Daily Notes- July 21

As you can see--it's a stay inside the house day for the three of us.  Riley wanted a walk and they were out about 10 to 15 minutes and then Riley raced--well walked faster than usual-- over to the hose and got soaked with cold water.   The bright spot is the kitchen skylight.  Indoor temp at the bottom is 74 with 54% humidity.  Window A/C units are set on 73.  We're pretty comfortable but waiting for it to start raining.  Bright sun comes and goes.

Another of the tomato box support systems fell over and lost lots and lots of the little green tomato babies..  Not sure the stems of the plants weren't damaged.  The other one is "recovering" which means- not dead but not growing.  We'll see.  G added some supports to the side of the boxes facing the driveway.  The wind seems to come from behind and "blow them down" matey!!  I got one pickling cucumber.  That's all that has grown so far.  It was delicious.

Todays' adventure to Goodwill.  A Crate and Barrel mug with indigo blue flowers and leaves on white.  It was large, had a good sized handle (easy to grip) and looked nice.  One dollar.  I purchased a turquoise/aqua zip front running or Cross fit type clothing item.  Daughter's color. $5.  I should have kept it to give her next month on her birthday.  No fabric.  No linen shirts.

And, Connie, I have on a new (to me) pair of the Bean black knit pants.  Feels nice.

I also decided to turn the mattress 10 days early.  I was washing the sheets and just decided to get it over with and turn the mattress.  It came with instructions to turn every 3 months.  Well, actually, rotate.  The head part to the foot.  I turn the mattress clockwise.

I woke up hearing Riley's sleeping snuffle sounds.  He'd thrown up on his dog bed in the living room and decided it wasn't so scary to come sleep on the bedroom carpet (his usual spot for 12 years) where there was no throw up.  If only he'd decide it was a safe place to sleep again.

I started reading a book yesterday and got halfway.  So, because it's a really good book--I will be reading the second half today.  The Knife- Jo Nesbo.  Harry Hole.  He's a drunk, drug addict at times and the best police (special crimes) detective in Norway.  They made a movie of one of his books--The Snowman--but seemed to have messed it up.  The book was horrific. Well, they are all horrific. The things that have been done to Harry.  I'd drink and take drugs.

I had toast for breakfast with strawberry rhubarb jam.  Coffee.  My pickling cucumber.  A few corn chips G shared with me.  He was eating lunch.  Riley had a tooth cleaning treat.  He likes them better than food.

Daily Notes- July 20th

Found in the very bottom of the brown paper grocery bag I throw scraps of cloth into.  Both sides are nice.  One side more faded with white background and the right side more beige/gray.

I was happy to see, in Jude's most recent class post, that she inserted a center square into a frame of 8 2 inch squares.  Just the way I do it--because, of course, Jude must have had a video of this on one of her posts that Winter I was reading my way thru 'pages'.  I need to stop using my spool of thread and return to using 2 strands of DMC embroidery floss.  Softer.  My thread is not soft.  I might even call it wire-like.  See how it curls?  On the cloth.  Not soft and pliable.

Riley and I spent the evening together yesterday.  G wanted to go out to dinner.  Can't leave the dog home alone and the car would be too hot in a parking lot (sun still shining) but G wanted to do just that. No. So he left us both home.  Riley didn't like G being gone and stood and watched the back door for hours.  Trembling and drooling. I tried talking to him but nothing worked and finally the dog gave up and laid on the floor--still watching the door. And that's how it was. Lovely.

When I hit publish here I am going to the grocery store for a few items we need and then back home. It's very hot outside.  I could send G but he forgets why he went out.  He forgot yesterday.

And I never made the pickles yesterday.  I must have gotten involved in something else??  I did stop and look for fabric for awhile.  And made up a package for Connie. And was on the computer for a little while.  I was also doing laundry and cleaning the sink.

This morning I was trying on pants. I keep wearing these black knit LLBean cropped pants that are so faded and have holes in them where I snagged myself on a nail or chicken wire.  There are also a few spots where I dripped a tiny bit of bleach on them.  The other three -identical--pairs of cropped black pants all fit.  But they seem "too nice".  So, I am wearing the old faded ones.  I think I need an intervention of some sort.  And it's not like the three new pairs are valuable.  They cost 25 cents each at the employee store.  This old faded pair of pants DID cost $38.00 new.  Right?  Certifiably Nuts.

Daily Notes- July 19th

July.  Well, for the past few days, I have woken up each day thinking "today is Friday" and none of them have been Friday.  Today, yes.  But I thought today was going to be Saturday.

I guess I am "on vacation" because on vacation I never know what day it is and have actually almost missed flights back home for not knowing what day it was.

Not that we go on vacation these days.  We just stay home.  Because of me, not him.  He would go go go and I would prefer not to.  Perhaps because in my 30's and 40's I was going somewhere all the Time.  All the Time.

I remembered I had gotten a Zoodle making machine at Goodwill.  So I will be making Noodles with some of the zucchini I will be picking in the garden.   I learned a neat trick from a book during the Year of the Elimination Diet.  Make your zucchini noodles and then let them dry on a cookie cooling wire rack.  Toss them anytime you happen to walk past.  They can be left to "dry" all day and even over night.  The resulting noodles will be dense and chewy--not wet and slippery.

My local grocery has a cooler filled with different kinds of vegetable "noodles".  The one I see in shoppers baskets most often is the noodle made from butternut squash. I am guessing my Goodwill find will cut butternut noodles as well as squash noodles.

I also was reading a recipe for zucchini pizza on my phone late last night before bed.  Shredding the zucchini and then squeezing it dry and then letting it dry a bit in a 300 degree oven spread out on a cookie sheet.  About 10 minutes.  Then proceed with the crust recipe.  A drier dough.  A crispier crust.  I often made zucchini fritters in the summer but they were always soggy in the center.  Perhaps made with a drier batch of shreds the fritters would be a better, drier texture?  I transitioned to using shredded sweet potato in the recipe and liked those fritters much more.

Whatever I make--pickles, noodles or pizza-- it will be made with the abundance of zucchini growing out back in the garden.

Daily Notes- July 18th

A few Winter's ago-- certainly not last Winter or the one before that-- I made a "page" of one inch squares out of a very soft old cloth.  I sat alone and stitched.  Yesterday, I took apart that sheet of tiny squares and then sewed the little nine patches with a new center for each.  It was "picky" work removing the center square and replacing it.  But, I am happiest with "picky" work.  Now there are four.

I remember making more than one plain white "page" but I cannot find any of the others.  And I have looked.  I may cut more cloth and make more plain soft white squares.  To be sewn with the colored squares.  My Components.  Now that I have enough of the one inch--on to making the two inch.  Plenty of already cut 2 inch squares from my other project.  Colors.  I will need white and perhaps something dull and beige or grayish.  And I think the purpose of this new class is to have on hand many different choices when making blocks. Not to be specifically "making" anything.  Just to have a supply of materials ready for "what iffing".  So I will need darks.  In the one inch and the 2 inch.

Riley is sleeping.  He had a good night.  Not the best day, yesterday, as there were moments of great sadness here.  He looked frail.  He looked like he was in pain.  He trembled.  He wandered aimlessly. But this morning, clear eyes and easy sleep.  Relaxed body.  And so it goes.  One day at a time.

I am hindered in my daily tasks by pain in the bones of my right hip and thigh.  I am fine right now-sitting here.  I am fine washing dishes at the sink.  I am not fine walking any distance.  When this happened last time--a full Xray of my hip  and leg produced nothing but that it all looked normal.  "nothing to see here".   My ligaments need stretching they said.  Walking is the best exercise for that.
Okay.  Thank you very much for the help.

By the way, my jaw isn't locked tight anymore.  It occasionally makes a terrific "crack" when I am chewing something but I am pain free 95% of the time.  There is still some reluctance in the jaw bones or ligaments to open WIDE enough for 40 minutes of tooth cleaning.  And the little crackling voices the bones make--well, I'm getting used to hearing them. But no pain.  And for that--I am most grateful.

I have two really good books to read.  I keep putting off beginning to read either of them.  I don't know why.  Well, I do.  My eyes are very tired.  More truthfully--I am very tired.  I go to bed tired and wake up tired.