Just another day ...

The weather here has been unseasonally warm. The mornings are cold with very heavy frosts but the days have warmed to near 60 until today ... 73 degrees! Tomorrow is supposed to be near the same. I feel a bit odd searching for icicle lights to hang outdoors when I feel the need to weed a flower bed or do some sort of outside work.

I purchased my dishwasher last evening. I feel I made a good choice and got a good price. Whirlpool 51-decibel (supposed to be quiet enough to not disturb kitchen conversation); originally $599, on sale for $379. I'm used to the $100 loud one I had so I won't know what to do with a nice one! I'm excited for Thursday's delivery. I gave the old one to my aunt's cleaning lady. Her husband will be here Monday to get it and repair it. I'm told it's just a hose plugged up. I hope that's all it is. I'd rather give it to someone who doesn't have one than let Lowe's take it off and dump it.

Mister, my tabby buddy, has been diagnosed with diabetes. It just broke my heart when the vet told me. I just didn't want to deal with another sick one. He's lost one pound. He has a skin condition that requires steroid shots. The steroid shots have caused diabetes. I can't stop the steroid shots because the skin condition gets quite severe. He loses hair down his spine and raw sores develop. I will wait longer periods of time between the shots. That should help a little. He's shown signs of diabetes with the lethargy and abundance of water intake. He'd gotten to the point where he would just lay by the water fountain because he was too tired to walk to it so often. I just placed his bed by it so he'd be comfortable. The vet started him on glipizide and I get it filled at my pharmacy. I got an odd look when they asked for my date of birth and I said "I have no idea; it's for my cat". ha He's doing better after the medicine. I give him a tablespoon of plain Greek yogurt with a crushed pill in it and he gobbles it down twice a day. Hopefully it will always be this easy.

Thanksgiving has come and gone ...

It was a quiet day for me. My relatives generally gather at a cousin's home but this year everyone decided to fend for their own families. That left me with my cats and parrot and memories of Samson. I prepared a beef roast, mashed potatoes, corn that I froze at summer's end, roasted Brussels sprouts and red onions, and yeast rolls. My aunt stopped by to eat with me. A while after dinner, we had hot chocolate with snickerdoodle liquid creamer and cinnamon chip, raisin, oatmeal cookies.

After auntie left, I cleaned the kitchen and had to stop for a little bit of a cry. Had Samson been here, he'd have loved those leftover roast bits and mashed potatoes and all else. It's odd what will tug at the heart at times. I can get through more than one day at a time without crying then something happens and I just can't help it. I've had more heartache and pain in my life than most but I honestly have most difficulty in dealing with this. I never had to do anything but be who I am for him to love me. I know he's no longer ill wherever he is now. That I do have comfort with.

Samson after Thanksgiving dinner 2014

Miss Cleo after a bit of roast on Thanksgiving 2015

Mister after a bit of roast on Thanksgiving 2015

I certainly took no selfies ... that's just not my thing. haha

The weather is dreary and ominous today. These trees are right beside my house. I'm always concerned with the high winds that blow through here. I hope to not wake up with one on top of me. :-)

Did you get a lot of shopping done on Black Friday or Cyber Monday? Lowe's is carrying their Black Friday sales through this week. I'm going to purchase a dishwasher tomorrow. Mine stopped working properly in May. I look forward to having another one. I thought I could live without one but I just don't keep up with the dishes. I hate to have them in the sink and I keep putting it off then I get aggravated at myself. When I saw the sale ad I knew what I would be getting!

I did some Cyber Monday shopping. I made a purchase from knitpicks.com for a mug/teapot/yarn sampler kit with coaster and dishtowel patterns. Someone will get some nice, heavy dishtowels for a Christmas gift. The "dishie" cotton yarn from knitpicks.com is nice.

I hope you've enjoyed the holiday weekend and are now in preparation for the next!

Sourdough starter and strawberries ...

Before I start with the title topics, I've a Samson update: he is one step away from being completely healed. He has a slight infection in the groin area wound and is on antibiotics. Here he is, anxiously awaiting the vet to removed his stitches. He had 20 stitches, total. He did very well with the removal, although the ones in the groin area caused pain. He's such a good dog, I don't think I could ever have another. He does exactly as I ask, for the most part. He adores me as much as I adore him. Thank you all for the posts and emails checking up on him. It means so much to me to know there are people who care.

 

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A friend of mine always has Easter dinner the weekend after Easter so all of her grandchildren and children can attend. I plan to attend this year. I've missed the last few years and always regret it. I have a huge 17-pound tavern ham in my freezer that I will never be able eat. I have to limit how much ham I consume because too much always results in urinary tract infections for me. It had the same effect on my Granny. And I love ham as much as she did. I remember we'd be at the holiday dinner tables with ham on our plates and sheepishly look at each other as if to say, "do you have the pills?" haha We knew we'd suffer in the next days but it was just too good to pass up.

In addition to ham, I plan to make sourdough dinner rolls. I don't have starter so I got online and came across a blog post with her experience of sourdough starter. Mindie has an interesting blog in case you're looking for another spot to visit. :-) I will not leave my starter outside day and night, but I have it outside right now. I don't have porch roofs, unfortunately, so leaving it outdoors is not a good idea.

Look at the beautiful sky and bright sunshine we're having today! It's about 55 degrees. What a lovely, peaceful day.

Mine is a little lumpy. Not too many lumps but there are some. Have you made the sourdough starter? Do you think a few lumps (very small ones, I'll add) will cause a problem? Do you have any tips, tricks or experiences with sourdough starter? Recipes? I came across this recipe for a dinner roll that is soft. Generally sourdough bread is crusty and a bit tough. Although I do like heavy breads, I think I'd like to try this recipe because the photo looks mouthwatering. Yeah! I'd love any advice you can give because I'm totally new to this. I have a breadmaker I've not used in years. I'd like to dust it off and use it again, too.

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We had wonderful, HOT, sunshiny weather last week. Yesterday the snow fell all day long. It had a great deal of rain with it so it did not accumulate but it was nasty and cold. Last night, the temperature dropped to 26 degrees. Not good on the strawberries that I dug and separated and moved to a new location on Saturday. Samson and I went out early afternoon and checked on them. They seem to be healthy even though they're not as perky as they were on Monday. I prayed they'd be safe from the cold because I couldn't get out there in the wet snow and rain to cover them last evening. The Lord kept watch on them for me and I'm grateful. 

I've given away about 30 plants and as you can see ... I have many more to find homes for ...

I hope your Holy Week is a fantastic one!