[summer break in 80 days] day 36

Rain today. At 8:00 am, it looked like it might go north of us. By 9:00, we knew there would be no swimming. So we scheduled our day. Ryan still wanting to go to the chiropractor to pick up his hat he left last week. I tried to get Ryan interested in something like Celebration Station or Gameworks. He couldn't care less. So we went to the bookstore. He agreed to Borders since I had a coupon.

I was disappointed in Borders. There were lots of empty shelves. Are they closing this store or remodeling? This is one of the older stores and shows its age. The info desk now had 3 self help computers instead of people. They removed half of the cash registers and put up display shelves. Still, we all managed to find something to get.

Andy has been acting out Blues Clues. He does a great imitation of Blue. I thought to get him a notebook but since the show is no longer in production, there is little merchandise available. There was one notebook at amazon for $100!!! What? You really think a toy collector will pay that? Andy was happy with a flip top notebook from Borders for $4.99.

2:20 Finally sitting down. My thumb feels better but with the bandaid on I still can't use it to type on the iPod. Darn technology.

I did more cleaning. Bits and pieces here and there instead of cleaning just one full room. Oh well, it all has to be done.

Ryan puked last night right around dinner. It does it about once every couple of months. One time and he is fine. Weird.

[summer break in 80 days] day 35

Got the breakfast area cleaned. Filled up a large trash bag and gave away a stack of handwriting books and a stack of scrapbooking magazines. There are places that could use some more weeding but not this week.

10:39 Washing sheets.

6:30 Guess I was busy doing instead of blogging. Made almond poppyseed muffins. Made nutella brownies too. A bit of a disappointment. OK but not great. Sliced my thumb while cutting up the watermelon. Can't use my DS and can't type with both thumbs on the iPod. Bother.

More computer woes this afternoon. Time Machine kept erroring out. I used Disk Warrior to rebuild the directory and it finally backed up OK. Lightroom also had a corrupted catalog and it could not be repaired. So I lost the work I did in the past 24 hours. Good thing for back ups. I just wish there was a way to back up Lightroom before I shut it down like other apps.

[summer break in 80 days] day 34

10:10 I repotted the plants. The aloe was just about root bound so I moved them to 8" pots. I made a mess in the lanai with the potting soil. I guess I should have reclaimed the bench first. I got all of dad's crap in bins with lids. I need to move the paint and chemicals to the garage. What made him think storing paint on a south facing lanai was a good idea? I wonder if any of the plant foods are still good?

1:45 My room is picked up, mostly. There are some boxes I have yet to go through (since December) but all the toys are out. My room ends up collecting a lot of toys. Ryan helped a lot. Andy had to be reminded to come back and help. I played a game of Bananagrams with Ryan for his effort. Now I need to dust and vacuum. And put clean sheets back on the bed.



6:35 Almost everything on my list was done. I was working on POTD when I got another kernal panic. Feck! This is the second one this week, not good. And Time Machine was having errors backing up so I was in the process of backing up my hard drive with the panic occurred. This computer will be 3 years old in October. I would really like to get another year out of it.

7:09 Hard disk backed up. POTD posted. Now I am using Disk Warrior to hopefully fix the problem.

I've run out of plastic grocery bags. Since I have started using the Reusable Grocery Bags, I only get the plastic bags when I make an unexpected trip to the store or forget my bags. I use the plastic bags for trash in my office. When I was going to Target yesterday, I thought about leaving my bags at home so I could get some plastic bags. But I just couldn't do it.

The boys went out about 7:30. I decided to go out as well and take some photos. Some days I have to make myself do it. I love crape myrtles but their blooms don't make for the prettiest pictures.



Good Calories, Bad Calories: Fats, Carbs, and the Controversial Science of Diet and Health (Vintage) is really interesting. Politics has made us think following a low fat, high carb diet is a good thing. Even when evidence show this to be wrong, health officials kept prescribing the diet. I am only a third of the way through so back to the reading.

[summer break in 80 days] day 33

I tackled the magazines I have piles to give away and piles to keep. The give away piles are bigger than keep.

Rain clouds threatened but the winds move them away without a drop. Rain in the afternoon is preferred so it won't interrupt our swimming. The breeze feels good.

Andy chose to take his tube to the pool. So I blew it up while at the playground. Yeah, I could have used the compressor in the car but I think of these things as a challenge. And I probably like feeling dizzy.



10:58 Done swimming. It was great itch relief while I was in there. Now I am itching again. Sigh.

11:58 CFA drive thru and I am hungry! I wonder how long before the boys get sick of Alphabutt?



1:18 Home from lunch and Target. I was in the garden center when the rain hit. Hard. The boys made it to the store but I was stuck. Finally I got bored and the rain let up some so I only got wet instead of soaked. Ryan had taken the cart with my purse and rain. Then he left the cart and purse inside the store while he waited for me outside but under the covered part. Yikes! Another lesson given.

I didn't get any pots because of the rain, I only got two varigated aloe. Cool but expensive at $7.99 for a 4" pot. The boys looked at books and toys but didn't ask for anything today. The school supplies are starting to be set up. Ugh.



7:53. The itching is so bad! I used to get spider bites years ago at the cottage. I never felt them but the itching would start about 12-24 hours after I got bitten. Like a mosquito bite but more intense. I remember one time there was a line of 10 or more bites on the back of my thigh. I started taking my own sheets to the cottage hoping to control the biting. My mom told me that B12 is supposed to keep them from biting. I am not sure if it worked. I did wonder why no one else was affected.

I just looked up spider bites hoping to find some relief and found that I probably do not have spider bites. I think it's bed bugs. Bed bugs! But I thought only dirty and poor places got them. I am freaked out and changing the sheets.

[summer break in 80 days] day 32

8:40 After a slow start, I am up and dressed (in yesterday's clothes) and breakfast is done. Also accomplished, the stack of mail that has been growing on the kitchen counter since dad left. Mail has been opened, junk thrown away and the rest stacked neatly for action and filing. I hate opening bills, it's so depressing.

I want to do some gardening. I am not sure how sweaty I want to get. I will repot the crossandra. I was thinking I should plant them in the ground since they can get rather shrubby. But then I read that they can be invasive so I will keep them in pots to control their spread.

Don't have any potting soil so I couldn't repot the crossandra. I'll get some tomorrow at Target and look for some more plants. Maybe some aloe.

10:31 Done with the pruning today. I stopped when I filled 2 bags. Now there are 7 and our pick up only allows for 6 items. I know they will pick up the extra but I don't want to push it. Saw ants crawling in the vines but never felt the sting. Sometimes I don't and then notice the itching later. (I have found several bites on my arms and legs. The itching is awful even after taking an antihistamine.)

The first crape I pruned is already growing back. The second one is not. It won't crush me to lose a couple as I think I placed them too close together.

The yard is a swamp. Mike had his sprinklers running even with all the rain we got last week. Since he is higher, he doesn't notice the flooding I get. This is the first Sunday I have been out so I didn't know how bad it got. I need some muck shoes. My old running shoes are soaked.

I cleaned up a bit and found two of my CF cards for my camera. I knew they were about somewhere.

5:50 Found Andy's recorder. He ran away covering his ears thinking I was going to yell. But I didn't and he came back. I had to download the manual to set the date & time again.

7:43 Am trying to read Good Calories, Bad Calories. I purchased the eBook version and didn't know know it was thick and tedious. Sometimes puts me to sleep. But what is interesting is that some cholesterol drugs were found to cause cancer in mice. This is considering an acceptable side effect since the benfits are supposed to outweigh the risks. But studies found that reducing cholesterol would only gain a person 1 month to 1 year more on his life based on other health issues. Gail took cholesterol lowering druges for years. He started taking lipitor in the mid 1990s. One of the side effects of lipitor was cancer in mice. More specifically, sarcoma which Gail had. So he took drugs that were only proven to gain him maybe a year extra in life for a cancer risk that he was in the small percentage to contract. It bothers me that Gail's cancer could have been caused by a drug that might not have shown any benefit. And Gail never mentioned to his doctors that the small print does indicate sarcomas in mice. Unanswered questions that sit in the back of my mind.

[summer break in 80 days] day 31

I was enjoying a nice morning snooze when the alarm went off to get my butt moving. Gah!

9:57 Just done with the gardening. Found some large crape branches snapped in two from the heavy jasmine vines. I'd say I was about 3 years late in pruning the jasmine. There are no leaves along the fence, it has grown higher into the trees. It's a good thing I gave up the idea of becoming a master gardener or planning gardens for a living as I clearly don't know what I am doing.

Yesterday I saw a garden wagon at Lowe's. It is bigger and better than ours and is only $99. I put ours out on the curb for someone to take. I'll put a sigh on it later if it is still here. (I did put a sign on it in the afternoon, it was gone within an hour.)

2:11 Being lazy & reading.

9:04 The fireworks have started. I am always amazed by how much money people spend on this stuff. I love watching but I get so impatient between the bursts.

[summer break in 80 days] day 30

8:56 time to pull orders. All I want to do is go back to bed.

I tried clearing out the A/C drain but very little water came out. I got the orders pulled so we left early.

11:52 At Lowe's. The boys are in the bathroom.

I am sitting in the patio furniture section waiting for Ryan to get done with his wandering. Andy was following Ryan but got separated.

I only found one plant to get. Seems like every thing was meant for full sun.

We went to Bed Bath & Beyond. I wanted to get the Calphalon loaf pan but they only the large which is 10"x5". I got the Wilton 9"x5" and saved $10.

1:07 At Barnes & Noble. I had a book I wanted to get but they didn't have it. So I checked out the bargain section. I picked up 2 that have been on my list. I would rather have the eBooks but these are cheaper. The boys are wandering, I hope they are being good.

That had to be one of the cheapest trips to B&N, only $22. It helped that Ryan just got one Mad Libs books.

We went to the toy store. Ugh, their a/c was not working. It didn't seem to bother the boys and they scooted around on the turtle and plasma car. We added more items to Ryan's wish list for his birthday. I need to add those items to the amazon list.

We went to the hair salon. Teresa was nice but not very confident. She took too long and it wasn't that good of a cut. She didn't even use the trimmer.

We went to Toys R Us because they had thermoses on sale. There wasn't a large variety but the boys each found one they like. Andy got an exercise mat and Ryan asked for a racing set for his birthday.

3:21 Home. Not much email then I remember that this is the holiday for weekday workers.

7:56 Finally got the sink drained cleared. The sulfuric acid did the trick in 15 minutes. The stuff I used before was lye based and since I think the clog is partially caused by Ryan's toothpaste, a soap, it had no effect. Since I had to use half the bottle, I poured the other half in the working drain to get it cleared of the forming gunk.

There is still a lot of black gunk in the one drain that seems to be working fine. I cannot get the drain plug out to clean it though I think that would lead to a major gag fest. I wish I knew what to use. I have tried bleach, vinegar, baking soda, bio-klean and now sulfuric acid. Nothing dissolves it.

[summer break in 80 days] day 29

(I call them crate cakes.)

9:34 More friggin rain! No swimming today.

11:26 In the car on our way to lunch/chiro/publix.

Chiro did the second neck adjustment and pain went down my shoulder blade. When I stood up he used the tapping thing to make the pain go away. Meanwhile the boys were fighting over the ball. Sigh.

We saw one of Ryan's classmates and her mom at publix. Ryan did not say hi because he doesn't like to see school friends outside of school. So why does he want to go to Long? He confuses me?

1:31 Home again. Groceries are put away, mostly. Email has been read and it's time to relax.

2:48 The boys have built a new track layout. When they build together, the tracks go aound the train table and through the walkways. Andy was trying to recreate Henry's Tunnel. I helped him make it fit. I found one on eBay but it's $50 and it's not a double wide tunnel.

6:02 Finally made a card for my hairdresser's new baby. I really like the way it turned out. We are going tomorrow for haircuts and will drop off the gifts. I wonder how the boys will be will someone else cutting their hair. They have been a trial this week. Must be all the rain.




9:09 Andy's gone to bed. I noticed water in the garage. It means the a/c drain is clogged up again. I need to remember to vacuum out the water before it gets bad. Such a poor design that it clogs up every summer.

[summer break in 80 days] day 28

7:18 Well, heck! So much rain yesterday and it looks like it will continue today. So no gardening. I guess I can get some cleaning down inside.

9:35 I tackled the lanai today. My dad uses it as his workroom and leaves all kind of crap on my potting bench. I threw away too large and heavy bags full of trash. I am not blaimless here. There were some dead plants I finally got rid of. I need to get some plastic boxes so dad can store his stuff without the rain seeping in. The galvanized boxes looked nice but aren't all that practical as they can hold water. I moved a metal planting rack to the front door. It just fits and I am thinking I may move it back. I would like some annuals by the front door. I would be more likely to take care of them if I see them everyday and they can be easily changed with new flowers.

10:51 Taking a break from all my domestic accomplishments. OK, it wasn't that many but comapred to my recent days of sloth... I made some popsicles, took photos, made a pound cake, changed the laundry and took a shower.

It's still gray outside but the rain has stopped for now.

3:06 My pound cake failed. It came out easy enough and when I flipped it back over, I noticed batter leaked out! So I put it back in the oven for another 15 minutes. I thought it might be the glass pan versus metal. I have seen some recipes where it makes a difference. But it wasn't the material but the size. This glass pan is only 8"x4 1/2" instead of 9"x5". If I had known, I could have not poured as much batter into the pan. But it's too late now and I don't have enough eggs for another loaf. Let me tell you, the parts that did cook were SO tasty! I will be making it again.

Now I have to figure out what to make. I don't feel like cookies, they take too long. Brownies? Bar cookies?

5:36 Brownie cupcakes are in the oven. I used a recipe from Martha. It called for 11 ounces of semi-sweet chocloate broken up. A bag of semi-sweet chips is 11 ounces. Why didn't it just say a bag of chips? I had a taste of the batter but it did nothing for me. What?! I think it may have something to fo with me eating the top of the pound cake which did cook. Oh I felt a bit illafterwards and have wanted nothing since.

Yes, it's still raining.

6:02 Good grief! The cupcakes all fell. I give up.



9:32 At least the popsicles came out OK. I might add some more orange juice next or some more sugar. And I want to try some more flavors.

[summer break in 80 days] day 27

9:17 I had to stop weeding because of the rain. I thouht about staying but decided to be responsible and go in. About 39 seconds later the wind oicked up and the downpour started. I did bring my tools in but left an almost filled bag under the jasmine. I wonder how filled it will get.

6:36 Oh the day has flown by. OK not really.

The rain did let up a bit and I got the bag and tied it up. The storms continued on and off all day. I did get the Christmas Tree put away, finally! We watched The Wizard of Oz. Andy started out with me then left once they got to Oz. Then Ryan showed up and watched the rest of it with me.

I was going to make some pound cake then realized I didn't have a loaf pan. So I made almond poppy seed muffins. Yummy!

8:01 Oops! I went next door to borrow a loaf pan. I said I was going out and as usual got no reply. But I was gone for 20 minutes and the boys had started to worry. Ryan went out to look for me but didn't know where I was.