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Allergies suck. I'm glad I don't have to take allergy shots. I hate needles.

Dropped my brother off at work and he was very appreciative. He grabbed a case of water from the pickup bed and put it in the front seat for me when he got out so I could have some water. My mouth felt super dry. Stopped at Walmart and grabbed some storage bins to put stuff in. Popped by my friend's house to pick up the package the fedex delivered there without permission (it was supposed to go to my house). The toddler was so excited to see me that he came charging over but tripped and bellyflopped on the laminate floor. Started crying. My friend looked at him and said "Well you found out, didn't you." I picked him up (he always wants me to pick him up) and he calmed down. He's getting a little more verbal now. He was repeating things back and wanting to high-five me. I was trying to teach him the Vulcan salute but he misunderstood. He wasn't happy that I couldn't stay long but he didn't cry when I left this time.

Got home and brought stuff in. I put some new heavy duty over-the-door hooks on the inside of my bathroom door to hang up my clothes for my friend's wedding. Hung up my brother's suit on another hook. Got my brother's shoes, tie, shoelaces, shirt, and suspenders all in a bin and brought it in. Found some stuff I'd been looking for in my bathroom while I was putting stuff in another bin. I was trying to organize the truck a little better and ended up stepping in a huge cow turd over and over. Sucker was so tall I tripped over it in the dark.

Will have to leave around 1am to go pick my brother up from work but I'll probably nap for a bit before then.
 
Today was brutal cold.... Temps 15/10F, sunny bright, gusty north wind, very sharp damp cold.. Supposed to moderate for the weekend.. Most streets clear of Wednesday nights, Thursday snow..

Our favorite pizza, chicken buffet has a Friday night fish option for Lent, Easter.. OK, but not that special.. Will have to look around for other options..
 
warmed up to 22 with sun and no wind so I swapped out the passenger door on our honda pilot. the wife had rubbed up against a light pole base in a parking lot last year and sprung the door so it has been duct taped closed since to keep down the wind noise.'
I found a door in a junk yard that was half the cost of the deductable on our insurance at the time so I grabbed it. As those things go I just kept forgetting to take the time to switch it out.
This weekend we are watching our renter familys two kids and since the toddler needs a car seat I figured it was time to have two working doors for the back seat. the door fit and is blissfully quiet at road speeds now......but the connector for the electric window and electric locks is sightly off so when it warms up I will have to do some soldering on 12 tiny wires.
I got done just as the sun went down and the temp dropped to about 10 and my fingers went numb..
 
Mountain trapper said:
My chocolate lab got hit by a car yesterday. Actually I hit him with the Jeep. He was running up the road next to the Jeep when he slipped on the ice and hit the side of the Jeep and I ran over his foot. Nothings broken but he did milk out the sympathy all day yesterday. He's bearly limping today.
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so glad he is ok, I worry about the neighbor's little dogs doing that, they are always chasing cars and getting too close
one of them actually tried to bite the tire of our Ranger a few times and I don't know if I should stop or just drive away really fast
 
Only getting up to 45 here, today with 15 mile an hour breeze. Going to walk in a little bit anyway.
Will be cleaning bathrooms and sweeping up at Church.
Will check and list ingredients for recipes I will be taking to Church next Sunday.
Anything else will certainly be inside work.
 
My day off(🤔)! Laundry is going, everyone fed except Buddy, heading out there momentarily. Cold today, have a list of inside jobs to do. Hubby and I are finally replacing the seals in the big log splitter. Got it in the shop yesterday evening and got the hydraulic fluid out of the cylinder. I also will get in the kitchen later and cut up chicken for fajitas and peppers and onions. Need to plan this weeks menu and figure out when I can squeeze in my carpet cleaning jobs this week!!
 
sonya123 said:
so glad he is ok, I worry about the neighbor's little dogs doing that, they are always chasing cars and getting too close
one of them actually tried to bite the tire of our Ranger a few times and I don't know if I should stop or just drive away really fast
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Whenever we come home from town we let the dogs out at the gate and they run the 2 miles home. Usually they're way ahead of us, but I think Jake (the chocolate lab) caught a scent off the side of the road. When he came out of the brush is when I hit him.
I hate it when dogs chase cars. In the old days I've heard of some people who would tie burlap to their wheel. When a dog would chase their car, they'd bite the burlap and it would break their neck. I guess it cured them of ever chasing cars again.
 
There's one, a huge white dog named Otto a few miles up the road from us. He chases everything...car, truck, ranger, tractor, horse and buggy. I usually bring something with me if we're going that way in the ranger, like a piece of hotdog or something to throw. He gets pretty close. Sometimes we see him way out in a field on our way to a bigger town. We stop and yell at him to go home. He was following a big tractor yesterday...saw him on my way home from Aldi. That dog gets so close to the tires, it's amazing to me he's still alive.
 
This is a fast moving thread and I ain't no spring chicken, so if I forget to comment on anything, I apologize.

It looks like another cold overcast day coming up. I almost didn't do my rural walk yesterday but was glad I did. It was only a 3 miler, but I walked an area I hadn't since last summer. I was surprised at the new improvements. They added four feet of asphalt on either side of the road that sure makes it nicer for walkers. I noticed one place no longer has the horses that use to come to the fence for attention.

I noticed that one of the winter feeding pastures didn't have any cattle and both large hay stacks were still there. While the pavement widening was good to see, the absence of cattle and the heavy equipment in place of the farm machinery, tells me that another ranch will become a housing development.

@jishinsjourney Don't worry about making contributions of value. Value of a post is all in the eyes of the reader and from what I read, the most appreciated post are ones we see on threads like this. Knowing how different members days are going is certainly appreciated by most rural living folks over post that result in arguments. Concerning your allergies, have you ever had chickenpox, shingles, any herpes virus, fever blisters, etc.? If so I might have something for you to discuss with your doctor.

Anyway, I wish I had something of interest to post about this morning, but I don't.

It is the time of year that I wear socks with sandals around the house and shopping. I wonder how others here feel about such a style. The beauty of such a style is being able to change into walking shoes or work boots quickly.
 
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Drinking some coffee. Not sure why but I was wide awake at 530 this morning and just watched the sky go from dark to on fire. I find out today if my folks were successful at putting an offer in on a little house about half a mile from our place. They want to move Grandma closer to us and them because she is nearly 90 and is in need of regular visits to make sure she is still happy and safe. It’s an hour drive to get her from her apartment for family dinners currently and my dad has been driving over several times a week to pick her up and bring her to their house each week. That’s like 4 hours a day he is on the road just to make sure his mom is ok. We found a cute little house that has a good fence for her two little dogs and is in a neighborhood within a block of our library, senior center, a couple of cafes, and only a ten minute walk from our house. It’s about 7 miles from my folks but a far cry from traveling an hour each way. Also I can pop in during my lunchtime walks every day to check on her. I’m a little worried about my folks buying a second home in their retirement, but I think it’s more about peace of mind for my dad than money at this point. Probably the reason why I was up before the sun on a Saturday!
 

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We got home from the airport about midnight last night. It was a 10 hour round trip. The roads were in good shape until the last few miles which were covered in ice and snow.
This morning we had a beautiful sunrise. The clouds over the mountains to the west of us were a bright pink and red. It's 14 degrees. Our Thai friend thinks it's cold here.
 
Freezer is done! (yes I'm more excited than you, sorry folks 😂 ) Set up the folding table in the garage and emptied it out, sorted everything. Veg and frozen chips/croquettes etc filled the two bags. I left the oldest stuff out on top to use. Found a load of ice cream and only a few small 'odd' bags of frozen fruit, which will go to make jams tomorrow. (Already made strawberry jam yesterday) but in general there wasn't a lot to clean up, and nothing dodgy or unrecognizable! .Picked up a few medium sized clear containers. In one I put all my pastry, another onions and garlic, another has wraps, scones and brown bread. Because I was in the garage, I also sorted a shelving unit I normally can't get to because husbands motorbike is in the way, but it's been moved as he is selling it.
Cleared a space, swept it down and put a big plastic container full of containers (there's a theme!) up top that I'll need during harvest, and made space for my 5 litre drums of vinegar, washing up liquid etc so they are handy to access when I need refills. Found a box of small potatoes sprouting, so tomorrows work is ready. Have veg done for today and tomorrows dinner, a chicken carcass making stock, and I made breadcrumbs from the heels of bread I've been saving. I'll sleep tonight!
 
sonya123 said:
We were going to Italy after daughter graduated highschool, she wanted to go there. So I booked tickets on Alitalia airline , had the whole trip planned out and booked , we get to the airport and we were told " your tickets are no good" . I was on the phone for hours but it was a no go. They said " the tickets were cancelled" . It was the single most worst thing that ever happened on a trip. Well, before the trip. It took me almost a year to get my money back from my credit card company ( which did pay for them). I had boarding passes printed out and everything. Still don't know how they could get away with that.

So I hope you didn't buy tickets from Alitalia.....if you did , PRAY!
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The company booked everything. Unfortunately, being 6' 2", those 12 hour flights don't work well, especially with my metal knees. I upgraded to "second class" seating, with more leg room, but it cost me $1000 per seat extra. I also purchased all inclusive insurance, so they better find a way to get me there or it will cost them.

In other weird news, I was talking with my buddy and his wife last night. Back in 2018, when we went to Paris, France, ironically, he and his wife also went to the same area of Paris, France. It really helped us because they gave us an idea what to look for, and what to avoid. So, I'm talking to my buddy about my Italy trip, which is in October of this year. My buddy says, "So are we!" They are once again going two weeks before us, but planned every night on their own, unlike us using a company to book all of our reservations. I'm sure they will save lots of money, but they are younger and more adventurous that we are.
 
Hey, @jishinsjourney have you considered AeroGardening? While it probably isn't cost effective or subsistence gardening and depends on electricity, it might bring you a lot of pleasure and feeling of accomplishment as well as fresh veggies. I know a few apartment dwelling urban folks that do it and grow some amazing vegetables. Country living and modern day homesteading is about doing things for yourself regardless of your living situation.
 
havasu said:
The company booked everything. Unfortunately, being 6' 2", those 12 hour flights don't work well, especially with my metal knees. I upgraded to "second class" seating, with more leg room, but it cost me $1000 per seat extra. I also purchased all inclusive insurance, so they better find a way to get me there or it will cost them.

In other weird news, I was talking with my buddy and his wife last night. Back in 2018, when we went to Paris, France, ironically, he and his wife also went to the same area of Paris, France. It really helped us because they gave us an idea what to look for, and what to avoid. So, I'm talking to my buddy about my Italy trip, which is in October of this year. My buddy says, "So are we!" They are once again going two weeks before us, but planned every night on their own, unlike us using a company to book all of our reservations. I'm sure they will save lots of money, but they are younger and more adventurous that we are.
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if you got a good travel company that's probably not a bad idea. We did that when we went to India and it was great, best trip ever and all I had to worry about was booking it. We usually don't do that but with India I made an exception ( Gate 1 if anyone needs a good tour company and they survived covid)
Where in Italy are you going? I have been to Northern Italy several times when I was younger, but never to Rome or south of there. THat is where we were going to go . OH well, we ended up going to New Mexico the next day after the ticket fail. Daughter and myself were sitting there crying and husband said " lets just pack the truck and go somewhere" so we did. Hiked up highpoint of Texas and most of the way up in NM until daughter had some altitute problems but it was a good trip anyway.

oh and we had trip insurance for that Italy trip and they paid NOTHING. They said it was not on the list of things covered and considered a billing dispute with us and the airline.
 
I only got a short nap before I had to get up to pick my brother up. Mom woke me up 3 minutes before the alarm and being woken up before my alarm really aggravates me. She knows I set alarms for things and I don't need reminders for stuff like that, but for whatever reason she decided to micro-manage. Picked my brother up and got home. Got a little sleep but Mom woke me up again wanting her blood sugar checked. It was 44 so I had to get her some candy and apple juice. She's fine now. I don't mind her waking me for stuff like that.

Phone woke me up this morning-- the landline ringing. It was the AT&T tech saying he found the problem and fixed it. I think he said something about "a bad collar" and it was all the way in town. So, something in town was broken. Now I will have to go after them for a refund of the month+ my landline didn't work. But its such a relief to have that fixed.

My amazon orders haven't reached the post office yet so I get to rest more today.
 
Faez said:
This is a fast moving thread ...

@jishinsjourney Don't worry about making contributions of value. Value of a post is all in the eyes of the reader and from what I read, the most appreciated post are ones we see on threads like this. Knowing how different members days are going is certainly appreciated by most rural living folks over post that result in arguments. Concerning your allergies, have you ever had chickenpox, shingles, any herpes virus, fever blisters, etc.? If so I might have something for you to discuss with your doctor.

Anyway, I wish I had something of interest to post about this morning, but I don't.

It is the time of year that I wear socks with sandals around the house and shopping. I wonder how others here feel about such a style. The beauty of such a style is being able to change into walking shoes or work boots quickly.
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Threads like this have wide appeal across many areas of interest. More eyes so more people to react. I suspect few people read all threads.

I read the argument threads but limit my participation to a peace keeper role etc.

I do enjoy the educational threads were I can learn or teach.

Ben
 
Mountain trapper said:
Whenever we come home from town we let the dogs out at the gate and they run the 2 miles home. Usually they're way ahead of us, but I think Jake (the chocolate lab) caught a scent off the side of the road. When he came out of the brush is when I hit him.
I hate it when dogs chase cars. In the old days I've heard of some people who would tie burlap to their wheel. When a dog would chase their car, they'd bite the burlap and it would break their neck. I guess it cured them of ever chasing cars again.
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Or if you’re quick enough, you can open your door and bonk them in the head. It rings their bell (without killing them) and they will typically at least quit chasing your car/pickup.
 
Niece and family left. Hubby is asleep in his recliner 😂. 2-1/2 year olds have lots of energy and this one though sweet and not mean does not know the word No from her parents or anyone else. Another year and they will really have their hands full. Baby is beautiful and full of smiles so a good visit overall.
 
Today I had to deal with two projects to make The Princess happy. First I tested out the new battery powered leaf blower on the snow we got over night. The snow was light and fluffy so the blower worked well. It does devour batteries! Finished up the job with my fancy new snow shovel. I am pleased with it because it reduces the bending over.

Snow Joe SJ-SHLV20 Shovelution 20-Inch, Strain-Reducing Snow Shovel w/ Spring Assisted Handle + Impact-Resistant Blade, Blue https://a.co/d/dN04RPY

I have to admit I played the fool for the second project which was repairing a spice cabinet. Went to my Jeep to fetch my impact driver. Couldn't get back hatch open. I begged a rain check from The Princess thinking it was frozen closed. Then an idea hit me. Yup. It was locked. Silly me.

But the impact driver wasn't in the Jeep after all. Found at third project back site. I was relieved because it is my go-to power tool and I have a lot of accessories for it in that tool bag. In the end it took me longer to find the impact driver than it took to fix the spice cabinet.

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Meanwhile The Princess worked her spice organizing project.

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The project kitchen smells amazing

Ben
 
Tim Horton said:
Our favorite pizza, chicken buffet has a Friday night fish option for Lent, Easter.. OK, but not that special.. Will have to look around for other options..
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I like to get fish from churches doing Lenten fish fries. There are fewer of them doing this every year. Last year I got one that was not that good. Thanks for the reminder. I will look to find other churches that have these. A church fairly close to me used to do catfish and it was fabulous.
 
Neb said:
Today I had to deal with two projects to make The Princess happy. First I tested out the new battery powered leaf blower on the snow we got over night. The snow was light and fluffy so the blower worked well. It does devour batteries! Finished up the job with my fancy new snow shovel. I am pleased with it because it reduces the bending over.

Snow Joe SJ-SHLV20 Shovelution 20-Inch, Strain-Reducing Snow Shovel w/ Spring Assisted Handle + Impact-Resistant Blade, Blue https://a.co/d/dN04RPY

I have to admit I played the fool for the second project which was repairing a spice cabinet. Went to my Jeep to fetch my impact driver. Couldn't get back hatch open. I begged a rain check from The Princess thinking it was frozen closed. Then an idea hit me. Yup. It was locked. Silly me.

But the impact driver wasn't in the Jeep after all. Found at third project back site. I was relieved because it is my go-to power tool and I have a lot of accessories for it in that tool bag. In the end it took me longer to find the impact driver than it took to fix the spice cabinet.

View attachment 124707

Meanwhile The Princess worked her spice organizing project.

View attachment 124708


The project kitchen smells amazing

Ben
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Isn't it interesting how this project of organizing spices is so big? I continue to be amazed at all the spices, but glad that I have worked on mine. It is a big project and things like this seem messy in the process of the big organization of all of them. It is the end result that is important. BTW, I am not completely done with any aspect of mine, but I do continue to work on it here and there, especially when and if I find more spices.
 
Magpie said:
Freezer is done! (yes I'm more excited than you, sorry folks 😂 ) Set up the folding table in the garage and emptied it out, sorted everything. Veg and frozen chips/croquettes etc filled the two bags. I left the oldest stuff out on top to use. Found a load of ice cream and only a few small 'odd' bags of frozen fruit, which will go to make jams tomorrow. (Already made strawberry jam yesterday) but in general there wasn't a lot to clean up, and nothing dodgy or unrecognizable! .Picked up a few medium sized clear containers. In one I put all my pastry, another onions and garlic, another has wraps, scones and brown bread. Because I was in the garage, I also sorted a shelving unit I normally can't get to because husbands motorbike is in the way, but it's been moved as he is selling it.
Cleared a space, swept it down and put a big plastic container full of containers (there's a theme!) up top that I'll need during harvest, and made space for my 5 litre drums of vinegar, washing up liquid etc so they are handy to access when I need refills. Found a box of small potatoes sprouting, so tomorrows work is ready. Have veg done for today and tomorrows dinner, a chicken carcass making stock, and I made breadcrumbs from the heels of bread I've been saving. I'll sleep tonight!
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I’m excited for you too. I just mine and it’s so satisfying when it’s done. Plus you realize you probably have enough for emergencies and daily life
 
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