who EXACTLY does 'lawncare' in the middle of the night?

apparently people who don't want to be video-d while they are vandalizing an adjacent property!

ok a friend sent me this following funny by email
and boy is it apt to me--- i hate lawns

God and Lawn Care...

GOD:

Frank, you know all about gardens and nature. What in the world is going on down there on the planet? What happened to the dandelions, violets,  milkweeds  and stuff I started eons ago? I had a perfect no-maintenance garden plan. Those plants grow in any type of soil, withstand drought and multiply with abandon. The nectar from the long-lasting blossoms attracts butterflies, honey bees and flocks of songbirds. I expected to see a vast garden of colors by now. But, all I see are these green rectangles.

St. FRANCIS:

It's the tribes that settled there, Lord. The Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers 'weeds' and went to great lengths to kill them and replace them with grass.

They go to great pains to grow it and keep it green. They begin each spring by fertilizing grass and poisoning any other plant that crops up in the lawn.

GOD:

The spring rains and warm weather probably make grass grow really fast. That must make the Suburbanites happy.

ST. FRANCIS:

Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it grows a little, they cut it-sometimes twice a week.

GOD:

They cut it? Do they then bale it like hay?

ST. FRANCIS:

Not exactly, Lord. Most of them rake it up and put it in bags.

GOD:

They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it?

ST. FRANCIS:

No, sir, just the opposite. They pay to throw it away.

GOD:

Now, let me get this straight. They fertilize grass so it will grow. And, when it does grow, they cut it off and pay to throw it away?

ST. FRANCIS:

Yes, Sir.

GOD:

These Suburbanites must be relieved in the summer when we cut back on the rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows the growth and saves them a lot of work.

ST. FRANCIS:

You aren't going to believe this, Lord. When the grass stops growing so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to water it, so they can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it.

GOD:

What nonsense. At least they kept some of the trees. That was a sheer stroke of genius, if I do say so myself. The trees grow leaves in the spring to provide beauty and shade in the summer. In the autumn, they fall to the ground and form a natural blanket to keep moisture in the soil and protect the trees and bushes. It's a natural cycle of life.

ST. FRANCIS:

You better sit down, Lord. The Suburbanites have drawn a new circle. As soon as the leaves fall, they rake them into great piles and pay to have them hauled away.

GOD:

No!? What do they do to protect the shrub and tree roots in the winter to keep the soil moist and loose?

ST. FRANCIS:

After throwing away the leaves, they go out and buy something which they call mulch. They haul it home and spread it around in place of the leaves.

GOD:

And where do they get this mulch?

ST. FRANCIS:

They cut down trees and grind them up to make the mulch.

GOD:

Enough! I don't want to think about this anymore. St. Catherine, you're in charge of the arts. What movie have you scheduled for us tonight?

ST. CATHERINE:

Dumb and Dumber', Lord. It's a story about....

GOD:

Never mind, I think I just heard the whole story from St. Francis.  

we have discovered the joy of enchiladas

AND experiments with tortillas will follow....................

actually bernie and i talked about how much the enchiladas i made last night tasted like pot pie!
so i'm thinking...... WHAT IF????

what if i use tortilla for the 'pastry' of a pot pie?
i'm thinking it's worth a try no?

lately i'm doing total dinners to freeze, in addition to all the other stuff we have raw or partly cooked in the freezer
it's helping when he has to be gone on a two day trip.
he can take it and just reheat it at whatever terminal he lands at
and days when either i am not doing too well or i am painting a lot etc...... we can just heat up supper

i used to do things like this when i was working outside the house, because i never knew what time i would be getting in, so it was easy for bernie to throw something in the oven and eat, saving me a plate.

with his new schedule, we never know from one day to the next what is going on so this will work well for us too.

meanwhile i am working on the reindeer herder, she's almost done, i am not liking her as much as the last one....but we'll see when i am finished with her
i may redo her
originally i saw her with a tattooed face! but i didn't want to paint her that way, sometimes i think she's gotten back at me for not doing that by giving me a hard time painting her

i am considering the next in the series as well

and that is our little corner of the world right now......(yeah i know--- abrupt change of pace but hey)

muffins

i bake muffins at least every other day or so, in this pan-
bernie takes two of them a night and has them for his 'breakfast' at about 6am or so, when he's delivered his last load-
(i pack him sandwitches, a banana, and two muffins along with his thermos of tea every day)

today's muffin is banana oatmeal, with cinnamon and allspice
sometimes i make him blueberry orange, or carrot pineapple, strawberry etc........
all of them include oatmeal, along with freshly ground whole grain flour, two duck eggs (thank you my beloved muscovies) and sometimes coconut, granola, and 85% cacao chips....
depending

his favorites are the blueberry, the banana and occasionally the carrot ones.......
i experiment a lot, and when i have apples he'll get apple in there, or apricots, in the fall he gets fresh pumpkin ( i get small pie pumpkins that i bake ahead)

i feel a bit better about him eating them since they have oatmeal, whole grain flour, cinnamon, olive oil and fresh fruits in there - i am not crazy about the sugar in there but he wouldn't eat them without it
i tried

anyway, i am trying to find some other different muffins for him... stuff that is fast for me to bake as i throw this batter together in two bowls and in ten minutes then bake for 20 minutes

it has to be fast cause it's in between everything else i do
so i have a bit of time to paint around chores.

i am considering sweet potato muffins in the fall...... we'll see
i didn't plant zucchini so they are out

really i would like a rotating roster of maybe 10 or 15 different ones
and then i plan on a baking week to stock them into the freezer

any ideas?

ok here is the basic muffin recipe
now mind i don't actually measure

1.5 cups of flour
3/4 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
oatmeal..... about 1.5 cups ( i grind it up a bit too)
cinnamon ......i use vietnamese and i use about a tablespoon or so (probably more)
dash of allspice
dash of ginger occasionally (usually with the carrot muffins)

mix that all up in a bowl really well-- if you are adding granola or chips or nuts or raisins add them here

in a separate bowl
1 cup or so of milk ( never measure) to which you added tablespoon or so of lemon juice to curdle the milk
 2 duck eggs beat the daylights out of them before you add them to the wet stuff
(or two HUGE chicken eggs but the duck eggs are much better)
1/2 cup of oil (we use olive oil)

then the fruits
3 bananas mashed well
or about 1.5 cups of grated carrots mixed with 1/2 a cup of crushed or chopped pineapple
or 2 cups of blueberries with about 1/8 a cup of fresh orange zest/juice
if you want to use molasses throw in about a tablespoon or so here

mix the wet ingredients thoroughly--- seriously do all your mixing here
the put the oven on at 350

now mix the dry into the wet until JUST combined....don't over mix
there will be flecks of dried stuff here and there
that's ok
fill your muffin pan and bake for about 20 minutes
test with a toothpick - if it comes out clean- take them out of the oven and let cool a bit
then cool on a rack

these are wonderful ............ and bernie loves them (so do i but i don't usually eat them, preferring to save them for him)
he said with a bit of cream cheese he's in heaven

so there you go
let me know if you make them ok? and if you experiment let me know what you did

i hate lawns

 if you look carefully in the center of the photos there is a baby fawn... out back.
see the baby?
it's momma was browsing out in the second backyard and left the fawn safely in our care.

then bernie mowed the front and side yards
and disturbed a nest of baby bunnies... i didn't see if he'd gotten any but we did have scared bunnies running around like crazy and now they have no weed cover......or food

needless to say i am upset
i am upset that the asshole neighbor got away with forcing bernie to mow- at least while the baby season is upon us
here i have tall weeds, that are alive with bugs, birds, frogs, toads, bunnies, fawns and other living creatures ............ no chemicals are dumped..... mother nature rules as she should

it's so worth seeing a tiny new born fawn still wet struggling to stand
or watching a cardinal pair raise their little babies in the rhododendron right outside the front windows

now if i had a say, the lawn would so be jettisoned and just stands of native wild plants would be there.... i may reserve a small patch for beans or something like that..... but really i can't see the sense in a lawn. trees........yes absolutely even dead ones.... our native animals get short shifted these days by stupid developers, even stupider homeowners, invasive non-native species, and overly aggressive application of chemicals- to control our native plants!
and then people get mad at me!

the neighbor said our property was a 'shithole'
i don't understand that....it's alive with all sorts of wonderful life...... see that baby fawn???
does this mean that all these birds, and animals should be killed? that their habitats should be annihilated? because one uneducated person thinks that i need to listen to their opinion of what MY property needs to look like?

this is america?

just some odds and ends

first some observations:
karma is the universe's loving way of allowing you a second (or third or fourth) way to get it right

we all are learning..... but i suspect while we're at it..... we are teaching and setting examples-and some of that at times could be divinely inspired (or whatever your world view of the universe is)

watching ducks bath quietly in the dappled sunlight on a day that is not too hot, and not too cold is one of the good times, even if you get splashed a little - or splashed a LOT

sometimes, you really need to come down on the side of kindness, even though you get shit on for it,
because, you understand the deeper problem. that doesn't mean you are a victim, you can defend yourself...it just means that you don't go any further then that.....no retaliation, no 'teach them a lesson they will never forget' .............

destruction seems to always be followed by CONSTRUCTION, both in housing, nature and human experience
i didn't say any of that was easy, or pleasant, or fun-- although it could be

now:
i am back painting, when i paint, my brain goes into some odd sort of meditative mode, sometimes it's 'out there' seeing the universe from a different vantage point, sometimes it's asking some 'big' questions, and getting some interesting answers.....
i think that's why i keep painting too, because for me it's very healing to be 'out there'
i really do feel better after a few hours of painting
i also find my world gets into a better (most of the time anyway) balance
unless of course the painting is not going well

i've started the reindeer herder/ elen of the ways in earnest now
and let me tell you every part of this has given me a hard time
studies for the aurora borealis (which i also learned to spell properly during the research) took a while
finding her face took a while (the face she kept showing me kept changing)
researching reindeer took a while
then i dreamt the process
which actually worked out a bit better then i thought .....(with the exception of too much 'starry' maskoid)

i am actually on to her face now

i found myself scrubbing the watercolor just like i used to scrub the oil paints.....
adding hazes of transparent color not washes..... but hazes
i'm thinking that may not be a traditional way of doing watercolors........
don't get me wrong, i also use washes...... some very wet juicy ones......but i let them dry a bit then i've been scrubbing over them with color
i'm thinking that is probably part of who i am as an artist, since it's something i've done with oils, acrylics and now watercolors

in addition i've been listening to audio books lent me by a friend.
the only time i can listen and hear them is while painting!
not while knitting or doing housework or in bed.....
and i'm not in a car much so not there

at this point...... this is about it for this post, if i think of something else later, i'll update (most likely in the observations part)

just a fly by posting

since that incident yesterday, roland the dove hasn't been back
we fear something has happened to him
but we still put out some bird seed for him
i didn't sleep at all
so bernie is putting the AC in the bedroom today
he didn't sleep at all yesterday either so maybe this will help him

i decided that due to the extreme hot weather.....i would make sure all the animals are kept in and cool

in painting news.... i am closer to the layout of the reindeer herder
i still mourn the loss of that thistle as i have that second goldfinch painting for susan to do

it's so hot here
the heat is way too much for may/june......it's more like august heat
i also noticed that another big maple is dying
i am thinking that it's in the water that fed that one and the 300 year old one that died already
we need to get the well checked

and a filter on the drinking water i suppose
it's all a bit overwhelming at the moment

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

there is a big RED truck in the driveway

and it is BIG
bernie's last stop was in town so he came home early to sleep
he'll get some extra which he desperately needs
and we'll save some mileage and gas in the van

ok let's see, i finished ice princess
and i've started on the next one which is elen of the ways-she's associated with ley lines and reindeer- and i am sort of at the 'rough' stage
not quite to layout yet
meanwhile i've been sick again.
pain all over my entire body, and now i am wondering if it's something more then just thyroid as i've been taking the meds daily
this laid me low for a few days, i felt better then got sicker
and it's seeming to follow a pattern now, ... some improvement, then right back to full body pain....and exhaustion....i'm so very very tired most of the time.
it's hurting to sit here and type right now

in garden news, my snow peas are up, so is the spinach, chard, lettuces, garlic, leeks, onions, mint, blueberries, catnip, and of course my beloved violets
the seedlings i started in the house seem to be doing ok, not as good as normal years but then this wasn't a normal year.

in the kitchen, i started to use some of the hard white wheat, it makes a softer crumb which bernie likes better, it tastes different from the hard red wheat too.
i am going to alternate the wheats and sometimes mix them

yesterday i packaged about 50 pounds of sausage for the freezer
today i am going to roast red and green peppers and make my roasted pepper sauce
or i will as soon as the tylenol kicks in

i also made yogurt....it's been a while,
muffins (apple cinnamon that bernie said were wonderful)
bread (of course)
and sausage/peppers/onions and potatoes for last night's supper

with all this cooking, the chickens are extremely happy as they get the scraps, parings and peelings
happy chickens equal happy eggies

in knitting news, i am and i'm not knitting
it actually hurts to hold the needles for too long!
my hands twitch for the want of something to do
they are so used to 'sitting down means hands knit'

everything here is in slow motion, and life is in a bubble
with bernie working nights, and me tiptoeing around during the day so he can sleep
and me being in pain a lot
we're just doing what we must to survive
animals get taken care of but not a huge amount of garden walks for them
things get put off that aren't 100% essential at this time
i don't even use the van during the day (yes i know i am reclusive at best) i am trying to save the gas
and i worry that me leaving the house is going to disturb bernie's sleep
any appointments i had i either have to cancel or get rides because i truly never know what time he'll be getting in...
there are some days he doesn't get home until 3pm and he has to leave again at 9pm!
yes i am terribly worried about his health
and when i worry about him i cook for him
he's losing weight though cause he's not eating enough during the night
oye
so there you have it.....life such as it is here goes on
but in a bubble

can't talk now................

busy painting

bernie's birthday eve....sorta like christmas eve but with bernie!

he's working though
i have his cake and his card
his present will be at some time in the future however....
i have to say, the 8 weeks over the road training really seems to have changed him
he's much more aware of how truly blessed he is
how surrounded by love
and how much he's always BEEN loved
my parents adored him
i adore him (although there are TIMES............)
our animals adore him......
his sisters too
now he's starting to realize how a lot of people aren't that lucky

the cats have been climbing all over him almost constantly while he's been home.
the ducks and chickens are thrilled when they see him come down to take them out
the other day i was taking them out and while i was, i said to them 'mommy's got a BIG surprise for you.........'

and bernie walked out! OMG they all went nuts.... they were so glad to see him

we spent part of this afternoon talking about how far we've come, how far he's come personally
and what he thinks about it all
i love when he settles to talk to me like that
i swear i live for those kind of talks with him
so tomorrow is his birthday..... 58
we've been together since he was 21 and i was 19.......... wow.......... look at how LONG
we've had ups and downs but somehow.......we've managed to keep choosing each other every day
amazing huh?

my birthday, easter and perspectives

saturday (yesterday saturday) was my birthday
it was an interesting day
it had a few ups and downs
i thought bernie'd forgotten me but he didn't
he couldn't get off so i was alone all day
i did some chores, ducks/chickens/ fed and watered everyone
wood in
but blew off other chores like dishes and cooking
i paid for it today

today we had a sort of half ass dinner
i had frozen slices off a smithfield ham in the freezer so we had ham, with baked potatoes and a HUGE salad
no not a normal holiday dinner but the best i can do with the limited time i have
we eat late
the doctor said i shouldn't eat for at least 3 hours before bed but with bernie leaving at 9 and him getting up at 6:30pm taking his shower etc.......
well it'a bout 7 or even 8 before we eat
and no i am not keeping his meal 'warm'
i am thinking of just not eating at all but he'd freak
so i make supper, we eat together and right now i feel like i swallowed a whale
i am so not used to eating lately
nor am i used to eating late
while bernie was gone i would eat maybe once a day

now in other news, i cast on another project, a fast cowl......the first one i cast on really doesn't want to be that particular pattern -- so i had a blue/green in stash since 2010 that wants to be a cowl (sunna part of the spirit trail 2010 club yarns @350 yards really it'll make a great cabled cowl)
it's a simple one
co 248 on size 5 join/place marker
k2p2 for two inches
then i am going to knit an aran pattern out of one of the barbara walker treasuries for the body
3.5 inches on size 5
2.5 inches on size 3
2 inches on size 2 and then 1.75 inches of k2p2 ribbing on the size 2

i have a black/blue/green mini plaid shirt that this will go with....as well as a lot of blue shirts that it will work with.
after this it's back to the premie hats for susan's babies

i planted some seeds during the week in the house for later transplanting into the outside garden, most are germinating already
the cat grass is amazingly fast
calpurrnia will thank me for that one i think

meanwhile .......bernie has reluctantly agreed that this current job isn't working for him either
we are sort of living in a bubble
when he is home-he's sleeping so i tiptoe around
when he's gone i'm exhausted so i am not getting enough done
he's getting nothing done at all since really he's only here to shower, sleep and eat......not even 8 hours normally
7 days a week...(not withstanding that surprise 34 hour reset thingie)

he's realized that not only is nothing getting done around here but just real basic 'bring wood in, feed/water the animals, do dishes' type chores but we are sort of in limbo

besides he misses me
i miss him too even though he's here, he's not

so he's going to start to look locally
he'll be working with this company for a while though as jobs still aren't easy to find
and he does like the company.... if we lived 40 minutes closer it wouldnt' be bad (except the 7 day a week thing)

ok..... i have a meeting in the morning which i am getting picked up for since i won't have the van until sometime in the afternoon maybe
so i need to get some sleep
take good care everyone

what a week!

well bernie survived his first week in fleet
last night he had a 34 hour restart so was home all night and today until 9pm
it was such a wonderful surprise for me
he was a bit upset about it and then tried to explain the restart to me
i don't get it
all i get is that the trucking industry wants to know where you are and basically wtf you are doing 24/7
even if you are at home not at work
and the hours......are insane
please

meanwhile he is working and giving it his all.......that's bernie for you
i am trying to be as supportive as i can
we've now made it a ritual to plan his route in the evening before he leaves, he gets his load number, and his locations and times
then i google earth the locations so he can see which way to go into the loading docks
and then print it out for him to take

the struggle to find foods for him to snack on at night continues
he's got those granola muffins i made him the other day
tonight he's got a few of them left, and an apple
the actual meal i sent with him went uneaten by him.......the chickens were happy though

i am thinking next of some turkey/cheese/lettuce rolls in bite sized pieces
along with another granola bar experiment
the granola i made him is not bad, it's got pumpkin seeds, olive oil, peanut butter, flax seed, oatmeal, coconut, almonds, and 65% cacao chocolate
along with honey and molasses
i am going to sneak in some raisins and maybe either dates or cranberries when he isn't looking

i am also considering something along the lines of sliders....but as a cold sandwitch so it would be something like chicken salad, grilled chicken, egg salad, grilled turkey........
on our homemade freshly ground 100% whole wheat bread
small bite sized sandwitches....... maybe that will help too

we were considering a 'lunch box oven' which is a very cool thing, plugs into the cigarette lighter in the rig and heats food up in about 1 hour
but he doesn't get to stop and actually eat so i have to find alternatives
i am going to look into a hot pot for next winter (if he is still driving for a living) for soups and hot tea etc......
the reviews have been mixed on them
i could send something like chicken and dumplins or beef stew in that too
but not a big one....

so yes why do you ask, i am a wonderful old world italian wife
i take care of my family very well

maybe it's not the event?

but the reaction? how you deal with the event?

bernie has started his new job, (he started monday night)
it's thrown us again for a loop
apparently this year is about shaking up our lives to the roots

last night we finally had a tiny window of time to talk about the current changes in our lives
finances, etc
we still have more talking to do
at this point we've agreed on a few things
he wants to be home
i want him to be home
and even though he's only home about 8 hours now a day-he's home
he likes the actual driving of the big rigs, but HATES the paperwork, and he's drowning in paperwork
he also hates the traffic he runs into in the morning
but hates OTR more

we also realized that some other adjustments may need to be made, possibly in his job but we're going to have to wait a while to see how and where.

we are sharing the van
so far i've had to postpone and cancel a few appointments as we aren't sure when he is going to get in
most days he's getting in around noon to 1:30pm!
(that is the other thing we're discussing, this is way too late for him to get any quality sleep but he also won't get good sleep at the terminal, and at least home he gets a shower and his own bed)

if we had two cars my appointment issues would be nil but we'd have the expense of two cars which is something i am not happy with- since my car usually just sits the majority of the time

he's also upset that i am still doing all the chores-well yeah
i am not going to worry about him not sleeping enough if he does pen mucking or litter boxes
he stacked two weeks worth of wood on the deck so i am able to bring a small cart load in twice a day
i am taking my time with everything as i am in constant pain from my shoulders and back but i'm managing ........although there isn't time to paint or even sit much (see how long it took me to get the blog updated?)

so there is where we are now
that and a cranky woodstove!

no knitting has happened
no painting has happened
i have been cooking and baking (have to bake bread today)
doing chores, and not sleeping much
during the day i have to be very quiet so he can get some sleep
at night i am too tired to do much but i am not sleeping either

i have roughed out my bio for the agented submissions- and that's where it sits
anyone feel like helping me write my bio?
oye

ok i have to fiddle with the woodstove
it's not happy again

homeward bound.....we hope

bernie has been all over the place trying to get a truck assigned to him that actually RUNS
he's been out over a month this time and wants home time
he is owed i think 5 days now
he's had it right now
now home here, i've got that load of wood in
i've planted some cold hardy seeds
did most of the chores and started to stack that big load of wood
today i washed ponds and buckets and then bathed ducks
i have a couple of extremely happy and clean ducks right now
i am knocking the chores off my list steadily
we got wireless now
i had gotten a wifi router that was reconditioned (before the whole training fiasco and pay mess up)
it was only 25.00! and works very well
so if i need to i can move the laptop to my drafting table (YEAH!!)
and with all the points on the CC due to bernie being over the road we are going to be getting a desktop as a primary or as a back up basically for FREE! (a very cheap one but still)

let's see....
i need to (yes still haven't done it) write my bio for submission
i am having issues with it
in the 80's i was a graphic designer, layout/pasteup artist then art director
also typesetter and illustrator
i freelanced as well
in the 90's i was an original doll artist, then had a wholesale miniature business, then the soap/toiletries business and did a ton of product design and package design
i also wrote a bit and got published

now how on earth to run that all together into a cohesive bio?
oye

meanwhile i am so excited that i can move the laptop to the drafting table to use it for color reference photo's i can't tell you all
HUGE for me
will keep me working (once i get back there)
ok now my wood pile is calling me so i need to go and stack a bit
ttyl

wood, toes, and warmer weather

ok here is the updated ice princess, still not totally finished but soon-

now we have enough wood to last until the big load comes the end of the week. 

i dropped a huge log on my poor toes...ouch

meanwhile bernie passed his training in spite of that really terrible trainer he had that forced him to drive team against company policy- bernie had to cause trainers are allowed to toss a trainee out of their trucks in the middle of no where and we have no doubt that this asshole would.... the second trainer not only passed bernie but is going to report to the company some of what happened from the first training

is it wrong of me to wish that his first incompetent trainer pays for the bullshit?

you have no idea what i wish on that first trainer

so he'll be home shortly

i can't wait

i got his cookie dough made, bread dough made, etc etc

maybe then i can get back to normal life and be painting again?

today is warmer, so i washed litter pans

i am not ready to muck pens yet as they really aren't too bad but i may over the weekend if/while bernie is stacking wood

i have to say, if it weren't for my friends and my sister in law, i would not have gotten through this, between my medical issues etc......this was a total nightmare for me

i am so blessed to have the friends i've got and you all not only know who you are but most of you read this blog (yes i do know that)

there aren't words for you guys

you kept me going the past year between when bernie got hurt, then the layoff and then this OTR training

it's been touch and go

let's hope now i can finish some of the paintings and we all get to see them off into the world through licensing agreements- btw, bernie promised that he'll retire and just stay home if i get enough licensing contracts

yes that would be huge impetus for me to get them out there