again with the neighbors........

i was going to call the police.....they saved me the trouble!

i was threatened by the 'landscape guy'
who told me that since i posted signs on MY property..... and upset the neighbor
he was not only going to take the fence down but take the signs down

bernie got into it
the owner of the property came out to yell at me
said HI BERNIE
and bernie went off...... he was yelling to keep their low life friends off our property

the cops did come

i showed the cop the survey and he asked where the line was.....i explained to him and showed him the marker and the poles...all clear on the survey and right in front of him
i told him that they had threatened me with taking the fence and the signs down
the cop said that they couldn't do that

i said..... yup that's what i said!

the fence has been up since 2009!
they are going to 'trim the trees'
i said fine do it on their side
(actually that is a great idea for them to do........... )

i do realize that the neighbor told this guy to do this....he admitted that he did do it to the cop (he had told me that she told him to go right up to the driveway)she screamed at me that our property was a shit hole anyway
(we leave it wild for the animals)
  i don't think this 'friend' of theirs realises yet that this woman played him........ we've lived here since 87 and we've seen these people use 'friends' over and over
this from the women who would be the FIRST to tell anyone if it was done to her that it was her property and she could do what she liked on it

the guy who threatened me will find out..... cause they will do something that will get him... they always do it
when we first moved in the across the street neighbor told me that this particular neighbor was trouble after a while... too bad she's not still alive (she was 80 when we moved in)

i still can't believe it
but then i have always had a hard time believing it when people are hypocrites-

the cop took my name etc but not bernie's so this should be interesting

ironically i was going to call the police on that guy but bernie said not to- i am sorry i didn't

i still can't believe how upset bernie was

hot, cold, hot, cold, mother nature is having hot flashes

so it's cold today again, during the past week it was over 90 degrees then crashed down into the low 40's WITH RAIN

meanwhile i realized that i was getting ready for hurricane season! i didn't know that until i started making 'we need to replenish the water storage' noises
i am bugging bernie to check/service/run the generator too
and i am cooking full meals to be just reheated or for making salads with
into the freezer they are going.

meanwhile today i baked hamburger buns, and banana muffins so far
this is my new favorite pan- (note i don't get any compensation for this, i am just telling you all cause i love this pan)
 it's made in america, in PA no less, and in a few minutes i am again going to use it today for mini meatloafs for the freezer!
and possibly mini pot pies too
it cost 22.00 and was worth every single penny..... i am thinking of getting another one so i can double stuff
i started making the larger muffins for bernie as he is eating one a day for his 'breakfast' on the road. so the muffins always include something like either oatmeal, or granola, and fruits.... nuts, all with our freshly ground whole wheat flour. (and two duck eggs per batch so each muffin has about 1/3 a duck egg....1duck egg= 2 large chicken eggs)

i also have a loaf pan from this company USA PANS, and i love that too...
another pan i would like is their mini cheesecake pan with the bottoms that pop out

so back to the kitchen news, so far i have baked ziti, chicken enchiladas, and i am about to do meatloafs, london broil (in marinades) and some chicken casseroles, plus packs of cooked chopped chicken for salads
if i have time, calzones too.
i still have a large full turkey to roast in the freezer, it's 25# so i want to pick a day bernie will be home
i want to slice that for meals plus make stock and can the stock
when i get done with the bulk of all this i will hopefully be able to relax for a bit
i've been so very sick lately that in addition to making sure that we'll have stuff in case of hurricane power outages, i'll have meals when i'm having a really bad day

in other news, that dove i now call roland is still hanging around, he is afraid of bernie but he appears to be getting used to me
i am trying to get him approachable so i can get him in the house at night
i also want to look at him cause he looks like he's got a bad foot

in idiot neighbor news.... it appears that the threats i got from them were idle
i didn't see a surveyor out there so i am assuming they looked at their old survey and realized i was well within my rights

i still can't believe that these idiots expected me to back off because THEY were upset......wtf? when did their lives become more important to me then MINE ........wait that's right, it isn't!
but apparently they expected me to put their interests over my own!

ok in painting news, i got my art supplies only to realize the one blue i was purposely ordering FOR.....i forgot to order!
well a lot has been going on here lately
we're living in a bubble with bernie's schedule
so maybe next time

again with crazy neighbors? this time uphill?

this time it was the uphill neighbor that took it into her head to tell her 'landscaper' to clear cut the property to the driveway...... unfortunately it was OUR property that is a strip on the other side of the drive that was clear cut
i lost daffodils, mayflowers, barberry and a scottish thistle i have been anxiously awaiting flower for the goldfinches ( you remember my goldfinch paintings? well the next one was going to be with thistle when it came into bloom and then went to seed.....i've been watching that plant every damn day-

so i posted the line....... as i asked the guy about it and he said 'tilly said to clear it out to the driveway' (little vicky was on the phone and heard that) OBVIOUSLY the neighbor has forgotten her lines no?
well she threatened me! she sent the granddaughter over first to threaten me- claiming it was a misunderstanding! then SHE threatened me..... wtf? i posted signs on MY PROPERTY
i am a half a step away from calling the cops, and if those signs come down i will
and i'll press charges as well- you should have heard them cursing at me! i didn't bother to curse or answer them......... it's not worth it, as this is my property and my right to post signs if i want to.
i remember this one's indignation when she THOUGHT that an uphill neighbor had encroached on her land....here she's doing it to me
one of their excuses for her was that her husband just died in february, yes i do know that.....
which is why i didn't file charges already and just posted the lines
i don't bother ANYONE- i never trespass  i don't even go when invited over to someone's house- i leave them alone and i expect my property rights to be respected

meanwhile poor bernie is exhausted and was asleep when this all was going on...at least i hope he didn't hear it, as it was just under the bedroom window.............

he only had about 4 hours sleep yesterday, he had an early run......tonight he's got a lighter run and he leaves later so he can sleep until 7 i think-
he did sleep in the truck this morning for a few hours, which only delayed him getting back to the distribution center.
tomorrow we get the van back again..... we had gotten it back and there was another problem that the dealership caused......so i had to argue with them and back it went
do not buy anything from OUTTEN KIA in hamburg....... they don't honor the warranty that they assured me was bumper to bumper
i got them to give us a loaner twice which they were going to charge for
and by arguing with them got them to fix their mistake again
i am not happy with them at all.......we'd told them that there was a problem with the front end from the first day we bought that van home

it's been one thing after another lately huh?
in painting news i laid down washes for northern lights again.......
i'm getting closer i think i need to do them with an atomizer though.
once i get a good idea of how they work, (and i am working with clear glazes and staining vs non staining pigments) through the studies, i can layout the next painting

it's true, (one of my friends  * from TX * said this to me today) i do live in my own little world- it's getting smaller and smaller cause i can't handle these low lives
as i get older i just want peace to paint and cook and garden and enjoy the animals
i expect that since i don't bother anyone .....no one should bother me

roland

(i don't mean friends i mean neighbors and strangers)

anyway that's what's all going on from up here....
oh and the dove is back
i thought the kestrel got him...... there were feathers but apparently not so i named him roland
cause he reminds me of the knights in the disney movie 'sword in the stone'
tiny head big body...... and a bit slow on the uptake there is a picture of him out back

what a day..............

first off happy mothers day to you moms out there

what a day...bernie broke down with the van.....out near pottsville
beings it's sunday he couldn't get a tow
finally got a tow (350.00 later)
to get the van to the dealer.....then couldn't get a ride either home or to work
everything is closed!
taxi companies
car rentals
the dealership

everything is closed
right now he's sleeping in the van as he's due to drive a route tonight
i am not sure how as he's now stuck in hamburg!

supposedly the company was sending one of the truckers that was out that way to try and get him in to the distribution center

i am needless to say....beside myself with worry

i guess this pretty much settles it....we need a second car huh?
and he needs a closer job no?

now me, i had a rough night.....the overall body pain kept me up
tylenol isn't working anymore
so when the van is back on the road again i need to get to a doctor
i don't want pain killers but i am hoping that adjusting my thyroid meds will help

as things progress......

i'm getting to the point that tylenol isn't helping much anymore
now i have about a 3 hour window of movement from around 1pm
to about 4 ish

i can't get moving before hand
even when i am moving everything is in slow motion and i am sort of lurching around

bernie is alarmed (i am a bit as well but i figure it'll pass eventually)

meanwhile spring has actually gotten here finally....everything is green here even the air

i ordered some art supplies on sale (damn good sale 25% off and free shipping--- M Graham watercolors for 6 bucks a tube!!!!!! i got the two yellows and one blue i was wanting)
i am figuring this....
i can't really walk in the morning, no lifting or such
so maybe i can paint ....?
this way the morning won't be the waste it is now
and by the afternoon i will be more then ready for being able to get up and do some chores

chores are sort of suffering a bit right now.... but at least heating is over for this season
i was getting to the point where i couldn't even lift a log to the woodstove

meanwhile life in our little bubble more or less goes on
when i have a bit of energy i over do it...... but i am mainly concerned with getting meals in the freezer for bad days
this way when i am really bad bernie can just pop one in the oven
i have a few things put by
however i want more trays with things like chicken and stuffing
stuffed chicken breast
meatloaf and mashed potatoes
the proteins i serve chopped over salads

so very slowly.....i am adding to the freezer meals
we do have tons of stuff in the freezer as it is but not already cooked..... so this helps a bit
besides i cook freezer meals from frozen so it saves us a lot of time

meanwhile the garden needs weeding ....which isn't happening
some plants need transplanting .....which also isn't happening

and i need to lay down again as my time up is pretty much at an end for today

it's may, it's may (and not may the duck who lives at vicki's house)

days and weeks get away from me lately

i am still in pain, and it's looking more and more like fibro
but the tylenol is helping (who needs kidneys or a liver)
bernie's got a restart tonight, i find us living for his restarts
apparently that is when i have enough peace to settle and write the blog etc

meanwhile my life is a blurr of ducks, baking, chickens, washing dishes, garden seeds, cooking, and just doing the huge job of trying to keep bernie comfortable while he's in this insane situation of no real time off ....no set schedule.....and endless nights driving loads of meat/produce all over pa, md, de, nj, and ny........
add in the whole i don't feel good thing ....... and OMG
last week i spent almost three days in bed....... i just was in that much pain....i wasn't sleeping either
today is better
not great, i still can't move a hay bale or sack of grain but i CAN stand long enough to wash dishes, if not hang laundry out

in between everything i am cooking for the freezer (yeah so what else is new?)
i have baked ziti in there, soupstocks, and of course portion sized packages of chops and such
but these next few weeks i am planning on more cooked or assembled meals to just throw in the oven
i have to clear out the 150# of different wheats i have in there (freezing to kill any hitchhikers that may be have come along for the ride) i'll be putting the wheat into glass jars

i have to say i am in total love with this no knead bread
i grind up the flour (each cup of wheat berries yields about 1.5 cups of flour)

i put  3.5 cups of fresh ground flour in a bowl
i add about 1.25 TEASPOON of yeast
and about 1.5 teaspoon of kosher salt
then either 2 tablespoons of sugar or i add honey/molasses to the 2 cups of warm water
i stir up the dry stuff well
add the wet
stir it into a thoroughly wet mess which i cover and stick somewhere to rise until i remember it

when it's doubled in size i stir it down for a bit (like thirty seconds!)
recover it
then oil the loaf pan or the 6'' cake/bun pan (like a giant muffin pan but with straighter sides)
the second rise is about 30 minutes ......not too long due to the whole wheat

stir down hard again and then put it in the pan/pans
let that rest about 15 minutes or so......
heat the oven to a tiny bit over 350 (cause of the way my oven heats)
and bake for about 45 minutes for the loaf and about 25 for the buns/rolls

i have been oiling the crusts with either butter or olive oil about 3/4 way through the baking
check the internal temp with a meat thermometer ....i aim for about 190 or so

then let it set in the pans for like 10 minutes before turning the bread/rolls out on a cooling rack until cool

i'm also starting to experiment with the sourdough and with adding stuff  to the dough....... like garlic and onions to the rolls etc..
my goal eventually is to switch us over to a much lower gluten diet
but part of that is by way of whole grains in the first place

i told bernie....NO MORE STORE bread unless it's an emergency or i am dead
it's cheaper, healthier, and much more convenient to do it this way-not to mention no 'packaging' to toss
i keep the bread on a plate in the microwave! sorta a small kitchen multipurpose box (cause i also put the bread dough in there for the final rise too)

next up on my list of replenishment?

* cooked turkey cut up and portioned in the freezer as i used the last package last night

* a good sale on beef to grind for chop meat as i want meatballs, and meatloaf in the freezer ready to go

* more chicken based meals already made up (and we eat a LOT of chicken, my friend trish used to beg me 'make something OTHER then chicken for bernie tonight' hahahaha but i make chicken so many different ways that it really is better this way-cheaper too)

*cookie doughs- normally i made a batch and keep it in the fridge and bernie takes out whatever he wants to eat that night and throws it in the oven.... i need the fridge space so i am going to put the doughs in the freezer in 'slice and bake' sized batches i think

* muffins and fruit breads- sliced and portioned in the freezer for him to just grab for his midnight snack/lunch at work....

i need to figure out a better system for him to take food at night with him...he's eating about 7am in the morning and that's not good as he's gone about 12 hours then without anything to eat..... (yes i know the sleep/overnight argument but if you are burning calories you need to fuel things no?)

i tried granola bars but i wasn't happy with them as i felt they had too much sweets ... i wish i could figure something out similar that is cold with high protein
and no soy products

i keep thinking and googling various things..... i am wondering about making bean and rice flours for that? it would be a complete protein no? .........

ok so that's what's going on here.... the world is still moving forward but we are sort of in a bubble-
i long to get back to painting
i've been working on layouts
wondering if i should enter a juried watercolor show..... etc

so there you have it
vi's world in a nutshell ....or a post