Touching base on this Memorial Day Holiday Monday. (I disapprove! We should honor the true date.) So far today, cool and pleasant; overcast. ~~ I have a new helper; his name is Stanley. (Large Halo vacuum will be donated to Habitat thrift shop; CARE Health Fair did not want it for their Silent Auction.) ~~ I gave “Ivy” some tender loving care because she misses her former home (owner couldn’t take her [and three other plants] across the Canadian border en route to Alaska). ~~ I hammered two long pieces of metal into the ground to support the planter with Calibrachoa, and tied planter to metal. ~~ I’ve been diffusing Thieves Oil in the T@B to kill any remaining mold.  ~~ Almost all day Saturday occupied helping with a Memorial Service for former resident. ~~ Sunday (almost all day) to and from Houston to visit a Staff member friend in the hospital after a vehicle accident on Saturday.

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Definitely **NOT** a terribly exciting day. It’s 5:00 PM and I’ve been in the CARE Center all day working on blog messages, uploading pictures, researching on the Internet, and checking my Bank statement on-line. I’m told it has begun to rain and is terribly humid outside. I’ll go home in a few minutes and prepare a nice BIG salad. Hot dogs and hamburgers were served (here) at noon. I ate potato salad and watermelon!! ~~ Hope you enjoyed a pleasant holiday!!

Seventy-five percent of my Verizon “Hot Spot” 5-gig was used in twelve days. I’ll need to go to the CARE Center for WiFi–upload pictures and prepare a blog. That really isn’t convenient!! It is more enjoyable when I can sit in my trailer, in my pajamas, hair uncombed, etc., or come into the trailer for iced tea between tasks.

For a smile: It’s eight o’clock and I haven’t been up very long. I looked out… and a friend’s dog had escaped her leash and was running through the area. I called Sam (her owner) and then went outdoors–in my pink pajamas–to catch her. Can you see it? Pink pajamas, hair uncombed??

The Thieves Oil arrived in the mail yesterday, and I’ve read the literature. Maybe today I’ll get it going in the little trailer.

Yesterday was an “Impulsive / Compulsive” day; I just couldn’t stop working on projects in the yard!! I took lots of pictures, too, but due to restraints it may be awhile before I get them in the blog.

Best wishes to all!!

“Life’s all about my garden.”

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Today I worked in the yard; I was compelled… I couldn’t stop!! ~~ I received the package with Thieves’ Oil, and other essential oils. I’ve read their literature. ~~ I hung flags to celebrate Memorial Day and draped flag patio lights on a “tree” trellis. ~~ I’m a “plant sitter” so several pictures taken to send to the owner to show they are surviving, and thriving. ~~ Isn’t my Asian Lily pretty?

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The pictures were uploaded after 11:57 and I’m ready to start this blog message after 12:33. (Look at time and temperature.) I’m instructed to stay indoors because the men (washing my big trailer) say they are using “powerful chemicals.” Yippes!! ~~ One-thirty and I can smell “the chemicals” from inside my trailer!! ~~ Two-ten and the scrubbing project is completed. Now I need to finish tasks in the yard.

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The pictures are not in consecutive order (according to time) because I did a few things in, and with, the T@B and then in, and with, the yard. “Expect the unexpected!!” It was too hot to spend time in the T@B. Due to the cleaning of the Carriage, I forced myself to make some unscheduled changes in the yard.

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“They” said they would be here between nine and eleven. It was almost twelve…. Then they insisted my plants had to be moved!! Yippes!! ~~ It’s 1:37 and 84 degrees inside; 87 degrees outside. They are cleaning the awning right now. It is/was in BAD shape!! Rain had accumulated… and the fabric is/was rotting.

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The pictures have been uploaded from Canon camera to Picasa, Picasa to blog. Time to add some dialog. It’s 5: 20 and I am exhausted. I should sleep well tonight!! This time last night I did not have any idea I would make major changes. Today I decided the big table has to go bye-bye. The storage boxes next to the trailer will be great for yard and garden items. First the big storage container. Oh, I’ll add the other two… so I need cement blocks…. A total of five very, very heavy cement blocks were moved via my hand truck, and positioned. Changed my mind, I’ll bring the T@B items, too, and the extra chairs.

It’s all “a work in progress.”

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Two tasks required my attention: coil the garden hose, and fold two tarps. ~~ Now I’m going to settle back in my easy chair and watch Field of Dreams (on VHS-tape).

The label says “[Folex] Instant results. No rinsing, vacuuming or waiting to see results. Spots vanish before your eyes. Amazing surfactant action. Instantly removes stubborn grease, dirt and grime.” Further down there are instructions for carpet cleaning.  On the front of the bottle: “Instant Carpet Spot Remover; The Solution To Your Stain. Removes … most old stains, excellent for upholstery.” Picture #2 shows “before”; #3 & #4 show “after” area was sprayed. Picture #5 shows area thirty-one minutes later and I see no improvement. Next I used DampRid and find it very satisfactory for vinyl and wood surfaces. (But did not find the product described on their website. Isn’t that curious?) ~~ Taking a break because “standing on my head” is really hard on my neck!!

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Eleven-thirty and time for yours truly to get out of her “grubbies” and dress appropriately for the dining room.

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Regarding Baking Soda: Indeed some baking soda in a vacuum cleaner bag will stifle odor. I thought I read that tip somewhere. I emptied the bag on the tiny Electrolux vacuum cleaner (and vacuumed it with my big vacuum) so it is ready whenever I get to the T@B cushions. Before that…  I’ll go over all the wood surfaces with Murphy’s Oil Soap. Maybe it is over-kill to use so many cleaning products but I want to protect the wood that I have recently scrubbed with a product and water.

Three-thirty PM, hot and humid 86 degrees outside (85 degrees inside). “Too soon old, too late smart.”  ~~ “Too many irons in the fire.” ~~  “Bit off more than I can chew.“ A neighbor was having the exterior of his trailer thoroughly cleaned. I asked the worker for the price to clean my big trailer “at his convenience.” He’s coming tomorrow morning!! I don’t need this on top of my other tasks BUT will follow through. So-o-o-o I have had two dozen things to move that were leaning against the trailer, under the trailer, etc.

Five-thirty: OMG, I forgot about square dancing tonight. I don’t think I have an ounce of energy left after moving things around!! I’ll take a shower and wash my hair. I’ll see if that energizes me.

The devotion today from Oswald Chambers My Utmost For His Highest.

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” Romans 8:35

God does not keep a man immune from trouble; He says —“I will be with him in trouble.” It does not matter what actual troubles in the most extreme form get hold of a man’s life, not one of them can separate him from his relationship to God. We are “more than conquerors in all these things.” Paul is not talking of imaginary things, but of things that are desperately actual; and he says we are super-victors in the midst of them, not by our ingenuity, or by our courage, or by anything other than the fact that not one of them affects our relationship to God in Jesus Christ. Rightly or wrongly, we are where we are, exactly in the condition we are in. I am sorry for the Christian who has not something in his circumstances he wishes was not there.

“Shall tribulation…?” Let tribulation be what it may–exhausting, galling, it is not able to separate us from the love of God. Never let cares or tribulations separate you from the fact that God loves you.

“Shall anguish…?” –can God’s love hold when everything says that His love is a lie, and that there is no such thing as justice?

“Shall famine…?” –can we not only believe in the love of God but be more than conquerors, even while we are being starved/

Either Jesus Christ is a deceiver and Paul is deluded, or some extraordinary thing happens to a man who holds on to the love of God when the odds are against God’s character. Logic is silenced in the face of every one of these things. Only one thing can account for it–the love of God in Christ. “Out of the wreck I rise” every time.

Today is the 40th Anniversary of Rubik’s Cube. I can’t copy their image so I encourage you to go to Google today and watch their animated cube. Great!! Better yet, check this web link regarding Google’s remembrance of the anniversary.

Boy, did I have fun searching for an animated Rubik’s Cube–and reading numerous Cube web sites!! ~~ Imagine the challenge of preparing an animated clip art cube!!

…my mother often told me!! This Sunday morning I transplanted the neglected Marigolds (leftover from a purchase several weeks ago). I cleaned bird feeders because the feed got wet and was a soggy lump in the bottom. The Nature’s Head received a preliminary cleaning; thorough cleaning to follow. I “stole” the cement base for the fountain from the “discards” and junk in the Maintenance Yard. Rain water was used to water the Petunias. I’ll never again use coco fiber for hanging baskets (in Texas) because the soil dries out quickly. See my tomatoes? Look at the cucumbers grow–and Asian Lily will bloom soon. The Calibrachoa has recovered and is my delight. The composter is manufacturing wonderful earth for my planters (and most recently in the bottom of Marigold planter with commercially packaged soil). Tomorrow I’ll use some of the new-purchase cleaning products in the T@B. Later, I’ll vacuum the upholstery with the Electrolux LittleLuxII purchased yesterday at Habitat thrift store.

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Eighty-six degrees at 3:45 PM.; hot and humid.

Seventy-nine degrees inside at 10:40 PM; too hot, can’t sleep!! Windows are open and Casablanca Fan is spinning on high.

There are hundreds of VHS-tapes at the local Habitat for Humanity thrift shop (for sale for ten cents each). I’ve worked there each Saturday and regularly bring several home (and return them the following Saturday). Earlier this week, I watched The Doctor and really liked it. Last night I watched Patch Adams and loved it. I’ve never been fond of Robin Williams but I think he played the role admirably. Both The Doctor and Patch Adams have story lines that parallel my belief that allopathic medicine needs to be “more humane.”

What will I watch tonight??  African Queen, Charade, Erin Brockovich, Little Women, Riverdance, Split Infinity, State Fair, The Last of the Mohicans, The Snows of Kilimanjaro, or While You Were Sleeping?? OK, decision made: Little Women. ~~ I’ve never seen any of them!! I rarely go to movie theaters; I’ve never had Turner Broadcasting (et al) for old movie viewing.

I worked from 10 until 3:15 (a customer was lingering) and then shopped Lowe’s for another planter and some cleaning products. I read labels…, I compared products…; I have several new items to try on the mold and mildew. It has been a busy day and I am ready to relax and watch an old VHS-tape movie. Then to bed early because I didn’t sleep much last night.  ~~ (Eighty-one degrees outside at 6:45 PM)

P.S. “Junkie“ in the kindest sense of the word (re: Lorraine). “One man’s ‘junk’ is another man’s treasure.”  ~~ Continuing the list:  Field of Dreams, Gigi, Gone With the Wind, In Search of Noah’s Ark, Out of Africa, The Sea Gypsies, World’s Greatest Train Ride: Canada. Furthermore, there are about two dozen travel videos I may bring home: Alaska (been there, love it), Panama Canal (always wanted to go), Norway, The National Parks, Vienna…. ~~ Finances and age may keep me from driving to Alaska but I can still enjoy our big wide wonderful world via VHS (and DVD). ~~ I loved to watch Rick Steves (et al) travel presentations on PBS–when I received free TV with an antenna on the roof. I won’t pay the exorbitant price for Dish or Direct TV (and no “through the air” reception where I live [and no cable] ).

Following the recommendation of websites I visited, I ordered Thieves Oil. It will take a week, or more, until I receive the product, and diffuser, but I’m eager to try a natural product. Furthermore, it may help my breathing?! (Labored breathing all night.) It’s 11:00 AM and I’ve spent the morning researching…. (I’m still in my pajamas.) Although a beautiful morning (currently 74 degrees outside) I do not have the inclination to approach the T@B–or the garden; I haven’t taken mealworms to the Bluebirds. Call it malaise, or depression, or lethargy, I just don’t want to move. With one brief exception, I have not been to the CARE Center since Saturday night (six days ago). I haven’t checked my mail; I haven’t checked for vegetable scraps for my composter; I’ve prepared my own meals (or barely eaten). ~~ Yes, I can psychoanalyze myself and identify the problem as “rejection.” No one cares!! My sons forgot me for Mother’s Day (with one brief exception); residents and staff have not missed me in the CARE Center. 

Today’s message on The Grace of Encouragement: “Learn your lessons well in the schoolroom of obscurity. God is preparing you as His chosen arrow. As yet your shaft is hidden in His quiver, but at the precise moment at which it will tell with the greatest effect, He will reach for you and launch you to that place of His appointment.” From: Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life, p. 531, by Charles R. Swindoll. From the scripture: “He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of His hand He hid me; He made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in His quiver.” Isaiah 49:2 NIV