Vacation is over.

My vacation went way too fast and I didn't even do anything. Sigh...

I did get more accomplished yesterday. Anna volunteers at the thrift shop and invited me over. I knew I had to do the closet and drawers, so I flew through that and filled 7 garbage bags with clothes and books and shoes. So not only did I get the closet cleaned out, I got rid of the stuff all in one day. Yay. I have room in the closet for new stuff now. I didn’t allow myself to think too much about what I was getting rid of. If I hadn’t worn it, or it had a high neck line (I have developed an aversion to stuff around my neck), or was just taking up space, out it went. Got rid of most of my hoodies, only kept the sweatshirts with collars, got rid all my t-shirts with the high necks, and basically anything that didn't fit. It felt good. I’m sure at some point I will go looking for something and I won’t have it, but I will deal. I still have a couple of small drawers to deal with, but I didn’t feel like moving a bunch of stuff to get to them. I can do them some other time.

My treat for the day was Taco Tuesday at Barbie’s Place. They were OK. Not a lot of flavor. If I do them again tho, I will break up the taco shells and eat them as a taco salad instead. But it was a treat either way. Needed more salsa and un cut sour cream. The sour cream was blended with something to make it pourable, and it lost flavor.

I stopped at the veggie truck on my way home. Most of his stuff looked awful, but I did get some onions, avocados, a couple of tomatoes and some garlic. I got two heads of garlic and planted one head in the garden. The other one is for cooking.

I spent $5 at the thrift shop, one red and one black long sleeve top with a slight v neck, a tin pumpkin, and a couple of quilted pillow shams. $5 on my tacos and $5 at the veggie stand. I hear Sal’s is having a bag clothing sale, fill a bag for so many dollars, but I didn’t stop there. I barely got rid of all the other stuff I have gotten there.

I got in a quick nap before FedEx showed up with the vent for the trailer. Of course, a simple swap out turned into a major project. Glen coated the edges on the roof with a rubber sealant. I couldn’t get the rubber off to get the screws out. Add to that that they were star screws and I couldn’t find a bit to fit…I ended up swapping out parts so the vent is half new and half old. Couldn’t use the fan part of it, so it was a waste of money. I should have just ordered the replacement cover for half the price. But I will find a use for the 12v fan at some point. I need to get a can of flex seal to cover the area that I did manage to dig out. But it won’t leak even if I don’t. Just looks like crap.

And last but not least, did another load of laundry.

I need to clean out the upper kitchen cabinets before the yard sale next month, and probably the upper cabinets in the bedroom. But other than that, weeding out is just about done. Yay. I need to find a solution for my shoes. They have been living behind a chair in the dining area, but I don’t like them there. It is handy, but they don’t belong in the dining area. I have no entry to speak of, so I can’t put them there. Maybe clean out one of the drawers under the closet, or put them in the closet itself. They just need to be easy to get to and somewhat organized.

I got rid of a lot of shoes. Some of them brand new. I can’t wear them so there is no sense in keeping them. I also got rid of my snow boots and ice cleats. Don’t need them here. I was ruthless this time. It helps that I wear a uniform to work. I don’t wear a lot of different clothes that way. I have my favorites that get used over and over. I did keep my big blanket coat as I do wear that sometimes.

Today’s projects are folding and putting away laundry, putting away stuff on the dish drainer and just generally picking up. I might even vacuum. But lets not go crazy. It is a work day and I will have to get a nap in at some point. I go in at 3:30 today. Will be putting in more hours now that it has started to pick up. I wonder how they made out the last week or so without me. I’m hoping they appreciate me a bit more now. But I am not getting my hopes up.

I need to either make or find a cloth mattress cover for the trailer. The one that is in there has turned to powder. It is that fiber type material. Learn something new every day, it doesn’t like heat. I will probably have to make one. I could use the white twin sheet I have hanging on the patio, just sew up a couple of sides….Or I could use one of my fleece blankets, they seem to hold up well to sun and heat. I should have pulled that one off while I was in there yesterday, but I didn’t.

Well, I guess it is time to get myself moving. I need to measure the wall outside the back door. I’m looking at a folding clothes dryer and need to know if it will fit. I don’t use the clothes line on the back of the garden, it is too hard to get to with an armload of wet clothes. It was a good idea in theory, but it didn’t work out. I would move them to the patio, but they don’t fold and would always be in the way. I’ll figure something out at some point.

My last day of vacation. :(

I did fun things yesterday like laundry, garbage, etc. I did finish up the cactus. Got rid of three, two inside the fence, one out, and transplanted the fourth. I also potted up the aloe until I figure out the perennial garden. I need to regroup first and get a little money ahead. I am thinking cinderblock enclosure with red block caps. would be the least expensive version and if I kept it at one row high, I wouldn’t have to move the honeysuckle. I could also dig out some sand to make it deeper if I need to. 

One of the cactus I got rid of, the volunteer outside the fence, had the microscopic prickers. I am still dealing with them. I think they literally jump off the cactus. That is basically the reason I got rid of it because it is right behind the trailer and I had to be very careful every time I went to open the door. I ended up twisting off each paddle and dropping it in a garbage bag that was inside of a bucket. I used three bags and three buckets. That way when I went to throw them in the dumpster I wouldn’t have to touch the bags, just dump the buckets. The microscopic prickers hurt and you can’t see them to remove them. I had to scrape my shoes after I got done. I’m hoping I got them all.

Took the golf cart to the dumpster since I had the three buckets, last week’s garbage and this week’s as well, plus the stuff from the shed. It was quite a load. Glad to have it gone. There are no more cactus inside the fence. The yard looks nekkid.

The aloe came up easily. It is quite large. That is a 5 gallon bucket it is in. 

I still have the cactus cuttings to put in the new cactus area, but those are still drying. Will probably do them next Monday and finally have that project done. 

I moved a bat yesterday. It was just lying on the sidewalk in front of the club house. It was still alive and hissed at me. I probably didn’t save it, but at least it wasn’t lying in the sun on the concrete until it died. Poor thing. He hissed at me and had quite the set of teeth on him.

That is actually the first bat I have seen this year. Usually I see them at work at night, but haven’t this year and I have been looking for them. Still have the night hawks tho.

My last day of vacation. I am already stressing about going back to work. I look forward to the day that I can leave that job.  

I just tracked the vent for the trailer. It is coming FedEx. That means it should be here by mid day and I should be able to get it installed this afternoon. Hopefully. Technically is should only take about an hour, but these things never go the way they are supposed to. Plus, I want to finally get the vent cover installed and that is a new addition and will require extra work. 

And since I am going back to work tomorrow, I need to cut and file my nails. And I still have the bedroom closet to clean out. I wore a pair of shorts yesterday that were too tight last year. Quite comfy this year. I’m not going to bother with clothes in the yard sale, they don’t sell well and I can get rid of them much faster by just taking them to Sal’s and giving them away. And since I do wear a uniform, I don’t need all the clothes that are jammed into the closet and drawers. I just don’t wear them. 

Haven’t done anything with my snowflakes yet. Haven’t sold any more of the good ones either, but I haven’t pressed the issue. But I will, soon.

Oh, I also fertilized the grapefruit tree yesterday. Supposed to do that three times per year, but this is the first time I have done it this year. Two more months and I will be picking grapefruit. They take almost a year to grow. They are getting quite large and noticeable now.

I picked a nasty little grasshopper off my garden yesterday. It was eating my rainbow chard and the tops of my radishes. I guess I am going to have to start checking every day. He died.

Not sure what I am going to do that is special today. Maybe treat myself to Taco Tuesday. But that means I would have to get showered and dressed…so who knows. I should really get started on the bedroom closet and get that done. I only got about half the things on my list done, all stuff that didn’t cost anything. Pretty much everything that is left costs money. I have no money. I couldn’t even swing an overnight somewhere this time. Guess I will have to start a vacation fund along with the bill paying account. I could do that by getting a prepaid card and just add money to it on a regular basis. Will have to think about that. One that doesn’t have a monthly fee. 

Got some stuff done!

I got some smaller, piddly projects done yesterday. Got the reject snowflakes filled with wood filler and sanded, got the shade cloth off the garden, picked off several inch worms that were eating my onions and dusted with diatomaceous earth, set the mouse traps, aired up the tires in the scooter and took it out for a spin around the park.

 

Today I went to breakfast with the neighbors. When we got back Glen hooked up his trailer to the 4x4 to haul Jack's tree stump to the land fill. I took advantage of that and dug up the cactus that needed to go. I cut a few paddles to keep, the rest went to the dump.

Went from this...

To this.... The aloe will stay where it is until I figure out where it is going to go. Now I can start working on a perennial garden as the funds allow. The fountain will be rebuilt in or near the perennial garden when the time comes. In the meantime, it is a watering hole for the critters, so it will stay for now.

This is the new cactus garden outside the fence...there are a few more that need to go in but they are cuttings and need to dry out for a few days. Will put them in later.

I'm glad to have that project done. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with all those cactus and it worked out beautifully.

I do have three more cactus in the corner of the yard that need to either go or be relocated. I think I will keep all the cactus outside the fence and non injury causing plants inside the fence.

I have also sprayed the snowflakes with white paint getting them ready for whatever I am going to do with them. There were 16 rejects, I filled and sanded all of them and painted eight of them white.

The little cactus cut outs stand out more against the white. I also have the little cut outs, they sent those too.

I'm hurting from this morning's gardening, so the rest of the day is R&R. Seems like we just got back from breakfast, but I am already hungry. Time to get something to eat. Then maybe a nap.

Unproductive day

I didn’t get much done yesterday. After I made myself a big breakfast, I wanted to sleep. So I did. I did get a load of laundry done. But that was about it for accomplishments. 

Lunch was good. We met at the Grubstake. I had another burger and fries and Carrollynn had the fish. I should have gone with the fish, but she was buying so I went with the burger. Hit the post office on the way home, but didn’t go anywhere else. Carrollynn bought two of the ornaments. 

I read two books yesterday. Fell asleep in front of the TV last night. 

I’m not making any plans or planning on doing any projects today. That way if I get something done it will be a bonus. I only have three days left and I don’t care if my projects get done or not. It isn’t like they are going anywhere. 

Since I had two big meals yesterday I decided on a lighter meal for last night. I took a package of ramen noodles and a can of tomatoes and experimented with that. It was good. I will probably do that again. Instead of water I used the tomatoes with the chili flavored noodles. Easy, quick, and filling.

I’m thinking I might play with the reject ornaments today. See if I can sand out the image. Maybe paint a couple of them. Now that I can access my equipment in the shed…I’m glad I got that done if I get nothing else done during this time off. I might also work on moving the cactus garden. We’ll see. Like I said, I am not making any plans.

I finally managed to drop of the check for the electric bill. It had been sitting on the table for days. Still need to deal with the garbage. Just not feeling social or motivated this week. 

I thought after a few days off I would be feeling better. Less achy, more motivated, but nope. Feel about the same minus the eight hours on my feet pain. I still ache, am still tired and unmotivated. I guess it will take more than a week to start feeling like myself again. Oh well. It is what it is.

Only four days left..

I got the shed cleaned out yesterday. Finally. I can see the floor and the benches now, and the bike is on the front wall - sort of. It is basically sitting on top of my tool chest with a hook to the wall to keep it from falling over. The back tire blocks a little bit of the doorway, but it is no longer taking up floor space. I kept running into the pedal with my shin. Ow!

So, for now, if the mood hits, I have a work bench again and can access all my tools and equipment. 

Before and after…

   

Then I had to figure out what to do with the yard sale stuff. I didn’t want to put it all back in the shed, considered putting it in the trailer, but when I opened it up to do that, I discovered the roof vent cover had shattered. That means there is a 14 inch hole in the roof of the trailer. I didn’t want to have to move everything to fix it which has to be done ASAP. I didn’t see any water damage, so it must have happened after the last monsoon. I ended up putting it all in a corner of the patio by the front door. Won’t have to haul it as far on yard sale day about a month from now. Am hoping to add to it before then. 

This is the pile of stuff I removed from the shed…some of it was trash and will go in the dumpster, the rest into the yard sale.

I didn’t get lunch out. Carrollynn was in the middle of making candy, so we are going to try again today. 

Today might be clean out the bedroom closet day. It really, really needs to be done. I can’t fit anything else in there and I don’t wear 98% of it. And since I can’t wear the shoes, they have to go too. 

I also read a book and watched some TV last night. Only an hour nap mid day ish after I finished up the shed. 

As much as I hated to spend the money, I went online and ordered a new roof vent for the trailer. Spent a little extra and got one with a fan in it. I’m going to have to keep an eye on the weather because if it rains I will have to cover the hole. It has a screen so nothing can get in. It is supposed to be delivered on Tuesday and I am hoping it comes FedEx so I will have time to get it installed before I go back to work on Wednesday. It isn’t supposed to rain, lets hope it is accurate.

I can’t believe it is Friday already. It is going too fast. I knew it would. :(

Tomorrow I will probably start moving the cactus garden. That will be slow going because they are cactus and have to be handled very carefully. I think I am going to move pieces instead of the whole cactus and let it reestablish itself like I did the first time. I will have to find a new spot for my bird house because I am not putting that outside the fence. It is too nice and I spent way too much on it when I moved in, so it will go in the new garden when I figure out what I am going to do there. Money has gotten way too tight to even think about that right now tho. I’m going to try to give the parent plants away, if no one wants them that means a trip to the landfill where most of them came from to begin with. 

Found some mouse traps in the shed. They are a little different than the ones I have out right now, so I need to get a couple of them baited and set. When I moved the cover for the scooter to put the yard sale stuff over there, I discovered mousie's new storage spot. Lots and lots of seeds inside the cover and the little bastard chewed a hole in it too. I still need to get the garbage to the dumpster, I did get it gathered and out, so half the battle is done. I also need to air up the scooter tires. I can’t see them when I am on the scooter to see how soft they are, but I can hear the difference and they need air. 

I need to do some weeding and fertilize the grapefruit tree along with getting out the leaf sucker and getting rid of some leaves. There are a lot on the back fence that need to go. Those will all be dumped under the grapefruit tree, it seems to like it. 

Well, time to get some breakfast and do something. It’s a toss up between the closet and the cactus, but am leaning towards the closet.

They're here!

Custom made ornaments from Snowflakes From Vermont. Limited quantities, $10 each.

"The snowflakes are created as 3″ diameter ornaments from American maplewood.  The snowflakes are a wonderful gift idea for that someone who has everything."

No ambition

I did get a couple of things done yesterday, but I just don’t seem to have a lot of ambition. I am still tired and still sore. I thought I would be feeling better after three days off, but nope. I got the cool tub put away for the winter and brought the little table and chairs over to put in it’s place. Still warm, so I still have the baby swamp cooler fan going when I am outside. It is kind of ugly, but has a really good fan in it. As it cools off I will have to find another spot for it.

Last year I stored the tub just outside the patio. This year I am storing it in far back corner of the lot. It is less visible there and it is unused space. My back door neighbors won’t have to look at it all winter. Plus, it isn’t right up next to the house. I had something living under it last year. Hoping the pallet prevents critters this year. 

I lost a couple of hours doing a website update. It gave me some trouble, it always does, but it is done for now. I won’t have to do the one I hate the most this year as they went somewhere else. Finally. I know I said I wasn’t going to do them any more, but I never got around to telling them that. So I am stuck with them again this year. Won’t be as bad without Chester this year. 

Today is my lunch with Carrollyn. The only thing special yesterday was the fact that I had to cut some chard as it had gone crazy the last week. It was pretty much dormant all summer, but came back with gusto once it started cooling off. It must be a perennial as it hasn’t gone to seed and is almost a year old now. The garden seems to be doing pretty well. I made a garlic shrimp stir fry with the chard and there was enough left to cook into greens. My whitefly problem seems to be under control for now. I really don’t want to use chemicals on the garden, but may have to if they come back. 

The desert willow that wasn’t doing anything is finally coming back. I noticed a little green shoot at the base yesterday. Yay! I didn’t think it was going to make it, but maybe it is.

If I don’t do anything else today, I need to deal with the garbage. I don’t think I can put anything else in the trash can under the sink. I should work in the shed, but then again, if I have to stop mid sort and get showered and dressed to go to lunch….I have a whole list of things I could be doing, but don’t really feel like doing any of them. 

I slept about four hours last night and will need a nap today. I seem to be having a hard time adjusting to not having to sleep during the day so I can work at night. I know it is not a ‘real’ night shift, but by the time I put in eight plus hours and get home and unwind, it is 12:30 to 1:30 in the morning. Then I only sleep three or four hours, so I have to sleep during the day to compensate. I was up reading until about one this morning. Woke up at 4:30. At least I made it into the bedroom this time. 

We were only in the 80’s yesterday, so no AC again. Yay. I am loving that. I have written out the check for the electric bill, but haven’t managed to get it to the office yet. That is on today’s list along with the trip to the dumpster.

Well, if I am going to get anything done today I should probably get myself moving. Maybe get at least a little bit done in the shed. I need to figure out how to store my bike that I have never used, it is right in the way. If I could hang it somewhere, that would be good. I need to start a yard sale pile, the park wide yard sale will be soon, and I have a bunch of stuff to get rid of. Not sure where I am going to make that pile tho. The shed is tiny. I have so much stuff in there now that I can’t find anything and there is just a path in the door. I need another shed…I may have to get one of those rubbermaid storage cabinets for the garden tools and stuff. But they aren’t cheap. 

On Tuesday I went to the ladies lunch with Kay. It was OK. I hadn't realized how peopled out I am until I went to this thing. There were a lot of intense women there, volunteers, chair people, etc. I wasn't intimidated, but I probably won't go again. I hate public speaking and we all had to get up and introduce ourselves. It felt like a meeting instead of a luncheon. Was a pretty good crowd tho.

I had a cheeseburger, fries, and iced tea and it cost me $14 including tip. Pricy for a burger and fries. The burger was OK, fries were good, tea was weak. I napped when I got home. I have good intentions, just no stamina. My job has drained me.

Only eight days left...

There was a good turn out for the first coffee of the season. Mostly year rounders, but it should grow from here.

I had a quiet day at home. Read some, napped some, and read some more. We did hit 90 or so degrees, but I didn't turn on the AC. The house was hot and stuffy, but I managed. I want the AC to be off for the rest of the year, the savings on my electric bill is huge without it.

I don't have much on the agenda for today and am not feeling particularly motivated, so another day of rest is in the queue I think. Ladies lunch at noon, after that, we'll see. The Yacht Club is the only restaurant in town that I haven't eaten at yet. I can check that off my list by the end of the day. Will be interesting to see how many people I know, or know by sight.

I didn't cook anything yesterday, but did make some sun tea. Since I am eating out at lunch today, I won't cook today either. Maybe tomorrow.

I wish I could find someone to back me in an endeavor. Someone who wouldn't mind loosing a sizeable chunk of change. My dream is to have another shop and work for myself again. That is when I was happiest, with and without Jake. I like being my own boss, but need to make enough money to live on and support the store. I would love to open an internet cafe (coffee only)/consignment gift shop. A place for people to gather and enjoy and shop at the same time. I just don't have the funds to pull it off and without a second income, wouldn't be able to do it. The bills need to be paid. Sigh....one can dream.

Vacation - Day One

I made it. It was a tough day, busy. Plus I was developing yet another blister on the bottom of my right foot this time. I was so happy to finally clock out at 3:30. Since I didn’t sleep much the night before, I was really tired and crashed after my pizza and pie. 

Today is my rest day. I need to catch up on some sleep and get used to the idea I don’t have to go to work on Wednesday. Or Thursday, or Friday…I can’t wait for the day that I don’t have to go back ever. Coffee at 7 this morning and Schwans and UPS with my snowflakes this afternoon. Naps in between. 

The cool tub is too cold to get into, but I did soak my feet and almost my knees while my pizza was cooking. It felt really good. But it will come down some time this week and I will arrange some sort of sitting area or something. For now, I might bring in the little glass table and chairs, and once I figure out what I want to do, will swap that out with the gas fireplace. I didn’t use that at all last year, but if it is in an area that I actually use, it might get some play time. 

I snapped a picture of my electric meter on my way to work yesterday and just calculated this month’s bill. It is $78 less than last month. The cooler weather has been great and the savings even better. Still higher than it was this time last year tho. I did turn on the AC for about an hour last night to cool it off indoors. It was just too hot and stuffy and the nights aren’t as cool this week as they were last week. But I am hoping it is off for the season now. 

Gotta figure out something to throw in the crock pot. Seems like Mondays are my crock pot days. Even tho they are designed to work when you aren’t home, I won’t leave one going if I am not here. I just don’t trust em. Won’t leave the washer or dryer going either. Maybe some beans. Although shepherd’s pie sounds good too, but that would have to be stove top and oven. I have everything I need to make that. I could do both, and have the beans in the fridge for salads and stuff. 

I spent another $30 at DG yesterday. My B-12 drops were buy one get one free and I had just opened my last bottle, so I got those, some hair oil (very dry hair this year), a charger for my phone, another bunch of seeds, my pizza and pies. I still have half the pizza for either breakfast or lunch. I ate both pies (sigh….). Shouldn’t have bought them. One of them was supposed to be for next Sunday. The seeds were 6 and 12 cents per package, got some flowers this time too. 

Gonna try to use the scooter this week if I need to go anywhere. I need to air up the tires. They go soft just sitting there. I do need to go to Blythe and get the oil changed in the car and that means a trip to Dollar Tree and Smart and Final. That won’t be cheap. I will also have to gas up the car after. I haven't been in almost a year.

Yesterday was the first day of the season for the vendors. The ones that are here are now open, so I want to cruise them at least once while I am off. Tomorrow is the ladies lunch at the Yacht Club. I think that is the only restaurant in town that I haven’t been to at least once. Kay is planning on going and I will probably ride with her, although it is within scooter distance. I wonder how many people I will know there, I can think of at least four off the top of my head. 

Just about time to get in the shower and get ready for coffee. I would rather go back to sleep, but it is the first social gathering of the season and I hate to miss it. Don’t know why it is at 7 instead of 8, but I will go with it. 

Saw my mouse again last night. I will have to get serious and deal with that this week. He doesn’t seem to be a chewer, but still has to go. Too bad. I like mice, just not in my house.