March 2021

March 2021

Hello Friends!

Dd didn't turn in any progress sheets for March so I will just do a quick monthly post instead of a week-by-week post.  We didn't see Dd much this month.

Acupuncture:

I'm very impressed by how well I am responding to acupuncture (ACU is the short version).  My therapist will only take you on if you agree to five weeks of once-a-week treatment with the cupping, organ massage, and needles.  I agreed to this, but it is way out of my budget, but I can handle it short term.  He charges $75 for ACU and $75 for the massage/cupping, so $150 for one visit out of pocket, no insurance.  I had 9 migraines in March.

I was fortunate to get my Covid 19 vaccine #1 on March 24th!  It was quite a memorable experience going downtown to the convention center and being herded as if we were cattle!  I feel better knowing I have the antibodies from my own infection and the vaccine to top it off!

Besides trying ACU, I also had a bite guard made that could help me possibly reduce my migraines.

Vein Ablation:

I had the results from my vein test, and the results were very unfavorable.  I had a procedure to burn my vein that would seal off that bad vein from being used in the future.  My blood will find new routes to work and stay out of that damaged vein.  Dh took the day off and took me.

Church & Bible Studies:

We continue to watch church online, Dh and I.  I'm loving my two groups for Bible study.  I do Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) online and the church one--"Thrive" has been online and in-person depending on the Covid numbers.  I also have Leadership Training each week before our Bible study.

 Dh:

After his two weeks off, March 1st, Dh went back to work.  He really struggled and wished he had asked for another week off.  He somehow made it through, but it wasn't easy.

 February 2021

Hello Friends!  

Dd didn't turn in any progress sheets for the last three weeks of January and none for February, so I will just do a monthly post instead of a week-by-week post.

Detached Retina for Dh:

Three weeks after getting Covid, Dh was diagnosed with a detached retina.  This time it was his right eye, and last time in 2018 it was his left eye.  I'm sure the inflammation that came with Covid contributed to his eye problem.  We really thought he would be back to keeping his head down for another three months but because he recognized the symptoms faster this time and went right into Dr. Ginzin he was able to get laser treatments faster and two surgeries.  This whole crisis was such a blessing, God really took care of Dh and he was so fortunate.  If he had been born a few years earlier I could be married to a blind man by now.  He fought his pressure being too high in his eye throughout his recovery and we had to do a lot of drops throughout the day for weeks.

While Dh was going through his eye emergency Dd started staying at Hailee's house.  This is the month she really pulled even farther away from us and sleeping here.

Health:

I had a veinous insufficiency test on my left leg.  I had another 15 migraines, compared to the 5 I had in February 2020.  Covid keeps giving and giving.  I decided to try acupuncture to combat this problem.  Not only does my acupuncturist do the needles, but he does also cupping and organ massaging.  I thought the organ massaging, a Japanese treatment, would be weird, but it was actually relaxing.

January 10-31, 2021 Covid 19 and Migraines

 January 10-31, 2021

Hello Friends, 

Guess who got Covid 19? We did!  After feeling like a social pariah wearing my mask at every Bible study group last summer and this fall and winter and following the strictest protocols for keeping protected Dh and I both tested positive.  After all these months of getting looks from people for being ridiculous about wearing our masks, we were the ones to get it.  Isn't that just the worst?!  We live in a rural area where just about everyone is personally offended by masks and will tell you all about their rights being disrespected by just the idea of them.

Like we had predicted, having Covid was absolutely horrible.  The one silver lining was that Dh is in a high-risk group because of his health and was able to get an infusion that helped him recover faster.  The worst part is that I was so busy trying to take care of hubby I took a lot longer to feel better.  Our symptoms were not at all similar.  Dh was coughing constantly, went from profuse sweating to shivering and freezing.  He was miserable.  His fever wasn't too high, which was a blessing.  I felt like I had bone cancer, all my body ached horribly, especially my back and kidneys.  Sleeping was horrible due to the intense pain of just having to lay out on my back, not to mention my kidneys felt like they had been through a battle.  We both had severe fatigue; which fortunately was painless. 

My long-term issue after Covid was an increase in migraines and continued kidney pain.  The back pain and body pain stopped after a week.  Dh and I both have fatigue issues for months afterward.  We both felt depressed during and after Covid, having no energy is really difficult for our well-being.  

 I had 15 migraines in January, last year I had 5 in January. The last week of January was the worst; starting on the 23rd.  By the 26th I was vomiting from the pain and was at the ER by the 29th getting the migraine IV cocktail that somehow helps.  I went on steroids somewhere in there, but a shorter and stronger one than I did last time.  

Dd tested twice for Covid, but she tested negative both times.  She stayed downstairs and in quarantine for over a week and it nearly drove her insane.  She really hated being alone down there.  

Bible Studies:  I was ahead in my studies and was able to do a little here and there and made it through the month.

Braces: After two years, Dd got her braces off.  

January 3-9, 2021

 January 3-9, 2021

Hello Friends!

It’s that time of year again…snow shoveling I shoveled three days this week.  I can always count on hours of shoveling snow here in Michigan!  I had to make sure I could get out for my Bible study, which started back up, for both groups, this week.  I only had ONE day off from migraines and headaches this week; I was pretty miserable.

Insurrection: This day will go down in history---it was so crazy watching what was happening on tv to our Capital building.  Then Heather called and we chatted about it while we each went for a walk.  It was nice to take my mind off it for a little while.  It was just so unreal.

Yoga and Pilates:

I’ve been a fan of yoga and Pilates for years, and when I don’t feel good I rely on it even more; especially stretching and yoga.  I tried yoga four days this week.

Bible Studies:

Both my church’s study and Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) went so well this week.  As each month goes by we have stronger and stronger connections with our fellow students.  We just keep digging into Genesis more and more!

Dd’s Progress:

Dd had her braces removed!  She was SO excited!  It had been over two years!

This is the last entry I received from Dd on her lessons:  All these years of sheets and this is the last one!

German: DuoLingo: 7 sessions = 1:10 years

Biology: Apologia: 4 sessions = 2:00 hours

Physical Education: 5 sessions = 3:45 hours

December 27- January 2, 2021

 December 27- January 2, 2021

Hello Friends!

I’ve been enjoying making new felt owls for our Christmas tree!  I’m on my second one already.  I plan on keeping our tree up for quite a while as I’m enjoying it so much and it’s not hurting anything but adding me joy!

Package:

Giz and Grampy (Dh’s parents) sent a box with a few gifts for each of us that arrived this week.  We waited until Dd and her boyfriend could come over so we could all open our gifts together.  They were just cute little gifts as they had already bought us a small box freezer for us to put in our garage.  We will get it in the spring sometime when the pandemic has improved.  I believe they mailed Dd a Christmas check, so she got her ‘big’ gift already too.  But, it was fun opening the little gifts.  We opened them on New Year’s Eve as part of our celebration.

New Year’s Eve:

The four of us had a little, short celebration this year.  I had my tingle angel candle gizmo, like the one my grandmother used with us each New Year’s.  But, I only had one bottle of sparkling cider this year.  We sit around the chiming, circling angels in the dark, and go in a circle each saying one thing at a time the things they appreciated from this year.  For example, I was thankful for my Bible study groups.  Then whenever we run out of cider we blow out the candles and are done with our event.  We usually have about three bottles, but I hadn’t been able to go back out shopping again like I had hoped.  I’ve been trying to only shop once every three weeks due to the pandemic.  We played card games like Skip-Bo after our cider.

Bible Studies: I continue to enjoy my two Bible study groups!

Dd’s Progress:

Dd has been spending more nights at Hailee’s house.

German: DuoLingo: 7 sessions = 1:10 hours

Biology: Apologia: 2 sessions = 1:30 hours

Physical Education: 5 sessions = 3:30 hours

Reader: he Last Wish by Andrzej Saplowski : Completed

December 20- 26, 2020

 December 20- 26, 2020  

Hello Friends!

Merry Christmas all!  After so many days of migraines, I had three days this week pain-free! 

I was surprised to receive a Christmas gift from my mom in the mail this week; a little box of caramels!  She used to not send things very often, but the last few years she has and I’m embarrassed to say I really appreciate it.  It is such a treat when you feel loved by your parent, and such a blow when you don’t.

Mammogram: I had my mammogram this week.  I had been putting if off during the pandemic, but my doctor insisted I get it done and I had to.  I try so hard to keep any visits down to bare minimum – especially anything I can put off.  My results were good and I appreciated that news. 

Old Treadmill:

I’ve been dismantling our old treadmill as it is just sitting on our deck by our front door and looks a bit disgraceful; definitely not Christmassy either!  I got most of the bolts out on Tuesday.

Bank:

About a year or just over ago I opened a bank account with Dd so she would have a place to deposit her pizza shop paychecks and to build on her college fund that Dh and I had been saving for since her birth.  I had put all that college money in the account and told her not to touch that money and never thought to check on the money in all this time. She has dipped into our part and I will have to think about when would be a good time to remove what's left and how to proceed with this difficult situation. 

Christmas: Dh made Agadashi Tofu and Egg rolls for our Christmas lunch!  We had chicken nuggets, rice, broccoli, and wonderful fish sauce for dipping! Yum!  Our presents were humble as always, but we did get Dd a large screen laptop for ‘her studies.’  She seemed pleased with the gift.  This was the first year it really didn’t have that child at home, special magic, cookies for Santa type of feeling.  It was sad, to be honest.  She always had made cookies and put them on a plate in the living room for Santa and was excited with us.  This year we went to bed with her still out and then had to wait hours in the morning for her to wake up; such a change from the girl who used to start unwrapping at 3 am!!!  We invited her boyfriend to spend the morning with us and then they left after lunch to spend the rest of the day and night with his family.  From what I hear, they have a lot of fun and stay up late into the night; plus more siblings are present.

Felt Owls: On Saturday I started making felt owls to add to our collection of felted feathered friends on our Christmas tree….what fun!

Dd’s Progress: German: DuoLingo: 7 sessions = 1:10 hours

Biology: Apologia: 2 sessions: 1:00 hour

Physical Education: 5 sessions: 3: 15 hours

Reader: The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski

December 13-19, 2020

 

December 13-19, 2020

Hello Friends!

I had four migraines last week and five this week.  Fortunately, I can sometimes drink enough water and hold my tongue just right and be able to go about my day fairly normally as sometimes the mornings are the hardest and the pain and symptoms can decrease as the hours go by.  I know I was a little bit stressed waiting for the Electoral College to vote on the elections this week and that was so chaotic hanging over my head.  On Thursday night I was woken up at 2 am with so much pain in my head that I was unable to sleep.  That migraine took five days to pass!  My doctor prescribed progesterone and I wonder if that is why the increase in problems?

Felt Birds:

I had fun sitting and working on some felt birds this week.  It is always appreciated when I can find a legitimate reason for sitting down and seemingly doing nothing by having my little birds to sew!  I can sit and use my creativity without the guilt of working on a big project; especially when I’m run over by migraine problems.

Treadmill:

Two-three weeks ago, my treadmill had stopped working, and I had taken it apart and somehow got it working.  Then it stopped again and I was unable to fix it.  Dh and I spent the whole weekend looking up prices and places where we could get a new treadmill for me at a good price.  I’ve had this treadmill over twenty years, longer than our stationary bike.  I use the treadmill in bits and spurts year-round.  I do like to run with Henry on the leash in the woods, but he enjoys getting in front of me and suddenly stopping; especially when we are going up and down hills, so I save my real running for the treadmill when I don’t have to be so timid and cautious.  This week our new treadmill arrived and Dd and I put it together.  It was so nice to see her again and be able to spend some time with her, it has become so rare to see her.  She comes in after we are in bed and when she wakes up she heads straight out.  She doesn’t even eat here except for our pizza nights.

Work from Home:  Dh continues to occasionally work from home; this week he was here on Tuesday!  A treat!

Bible Studies:  are on Christmas break, but I am trying to get a little ahead with this time off.

Dd’s Progress:

German: DuoLingo:  7 sessions = 1:10 hours

Biology: Apologia: 5 sessions = 2:30 hours

Physical Education: 5 sessions = 3:00 hours

Reader 1: The Return of the King by J.R.R Tolkien = 6:00 Completed

Reader 2: The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski

December 6-12, 2020

 

December 6-12, 2020

Hello Friends!

This week was a lot of Christmas prep!  I worked a little each day on getting my Christmas cards written out and finally mailed them out on Saturday.  I also worked on wrapping my Christmas presents and putting them under the tree to add a little more excitement for our holiday.  I look for little gifts at our local thrift store and hid them away throughout the year.  Dd wanted a laptop for her studies as her gift this year, which was quite expensive, so she didn’t get as many gifts as usual.  I do want to help her be able to learn and grow.

Bible Studies: I’m really loving my studies!

Felt Birds:

Each year I sew felt birds and add them to my Christmas tree for a colorful decoration.  I also like to give some of them away to family or close friends.  I made one for Dd’s boyfriend this year.  I brought out all my felt and materials and got started this week!  So fun!  I sew the year with embroidery thread somewhere on the bird—on its belly or under or on a wing… this year was “2020.”

Dh & Woodshop:

Dh has been doing a good job making things in his workshop this fall.  He has made quite a few things already, this week he made a frame that holds his drills.  It is his therapy and refills his cup!

Hiking:

My dog Henry and I are back to hiking in our woods again each day instead of just the front roads.  I love our daily hikes together!

Dd’s Progress:

German: DuoLingo: 7 sessions = 1:10 hours

Biology: Apologia: 4 sessions = 2:30 hours

Physical Education: 6 sessions = 3:30 hours

Reader: Return of the King by J.R. R Tolkien – 3:00 hours

December 6-12, 2020

 

December 6-12, 2020

Hello Friends!

This week was a lot of Christmas prep!  I worked a little each day on getting my Christmas cards written out and finally mailed them out on Saturday.  I also worked on wrapping my Christmas presents and putting them under the tree to add a little more excitement for our holiday.  I look for little gifts at our local thrift store and hid them away throughout the year.  Dd wanted a laptop for her studies as her gift this year, which was quite expensive, so she didn’t get as many gifts as usual.  I do want to help her be able to learn and grow.

Bible Studies: I’m really loving my studies!

Felt Birds:

Each year I sew felt birds and add them to my Christmas tree for a colorful decoration.  I also like to give some of them away to family or close friends.  I made one for Dd’s boyfriend this year.  I brought out all my felt and materials and got started this week!  So fun!  I sew the year with embroidery thread somewhere on the bird—on its belly or under or on a wing… this year was “2020.”

Dh & Woodshop:

Dh has been doing a good job making things in his workshop this fall.  He has made quite a few things already, this week he made a frame that holds his drills.  It is his therapy and refills his cup!

Hiking:

My dog Henry and I are back to hiking in our woods again each day instead of just the front roads.  I love our daily hikes together!

Dd’s Progress:

German: DuoLingo: 7 sessions = 1:10 hours

Biology: Apologia: 4 sessions = 2:30 hours

Physical Education: 6 sessions = 3:30 hours

Reader: Return of the King by J.R. R Tolkien – 3:00 hours

November 29- December 5, 2020

 

November 29- December 5, 2020 Christmas Tree Up!

Hello Friends!

The pandemic is still in full force so we continue to watch church online.  We have a cord that puts the computer’s image upon our tv screen.  The positive is that prior to the pandemic I was attending church alone, after we left our old church Dh wasn’t up to trying new churches all over again and Dd was going with her boyfriend on Saturday nights.  Now that I am watching the sermons at home Dh is watching with me and getting to see the two pastors that divide the preaching with me.  Dh is liking the sermons.  Who knows, maybe Dh will be up to returning to church with me when / if things get back to where we can attend in person again.

Tigger:

Last month Dd’s boyfriend adopted a kitty from a rescue shelter and they brought the kitty, Tigger, over for a visit this week.  I had a female stray in college that I named Tigger, so I am already predisposed to liking this kitty---they even share the same coloring!  My kitty was a girl and this one is a boy.

Health:

I’ve been going to an alternative medical facility this fall and they tested all sorts of things and have found some findings---adrenal fatigue for one.  I also have a new list of foods they found I am sensitive to.  I seem to have trouble absorbing minerals; probably due to my gallbladder removal.  I had only one migraine this week, after last week when I had two.  Dd has been getting migraines the past few weeks.

Christmas Prep:

Dd helped me put up the Christmas decorations this week!  It looks so great having our cozy tree and felt birds decorating the branches!  I just love our birds and nature theme.  It was very unexpected and nice that Dd actually helped me put up the decorations.  It was a nice treat.

Pizza and Mandalorian with Dd:

Now that Dd’s quarantine is over she was able to spend time with us again this week so we had pizza together on Friday night, with her boyfriend, and watched the weekly episode of The Mandalorian together.

Chickens:

I was a little late giving the chickens new “Flock Blocks” for their Thanksgiving treats, but they received them this week!  They are happy now!

Dd’s Progress:

German: DuoLingo: 3 sessions = 30 minutes

Reader: The Return of the King by J.R.R Tolkien: 6 hours

November 22-28, 2020 Thanksgiving

 

November 22-28, 2020 Thanksgiving

Hello Friends!

This week’s church sermon was given by John Dickson, a frequent guest host for our church.  I really enjoy it when he visits us!  Even if this time he had to Zoom in from his home in Australia due to the travel restrictions because of the pandemic.  He really gives a lot of good things to chew on!  I enjoyed his sermon so much on Sunday that I watched it again on Monday!

Bible Study:

I spent a lot of time on Bible study this week.  Attending two Bible studies mean a few hours of study each day and some weeks I get really engrossed in the material; like this week!  Due to migraines, I really try to stay a week ahead in my lessons in case I have to take a week off reading.

Hiking:

Due to hunting season, I’ve been walking Henry on our front roads and staying out of the woods as much as I can.

Working from home:

Dh has been working from home a lot this week.  It is nice to see him on the computer working away throughout the day.  He doesn’t get interrupted all the time like he does at work and says he actually gets more accomplished when he works from home.

Thanksgiving:

Since Dd and her boyfriend are in quarantine, we ate our Thanksgiving meal outside on our deck.  I bet we will all remember this very unique meal!  I put thick towels on each of our metal chairs to help keep us warm and we were all bundled up!  We had our traditional lobster meal, but this time we had Dd’s boyfriend joining our circle.

Dd’s Progress:

German: DuoLingo: 7 sessions = 1:10 hours

Biology: Apologia: 3 sessions = 1:20 hours

Physical Education: 1:45 hours

Reader 1: The Two Towers by J.R.R Tolkien 6:00 hours (Completed)

Reader 2: The Return of the King by J.R.R Tolkien 3:00 hours

November 15-21, 2020

 

November 15-21, 2020

Hello Friends!

Migraines:

I had a headache or migraine all but 2 days this week.  I didn’t feel good this week.  Dh seems to be over his sickness, but I was still fighting it.

Power Out:

We lost our power on Sunday; it always amazes me how often we lose power here in Michigan.  I had lived my whole life with very rarely losing power- maybe 5 times in my life?  Here we lose power about 5 times each year.  This time our power was out for two days.  We had to take our cans to the gas station and fill them all up again since we ran the generator for two days.

Christmas Boxes:

I mailed out three Christmas boxes this week.  With the pandemic, I decided to get out our Christmas boxes as early as I could!  I only wish I had mailed out a box of books to my brother’s sons—I just don’t know if they would still be interested in the types of books I send?  I just don’t know.

Hunting:

Dh and Dd went hunting together on Wednesday and Thursday.  They saw deer, wild turkey, and a coyote!  They just enjoyed being out there and didn’t shoot anything.  They had a good time together! Big Bonus!

Donating Camry:

We *FINALLY* donated our old Camry to NPR!  I have been begging for this for about three years now!  Now it is out of our outbuilding and on to greener pastures!  Yay!!!!!!

Dd’s Progress: Dd’s boyfriend’s co-worker tested positive for Covid 19 so Dd was isolated this week.  She kept downstairs when she was home so we weren’t exposed to her too much.

German: DuoLingo: 7 sessions: 1:10 hours

Biology: Apologia: 2 sessions: 1:00 hour

Physical Education: 6 sessions: 4:20 hours

Reader: The Two Towers by J.R.R Tolkien: 6:00 hours

November 8-14, 2020 Sick, Snow, Hunting Prep

 

November 8-14, 2020

Hello Friends!

This was a hard week, Dh was sick (started last week) and I started with migraines and ended up getting sick too.  It wasn’t a very productive week, but I did manage to get some of my Bible studies worked on before I got sick.  We had rain, sleet, and snow this week.

Rowing Machine:

Dh has been trying to exercise more by using our stationary bike.  We’ve had that bike for over twenty years now!  He has been wanting a rowing machine for over a decade and as an encouragement for him to like exercising more, we bought a rowing machine this week.

Pizza and Mandalorian Friday Night:

Dd and her boyfriend came over for dinner and to watch the latest episode of The Mandalorian together with Dh and me.  It was nice having them over.

Hunting:

Dd and Dh have decided to hunt here in Michigan together.  Last week Dh and I put together some deer blinds out of branches and camo fabric in our woods and this week I got all the tubs of hunting gear and clothes all together in our spare bedroom.  I washed the items Dh thought they might need and I think they are all set for this year.  Due to the pandemic, and Dh’s brother moving into the family farm in Indiana, they can’t go hunting in Indiana like they usually do.

Bible Studies---going really well for me.  I am enjoying learning from the other ladies in my two groups.

Dd’s Progress:

I’m having trouble getting the progress sheets back from Dd---so I guess this was another week off?

November 1-7, 2020 Election, Hoop House, Chicken Coop, Hiking

 

November 1-7, 2020 Election, Hoop House, Chicken Coop, Hiking

Hello Friends!

We had our first snow on November 1^st!  This was a big, big week as the election was held; although we filled out our ballots and drove them to the local dropbox already.  I was in high anticipation waiting for the results.  Like so many people in this country, I felt incredibly strongly about the results of this election.  I have never felt so strongly about an election before.  I had a hard time sleeping the night before the election results were announced.  I feel like a major burden has been lifted off my shoulders now.

Hiking with Henry combined with Heather:

This week instead of sitting down to chat with Heather, we decided to both go for a walk while we caught up with each other.

Hike with Lori at Wittenback Nature Center this week.  It was so nice to be invited out for a hike!

Chickens:

With the weather so much colder and winter upon us, I worked on the plastic wrapping of the inner sanctum of the chicken coop a few times this week.  I’m really trying to do a good job and provide a warm and dry room for the chickens to visit during the day and get some sunshine and dirt, at least until it gets too cold and they have to stay down in there inside coop in our outbuilding.  This was my biggest job this week.

Garden:

I had to weed the hoop houses this week.  I also transplanted spinach and swiss chard from the garden to the warmth of the hoop houses.  I am getting a good amount of greens to enjoy!  I am hoping the hoop house stands up to the winter snowfalls this year.

Bible Studies:

Both studies are going well.  Last week at Thrive we shared our stories with each other, which is always so great in helping form deeper friendships.

Pizza & Mandalorian:

Friday night Dd and Seth spent time with us.  Dh picked up pizza for them to share and we watched Mandalorian.  It is nice when we get some time with Dd each week.  She continues to spend all of her free time out and about, which makes the few hours we see her unique.

October 25-31, 2020 Extra Hiking – Beautiful Fall Leaves, First Sleet, Winter Prep

 

October 25-31, 2020 Extra Hiking – Beautiful Fall Leaves, First Sleet, Winter Prep

Hello Friends!

This week was basically the welcoming of winter.  The first of the week the leaves were gorgeous and by the end of the week, the leaves dropped like crazy.  It is amazing how when the leaves decide it’s time to go they all just do a mass exodus!  This year it fell on Halloween and with a beautiful orange moon.

Also on Halloween, we had our first major freeze and sleet.  I was glad I had already brought down my winter clothes boxes from the attic and refilled the hallway closet with winter coats!

FaceTime:

Heather and I have been enjoying weekly visits on FaceTime.  I’m so thankful for such a faithful friend, year after year!

Bible Study:

This week I went in an hour early to my church Bible Study to meet with my friend Jeannine to discuss our lesson together.  It is nice having people as interested in the material as I am to discuss in depth.  I really like both my groups this year.  Last year, with BSF, I didn’t connect with the ladies very well, but found the study very well done.  This year I find both the ladies and the material equally interesting.  I have ladies that really are digging in and bringing a lot to the discussions.  I’m really amazed at Genesis, so much more than I realized.

Hiking:

I spent extra time in the woods this week, due to the beauty at its height.  Such a wonderful last week of October!  I remember our first October in Michigan in 2015 and there had been snowstorm after snowstorm with mass accumulation of snow.  People had assured me that lots of snow were normal for Michigan, but I’m beginning to think they were just taking advantage of newbies!

Dd’s Progress:

Reader: Blood of Elves by Gail Carriger: completed: 8:00 hours

October 18-24, 2020 Canning, Gardening, Nature Appreciation, and Bible Studies

 

October 18-24, 2020 Canning, Gardening, Nature Appreciation, and Bible Studies

Hello Friends!

We continue to watch our church online each Sunday.  It is so nice to be able to tune into our church this way.  I appreciate the low dress code while on the sofa!  This whole month has been so fantastic to hike in.  I hike in our woods every day with our dog, Henry, and October is certainly a favorite month to appreciate nature and count my blessings.

Garden / Canning:

The garden is still doing well!  I am so surprised we have had such great weather for this late in October.  Everything is still producing and I keep picking!  I canned celery, green beans, and a special chicken bone broth with celery.  I am having such a banner year of canning!  It is crazy how much I’m storing away; I’ve had to turn my basement utility room into my backup pantry for all the jars! Dh built and painted another new raised bed frame for next year.

Bible Studies:

Both studies are going well, more and more of my time is spent on my Bible study each day.  I am enjoying the BSF online where I don’t have to wear a mask.  But, I am usually the only person in my church Bible studies---with the leadership sessions and the small group I lead.  No one else feels the need to wear a mask, and I tell you, the looks I have gotten for wearing mine!  It really makes me very uncomfortable but I don’t have a choice.  You’d think at church people would be less divisive, but I guess we are all human no matter where we are.

Chickens:

Dh made a new perch for the inside of the chicken coop.  It folds up and off the floor to make it easier for me to clean out the straw.  It is great!!!  I’ve also brought straw bales into the coop and placed it against the outside wall to build up the insulation for the winter since we have fewer chickens now.

Dd’s Progress:

German: DuoLingo: 7 sessions = 1:10 hours

Biology: Apologia: 2 sessions = 1:00 hour

Physical Education: 6 sessions = 4:20 hours

Reader 1: Competence by Gail Carriger : completed 8:00 hours

Reader 2: The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien : 8:00 hours

October 11-17, 2020 Garden, Canning, Winter Prep

 

October 11-17, 2020 Garden, Canning, Winter Prep

Hello Friends!

Dh turned the table he had made for himself to use when he thought he’d have to keep his head down for another three months into his new rooter table.  He will of course tweak it for weeks now to get it all perfect.  He is making drawings for improvements already this week.

Chickens:

I continued working on the chicken coop, wrapping it up in plastic to prepare for winter.  We drove out to the farm where we buy straw and bought a bunch so we would be set up for the winter.  I am using the bales for insulation until we need to use them for the chickens.

Garden:

The garden is doing really well.  This week I canned greens.  I canned chicken bone broth from the bones I cooked down this week.  I’m still picking kale, green beans, celery, and Swiss chard.

Bible Studies:

Both Bible Studies are going well.  I’m enjoying the leadership training sessions before my Bible study each Monday night.  There was also an online leadership training course this week.

 

Dd’s Progress:

Dd worked a few times at Walmart and quit b/c they wanted her to work weekends in the beginning and she didn’t want to accept that as that would take her away from seeing her boyfriend.

German: DuoLingo: 7 sessions = 1:10 hours

Biology: Apologia: 4 sessions = 55 minutes

Physical Education: 5 sessions = 5:00 hours

Reader: Timeless by Gail Carriger: completed 8 ½ hours

October 4-10 2020 Fall Leaves are Peak, Garden, House

 

October 4-10 2020 Fall Leaves are Peak, Garden, House

Hello Friends!

It’s hard to believe it's October.  I’ve been cutting all the varieties of flower heads I can to collect the seeds for next year---zinnia’s, coneflowers, black-eyed Susan’s, marigolds, morning glories, etc., etc.  So much to do and the time is running out.  But, with the cooler temperatures my migraines were less this week again; only one migraine.  We also had to turn on the heat for the first time!!!! Yikes! Already.

Garden:

Besides collecting flower seeds I also started collecting green bean seeds too.  I dug up both Rosemary plants and brought them inside where it’s nice and warm. 

House:

The weather was perfect for painting the second coat of paint on the doors this week; a sharp red color that looks great against our house color.  I’m still painting the white trim around the house, deck, and stairs.  Foundation walls—the chickens had pecked into the foam board around the trim of our house the first year we had chickens.  I’d been struggling with how to fix the ugly damage and finally figured out how this week!  Phew!  I am so glad I thought to caulk the holes and then paint the trim with the sandy deck paint.  It makes our house look a million times better!  I’m so glad!  This is a big job, but I’m working on it!

Chicken Coop: I started putting up plastic around the outside inner section of the coop.  Each year I have to close that little room up so they will have an area to adventure out to during the winter when it’s not too cold.  It is really hard to do, but I’ve started on it.  It’s a big job and takes many days of working on it to get it all perfect and completed.

Picnic Table:

Dh is still working on fixing up the old picnic table.  Unfortunately, it rained on his freshly painted boards last week so he had lost some ground there. 

Dd’s Progress:

Dd hurt her back this week.

German: DuoLingo: 7 sessions = 1:10 hours

Biology: Apologia: 45 minutes

Physical Education: 4:40 hours

Reader: Heartless by Gail Carriger: 7 hours

September 27-October 3, 2020

 

September 27-October 3, 2020

 Thrive Restarts, Rainy & Cold, Canning, and Bible Study

Hello Friends!

I felt better this week and was able to get back to being productive again.  I only had one migraine day this week.  Dd and her boyfriend celebrated their one-year anniversary of dating.  My, what a complete change in my life since we let her go on her first date a year ago; I never imagined I was giving blessing to losing my Dd so quickly and completely.  It has been such a surprise to me how much all our lives have changed as a result.  I’m happy for her to grow up, but thought it would be a gradual experience.  I also didn’t expect it to be such an assault against me personally. She has really decided to separate herself from me completely to become her own person, to be an adult, but with no tenderness or grace.

Thrive Bible Study Begins:

Monday night our church’s women’s Bible study began again!  We are doing Genesis by Jen Wilkin this whole year, two workbooks.  It was great getting to meet the ladies in our circle.  I’m looking forward to trying my best to love these ladies and try hard to be the best leader I can be.

Close the Pool and hot tub:

Even though we didn’t open the pool this year, because we found it had a leak last year, we still had to repeat the process of closing it once again to ensure it would be winterized with fresh antifreeze.  This year for the first time it wasn’t such a hard process and didn’t take very long to do!  I guess we are getting better at it.  Dh closed down the hot tub this week too.  We found it has a leak too, so we closed it down earlier than we had to.

House:

Dh fixed and replaced the stairs on the back deck.  Over the past few weeks, Dh has been fixing up the old picnic table and this week he completed the woodwork and started painting it.  He also put back up the garage lights that we had to take down when we painted the house.

Canning:

I canned green beans this week and have more tomatoes in the crock pot cooking down to paste.

Dd’s Progress:

She had her drug test for Walmart this week.

German: DuoLingo: 7 sessions = 1:15 hours

Biology: Apologia: 5 sessions = 1: 15 hours

Physical Education: 6 sessions = 5:00 hours

Reader: Blameless  by Gail Carriger: Completed:  7 hours

 

September 20-26, 2020 

Antibiotics, Migraines, Zucchini, Painting, Group Sorting for Study

Hello Friends!

Tough Week… I’ve been working so hard on painting the house and deck, garden, and canning that I’ve run myself down.  Whenever I overdo I get bladder infections; which happened this week so I had to go on antibiotics after having to go to the doctor’s office twice this week.  I also had five of the seven days with a migraine.  We had a family meeting with Dd and it was quite the blow-up.  She isn’t talking to us now.  So, all-in-all it was a really hard week.

Canning:  I had been cooking down tomatoes last week, as I have all month, and canned the tomato paste this week.  It looked really good!

Garden:

The new seedlings are coming up in the hoop house!  Things are looking well for our fall/winter garden.  Since we have dug up all the potato beds, Dh planted parsnips and turnip seeds there.

BSF: Bible Study Fellowship: Genesis

I’m doing BSF on Zoom this year.  Last week was our first week and I never really had a chance to say anything, but this week I was able to participate and feel more comfortable with the group of ladies.

House:

Dh was painting and replacing stairs on the back staircase this week.  It is a small staircase but on the dark backside of our house.  The case wasn’t built well and it looks like Dh will be having to remake most of it and reposition it off the ground so it won’t rot. Dh also painted the stairs and protected the wood.    I painted trim white and painted our exterior doors red.

Dd’s Progress:

Dd applied to work at  Walmart; her interview went well and she was hired.

German: DuoLingo: 7 sessions = 1:20 hours

Biology: Apologia: 2 sessions = 40 minutes

Physical Education: 5 session = 3:15 hours

Reader: Imprudence by Gail Carriger: Completed: 10 hours

 

September 13-19, 2020 BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) Starts, Painting Deck, Anniversary, Canning

 

September 13-19, 2020 BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) Starts, Painting Deck, Anniversary, Canning

Hello Friends!

I have started working on the new Bible study materials for both of the groups I’m going to be in this year; one as a leader and one as a student.  Fortunately both my church group (Thrive) and BSF are doing the same book of the Bible again this year so I’m doing both groups.  This year we are doing Genesis, and last year we did Acts in both groups.  I started working on both workbooks this week, although only BSF had actually started.  I had the Thrive leader forward me the audios of the lectures for me to start listening to. I’m so excited to start both new series!

Painting the Deck:

I’m still diligently working on getting the deck painted and protected before it gets too cold to paint.  Besides the deck, I’ve also been painting the white picket fence around our decking.

Garden:

I’ve been picking green beans and tomatoes.  Last week I had picked our grapes and we made grape jam!  The best thing we make is our grape jam---so amazing!  Words just don’t do it justice, so I won’t even try to the party that goes on in your mouth with our jam!  We are digging up our potatoes and canning them as well.  This year for the first time I’m canning celery as well as jars of celery mixed with other greens for my soups.  On Friday I did three different canning batches; pretty good for me.  This is such a crunch time for getting everything canned and not wasting all the work from my summer garden.

Anniversary:

Another anniversary for Dh and I!  Twenty-two years already!  We worked the whole day, most notably I got spinach planted in the hoop house and canned green beans.  Dh made me two frames for raised beds for next  year’s garden as his gift for me.  One of these years we will do something special to celebrate.

Dd’s Progress:

Dd said she was camping at her boyfriend's house again with friends.  I don’t see her much but hear she is still working on her last two subjects.

German: DuoLingo:  7 sessions= 1:10 hours

Biology: Apologia: 4 sessions= 50 minutes

Physical Educations: 5 sessions = 3:15 hours

Reader: Prudence by Gail C arranger: Completed: 13 hours

September 6-12, 2020 New Diet (no eggs), Painting deck, Caning, Garden

 

September 6-12, 2020

 New Diet (no eggs), Painting deck, Caning, Garden

Hello Friends!

I’ve been doing a vegetable exchange with a friend from last year’s Bible study, her name is Teresa.  She has lots of tomatoes and I have lots of green beans, so we exchange our extra produce with each other.  Plus, it is really nice to see a friend during the busy summer!

New Diet:

I’m trying to adjust to my new diet.  The hardest part is not having eggs!  I came to Michigan and was so excited to raise my own chickens and eat our own eggs, but now I can’t eat the eggs that I work SO hard getting!!!  But, if that helps with my migraines, I’ll try anything.  Dh is trying to make our normal foods without eggs—Sunday he made pancakes with applesauce instead of eggs and they were okay (not great, but ‘ok.’)

Garden:

I’ve been canning more this week—tomatoes in crockpot turning into a lovely paste…kale…  I pulled up the tomato plants and turned those beds into fall beds by putting the hoop house frames back in the bed.  Now I can really get prepared for cooler tempts and planting lettuce, spinach, and kale.

Bugs: I’ve been spending way too much time picking bugs off kale!  This time of year is the worst for bugs and I go organic and fight the bugs with my perseverance, and I do try a LOT!

House:

Dh is still working hard on the deck and I’ve been coming behind him and painting it.  We bought a special deck paint that has some filler in it that fills in the cracks and makes the wood look better and newer.  It sure does a really nice job! We bought the wrong color at first, so used that to spray under the deck for weather protection and then painted the top of the boards with the really good stuff.  We did a good job if I do say so.

Dd’s Progress:

Dd and Hailee camped at her boyfriend’s house.  They put up a tent and spent Friday and Saturday having fun outside.

German: DuoLingo: 7 sessions of 10 min. = 1:10 hours

Biology: Apologia: 4 sessions = 50 min.

Physical Education: 3:15 hours

Reader: Changeless by Gail Carriger: completed 10:59:00 (11 hours)