pulled out my hooks and my crochet cheat sheet and plunged in.  Low and behold - I found I was enjoying the process.  Actually excited about the blocks that were developing from my hands ... now I am looking for yarns to use that would add color and texture ... and ... pushing myself to develop some animals that weren't part of the original pattern just because I think I can.

My lobster block.

Feels like the Crochet Fairy dropped in and sprinkled me with her fairy dust!

My bear block.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the pictures of my progress and where I am going with this blanket in the future.

My octopus block.

The down side of this project is there are lots of colors and shapes.  Lots and lots of ends to weave in.  Lots of sewing.  A very fiddly pattern.  I usually hate all that, but because of the fairy dust - I am not having a problem.  As others who completed this pattern noted:  The pattern has a lot of ends to weave in - but it is worth it.  I agree.

My cat block.

The blocks are so darn cute, when I finish one I can't wait to start another one.

Sample of another's interpretation of the project using all sheep and one dog.
So darn cute.

And what I love most of all is seeing the originality of others who have done this pattern.  Some used one theme - many sheep and one dog.  Very cute.

The sample the crocheter made up some of her own animals
not used in the original.

Some alternated animal blocks with plain blocks.  That is my choice because I don't care for some of the animals in the original pattern.  So unless I can find some replacements (which I have), the blanket would be too small.  And alternating with plain blocks allows for less ends to weave in - and a focus on the cutest animals.

My grand daughter's room is done in green.  My plain blocks are green.
This picture gives a sense of how I will put my blocks together.

Some crocheters suggest putting a backing on this blanket since one side is cute and the other side is - well, not cute.  I am actually considering that!!  Crazy but I always hated extra steps that didn't involve knitting - like linings and extra sewing.  That darn crochet fairy dust is powerful stuff.

An original design, a butterfly, created by a crocheter.
Hoping to copy this one.

 And my thumb??  I think the fairy dust has healed it.

I wonder if there is fairy dust for cleaning your house.  Or fairy dust for cooking dinner night after night after night!!  Or can I send that fairy off to my exercise classes for me - and bring back the benefits while I sit making this blanket??

If you think you have the answers to these question (and they involve common sense) don't bother saying them out loud.  Fairy dust has blocked any reality checks!

My deadline: - Christmas.

Rehabilitated Plant Killer?

My thumb is brown.

Seriously!
My history with plants is just awful.

I have left many dead plants in my wake

Once (long, long ago) I had an 8' x 8' foot space in a rented community garden.  My plot was a plant grave yard.  The plots around me flourished.  I took that as a sign - 'you are a plant killer.'

Our next townhome was surrounded by trees.  No sun ever.  When we landscaped our postage stamp size lot - I told the landscaper ... select plants that will live in spite of me.  He did.  We had to pay someone yearly to fight them into submission.  Those plants were not my success being chosen and planted by plant pros.  Plants on my deck never survived.  Not enough sun?  Not the right plants?  Too much water?  Not enough water?  The secrets of plants totally escapes me.

Now I am in a condo.  No rented garden space and deck so small that more than 2 people on it is a crowd scene.  BUT I have 12 hours of full sun on that deck.  I started thinking ... maybe, just maybe.

Despite my poor plant parenting ... I totally love nurseries.  All those flowering plants bursting with health and promise.  So off I went.  This time I was careful to read all the plant tags to get something hardy and that likes full sun  While I was there I noticed something called "patio tomatoes."  A vegetable.  hmmm ...

Not too big at this point.  'Patio' ... designed for small spaces maybe?  So along with some flowering plants - a patio tomato plant came home with me as well.  As we left the nursery, I felt like I needed to apologize in advance to these plants that they wound up with 'plant killer' me.  I promised to do my best - without mentioning that my 'best' killed other plants.

Soon I noticed this.

Flowers ... maybe (one) tomato was in my future.  Success!  The tomato plant is not dying!! But then I noticed peeking below the flowers  a green tomato!  Ok, maybe I will get two tomatoes.  Happy Dance!

Before I knew it, I had multiple green tomatoes and they had all gotten bigger!!!  Last count was 18 actual green tomatoes!  Holy Cow.  This is unheard of ... (small panic).  Its still early in the growing season.

Tomatoes EVERYWHERE!!

Ok, the secret to growing plants - at least for me - is to apologize in advance!  They seem to love a penitent owner.  Well ... that and a sign in my kitchen to remind me of my responsibilities ...

Here are some other beauties on my deck - still living I will point out.

If all goes well this year ... I think I will plant some herbs in pots next year.  I love fresh herbs like parsley, cilantro and basil.

What other kinds of edible plants work well on decks?

The Pull of the Moon

Recently I have been cleaning out my Kindle of books I probably will never read.  Scanning the book summary of each book - and deleting a bunch of them.  Many were free and sounded interesting at the time I selected them.  But now they seem trite and repetitive.  Whatever was I thinking ... was the thought that passed my brain over and over.

And then I came to this title:

The Pull of the Moon

 by Elizabeth Berg

The publisher's summary read like this:

***

Uncomfortable with the fit of her life, now that she's in the middle of it, Nan gets into her car and just goes--driving across the country on back roads, following the moon; and stopping to talk to people.  Through conversations with women, men, with her husband through letters, and with herself through her diary, Nan confronts topics long overdue for her attention.  She writes to her husband and says things she's never admitted before; and she discovers how the fabric of her life can be reshaped into a more authentic creation.

***

This book has been waiting on my Kindle since 2015.  I read the summary and a little pull made me select it again - this time to read now.

As I read, I found myself relating strongly with Nan, the 50 year old woman who it seemed was having a mid-life crisis of some sort.  But early on I realized this was not a crisis at all.  It was a breaking out, a leap for freedom, a search of the self, ... a self she had ignored for so long.  Then a quote leaped off the page and pointed a finger straight at me.

***

"Most women are full to the brim.  I think we are most of us ready to explode, especially when our children are small and we are so weary with the demands for love and attention and the kind of service that makes you feel you should be wearing a uniform with "Mommy" embroidered over the left breast, over the heart. ... It wasn't that I was really unhappy.  It was the constancy of my load and the awesome importance of it; and it was my isolation. ... I see now, there were internal earthquakes wanting to happen all the time."

***

But, YES!  That was me.  Most of my adult life.  It was me.  Except the word I would substitute for the embroidered "Mommy" label would be "Caregiver."  Caregiver was not a life role I ever aspired to.  True ... I chose to be a parent - and wouldn't change that role ever!!  The reward for being a parent caregiver is the wonderful adult children I have today.  But the "caregiver" role continued to follow me.  First it was my husband's grandmother.  My husband was her only living relative.  Of course we would care for her.  Then it was my mother-in-law.  My husband had no other blood family but his mom, so yes I would care for her.  Then my own mother started to fail and she needed an advocate ... a caregiver!  A no brainer - my mom needed assistance and I could not turn away.  I never thought twice about that choice.  In fact, I never thought twice about any of those decisions.

Now I am 71, and I feel a 'short-timer' in my life.  Oh, I plan to live as many years as God intends, but to be frank and realistic,  I certainly have more years behind me - than ahead of me! In fact, my body tells me this is true.

My caregiving role, however, continues to haunt me even now.  My husband is now legally blind.  Going blind late in life makes becoming a 'skilled' visually impaired person, pretty darn hard.  He needs more of me now than ever.

The Pull of the Moon hit a major nerve for me.  I have actually thought about just getting in the car and driving away.  It has crossed my mind a lot more than I care to admit.  When the summary said Nan did just that ... drove away ... I thought - see, this isn't such an abnormal crazy thing to do.  Like Nan, I would not describe myself as unhappy.  But I do often feel that I am "full to the brim."  "Explode" also comes to mind at times.  In fact, I started this blog back in 2007 as a way to keep from exploding.  The words "constancy of my load" and "importance of it" and "isolation,"  ... well, folks, this book is me.

Do you ever feel the way Nan does?  Would you ever jump in the car and just drive off?  I won't, of course.  The hardship my absence for my husband and the worry it would cause my family would be too great a guilt for me to live with.   But I do fantasize about doing that. 

And that is all I would do - fantasize, because just jumping in the car at 71 and driving off is totally unrealistic.  Think of it - I would need to pack all my pills and eye meds, and ace bandages and cold wraps for my knee ... and my pillow. 😀 I would have to rent a trailer to pack all my knitting paraphernalia, of course!!! 😂😂😂  My computer, iPhone, Kindle and iPad need to come as well - with all the chargers. 😝😝😝😝😝. I can't eat a lot of restaurant food any more - heartburn, you know.  So I would have to pack a cooler!   😜😜😜😜😜😜😜 Ha!  Barriers everywhere!

Why didn't Nan have to do all that stuff?  Simple: she is only 50!!!!

*sigh*

Guess I missed my window of opportunity for this adventure.  So I am left with living vicariously through Nan.  My advice to Nan?  YOU GO GIRL!!!

I recommend this book.  Good writing, interesting story line, thoughtful observations and a really good  woman-to-woman book about our journey as females.

On Being A Grandma

It is still early days in this 'grandma' thing.  My dear little granddaughter is just 3 1/2 months old.  She is growing and changing really fast.  Too fast it seems.  While I want to slow down this precious time, I am so very grateful she is developing normally.

I cannot help but deeply love this child.  

She can now focus on faces and her deep blue eyes remind me of another set of blue eyes that stared back at me more than 40 years ago.  She has her dad's eyes, nose and forehead.  Seeing her brings back many memories of him as an infant - memories that I thought could only be triggered by our  still pictures.  Now I have this live little person who looks at me through the eyes of her father with an unknowing stare.  Time, experiences and love will put recognition in her eyes.  But that side-eye look she has in that chair with its own eyes is priceless.

For now it is enough to know and see how beautifully connected she is to her parents ... how she fits so comfortably onto their chests, how her eyes follow them when she is separated, how her head turns towards their voices.

Recently she discovered her hands.  She has these tiny little digits and miniature nails.  It is amazing to watch the awareness of herself grow within her.  And with that discovery ... her thumb ... that finds it way into her mouth when she is trying to comfort herself.  These small discoveries are so endearing to observe.

There is one small sadness that crosses my mind at times.  This dear baby girl has only one grandma - one grandma on earth, that is.  Her other grandma in heaven.  How much I would have loved to enjoy this child with her other grandma.  When I saw the sleeper below, I knew I had to get it.

"Handpicked for earth by my grandma in heaven."

And, of course, my hands have been busy.  Even before she was born, my son found this babyViking hat picture and forwarded it to me.  I researched and purchased the pattern, which included a dad sized version.  Her eyes say she is not sure about this hat or the person taking the picture, but she is in dad's arms so it must be ok.

Her connection between her and her mom is so strong that I can't help wondering if she knows that her mom is a separate being.  Guess that is something that will be learned at some point.  No sense rushing such a precious time of life.

This child can't begin to know what wonderful parents she has.

For now my role as grandma seems to be as an observer of this new little nugget of a person.  How did I miss all these small little observations of my own children.  Oh ... that's right!  I was busy making sure they were fed, and dressed, and clean, and safe.  I was sleep deprived and focused on their growth.  And I was growing as a parent with all the unknowns and second guessing.  Now as a grandmother I have the luxury of time and memory.  I have the joy of watching and holding and loving - until she is old enough to understand.

And what a JOY it is!

Ok, Ok ...

😋

I know.  I've been missing in action AGAIN!

I did hear from a few readers that I was missed!  Ha.  One, and I won't name names - even asked me face to face, "So where are you?" ... to which I resisted the obvious "Right in front of you."

I just go into dips on this blogging thing it appears ... especially when my life seems to be sailing along evenly - without drama and disaster.

Of course, this winter was very eventful.  One of the biggest events of my life.  I officially became of a grandmother of a being with 2 legs!  While this statement sounds a bit odd, those who know me personally know that I have been a grandmother to 4 legged mutts for many many years.  They know me by the title of 'gran-ma.'

My grand daughter, Eskarina Faye, was born February 25 - 7 lbs, 7 ounces.  It has been such a joy to see her grow and develop so quickly.

Eskarina while still in the hospital.  Pretty wide awake here.
But don't be fooled.  There was a lot of sleeping too.

My husband and I with Esk at our condo soon after discharge.

You can be sure I will be sharing more pictures of this little dumpling as she grows.

I do get some questions about her name.  It is unusual.  A little explanation.

My son and daughter-in-law are big fans of the English author, Terry Pratchett.  I think I mentioned this author in connection with a chest of drawers my son painted for his soon to be born daughter.  You can find that post here.  Terry Pratchett is the author of over 40 comic fantasy books that occur in  a universe called Discworld.  Discworld is a flat world carried by four elephants riding on the back of a giant turtle.  Here is a link that explains things better than I could.  It is a charming set of books and I have read a few of them.

Eskarina's name comes from a novel in that series called Equal Rites.  The back cover gives a summary.

Every world has its rules - even a flat one carried by four elephants riding on a giant turtle.  That's why a dying wizard is searching for an eighth son of an eighth son to bestow his wizardly powers upon before meeting Death in six minutes.  Unfortunately it is quickly discovered - though not quite quickly enough - that the newborn babe the wizard anoints just before bidding the Discword adieu is, in reality, a girl! What's done cannot be undone - despite old Granny Weatherwax's attempts to bring the child into the witchy fold - little Esk is now a wizard, through and through.

It is an interesting novel in today's world where equal rights for women continues to be an issue.   I think the book's play on words is fun - rites vs rights - and the fact that Eskarina is a wizard in a world where only men can be wizards is a timely topic.

So here is my little Esk about a week ago.

Pretty much everyone agrees she has her mother's mouth and her dad's nose and eyes.
But we all know how this goes.  She will change many times as she develops.

She is a cute little nugget and I am one lucky 'gran-ma.'

That's all 'till next time.