September 12, 2009

• More Evidence of the End of Summer

  The more I look around our house and yard, the more I look out our window at the dark and cloudy sky, the more I look at the beginning of clothes in our closets turning from pastel colors to darker shades, . . . the more I am beginning to see definite signs that we are experiencing the last days of summer.

  When it rains in the summer time, it almost always clears up quickly.  The skies usually don’t stay gray for days and days.  The clouds bringing the rains this week don’t look the same as the clouds we see in spring and summer.  The rains are still coming up from the south – the Gulf – but there are bands of cold air beginning to push down from the north (Canada).

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  Not only are these weather facts signs of the approaching fall season, there are some very obvious signs, as well.

   
  You know summer is fading away, when swimming pools are no longer filled with water, but are found on their side.  I saw our plastic patio furniture and one pool propped up against the house.  Another pool and the large barbecue grill is “hidden” behind the trees for the winter.  (When Jesse told me he put those items “behind the trees” – I had pictured branches and foliage hiding them!!!)

  
  The bigger pool has been drained of its slippery, slimy, green water.  The drain had caught what looked like a tarantula spider.  On closer inspection, I found it to be a clot of grass and gook!  I’m not sure which is worse – gook or a huge spider in our pool!!!!!

     
  The trees are not showing profuse blooms any more.  The amount of flowers are dwindling quickly and one bush has already lost its red foliage.  It’s located in the back corner of the yard, so I have to make an effort to see it.  My view from the windows isn’t totally barren, not just yet, anyway!

    My rose bushes and the neighbor’s crepe myrtle continue to stubbornly bloom, despite the approaching cooler weather.  Aren’t they beautiful????

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  I’ve been worried about Stormy, our older cat.  She’s not “old” – but “older” than Chirper.  She’s had an upset stomach for a quite a while.  We had gotten the vomiting under control.  This week, she began vomiting again.  Then, I caught her doing this.

             
    Doesn’t she look like a squirrel sitting on it’s back legs? 

               
  She’s been eating the fall arrangement I just put out on the foyer’s marble chest.

  The problem?

  The arrangement isn’t made from real flowers or grass!!!!  No WONDER she’s vomiting!

  I moved it to my desk, and will probably just take out the flowers and grass and replace it with something else this year.  I think I have another fall looking arrangement and I doubt she will eat the replacement plants/flowers because they are bigger.

  Can you believe it?  Eating fake grass???!!!!

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  Before I forget, a few have asked why our sudden interest in purchasing new appliances.  Without knowing the facts, I’m sure it looks like we are loaded with money – especially considering I’ve battled cancer since the end of February and we’ve had a lot of unusual expenses this year.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Our washer and dryer haven’t been acting right for about 12 months.  About 6 months ago, Jesse ran across a used set and bought them cheaply.  They have been stored in our garage “just in case” one or both went out.

  In August, our dyer quit drying.  No warning.  It quit.  It’s already been repaired once or twice and is about 10 years (or more) old.  We moved the “used dyer” inside, from the garage, when ours quit.  The used one occasionally spits oil onto our clothes, and it sometimes takes two cycles to dry heavier things.  But, it’s sure better than no dryer at all.  The washer has been repaired once and is sounding more and more like a bearing is going out again.  Each day the shaking and noise increases.  The washer isn’t that old (only 5 years) but we wash over 20 loads a week around here and it isn’t a commercial grade appliance.  Most salesmen’s eyes pop when they hear how much laundry I do in a week!

  The gas range is 7 years old.  The heating element in the lower part of the oven (the “bake” element) went out once before and was repaired ($350 for the part and who knows what for the labor???  . . .  it was under warranty) and the same thing happened this past week.  My broiler element in the oven works and I have the 4 burners left for meals.  Again  . . . better than nothing at all.

  Our dishwasher is close to 10 or 12 years old.  It smells funny on the dry cycle (like rotting food or something is burning) and I have NO idea why it still runs, but it probably doesn’t have much more time left before quitting.

  SO . . .  what are we shopping for???  

  We are looking at a washer and dryer set, a dishwasher, and a new range.  A friend works at Best Buy and said he could finance everything for 24 months with no finance charge or interest charge.  In other words, we could take two years to pay for everything at only the cost of the purchases.  PLUS, we can get some manufacturer rebates to lower the purchase price and a purchase discount incentive from Best Buy.   THAT’S why and *how* we are able to purchase so many things right now.

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  The girls have been helpful today.  The ChorePacks have been wonderful and I’m about to add some new cards (chores) to their daily routines.  Today they did some extra things (small chores) for me.  Luci filled both bathrooms up with toilet paper for the next week.  Rissy wiped the glass on the den’s end table and then wiped all of the exterior doors’ knobs.  Annamarie emptied the two litter boxes.

  I’ve cleaned out a storage cupboard in the kitchen.  On top of the stove quitting, I found a few weevils in the cupboard where we keep our bread, cookies, and large cookware.  Fortunately, the weevils were in the Corningware and not the bread!  But, I quickly extracted everything from the cupboard until I could wash it down.  Everything’s been sitting on the bar all week.  I washed that cupboard (AND put everything back) and then cleaned the top shelf in my dish cupboard.  I found plastic glasses from “before I married Jesse” and realized he and I had never used them.  I also found glasses we had at the beginning of our marriage and don’t really use any more.  Those glasses have been removed and I will give them to someone who needs them.

  Jesse would have killed me if he knew I climbed to the top shelf to clean out the glasses.  Truth is . . . my friend “Lori K” would kill me, too!!! 

  Ah well, the job is done and I didn’t fall. 

                                                         Life is still good!
   

  Be Blessed  ~

  • 3:06 pm
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