Saturday, August 3, 2013

Hooking Up More African Flowers, Whining, Gift, Shingles Vaccine


Just touching base here, letting you all know that I am still alive and kicking, just poky to blog but still thinking of all of you. I have been busy as usual, but slow as molasses at getting anything done. I am the type of person who is use to getting things done. What gets done today I wanted done yesterday. I am getting impatient in my old age, maybe because I know first hand that life is way too short. I don't know why I worry about things getting done, the Bible tells us NOT to worry. It is a fault, I need to stop worrying, it does no good, and like Joyce Meyer says, "Worry is like being in a rocking chair, you rock all day and get no where." So true, it is a complete waste of time. But maybe impatience is the real problem with me. Okay, so let me whine a bit.........

A couple of months ago brother Mike and I started cutting the 23 trees, heck, it has been so long I can't even remember how many trees, but a lot. So the weather got crappy and between the rain, hot humid days and his having to go to work it all came to a halt. There are still 9 trees to cut and all those stumps to grind. It is now August, will that job ever get done?

Another job needing done was some repair work which included new shingles on 2 out buildings. Finding an honest, dependable, reasonably priced contractor is the pits. A neighbor who lives down the road offered up her husband and son who do that sort of thing. Well, the big storm hit and of course I realize that a person with a tree on a roof is needing help now, it takes front seat to what I need. Her hubby is so busy, the bad weather has thrown him behind anyways, he can't get to my troubles till this next Spring. It took a week to get this info to me, she thought he had called me, he thought she had called me.......

Then after the storm I had no electricity for almost a day. The garage door opener wouldn't work (of course) and I had to park my Jeep outside. The next morning I came out of the house into the garage and see this dinner sized wet spot under my husband's truck.....oh no, now what! It was kinda reddish colored and I found out it was transmission fluid. I called another friend and neighbor down the road, who is a retired mechanic, but still does repairs on the side. He use to work for a Ford dealer. He came down on a Saturday and checked it out, said he would call me and come and get it either that Monday or Tuesday........yup, a week later, on a Monday I called him asking if he was still going to repair the truck for me. He is a trustee for the township, he explained he has been busy dealing with the township house damage from the storm. The truck did get fixed and paid for. I could mark one thing off of my list, finally!

Then a couple of weeks ago, while out in the yard I see these carpenter ants, oh they were moving along like they had a mission......right across the privacy fence, up the porch post, across the lattice work to a crack where the porch meets the house......I called the exterminator, he was suppose to come this morning, well, he called me this morning, he was having tire troubles and has to cancel, won't be able to get to my bugs till one day next week, probably by the end of next week, on Friday, "Of course," I say to myself.....

Then I had to call the asphalt sealer folks, the gal came and gave me an estimate and when she came to inspect the driveway she mentioned the large crack that needs to be filled in. Okay, so in their ad they say "repairs" does that not qualify as a repair? She said they fill them with sand, but maybe I would want to patch it myself? HA HA HA HA HA......sure, why not, I'm really good at patchwork after all. So, the next day I head for Lowes and I buy this 50 pound bag of patching stuff, I have no clue, and I get it home, but 50 pounds is a lot of weight, so brother Mike is coming the next day to pick up his killer traps that he set for the ground hogs. It was 3 weeks of no pesky animals in the traps and so I had called him to come for them. The next morning low and behold, A SKUNK! The poor thing, I was half sick because it was in the trap dying and yet still slowly moving and trying to escape. I had to call my next door neighbor to come put it out of it's misery. Then that evening along comes Mike, my brother and he takes the skunk off. He tells me I bought the WRONG stuff for the driveway and he calls some place he deals with (where he lives) and they will set back 3 gallons of this liquid patch stuff. He has 2 bags of sand, no need to buy any of that, so back to Lowes I went with the 50 pound bag of stuff and got my money back They come to do my driveway on the 15th and I still don't have that crack filled yet.......grrrrrrrrrr

I went out in the yard yesterday and trimmed the lilac bush. It is a yearly job since it is up next to the house in the landscaping and needs to be kept under control. It started to rain, so I put away all of my tools and the rain stopped. I decided I had to at least get something done. I had planned to use the electric hedge trimmers, but electricity and rain do not mix. I got down on my hands and knees and pulled the weeds from the bricks that are at the bottom of the deck steps. There are only 3 sets of steps, so 3 sets of brick. I got into a bunch of those tiny, excuse this, piss ants. They were everywhere, needless to say I was no longer kneeling on the ground. I did get all the bricks cracks cleaned out. I moved on to 2 of the 3 raised flower beds, full of weeds, no flowers, just some hens and chicks. It rained on and off, I didn't care, I was a mess, my hands were so dirty, I hate wearing gardening gloves. I was outside till 5:30pm and by then I had had enough. I came in and fed my doggies and myself, cleaned up and grabbed my hook and worked on mom's flowers.

 

 I am at the halfway point. I need a 169 total flowers. I will hand sew them together like I did mine. I have some on my felt board in no particular order, just laid out randomly to check what colors to use next.


I am so ready to do something else, but keep plugging away at this project. I have so many irons in the fire with all these things needing done around this house. It is terrible when you have to depend on everyone else to get things done. If I could do them myself I would, and they would have been done and not looming in the back ground driving me nuts. If my man was still alive and well, all of this stuff would have been done and over with.

My friend from Florida is coming up next month and I so need to get my house in order. Look what she sent me this past week.





Yep, the box was so full, I swear she had to sit on it to get it closed to send in the mail. When I took the first few skeins out, the box looked like I hadn't removed any at all. I had to call her right away and thank her. I told her it was just like having Christmas. I won't have to buy anymore yarn for the flowers. There was some 3-ply and I am using 4-ply, but I can use it for hats and mittens or whatever. I just know I am grateful for her being so generous.

Sorry this post was rather a cry-baby one, sometimes we just need to vent. I know my troubles aren't all that bad compared to the troubles others are facing, and believe me, I am thankful for so very many things, the great and small blessings that get me through my days and nights.

Before I close this post I want to let all of you know that if you are able and your doctor recommends it for you, get the shingles vaccine. The statistics are that 1 out of 3 adults who have had the chicken pox will get shingles. It is a very expensive vaccine. I asked my doctor about it and he said yes, I should get it. There are exceptions though, some people with certain medical issues should not get the shot. I called the local health dept. and they put me on their list. I got it on Monday. It is given subcutaneously, and is good for life. My cost was $170, and that was cheap compared to what my brother Mike and his wife paid for theirs, they paid well over $200 each. Just saying, 1 out of 3 adults is kinda scary odds and if you have ever seen anyone with shingles you know how terrible it can be. You can only get the vaccine with a prescription from your doctor. ♥

10 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness Susanne - when it rains, it pours. You have the right to complain every once in a while - it's overwhelming when a lot of stuff happens at the same time. I hope everything works out and you can get some rest from all the work problems soon.

    I'm lovin' all of your African flowers - so pretty. :)

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  2. I totally understand all the worrying because I'm a worrier too! But regarding the house and yarn, you will NEVER get everything done...NEVER! You do one thing, and something else will come up to take its place. It's a never-ending cycle for a home/property owner. Don't ever expect to have everything done. Sometimes it helps me to think of it that way. It's a long list that will never be empty so don't be impatient about getting things done. Man, I sound like my mother, or a nun, or a psychoanalyst, or Miss Bossy Panties, don't I? It's easy for me to say, but I don't take my own advice. Ha!

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  3. Oh my dear friend, of course you need to vent, look at everything that is going on that is so out of your control. I know you feel overwhelmed and you hate depending on others to get things done, I do too. We are here for you anytime you want to say anything.
    Sending you a big, big hug. The yarn had to help you feel better!
    Meredith

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  4. wow what a lovely friend to send all that lovely wool to you,if you have chickens and are on facebook there is a wonderful page on there called Down The Lane,they are all over the world,America,Canada,South Africa,Australia and the UK to say a few,the main website is also called Down The Lane and it's about frugal living etc the face book is chickens,any questions animal,plant/gardening someone is bound to have an answer do have a look they are fab!lots of files on illness's and treatments etc as well.back on the craft front thank's to you i am now trying the African flower myself but using the join as you go, i hope it will look something like a bag when finished i'm making it up as i go along!! :) kerena

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  5. egads.. I just wrote a huge comment and instead of hitting "Publish" I click off the page thinking I was done. OK.. once again.. sorry about the tribulations.. we're happy to have your share them with us, what are friends for? Love the blanket for your mom! Nice friend to send all the yarn! We have a prescription to get the shot, just need to do it. Heading to the lake.. can't wait. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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  6. What a wonderful blessing to get all that wool, Susanne...Such a timely gift amidst all the frustrations of life! I can really relate to "What gets done today I wanted done yesterday" ...Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment on my blog {{hugs}} Thinking of you XX

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  7. Oh dear! Always something, eh?
    I had shingles a few years ago. MISERABLE!!!! I got the vaccine last year....so glad I did!
    Love the flowers..it is really coming along!!!
    xo KRis

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  8. Looking at your flowers brighten my day. They're so pretty and each is of "heart". Your friend is so nice and you're talented to make use of them all. I can see how happy to hold such treasure gifts.

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  9. Aye-yie-yie! I have been a control freak much of my life...and situations as you describe...they are NO BUENO for a controlling being, I do NOT like being at the mercy of others! And the older I get, the more I find that I am at everyone's mercy! And, the nerve of them...they have schedules! And they don't see me as a priority! Sooooo, I am slowly learning to be patient...and I think God sees me as a slow work in progress. I don't know what drives my need for immediate completion...I guess I just want to check it off my list and move on! All in good time, my dear! I feel your pain!

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  10. Ugh, I'm a worrier too, Susanne. You just have to remember that most of what we worry about never happens. :) Seems like you've had your share of "stuff" this past month. I hope August is better...I love your beautiful African Flowers. That's going to be a gorgeous blanket when it's done...Poor little skunk. :( xoxo

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THAT THE ONES YOU LOVE ARE LIFE'S MOST PRECIOUS GIFTS~