June 14-20, 2020 Painting Deck, Flooring in Stairwell, Garden, Pruning, Watering

 June 14-20, 2020 

Painting Railing, Flooring in Stairwell, Garden, Pruning, Watering

Hello Friends!

It was a hot week!  I spent at least an hour each morning on just watering the garden!  What a lot of time used just standing around.  I do manage to weed and tend to the garden while doing it.  But, I'm getting lots of greens each day for my smoothies and salads.  I went to visit my friend, Teresa (from my last Bible study group) to see her garden and chat.  It is always SO interesting seeing how other people do their gardens!!!

Stairwell:

Dh completed putting down the hardwood flooring in the landing of the stairs going to the basement.  It was a complicated job for various reasons, but he kept figuring until he got it right.

Painting Railing:

This week I went back to the job I did all last summer---painting the deck, railing, and support boards outside/around our house.  This is a big job and each summer it looks a little better.  To paint the posts around the pool (to the upper deck) I had to prune the bushes at their base; which turned into a really big job!  After getting some new blisters I brought out my small chainsaw and went to town!  What a difference this job made in how our bottom deck looks like!  

Bible Study:

I'm really enjoying my study time for my summer study group, but we are having some trouble with the meeting because people are discussing political things and I'm feeling the odd vibes about me wearing a mask.  It is really interesting how our area is on the line between city folks and country folks and there is an invisible clash between the Fox News versus the CNN crowds.  It is so sad that sometimes, even in a Bible study, this political climate infiltrates all areas of our lives.

Health:

No headaches or migraines, but I've been struggling with dizzy spells and low blood pressure.

Dd's Academic Accomplishments:

This week Dd agreed to go on a hike with Henry and me!  We went to the new bridges put up across the river and it was beautiful!!!  What a highlight for me!  I love hiking and being outside and it was so nice to share some nature with Dd.

German: DuoLingo: 30 x 5 = 2:30 hours

Apologia Biology: 30 x 3, 45 x 2 = 2:45 hours

Physical Exercise: 5:15 hours

June 7-13, 2020 Summer Bible Study, Mower Troubles, Stairs, Hallway Flooring

 June 7-13, 2020 

Summer Bible Study, Mower Troubles, Stairs, Hallway Flooring

 

Hello Friends!

This week went well-- a very summery week where I accomplished a lot.  We ate really well this week too!  We had chicken pot pie, taco salads, blueberry pancakes (scratch/GF), GF peanut butter cookies, chicken strips, and chicken curry salad with grapes (all from scratch).  It was a good food week!  

Garden:

It's "garden season," so lots of watering and weeding this week.  I try to get out first thing in the morning before it gets too hot and sunny.  I'm focusing on doing second, third, fourth plantings of spinach and greens this year so I can eat my greens (and freeze/can my greens) for longer than I have in the past.  I've really improved in this area and have really stretched out my greens season.  I'm still transplanting flowers around the yard now that I know what will grow better is specific places and what didn't do well last year in those other places.  I'll figure it out eventually through trial and error!  I love flowers so it is well worth the effort!

Chickens:

My sick red hen kept getting sicker throughout the week until she finally died---so frustrating not being able to give my chickens antibiotics without finding a vet that will see hens.  My vet doesn't do chickens so I can only try to help with sunshine, love and good food.

Bible Study:

I wish I wasn't the only person in the group that wears a mask...but, I have to do what I think is best for me and my family.  I'd hate to give my Dh Covid!

Health:

Whenever I do too much I always take a hit physically and this week was very active!  I had two migraine days but was able to find easier things, like Bible Study or hiking with Henry at a slower pace, to keep moving forward.  Wednesday's migraine was bad enough I couldn't take Henry out in the woods, but I was able to every other day--despite the fact that the mosquitoes are in mass right now.

Hallway Flooring:

I was able to work alone and get the hardwood flooring laid in the hallway this week!  I didn't put in the last pieces where it connected to the front of the house; Dh did that technical intersection.  I was proud of all the flooring I was able to do by myself this week!  It is great to see some progress with this old house!  

Dd's Academic Accomplishments:

German: DuoLingo: 30 x 5, 10 x 1 = 3 hours 40 minutes of study

Apologia Biology: 45 x 3, 30 x 2 = 3 hours 15 min

Physical Exercise: 1:00 x 4, 30 x 1 = 4 hours 30 min

Sewing/ Home Economics./ Fiber Arts: 5:00 hours
Dd sewed a face mask--I think this was her third one?  She also sewed a dress.  It is amazing how naturally she does her domestic activities like sewing, cooking, and baking.  I've always struggled with those areas.

Physical Education:  Dd tried to mow this week, but the wheel kept falling off.  She found the nut that had fallen off in the yard after I joined the rescue mission, but it came a second time. She got frustrated and stopped, so I finished up the job with three wheels.  I'd give her 45 minutes of P.E. for this task.

May 30- June 6, 2020 Hallway Flooring, Stairs, Red Poppies, Seamless, Garden

 May 30- June 6, 2020 

Hallway Flooring, Stairs, Red Poppies, Seamless, Garden 

Hello Friends!

This is the week the mosquitoes arrived!  Yikes!  They can be fierce in watery Michigan as it seems there is an endless supply of small ponds and water sources.  The highlight of my week is that my lovely red poppies started blooming this week!  We brought them from our last home in Indiana and am so happy to see them arrive each year!  Most days I take Henry for a hike in the woods, or as I like to say, "Hiking with Henry," and that continues even though I don't always post about it here.  This is the highlight of my days throughout each season...even mosquito season!  I had three headache days and one migraine day this week.

Chickens:

The bummer of the week is that one of my two sick chickens died this week, even though they have been spending time in the tractors getting fresh warm air and nutrients.  The hardest part of having chickens is that they do seem to die easily and that is hard on my heart.  With my greens doing so well in my garden, and the wild greens in the woods, I've been able to provide so much healthy food for them this week.

Stairs and Hallway:

Dh and I have been working hard to replace the stairs!  Little by little!  Each step is precisely measured and fitted into place with care.  This week we started on the hallway flooring that the stairs will meet up with.  We had to pull up the old linoleum first, and was surprised to find another layer of older linoleum, and after we pulled that we found a third layer!!!  No one, it seems, ever pulled up the previous layers, they just kept laying on top of the old!

Bible Study:

My summer Bible study started this week and we are doing "Seamless" by Angie Smith.  The only slightly down point is that I have already done this study before, but as I've already seen, it really is fantastic to dig a little deeper this time around.  I really like big picture reviews and this certainly is that!  The biggest bummer, for me, is that I am the only woman in our group that is wearing a mask.  At our first meeting, it was clear at least one woman is very negative about masks and really made me feel extremely uncomfortable.  She is very vocal about her opinions and I can tell this will be a bit taxing for me to be the only person wearing a mask and getting the vibes she is sending out.  I will try my best to rise above and go high.

Discord:

Dd ended up going to her friend, Lexi's house for Sunday and Monday.  There she decided to dye her hair purple.  I never did crazy things with my hair, but she has an endless curiosity about the various things (and colors) she can do to her hair.  We continue to be struggling with the, let's call them the "eighteens."  Friday night she and her boyfriend spent the evening with Dh and me.  We played Oregon Trail and Apples to Apples board games the whole evening.  We had a lot of fun with them!

Dd's Academic Progress:

German: DuoLingo: 2 hours

Biology: Apologia: 2 hours

Physical Exercise: Kayaking Monday & Tuesday: 4 hours and Swimming 1 hour

May 24-30, 2020 Stairs, Chicken Coop, Henry, Garden

 May 24-30, 2020 

Stairs, Chicken Coop, Henry, Garden

Hello Friends!

The purple iris's started blooming this week!  I love them so much!  Henry met a baby fawn and responded so caringly that I was touched.  You just never know how a dog is going to respond when suddenly (and unexpectedly) exposed to a baby animal.  He was just tickled by it!  Every day afterward he would look at the same intersections in the woods for it to be there again; but, alas, it was never there again!  The mom learned her lesson and hid the baby better afterward.  I love spring and for Michigan, May is spring.

Chickens:

I removed the layers of plastic wrap I nailed down around the big metal room I built for the chickens.  It is their outside safe area that I call, "inner sanctum."  It is a lot of work putting up the winter shelter, but not as time-consuming trying to get it all down.  It is one spring job I don't look forward to!  Glad it is done!  The chickens have been enjoying time each week in their tractors---so they can spend some time scratching for bugs and eating grass outside of their usual area.

Henry:

Henry and I went back to the vet this week to get his stitches removed.  While there they took Henry in the back and popped some of his bumps to see if they were cancer or cyst/pimples and the results were pimples!  Thankfully!

Van:

We finally accepted Dh was NOT going to fix the van and that is was okay to take it into a car shop and have them fix it.  The drive to the shop was horrible!!!  It fumed clouds of black smoke the whole way there and I had to drive so slowly that I held up traffic...so embarrassing!!  I had to get a few wasp nests out of the van before we left, so it was a big day!  I'm glad Dd will have our van to drive now and not need to take my car every day and leave me stranded.

Garden:

I was able to start picking kale, lettuce, and spinach for my green smoothies this week!  Yay! Nothing makes me happier than growing my own greens!  I love knowing there aren't any chemicals or plastic packaging---just the walk from my garden to my blender!

Stairs:

Dh and I worked hard on the stairs again this week.  We've never entirely replaced whole staircases before and it is a lot of work.  I'm thankful Dh can do all the calculations and get things figured out!  I think we worked on them for four to five days this week.  We are putting new oak treads down with a beautiful Dutch Oil finish.  They are looking lovely!  

Discord:

This week was another hard week with Dd.  She wanted to go spend the night at a friend's house and this family doesn't do any social distancing or Covid precautions so I said 'no.' Dd was really not happy with me.  It is really hard for Dd to be "18" and thinking she is a complete adult and shouldn't have to come home or do chores or whatever any longer.  In my eyes, she is still a teenager trying to finish high school and should be helpful and nice around the house.  I guess this transition is one every family goes through, but I don't really have much experience with it.  We are both blindly feeling our way through these muddy waters.

Approval for Leadership:

I was approved for leadership at our church this week.  I totally don't feel like the right personality for leading Bible studies (I talk way too much and will have to really work on this) but I feel this is what I am supposed to do; whether I am the right personality or not!  I'll try it this year and reevaluate after a year of experience.  

Dd's Academic Progress:

DuoLingo: German: 1 hour thirty minutes of lessons

Music: Alto & Tenor Sax: 30 minutes

May 17-23, 2020 Chainsawing Back Driveway, Stair Work, Mow

 May 17-23, 2020 

Chainsawing Back Driveway, Henry: Cancer, Stair Work, Mow

Hello Friends!

We worked a lot outside again this week.  I had Black-Eyed Susan's to transplant, and Hosta placement to consider.   I also mowed this week--about three hours worth! I hung a suet feeder off my gutter this week and now am enjoying seeing all sorts of birds out my kitchen window!  I'm glad a friend suggested I try this!  The real bonus is that the squirrels can't get to it! 

Yard Work:

There are so many "scrub" trees (worthless, yucky trees are referred to as "scrub" trees in our family) popping up on our back driveway and we decided (Dh and me) that this was the week to focus on cutting down as many as we could.  I don't know exactly what these weedy trees are, but they just pop up and clutter things around the evergreens that we love.  We had quite a lot of little bonfires going throughout the week---which was lovely.

Henry: 

Our English Shepherd has had a bloody grape growing/dangling from his ear that we had biopsied, after it was removed, at the vet and the results were that he has Basal Cell Carcinoma.  I'm glad we did the surgery!  That is horrible to think he had cancer.

Stairs:

We worked on our stair replacement, to the basement, a few times this week.  I painted the under treads for the new stairs and Dh painted the risers.  We got the last riser on the stairwell done after many attempts and recuts.  

Since I don't have a worksheet from Dd with this week's accomplishments; I'm going to guess she took this week off to celebrate wrapping up her official classes.  I know she left early a lot to see her boyfriend and have lunch with him and wasn't around much.

May 10-16, 2020 Henry Surgery, Last Week Grace Classes, Heather's Box, Planting Garden

May 10-16, 2020 

Henry Surgery, Last Week Grace Classes, Heather's Box, Planting Garden, FROST!

Hello Friends!

What a big week; we had four major things happen.  The weather was very cold!  We had temps in the twenties.  I had to wrap our garden's hoop houses in plastic to keep our greens happy.  The greens (kale, spinach, lettuce) would have survived the cold, but I didn't want to take any chances.  Usually, after May 10th we don't have temps below freezing, but this year was an exception.

Henry: Surgery

Our rescue English Shepherd that we adopted in August 2018 has been struggling with a little tumor hanging on his right ear; about the size of a grape.  The tumor has grown and Henry has been scratching it; which has caused it to bleed and get messy.  This week I decided to call the vet, even though I've tried to hold off due to the lock-down here in Michigan because of COVID 19.  After a few hoops, he had surgery to get the tumor removed.  Although the vet didn't think it looked like cancer it turned out to be so.  It was Basal Cell Carcinoma; a skin cancer that I've had repeatedly myself.  He has stitches and will need to go back in nine days to get them removed.  I totally overreacted to the news and took the cancer diagnosis badly.  I felt like I was kicked in the gut!  My dad died of skin cancer and I felt rather crushed hearing Henry had cancer.  

Hiking with Henry:
Our daily hikes have been going great; except Friday and Saturday after his surgery when he was tired and recovering and we kept it short.  I'm so thankful for our time together in the woods!  

Mother's Day:

Our family doesn't really do much for Mother's Day, but this year Dd did give me a gift which was lovely.  She made me a watercolor of a Black-Caped Chickadee.  

Church:
Dh and I continue to watch our sermons at home.  Our church streams the sermons on a live stream.  I've been donating to our local food bank (FROM) and Feeding America with our tithe money since we've been home.  I just really feel for all the families that have lost their jobs and are hungry.  I encourage you to support food banks too.  I wish there was more of a safety net for people to have food; especially children.

Application:
After being asked to lead a Bible study next fall, I decided to step-up and apply this week.  It felt weird asking people to be my reference, but I did...  It was a hard decision, but I do want to do more volunteering and service work.  I especially look forward to the weekly leader meetings with other women that enjoy Bible study and perhaps growing some new friendships and networks.  I still don't know many people in Michigan.

Chickens:
The chickens are enjoying time in the tractors.  They just love getting out of the coop!

Hummingbirds:
This week I got the hummingbird feeders refilled and outside.  It didn't take a day before we had lots of action and fly-by's!!!

Garden:
Lots of action---I've been transplanting the kale to spread out our seedlings.  We planted our tomato plants in the hoop houses so the frost wouldn't kill them.  The heat from the hoop houses will help them to grow fast.

Dd's Progress for the week:

Grace Classes:

Dd finished up her Grace Co-op classes this week.  She had finals and lots of homework to finish it up but worked hard and made it through.  Her final grades are:

Painting Studio: 97 %   A+

The American Civil War 99%   A+

Analytical Writing for Essays & Research Papers 85%  B

Anatomy & Physiology 99%   A+

Baking:
Dd made Seth a cheesecake this week.  She also made lemon squares for our home to enjoy.

Math: Algebra II: Saxon

2 hours homework and class

This week was Dd's LAST tutor class! 

Writing: 

IEW& Analytical Research: 4 hrs lessons and class

Science: Apologia

Anatomy & Physiology: 1 1/2 hours lessons

Physical Education: 5 hrs 45 min

German: Duolingo

2 1/2 hours in lessons (30 min day)

.............................

Transition

 Transition:

I've taken a few months off posting and am going to make an effort to quickly get caught up.  I want to finish documenting Dd's academic progress so I can complete her transcripts so she can apply to college.  Then maybe I can do a better job of keeping up with my blog again.  I've moved our computer to a central location so it should be easier!  Grace while I am in the process of updating!!!