Rainy Season?

 I took this screen shot at 4 PM....after a full day of moderately heavy rain. We had almost 3" of rain in total...and as you can see, there is more to come. 

I believe it may be safe to say that we are in the rainy season! Hallelujah! Our plants are so much happier, and I think it may also be safe to say, "It's a jungle out there!"

I had a terrible night:

I was awake almost more time than I was asleep! What I came to realize, sometime before 3AM is that I seem to have acquired a UTI. Ugh. I have all of the symptoms....and of course, it's the weekend! But, besides running to the bathroom, and swallowing a glass of water, which made me run to the bathroom sooner, repeat, it dawned on me that my recent bout of C-diff could change the way any infection that normally requires antibiotics is treated. Apparently, once a person has C-diff they are more susceptible to a reoccurrence. I'm not sure why, but that's what the literature is telling me. From this point forward I must be sure that the antibiotics I am given do not impact bacteria in my gut, and focus instead on specific areas of my body. I have felt a bit better today, but I know the problem persists, despite drinking a ton of water. Everyone is telling me to drink cranberry juice, but I've read it is not effective in treating a UTI and may help in preventing one. I used to 'flavor' my water by adding some cranberry juice, but discovered it was such an irritant to my bladder that it had me running to the bathroom more than I cared for. Anyway, I'll see how it goes tonight...keep drinking water to flush the system, see what tomorrow brings and check in with my doctor on Monday.

Between bathroom trips, and partially due to the lovely rain that kept me inside, I feel I've been very productive today! 

I finished the bag for Tim and the quilt blanket and bag are ready to be sent off.

I completed the last paper pieced blocks for Desert Oasis. My next step is to put all of the triangles I've made...100 of them(!) together to make the border. 

The pieces that I finished today (above) will be sewn together as the corner units of this border.

I've already finished all of the other triangles....100 of them in all! 

We had planned to go to the Crystal River summer outdoor concert series tonight, but decided that given the forecast, we should stay home, and stay dry! I guess we have lost our sense of adventure!!!

Oh, How I Used to Love Fridays!

 When I was a working woman I loved Fridays! A Friday marked the close to my work week. I could feel the coming release, the recession of stress and the anticipation of the coming free time. That free time clearly marked by every tick of the clock as time progressed through the weekend. Now that I'm retired...a Friday is like any other day, except the afternoon traffic may be a bit more frenzied, and I can sense the exhaustion of younger folks when we are all at the grocery store, or WalMart, or wherever. 

Today the Mister and I had an appointment in Ocala at 2 PM. We decided to drive through Dunellon, FL and grab a bite for lunch, and pick up some straps for the bag I am making at a local sewing store.

I love eating at Sweeties Café, but it was time to try other restaurants in the area. Lugo's Grill offers Cuban sandwiches. Who doesn't love them? Our mouths were watering as we pulled up to find the parking lot cordoned off and a sign on the door, "CLOSED - Opens August 11". We were crushed. Onward we drove to 2 Rivers Bar & Grill. It had good ratings, and quite a few cars in the parking lot...always a good sign in my mind! We entered the restaurant to find 5 people seated, one being 5 months of age! I guess patrons of the bar on the other end of the building were responsible for the cars in the parking lot! Janine suggested that we take any available table/booth and promptly brought the menu. I selected a booth....only to feel like a 10-year old kid with the seat being that much lower than the sticky, plywood table. Only sticky because of years of washing.

Janine, who knew the folks at the other tables, and two others who came in by name...regulars, was very personable, and brought our menus. Seriously? The prices were certainly pre-inflation...an Italian sausage smothered in sautéed onions and peppers; $14. A hamburger, with cheese, sautéed mushrooms and onions; $14 - each with a side. 

If you want a good meal, friendly service and great prices, stop by 2 Rivers!

From there we stopped at the sewing store to pick up some nylon strapping for the bag that will hold the quilt and other items for Tim as he gets his bi-weekly dialysis. 

And, by the time we returned from our meeting, it was time to begin the evening routine. I didn't have to stress over what to have for dinner: leftover meatloaf, corn on the cob and Mac salad. Yum! 

We had more rain today, almost another inch, and there is another green blob heading our way! Hooray! I shall not complain...until I do!

Book Club - The Frozen River

 Today was our book club. I was the moderator. The book that had been selected was The Frozen River, by Ariel Lawhon. 

I am in awe of how the author constructed a complex historical fiction novel with many webs around life in Maine in the 18th century, midwifery, women's roles, a murder! The novel uses the diary of Martha Ballard, a midwife who chronicled her daily doings from 1784-1812 as the basis for much of her story. 

What intrigued me the most was that Martha's diary survived. It was transcribed by Robert & Cynthia McCausland, beginning in 1982. The process took over 10 years, and is comprised of 1400 pages.

Images of each page of the diary, and the transcription may be explored at https://dohistory.org.  

Ariel Lawhon includes relevant excerpts from the diary, but has conventionalized spelling and capitalization to make the entries easier to read.

I found a fascinating interview with Ariel Lawhon:

Another book about Martha Ballard was written by Laurel Thatcher. She wrote A Midwife’s Tale, The Life of Martha Ballard Based on her Diary 1785-1812. This is not a work of fiction, but Laurel shares pertinent parts of the diary and then discusses different aspects of life in Maine including health issues, social networks, economic roles and women's work. I found it rather challenging to read, but it considered to be a masterpiece. 

PBS aired a
film in their American Experience series about A Midwife's Tale. I found it to be excellent, and a good tie in to 

with The Frozen River.  

This is all probably more information than you want to know...but since I found these resources for the book club, I figured I might as well share them again! 

After the book club I worked on making a bag for our Dialysis patient friend. The quilt I made will fit in it, and he can carry a book, his phone, a pen, etc. I will pick up the straps tomorrow. There is a shop nearby that specializes in bag making. They have great nylon straps that are more durable than anything I can make out of fabric. 

We had rain! Four days in a row! This morning it poured-almost 2"! Even in our sandy area we had some standing water on the roads- for a short period of time. We had more rain late this afternoon. Maybe we are finally in the rainy season...aka the monsoon season! 

Is hamburger $8-$9.99 a pound in your area? No wonder hamburgers at some restaurants are $22!!! For dinner we had a meatloaf made with 50/50 beef and pork. It's the way my mom used to make meatloaf...and it was great. 

Rain, Glorious Rain

 It's raining! 

Our last rain was on April 8, and we had < .02 inches of rain. Not even enough to wet a  whistle! 

We have already had close to 3/4" of rain in the last hour.

Everything looks greener - mostly because all of the tree pollen and dust has been washed off everything. My car is back to its usual color; I'll no longer lose it in the parking lot because I don't recognize it with its yellow-pea green coat of pollen! 

Sadly, the weather patterns show us going back into a long spell of dry weather, but I'm enjoying it at the moment and I'll take anything I can get. 

Wet Dreams

Did that get your attention! LOL

We are wishin', and hopin', and thinkin' and praying' about rain. We have not had enough. We don't see much coming in the near future. The water management district has declared a "Modified Phase III “Extreme” Water Shortage." We are allowed to water lawns between midnight and 4 AM on Monday* morning. As we have more than an acre, we may also water between 8 PM and midnight on Monday. The water district does permit 'hand watering' and 'micro irrigation', and that may be done before 8 AM or after 6 PM. We can only wash a car on our lawn watering day, and restaurants can only provide water to diners if it is requested. The days and timing of watering haven't changed, but a strict policy of citations and fines is part of the change. 

Apparently, in addition to a 13" deficit in water amounts for the year,  the water in our aquifers is dropping, and of course, more and more people and businesses are coming to the area putting increasing burdens on our water resources.

I felt we needed to maximize the use of our irrigation system for plantings immediately around the house. I robbed every spray can top I could find as I wanted straight-sided containers to place around the yard and measure the amount of water each area receives. The answer: not enough! I'll run the test a few more times as I adjust the times for each zone, and possibly adjust sprinkler heads. 

What will the future hold? It's scary to see changing weather patterns across the world and experience the effects. 

* Watering days are determined by the last numeral of everyone's address

It's My Fault

 On Thursday I ventured out of my playroom (aka sewing room) to get my hair cut, lest I be mistaken for a vagrant. We have an unbelievable hair cuttery near my house. It's a busy place - always!

This salon has at least 8 stylists, although they all might not be in house at one time. They offer cuts for men, women and children - for $10! If you want a shampoo, that's $2 extra. I feel like I have gone through some sort of time warp when I step up to the register to pay. I have had my hair cut by 5 of the stylists. I have never been disappointed by any of the cuts, but then again, I am not all that particular. So, if you are coming to visit me and need a haircut, be sure to call ahead and get an appointment - walk-in spots fill up quickly and by early afternoon, there's little chance of being fit into the schedule. 

From there I turned south. There's a carwash there. I hadn't washed my car in .... well, it hadn't had a bath since .... maybe since I had it serviced, a long time ago?! I pulled in to the car wash. What?! $15!!! (and how much more than my hair cut was that?!) But, I said, my car is half the size of that SUV ahead of me....The attendant smiles and replies, "yeah, but we still use the same amount of soap and water!" (Good answer!)

So my car is dragged through the car wash and gets the soap, the rinse and the drying. Then we are out and I pull into the vacuum area. At $15 I am going to make sure I take advantage of the "free" vacuum, multi-use cleaner and towels. 

I cleaned everything. Even the drink cups were wiped out. 

I vacuumed the nest of leaves that were under the hood.

Then I was off to WalMart to pick up a few items.

As I was shopping, I began to hear the drumming sound of rain on the roof. 

Crap!

It's all my fault!

I was the one who had her car washed!

But...we are so far into drought that I welcome the rain.

Maybe I should make a habit of getting my car washed 

so that we can have continued rain!

A Little Bit of Everything Sort of Day

After walking my grandchildren to school I came back to the little condo and set up my sewing space.

I brought some pieces with me from Lupines & Laughter, a mystery quilt by Bonnie Hunter. 

I made a little bit of headway.

My younger son came by and we went out to local hamburger restaurant for lunch. 

I had a sloppy chicken breast 'burger' that was wonderful.

I accompanied my younger grandchild and the other grandmother on a walk among the redwoods.

There is a large park with trails among the giant trees within 15 minutes of my older son's home.

It's a delightful space with trails going in many directions, even in a light rain

that sometimes made it through the canopy of trees.

We rushed back to their house. The other grandmother made a welcome 

mug of hot chocolate and we were on our way into Oakland

to take my granddaughter to 'bandaloop'.

This is an amazing space where dance happens on the wall, and not the floor. 

It looks like a lot of fun, but I can see it would require a lot of core strength. 

There are several touring groups that practice at this facility.

The dance troupe often 'dances' on the sides of buildings. 

I was in awe of the instructors and how well they worked with the groups of children.

There were about 10 kids in the group, ages 6-12.

At the close of the class I chatted with the instructor, thanking them, and 

enquiring as to whether they have classes for old ladies...'yes'

and, for old ladies who are in lousy shape....'yes'!

Maybe if we decide to spend some time in California this summer I'll try it out! 

 

Not a Sunny Sunday

As was predicted, we did get rain on Sunday, about 1/4". The temperature at the beginning of the day, when we were uncovering the plants around 7 AM, was 57. It dropped as the rain came to 46. We are going below 32 again tonight, so after the rain, the blankets will go back on the plants. 

The dampness made the day feel especially cold.

The stag horn did not like the cold....

but it did appreciate the rain!

I stayed inside almost all day....and I loved it! 

I did some of the PT exercises for my back.

I cut some fabrics, and sewed some others, to work on blocks for the Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt. 

And I got back on the computer for my long arm machine to try to get the computer to stitch what I wanted and where on this small quilt. It is still taking me a long time to translate my ideas to language the program understands. After a few attempts I was able to tell it to stitch a design around the pineapple. I struggled with communicating where I wanted it to stitch after I had to move the quilt. I will figure that transition out....and some day I will look back and laugh at my ineptness! 

(You really can't see it, but the background of this piece has been quilted.)

The pineapple design was stitched in a class I took in the spring 0f 2019....

I guess it's about time that I finished it! 

I still need to decide how to quilt the pineapple itself, 

but that will be done on my regular machine...I think!

Yuck!

April showers snow storms bring.... 

mud!

The snow from our blizzard at the end of the month is all gone. We have had some beautiful spring-like days, with warm temperatures and sunshine. The Meadowlark has been sitting on the fencepost while I clean up the paddock. No easy task when much of it is a mire of mud!

And, we are expecting rain. We are all thrilled!

In the Jungle

We are going green....

Our grass is green. 

The pasture is green. 

The trees are green. 

I live in an area that isn't normally very green, and it is amazing to see how things look after almost a week of rain, on top of a rainy/snowy spring. Mr. Dreamy's new weather station indicates that we have had 2.5 inches of rain in May (all of 11 days), and 4.5 inches since it was installed some time after April 1. That's a lot of water for an area that normally gets 15.24 inches of precipitation a year!

Our grass is growing, and with the wet ground and water/snow falling from the sky we haven't been able to mow. It's a jungle out there!

Elephant exits grass jungle to cross glacial snow

left over from Mother's Day storm. 

Notice the sad day lilies in the background.

Their height was somewhat compromised by our  9" of wet snow!

Things are growing so well that one community issued citations and threatened fines for not mowing lawns! The story is available on 9news.com: http://on9news.tv/1Pq0eYb.

Crazy weather...

Perhaps this week we will be able to take care of our own little jungle!

Rain, Rain...

I was wishing for rain. 

That would mean I wouldn't have to water the grass. 

Right?

"... and the rain, rain, rain came down, down, down..."

Now I'd like to rescind my order, please? 

Pretty please?

Although I live in an area that is in the 'flash flood watch', I have not been impacted by flooding. 

I don't live near a river and I live near the top of a ridge. 

I'm lucky.

Some areas of Colorado are experiencing terrible flooding.

Boulder has had over 9" of rain since the storm began on Wednesday.

This, in an area that normally gets 20"-24" of precipitation in a year!

This is 'downtown' Lyons.
Lyons is an island, for now.

Lyons, CO
source

Hwy 7 West of Lyons

source

All streets in and out of Lyons are now closed.
They are blocked, or cut, or bridges are threatened.

Flooding in Estes Park, CO


source

Estes Park, CO
Denver Post

Estes Park is practically an island.

One of the roads leading to Estes Park has washed out. Others have landslides and debris blocking the roads. The only road that remains open (as I write this) is the Trail Ridge Road through the Rocky Mountain National Park. This is the highest paved road in the US. It does not remain open once snow flies.

Commerce City

Rain is filling numerous water reservoirs and to keep them from overrunning their banks, or washing out the dams, water is being released, which compounds the problems 'down stream'.

Near Broomfield, CO

Rain is still falling, and is expected to continue through midday tomorrow. I hope that folks stay safe.

Hobby Horse Blog Hop - Week 28: Then the Rain Came

Rain, rain, I'm glad to say

You came to visit us today!

We had over an inch of rain yesterday - it was so very exciting! OK, my friends from SC can stop laughing at me! I know, an inch is a drop in the bucket for you! But, we haven't had more than a tenth of an inch of rain at any one time since the beginning of June. Our pastures have been reduced to dried out stubble and dust. It will be interesting to see if any of the grasses recover.
Our neighbor's paint horses enjoyed the cool air and the mud. Mr. Dreamy reported that when they were let out of the barn, he saw them bucking and kicking as they ran down the hill.  Then.... they rolled! They are now sporting lovely mud coats. Yuck - glad I don't have to brush them!

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Hobby Horse Blog Hop Prompts - Week 28:




What do you like to do on a rainy day?
Is there a favorite food you enjoy in the fall?
How do you manage your horses on a rainy day?


My answers:




1. If I have the opportunity, I love to sleep in with the sound of rain on the roof. But, that rarely happens - sleeping in AND the rain! And, for me, 'sleeping in' means staying in bed past 7:00 AM. Another option is to watch a movie on TV or read a good book. Today I spent some time working down in the basement - we haven't organized furniture or unpacked down there since we moved a year ago. I think it is time to do something with that space!






2. I love pumpkin spice anything!






3. My horses had the freedom to go where they wanted to go in just about all weather. I have a paddock which has an opening into a run-in area in the barn. Each of my two stalls has an opening into the run-in area. So, horses can go into the stalls, stand in the run-in area, or venture out into the rain. Many times they would be soaking wet, even having the chance to be under cover.



Summer 2011 - when we had grass in the pasture!

Which is Witch?

It's reining....

Not my picture... not my horse!

No! 

wait... 

I mean

It's reigning!

Not my picture.

No! 

that's not right....

It's raining!

There... I got it right!

It seems like we haven't had rain in months

but I guess we've had a bit here, 

and a bit there. 

Not enough.

A quick 'flash in the pan' type of storm. 

But most storm clouds have passed us by.

This evening we have enjoyed a nice, slow drizzle.

The sound of rain on the roof is so soothing.

The chill of the storm is refreshing.

The smell of moist earth is heavenly.

Ahhhh.....

The Power of Positive Thinking

We haven't had rain since the beginning of July. Well, a drop here and a drop there. But not enough to wet the ground. We've had storms go to the south of us. And there are storms that go to the north of us. 

But nothing here.

We often see dense, purply black clouds,
and even beautiful rainbows east of us. 

But nothing here!

We sit on our porch and enjoy watching
Mother Nature's fireworks shows. 

We get to watch rain fall in the distance.

But not here!

Perhaps if I put up a post about rain...

And think positive thoughts...

Maybe we'll get some rain here!