It Happened Again.

 You may recall my having told you that I went into a store to find things opened after I got home.   The last was a loaf of bread and a bag of bagels as well which also had several missing from it.  

The past 8 months or so, I increasingly find bottles with the tops having been opened...lost their seal.  I have found jellies unscrewed and lightly put back on.  Just enough to fool you into buying it.  Vitamins missing from bottles at the pharmacy..one was half empty altogether.  Liquid soap last week that had been turned to the open position and some squirted out.  

Yesterday along with other groceries, I bought some unsalted Swanson's Beef Broth.  Got home with it and  today when I was about to make me a veggie stew...I discovered the lid had been opened.  Took a fly's weight to open the flip up lid.  That should never happen.  And it was soiled right inside the opening showing something with went in or out.  Better watch yourselves.  Once I even got a half gallon of milk that I had no idea had been opened till all it took was a slight twist without woman power, to open it.   Seal was broken.  I may get into the habit of checking everything  Looks like it's beginning to be necessary. 

 Be careful friends.  Seriously. 

Meanwhile, Sciatica still has me in its powerful unrelenting grip.  I am taking a powerful pain reliever, but because of abuse of addicts and recreational users, those who genuinely are in severe pain and who need the pain relief, only get a few tablets.   Cancer patients  however,  largely do get what they need with no problem as it is written that they may. At least "they"  in the decision making process are decent enough to make that exception.   I start physical therapy for alleviation of my sciatica pain on Thursday. 

Well...about to dish out my veggies.  I have them cooked.  I found another container of Swanson's in the pantry,  all tightly closed and safe. 

I'd like a Do-Over

 I have a rip snortin' case of sciatica for the past 2 weeks this Saturday coming.  Got to see the Dr. Monday.  I was his first appointment.  Fortunate for me.  I had held out hoping I was wrong with my self diagnosis.  However, he said acute sciatica.  

As it is nerve pain, it is intense.  One of the meds, a prednisilone pack, starting with 6 tablets then descending in number seems to have been a good help.  I was allowed a few pain pills thank goodness.  Those of us who need them are punished because of those who abuse.  But I have a few and I am using them as little as possible.  If you have ever had sciatica you know how intensely painful it is 7/24.

Hey, I should have started my opening sentence with "So, I have...."  😊

I still have things I must do aside from household chores, so I "power through" best I can.  About to head to the store.  Glad I still can.

I brought on this painful condition by trying to pull the 5'x7" carpet  toward me to ease the appearance of its accumulated wrinkles under the heavy oak dining table.  I got away with it for a few months.  Then I got what I deserved doing so wrong a thing. 

Kate was an associate "star" in Two Spoiled Cats bloggie yesterday and today.  She and I are both thrilled!  Look at the gift Miss Dingleberry, the cook at Ding Dong School gave her.  AND the compliment! 

Sure is the Truth!

 In a minute I will post a thing I saw in Face Book that is the complete total truth to THIS woman right here, that it made me laugh when I sawe it and it assures me I am not the only female who ever thught this or said it.  I have never escaped...not even when I sneaked out to get gas for the car with someone else in the family pumping it...here they come!  I'll show you:

It's amazing!  Yeah, I know before you tell me. Some women don't care, or don't do their hair and face. Some women do, and  I do.  That suffices to explain why this made me laugh.  Loved it. There are women like me, and women who aren't.  It's OK both ways. But that looking like Jack Nicholson in the Shining has me sitting here in my desk chair laughing again!  I remember once, when I went to a place to get gas, I had just washed and set my hair.  I covered it with a scarf I'd  tied around it, took a kid, and had him pump.  When he went in to pay, the attendent at the cash register told my son she was coming out to look at me after asking why I was sitting in the car and  had sent him in.  She's never seen me less than totally done, she told him, and always smelling of Chanel.  ( I was always working it seemed with huge amounts of OT tacked on, so that was part of it, and the rest is...I'd just rather).  

She came out...pointed and laughed and went back in.  I told Bruce it was not necessary henceforward to always tell the truth like that!! 

I had to tell an admirer here at the house last year- who persisted in dropping by unannounced, and was always left standing out on the porch, that "I don't handle drop-ins well".  The admirer said they had noticed that.  I mentioned a small, even 5-10 minute heads -up would result in an open door.  Eventually I got it thoroughly across that indeed, I don't handle drop-ins well unless it's old old friends or family of course.  They don't care if they caught me shampooing my hair, doing heavy housework or just stopped exercising and dripping with sweat.  Or just outta the shower, not expecting anyone..blah blah blah.

 One of the many coup-dee-gracies was a knocking on the kitchen door last Fall when I was wearing old old house stuff, making two home made coconut cream pies in my small galley kitchen.  I opened the  kitchen door not knowing who was there, thinking it was the mailman.   And I could not stop to be hospitable as I was stirring the filling on the stove and adding cornstarch here and there as needed, reading instructions and there trying to get it right, etc,  They stood there implanted, just past the threshhold talking- while I laboured on.  I truly had no choice but continue.  And having to listen and respond to the  passing the time of day...and yet and get my one crust out of the oven and the other crimped and IN the oven, and stirring the heck out of the filling, and reading the recipe left me no time for my unexpected guest who hadn't the thought to say "see ya later when you have more time." 

AND I hadn't my face on, and my hair was scraped back into a pony. Hence my laughing after seeing that on Face Book earlier.  Love it. 

Pee Ess:  I never made my ways a secret from dear close friends.  They know which one of them can come and go with no thought for me.  Just bust right on in.

I, and my closest friends are all either current or former shift rotation persons all in the same demanding occupation, and we know one another and how it is...including rarely knowing the day of the week according to the calender.  If it was Monday and we were off for the next few days, it was Friday to us, and so on.   When we gathered it was and still is shop talk.  We love it. 

They're HERE!!!

 YEA!  My Hummingbirds are here.  Well, I was fortunate by glancing out of the window and I saw one seated at their "table". I love those treasures.  Flying brilliant gemstones.  Perfection on swift wings.  Eyes like beads of onyx, when they hover in front of your face looking at you while you stand there transfixed. That is a rite of Spring that I so look forward to. I love when they bring the young ones over as well and eat as a family.  

It has been horribly windy here each day,  never mind cold.  This has been so all but several days a few weeks ago.  It will be hot very soon.  I love the blackberry winters though.  I like cool and cold weather more than I like sweltering in the heat and humidity.  BUT, I don't get my way. I'm probably the only one who feels this way.  

You know...I was thinking I that should call the non emergency line to the police dept., or write a council person and say that if the city would like to have their cash coffers overflowing with money from traffic fines...simply enforce the "failure to maintain lane".  I have rarely seen a car turn the corner around this town (except on the 4 lane roads with traffic lights) for one thing, without doing so in the opposing traffic's lane.   You about swallow your tongue as you go up on a sidewalk to escape a head on.  And, on the 4 lane through town, let's straddle the lanes with our huge, wide, jacked up high SUV's--- why don't we?  The person with a sedan...oh pshaw...who cares?  They'll move.  And there is nothing like the 'over the center line a good foot' coming down a residential street.  I will not move.  Unless we are within eye gleam of one another  up close and personal on the road there, and they win the game of chicken! 

Standing on my deck this Fall just past...looking into my woods.  Want to come join me sitting out there?  I'll put the market umbrella up.  Coffee and cookies will be served and we'll enjoy all the birds and animals.  I am a fortunate person to own my part of the forest/woods.   

Spring and Stuff

 Yesterday, I put out my hummingbird feeder.  It's chock full of sugar water I made for them.  I have never used commercial food.  It has red dye which is easily researched as not good for them over time.  I like cooking for them.  I bring 4 cups of water and 1 cup of sugar..using the same cup sized cup for water and sugar for measurement.  I bring the nectar just to a boil...let it cool, pour some into the feeder, place the remainder into a glass container for storage in the refrigerator.  Bringing it to a boil helps keep the nectar from spoiling in the summer too quickly when outside in the heat.  Its good for about 3 days or so in really hot water..another day perhaps added if the weather is mild. Nothing is  too good for MY babies!   ❤️  

The feeder should be taken down, every 3-4 days & whatever is in there, poured out; then the feeder  should be washed with soap and water--- and new nectar from your refrigerated storage jar poured in.  They love it cold I have noticed.  No shortage of adorable long beaks poking into the little yellow flower ports.  

Dang if my Toyota hubcap didn't fly off into outer space- or worse.  I snoticed that it thappened on coming home last week.  A black wheel shining up at me was my first clue.  Hadda really hop to find another.  Bought 3! This is the second hubcap to disappear.  First one was caused by a pothole.  This one..who only knows.  Now with 2 spares...I am ready.  Poor Micah won't have to go around not wearing socks and be embarrassed at his ankles showing!  

Look at this!  We had 75 + mph winds blowing as did everyone else in neighboring States.  It blew all the red lights off  slanting to the north, and they are still this way up and down the road.   The ones on cantilever type poles are undisturbed. 

And, look at this:  This small inventory store has many many things and I save at least $10.00 when I go in there.  Walmart and the other grocery stores wanted an obscene $4.20 for a box of even house brand saltines.  I would sooner do without forever, than pay that.  They wanted the same for oyster crackers...a little bag.  Look what I paid in THIS store.  And they are delicious.  Though they are the house brand.  The strawberries are at least a dollar and more less than in all the other grocery stores.  Delicious.  

I paid $1.52 per pound for huge huge red cherries!  

Look at the bread price!  You should see the meat prices, cereals, all cookies and snack items.  $$$'s less expensive.  SO glad my middle boy kept at me to go there.  I will say I have saved a good 40 or so dollars in the past two weeks I've been going. 

Today I bought gasoline.  I saw I only had 2 gallons pumped when I glanced at the pump plus an ounce or so, at an obscene 8 dollars for the 2 gallons,  and I was so  genuinely shocked I stopped the pumping...looked at the price per gallon again, & the amount pumped...almost none...and I did that twice  more, I was so horrified.  Yes, I bought gas a week ago.   Cost me 40 bucks for what...3/4's of a tank?   Be nice if our pipelines were open again.    But I was shocked all over again.  

Well...that's my week outside of constant back and forthing to the Big City racking  60+ miles on the odometer  per time, round trip.  Adds up.  It's a must do.  No choice. 

Come on Hummingbirds!  Can't wait to greet you.