August 30-September 5, 2020 Veg Exchange, Decking, Bible Study Prep, Garden, Deck

 

August 30-September 5, 2020 Veg Exchange,  Decking, Bible Study Prep, Garden, Deck

Hello Friends!

In the ongoing saga of trying to figure out what I can do to reduce my migraines I’ve been going to one of those alternative medicine places.  This week I had another appointment and they went over the results of my stool sample which they use to determine your food intolerances.  This is actually different than the skin test my dermatologist did for me twenty years ago—at least the foods that I reacted to were entirely different!  It is just amazing how I am averse to 80 percent of foods.  No gluten, no dairy, no eggs…  I’ve had to loosen my low FODMAP diet regulations a little just to get by and so far that has been okay.  Anyone for a life of salad?  Apparently, I’m all in!  I am trying everything I can to get over all the migraines, but really it’s hard to work around the elephant in the room; which is that hormones are my problem and there isn’t much I can do to effect having hormones.

 

Garden: 

Another week of canning and blanching.  I always enjoy fresh green smoothies throughout the year and by blanching my greens I can have that.  Then when I can my greens I can have my greens in my bone broth homemade soups; which never sounds as awesome as it is!  I even broke out my dehydrator and started on some of my herbs—like basil this week.

Decking:

Dh is still working on replacing old boards with new replacements.  He is doing a great job.  This was a much bigger job than he thought it was going to be.

House:

I’m still working hard on the outbuilding and spent most of the week on this job.  I’m still caulking and painting and making good progress.  I found some open areas on a seam and some bee activity that I needed to do extra caulking on.

Dd’s Progress:

After a few difficult weeks, Dd has put in her notice at her pizza shop.  She just has to get through the next two weeks.

This weekend Dd, and her friends are putting up our tent and camping at her boyfriend’s house.  I’m glad she likes camping out!

German: DuoLingo: 4 sessions: 50 min.

Biology: Apologia: 3 sessions: 1:00 hour

Work at pizza shop: 3 days

Reader:

Changeless by Gail Carringer: 6 sessions: 9 hours

August 23-29, 2020 Fall Planting, Canning, Dentist, Zoom Bible Study, Canning

 

August 23-29, 2020 Fall Planting, Canning, Dentist, Zoom Bible Study, Canning

Hello Friends!

Another week of watching church together with Dh online.  I have to admit to liking watching church from home and not worrying about the mask issues.

 

Hot tub:

Dd’s boyfriend fixed our hot tub and we have also enjoyed some time in the relaxing water!  It really is quite nice to look up at the stars at night outside with the woods all around.  There is a leak that we haven’t been able to find, so we are enjoying it while it lasts!  Dd has had her friends over a few times to share the experience with them.

 

Garden:

This week, I planted fall spinach!  I also canned almost every day; it was my priority instead of painting on the house.  It was nice being inside out of the sun! I canned green beans, kale, and tomato products---whole, sauce, and paste.  I have been running the tomatoes in the crock-pot for a few days to cook the tomato sauce down to a sweet caramel paste.

 

Health:

I went back to my heart/vascular doctor to discuss the findings from the stress test/echo test that I took last week.  They gave me new guidelines---compression pantyhose, drink electrolytes, no caffeine, keep up my running on the treadmill…. They said I was “too healthy!” Funny!

 

Dd Progress:

Dd continues to be very much independent and out and about on her own.  Between work and her friends, we don’t see her very much.  She does continue to fill out her homework sheet:

German: DuoLingo: 7 sessions:  1:30 hours

Biology: Apologia: 4 sessions:  1:40 hours

Physical Exercise: 7 sessions:  9:45 hours

Readers:

Go Set A Watchman (by Harper Lee): Completed : 6:30 hours

Souless (by Gail Carriger): 1:00 hours

August 16-22, 2020 Green Beans, Canning and all things Garden, Painting the House,

 

August 16-22, 2020

 Canning and all things Garden, Painting the House

 

Hello Friends!

This was a garden week!  I had three small migraines, but my medicine, Nurtec, helped me to be able to continue getting things done and stop it from getting really bad. 

Garden/Harvest:

Twice this week, I picked and canned green beans.  I also canned tomatoes, kale, Swiss Chard, and basil.  Dh and I have been looking to buy more canning lids and they are out of stock at so many stores.  Because of the pandemic, many people have canned more than they normally do and we have a serious shortage.  I was happy with all the canning I accomplished this week!

 

Fried Green Tomatoes:

Dh made fried green tomatoes this week!!! A real highlight of my summer!!! 

 

House:

I’ve been scrapping the old paint off the outbuilding for hours, day after day!  What a big job!  The front of the outbuilding gets so much sun that this front wall was really in bad shape.  I’ve continued to caulk all the bad spots – which is tube after tube!  But, hopefully that will help our house to age gracefully.  By the end of the week I had started painting the outbuilding.

Dh worked on the deck—replacing old wood with new wood and supports.  He thought there would just be a few pieces to upgrade and quickly realized he opened a can of worms!!!

 

Health:

This week I had an echo and ultrasound on my heart as well as completing a stress test.  The results were all very good…thankfully!  I think the doctors have confirmed that the pains in my chest are due to diet and not a mechanical problem within my heart. 

 

Bible Study: Thrive:

This week the new Bible study leaders met at Rachel Norton’s house for a meeting.  It was kind of awkward with some people (cough, cough, me!) wearing a mask and the rest of the group not wearing their masks.  The mask decision has become such an awkward problem for me.  I just feel so uncomfortable with everyone not wearing their masks and commenting that they don’t agree with mask mandates when I obviously do want to avoid getting Covid.  Every Bible study group I go to I am usually the only person in a mask…but, it was exciting going to the first meeting for the new leaders and looking forward to the fall and starting a new Bible study with new friends.

 

Dd:

She was very depressed about her job at the pizza shop.  Things had been going so good for so long and now things are quickly unraveling.  But, she did get back to doing her lessons after a few weeks off for summer break.

 

Dd’s progress:

German: DuoLingo: 7 sessions = 1:50 hours

Biology: Apologia: 5 sessions = 2:10 hours

Physical Exercise: 7 sessions = 8:30 hours

Work: 4 shifts

Readers:

Go Set a Watchman: 5 sessions = 3:15 hours

Dread Nation: Completed (2:00 hours this week)

August 9-15, 2020 Caffeine Free, HOT, Robins, Caulk and Paint, Deck, Green Beans

 August 9-15, 2020 Caffeine Free, HOT, Robins, Caulk and Paint, Deck, Green Beans

Hello Friends!

This Sunday marked the 39th year anniversary of my father's death, always such a hard day.  It was such a hot and humid week we had to turn on the A/C and get a little break from the heat.  We don't keep it on long, but it sure does make a difference; especially when it's humid.  We have also been sleeping in the basement where it is cooler. I also managed to finally finish the weaning process and become caffeine-free and I didn’t have any chest pains this week!!!

Garden: We finally have enough green beans to start picking and eating! With the heat so bad I have had to do a lot of watering to keep everything happy and thriving. 

House:  I have still been caulking and painting the house.  Dh keeps having to go buy more caulk tubes and five-gallon bucks of the paints we are using.  We have one color for the house, one for the trim, one for the top of the decking floors, and another for the undercoating of the decking floors.  He has also had to buy a lot more wood to replace the oldest boards from our deck. The boards that are mostly sound he has flipped over to put the nice side on top.  We didn't expect the decking to be so much trouble!  Boy, were we wrong!  This is a big job!  He has lots more to do!

August 2-8, 2020 House Painting, Fried Green Tomatoes, Basement Walls, Hot Tub, Decking Repairs

 August 2-8, 2020 House Painting, Fried Green Tomatoes, Basement Walls, Hot Tub, Decking Repairs

Hello Friends!

It was a busy week-- I only had one migraine and two headaches, so that always means I get more accomplished.  Last week everyone in our family, EXCEPT US, went on vacation to North Carolina to stay in a house on Holden Beach.  This was kind of a hardship for us as the only family members that were really concerned about Dh's parents getting Covid 19.  They are in their 80's and it just didn't feel like the right decision to us, so we stayed home.  The last time they rented a beach house was something like 14 years ago, so it wasn't an easy decision!  It would have been a real treat, but we just stayed home and missed out on the fun for the sake of safety and caution.

Caffeine: I'm slowly weaning myself down from caffeine--a tiny bit less each day to avoid headache withdrawals.

Anniversary: This week marked the second year we've had our rescue dog, Henry!  I'd never even heard of an English Shepherd before him.  I sure do love our daily hikes in the woods!  He is such a great dog and adds so much joy to my life, especially now that Dd basically comes home to sleep, he has become my primary company...and such good company too!  

Fun Food:

This week we had our summer fun food---Fried Green Tomatoes!!!  Such a treat!!!  While we had the oil hot we went ahead and added another special treat of ours: Agadashi Tofu.

Hot Tub:

Dd and her boyfriend finished the electrical repairs on the hot tub.  They had their friends over a few times this week.  They seemed to really have a fun time.  

House: I have continued to paint and caulk the house. Dh has begun picking out the oldest pieces of decking and replaced those pieces with new boards.  I finished caulking the drywall on the basement walls and painted the walls. Lots of hard work going on.

Henry: Enjoying hiking with Henry each day, and fitting in pilates and yoga here and there.  

Dd didn't turn in any progress sheets this week, so she must still be on her summer break.  

July 26-Aug 1, 2020

 Hello Friends,

My migraines from last week continued on this week too.  On Monday I had my botox shots in my head that should bring some help in a few days.  You would think it would help right away, but I usually end up with at least a headache, if not a migraine the day of the shots and even the next day too.  The doctor and I discussed "biofeedback" and acupuncture as possible future treatment possibilities.  

Caffeine:

I think I forget to mention that the heart doctor told me to stop drinking caffeine to prevent those chest pains I've been having for years.  It is a major bummer, but I will follow his recommendations as the chest pains have continued even if they were less intense.

Bible Study: Seamless by Angie Smith

I'm enjoying our Bible study.  It was a bit odd b/c at the end of our meeting one of the ladies brought out a political form we *could* sign---some sort of political petition against our governor.  This really was a surprise to me.  I've never had someone bring political things to a church event before coming to Michigan.  The two churches I've attended here have done things like this, but in Indiana, it was very much not acceptable.  I like Indiana's philosophy better, to be honest!  Bringing politics and church together seems to invite division and that is never good!

Dentist:

Dd and I had our six-month cleaning this week.  My last old amalgam filing was looking old and the dentist wanted to keep an eye on it, but I asked if we could go ahead and remove it now since they aren't healthy to have anyway.  I love my dentist!  He is such a great dentist and that is so hard to find!

House Painting:

We have begun the epic endeavor to paint our house.  It hasn't been painted in years and the wood has deep lines in it.  We are filling in those crevices with outdoor caulking, tube after tube of caulk!  I'm excited about this project! We went to Lowe's and bought the tools and paint for the job. 

Dd didn't turn in any progress sheet, so I guess this was another vacation week.  She spent the night at Lexi's house.  On Friday night, Dd and her boyfriend worked on the hot tub and put in a new breaker box.  They spent hours working on their project.

July 19-25, 2020 Tomato Caterpillars, Heart Doc, House Painting, Migraines and Blueberry Pie

 

July 19-25, 2020

Tomato Caterpillars, Heart Doc, House Painting, Migraines and Blueberry Pie

 

Hello Friends!

It rained some this week and we sure needed it.  The garden is coming along but, I did see my first tomato caterpillar of the year.  I know once I see one there will be some more.  I’m enjoying my Bible study.

 

Heart and Vascular Appt:

I learned some more about Orthostatic Hypotension this week after speaking to a specialist.  Come to find out, I need to wear compression pantyhose NOT compression socks.  I also am supposed to drink Propel every day for the electrolytes.  The appt went well and it’s not such a bad thing.  He scheduled a stress test for my chest pains and to make sure there is nothing physically wrong with my heart.

 

Migraines:

I had four headaches and one migraine this week.

 

House:

Still lots of work on the house---caulk, caulk, caulk and paint, paint, paint.  I’m putting down at least two coats on each section before moving to the next section.  I’m glad I work well on tall ladders!  I did a lot of trim work this week; which looks great.

 

Dd:

She has been struggling with her hormones and work adjustments.  This week she had her BFF, Hailee, give her a perm and burnt a lot of her hair.  This is probably her worst hair failure so far in her life.  Poor kid!  Her hair is pretty fried!  I keep hoping she will get through all these hair experiments soon and move back to having beautiful natural hair.

Dd didn’t turn in any work for her academic progress this week.

 

July 12-18, 2020

Painted House, Migraines and Chest Pain, Toads and Praying Mantises About!

 

Hello Friends!

I don’t mention Dd nearly as much anymore as she is so busy with her friends and job at the pizza shop.  She spends as much time with her boyfriend as possible and I don’t see her very much.  This has been a big adjustment for me; one that I will be processing more than her, I think!  Even though I homeschool her that doesn’t mean she won’t go through the normal process of finding herself without me to find exactly who she is.

Garden:

Things are going well in the garden.  I’ve seen a lot of baby praying mantises in my garden!  We used to have pet mantises in Indiana so this is a welcome guest!!!!! Yay!  There are lots of toads around right now too.

 House:

I am up on a tall ladder to reach the top of the back of the house for caulking and painting. Dh sprayed the garage doors this week.

 Health:

On top of a chest attack I had two migraines and two headaches this week.  I had another episode of extreme chest pain from 12:30-12:55.  The pain woke me up in the middle of sleeping; it was so painful.  I called my doctor and asked for a referral.  I’ve been having these episodes since 2017 and decided to have it looked at again to make sure it isn’t anything serious.  The pain is off the scale and horrible to go through.

 Bible Study:

Bible study is going really well!  I love the material but not really connecting with the other ladies.  It doesn’t help that I am literally the only person there wearing a mask in J’s living room.  I feel and look like quite the outsider.  It is very uncomfortable, but I do so enjoy the study and discussion.

Chickens:

The flies are horrible and I’ve been throwing down lime on the coop grounds to help deter them.

 

Dd’s Progress:

Since I didn’t get any paperwork from Dd I am assuming she is on break.

July 5-11, 2020 Migraines, Painting House, Caulk, Flies, Compression Socks

July 5-11, 2020 Migraines, House Painting and Caulking, Flies, and Compression Socks

 

Hello Friends!

We had to finally, turn on the air conditioner some this week! So hot and humid.  One of my poor chickens got pneumonia; they really hate the heat.  I've taken her away from the others and set her up in my garage.  This whole week was so hot.

Church: We have been watching church online due to the pandemic.  We have also been enjoying watching some sessions from Andy Stanley on YouTube as well.  Andy always does such a good job!

House: Dh has been spray washing the house before I paint that section.  I think he enjoys spray washing!  Dh also bought a fancy paint sprayer to help with the house painting job.  He spent two days taping and papering all the windows on one side of our house so he could spray.  I would never say it out loud but in the time it takes to tape everything up I could have painted most of it!

Health: In seven days I had 3 migraines and 2 headaches.  I'm thankful for the new medication, Nurtec, but wish I didn't need it so much.

Garden: Japanese Beetles arrive...I begin my serious bug hunting season.  The garden is doing great.

Dd's Progress:

German: DuoLingo: 5 sessions for a total of 2:00 hours

Biology:Apologia: 5 sessions for a total of 2:40 hours

Physical Educations: Trips to Lake Michigan, and 6:40 hours of physical activity

 

June 28-July 4, 2020 Health, Painting house, Dentist

 June 28-July 4, 2020 

Health, Painting house Prep, Tree Work

Hello Friends!

Another week of cutting up and stacking the oak tree that fell last week.  I was so fortunate that a retired neighbor helped out day after day with his log splitter to get the wood small enough to move and stack.  I'm so thankful!!!  It took over a week to get the majority cleared, and some will just stay in the woods. 

Church: We continue to watch church online.  Dd watches with her boyfriend and Dh and I watch together.

Chickens:

I still have a sick red hen that is residing in the garage, although I do let her free range alone some.  

Garden: I'm still blanching and freezing greens as they amass.  I like the frozen greens for smoothies and the canned greens for soups.  I'll do the canning later in the season.  House: Dh has been power washing the house to prep it for painting.  I've been cleaning the gutters.

Hot tub: Dd and her boyfriend have been working on getting our hot tub up and running.  It was here when we moved in, but we hadn't had time to mess with it yet.  Dd's boyfriend is an electrician so he has decided to look into this project.

Health:

I don't know if I mentioned it yet or not, but I was diagnosed with Orthostatic Hypotension this summer.   I kept having dizzy spells when I'd stand up while gardening.  When I'm gardening I typically go up and down a lot to plant, weed... and I have been experiencing a lot more dizzy spells this year.  My doctor took my blood pressure three different ways and compared the readings; laying down, sitting, and then standing.  If your pressure changes 10-20 points in the various positions you have OH, but mine was thirty or forty points different.  It's hard to accept any health change when you think you are going along just fine and are healthy and then out of the blue, you get some weird random diagnosis.  I will see a specialist soon, but for now, I was told to order compression knee-high socks.  Still trying to figure out how much this will impact me.  I was told to keep hydrated and that would help, as well as adding salt to my diet.  I do sweat so much gardening and painting our house outside.  We generally don't turn on our air conditioner so I am underhydrated often.  I ordered a blood pressure machine to have at home so I can keep an eye on my numbers.  My problem is that my numbers are too low and I get dizzy.

 

Dd's Progress:

German: DuoLingo: five sessions- total of 1:10 hours

Biology: Apologia: 5 sessions- total of 2:40 hours

Farmhouse pizza: 4 shifts

Physical Activity: pizza shop and mowing (2 hours)

-----

June 21-27, 2020 Migraines, Greens, Huge Tree Down, Dh and Dd to Indiana

 June 21-27, 2020 

Migraines, Greens, Huge Tree Down, Dh and Dd to Indiana

Hello Friends!

We had our huge oak tree, at the end of our driveway, fall across our neighborhood street this week.  It took out multiple electric lines and caused the power to go out for all of us.  Luckily, a few neighbors came to help with their chainsaws and axes.  This project took up a lot of my time for many days to come as the tree was enormous.  The worst part was that I was fighting migraines all week, but since neighbors kept coming out to help each day I had to work too; since they were working on 'my' tree.  Dh came home early the day it fell and we were able to clear the road so the neighbors behind me could drive in and out once again! Lots of branches all over the place, but we can drive on our road at least!

Trip to Indiana:

Dh, Dd, and her boyfriend took a trip down to Indiana to see family this week.  Dd wanted her boyfriend to see more of her family and invited him to come.  We bought him a room at the inn so he could go along for the trip.  They stayed at the Spring Mill Inn and had a really great time.  My garden needed my attention so I didn't go.

Garden:

  This week my greens were ready for harvesting.  I decided to blanch and freeze as much as I could.  I think I froze 8 gallons of processed greens for the winter.  That doesn't sound like much, but once you blanch greens they shrink down something like 80 percent.  I froze spinach, kale, and swiss chard.  

Chickens:

The flies this week have been horrible and are pestering the chickens.  I am working hard trying to keep their pen as clean as possible.

Hiking with Henry:

I'm still enjoying my daily walks with Henry in the woods.  This is my favorite activity and blessing each week.  So thankful for the woods and a great dog!

Bible Study:

The summer Bible study is: "Seamless" by Angie Smith. This is my second time with this study, but it has been two years, so it will be a great re-do. 

Dd's Progress:

German: DuoLingo: 4 sessions of 30 min. each

Biology: Apologia: 1:30 hours 

Physical Exercise: Tree clean up, hike at Spring Mill, and working at pizza shop x2

Trip to Indiana, family reunion, and new experiences.