Thursday, May 18th

[Colliemom]

Good Morning. Smokey skies and 39°. We have been getting the smoke from the Canadian wildfires these past few days. Mostly just up in the atmosphere. Can’t smell it, but the sky has a haze to it. It comes and goes depending on the winds.

Busy week for me here. Running errands, 6 month check up with dermatologist, visit to funeral home for neighbor who died from that fall. Nit picking on my woodcraft project and started making a raised flower box planter. Today I have a lunch meeting with the friend who volunteered to be my executor for my will and then am hoping to get to the cemetery for the burial service for neighbor, since funeral is at same time of our lunch meeting. He is being buried with full Military honors. Then later this afternoon is an Emergency Prepardness Expo in town. The first of the activities to commemorate the 1st year anniversary of the tornado. Tomorrow I will be joining a number of groups In town, to help plant approx. 100 trees on both public and private property. This is being done to help restore the tree canopy that was lost to the tornado. These trees have been bought with monies generated from the tornado relief fund that was started last year. Tornado survivors were surveyed to see who would like trees replaced and so tomorrow we dig and plant. It will take them years to grow, but it’s a start. Then tomorrow night is a screening of a documentary made by Habitat for Humanity of the Gaylord tornado and it’s aftermath. I might be in some of it, as we posed for pictures, they were filming videos and interviewing some of us as we worked in the destroyed mobile home park. It looks to be interesting and dramatic. There’s a resurgence of activity in town now that spring has arrived. New homes being finished, new modular homes being put in, Hobby Lobby’s site being prepared for construction and repairs being made here and there.

Karen, I have one of those Gorilla carts too. Love it. I like you, can’t lift some of those heavy bags, especially stone anymore either, so I have them loaded in my truck, then when I get home, I put my tailgate down, slid a bag to the edge, put my cart under the tailgate, slit the bag open and let the contents fall into the cart. Thrn I can just take the cart to wherever and shovel out tbe stuff. I need some dirt around here, but think I am going to take my truck up to the landscape place and have them dump a load in the truck bed.

Right now I’m going to get busy and go varnish the last of the woodcraft pieces and get that done, before I have to leave later on this morning.. It’s taken longer than I planned to get them done due to nice weather drawing me outside to get yard stuff done, plan is to put it all out by next weekend. Also want to get stuff ready to take with me tomorrow. Shovel, rakes etc. as need to be out of here early.

Have a nice day everyone.

[Shirlv]

Morning Sue and All, 56° and sunny, weird weather. Just stopping in to say hi. Nothing planned for today. Stocked with groceries for awhile, two pack of 18 eggs dropped to $3.48 at Bjs. I paid bills so have food and a home for another month. Lol. Karen, always satisfying to accomplish home improvements. I had pickle beet slices on my cheeseburger last night, pretty good. Lol. Be safe

[Acadianmom]

Don't know what I'll do today either. It's already 82 so probably headed to 90. It's not supposed to rain so will mix up another sprayer of weed killer and spray some more at the pond. I put a flea treatment on 4 of the outside cats. Those treatments have gotten expensive. Even the Walmart ones are about $5 each. Annie is the only one that gets the one from the vet. Those are out of sight expensive. Something I bought at the vet sent me a $60 gift card. I wish they would just lower the price instead of playing games with gift cards.

I had to look up the Gorilla Cart. I might have to order one. I have a garden seat on wheels that I use to move the bags of cat food and soil but it doesn't have a handle. I have a hay string tied to it to pull it.

I made an appointment to get the generator looked at in the motorhome. It acts like it wants to start but won't stay running. I have a campout June 7th and I worry about not having a generator because of Sugar. If I would have trouble on the road and not be able to run the generator for air conditioning she couldn't stand the heat. I was thinking about cancelling the trip. It's our biggest campout next to the Christmas one and I hate to miss it. If I go I usually bring Jello shots. Nothing like sitting in a creek eating jello shots. lol

Martha

[MandysMom]

Another blue sky day headed to 90° or so, here in northern California . Lawn guy is doing his thing (it's that every other Thursday). Hoping to reach the gal at Chrysler to find out about the part.
Sue, be aware, even if you can't see the smoke at ground level, you may have invisible to naked eye microfine particulate in the air. Summer of 2014, there was a fire 50-60 miles south east of us. Skies were blue and clear, no sign of smoke. And yet, I ran into breathing issues, which I, and many others were later told, the issue was invisible microfine particles in the air from the fire. Worst reaction I've ever had and the only time my asthma sent me to the hospital. Since then, I've been much more aware when fires happen in our state, making sure to protect my lungs. My Dr said many of his asthma patients and others with various lung conditions, had same reaction, and the office got notice from county of the warning on microfine particulate.
Happy gardening, those of you who do so. I'm lucky to keep trees and bushes I have alive!
Velda

[OregonLuvr]

Good afternoon. Been outside most of the morning. Rearranging hoses, picking up afther the paint job, and then admiring how my deck turned out ha ha I need to put a second coat on it just because the condensation on my awning and a few leaky spots have damaged the wood but I will redo the whole deck again before the rainy season hits. I just know they never water sealed the deck and it has been here for 35 years I need to run some errands today but waiting until my friend Lisa gets here. I also need to order more dirt. I like to order it online because then I can just go to pickup and they load it in my car. Much easier to unload with my Gorilla cart right there. Sue, my Gorilla cart also dumps by just lifting the front...love it For the raised beds I just toss the bag inside and then spread it around. I use my cart to amend my soil but then have to shovel it into the raised beds or pots but that is okay not too hard.

Nice day here today, only going to be about 83 so that is better than 95. Then cooling down into the upper 70's, MY kind of weather. Wont last tho but I will take it while it is here.

[chalet05]

Made it to the grocery store for real food! Have just been 'making do' but bought a rotisserie chicken, salad and blt wrap makings. Should have the laundry area empty and cleaned this afternoon. Really down to last minute packing.

Noticed when I came home the other day the very nice upstairs neighbors had hung small planters over their balcony railing. Yesterday he decided to wash his balcony! Luckily, I didn't have the window open in the 2nd bedroom nor was I sitting on the patio! Temps in the 80s but pollen and Canada smoke have arrived.

Martha, I'm looking forward to new pictures of you all sitting in the creek! One of the best camping experiences I can think of! Sue, what a nice project to dig and plant for people. I saw Early Girl tomato plants at grocery store - next week I hope! That was one Steven always planted.

[Shirlv]

Anita, was thinking of you and thought you had already moved. Always like hearing about other apartment dwellers. I guess it’s usual practice for upper tenants to dump their balcony dirt on those below. Dumb me I used a swiffer wet pad on mine. Karen post a picture when your deck is all spiffy.

[Colliemom]

Karen, my Gorilla cart dumps too. I’m like you. Sometimes I dump, sometimes I shovel Velda, fire smoke has all kinds of stuff in it that a lot of people don’t realize. This smoke is coming in on the NW winds from way up in British Columbia and Alberta. Big fires. They say they have burned over 10 tines the amount of ground than is usual for this tome of year. They are some of the reason our gas prices are rising, because the refineries and pipelines are in extreme fire danger and some are having to shut down. Canada is the largest exporter of gas and oil to the U.S. I’ve seen some of those big gas and oil fields in northern Alberta. Hardesty, Alberta is where one of the major pipelines to the U.S.

Neighbor about 3 doors down had to call ambulance for her husband late this afternoon. He has COPD and is on oxygen. He just got out of the hospital two weeks ago from having double pneumonia and she said it’s the same scenario again. Never a dull moment around here.

[snowball]

thanks Anita for the words I went to look and just found holders that hold multiple spools of thread but in related information type thing it said thread cap so that is the word to look for it also gave some ideas of what to use till you can get the real thing but suggested doing a search with the sewing machine brand ... I will have to look at what the brand is really don't know but there are cardboard boxes here can make a circle or square
took mom to China Town for lunch she eats so much better there than anywhere... her soup egg roll and 3 pot stickers... and some of her sweet and sour shrimp... brought home her shrimp no rice as why she has gotten so she doesn't eat the rice... tonight I warmed it up and she said it wasn't shrimp I said it was what was on her plate and if it wasn't shrimp at the restaurant would have been the place to say it... I got sweet and sour chicken so it's possible they thought we both did... I guess next time I will not get something similar so there won't be that possibility.
I opened the hummingbird feeder for mom (she knew that it was just needed to get it out of the box) wow that is some feeder hand blown 18 month warranty on it... really pretty and has about 3 ways of hanging it but did have to chuckle we all have a laugh when out pops the wrong word due in all likely hood spell check in this in part of the information was a word now I can't recall it but it wasn't hanger which is what it should have been I guess.... proof reading wasn't well used
came back and did scriptures then I since I was tired I thought I can take an hour think I could sleep nope so played with trying to do this magic circle sorta know the process but think I'm getting it too loose... may go see the yarn shop people if I don't pick it up pretty quick
went to a activity at the church chat and cheese cake was nice
you all have a great day
sheila