No More Indoor Dust Storms

After yesterday's severe weather today was beautiful. I opened all the windows and did some long-overdue sprucing up around the house. I dusted, swept, and removed a few cobwebs. I even got to a few nooks and crannies that usually don't get cleaned, like the ceiling fans, using a tip my friend jd sent me. I believe she originally got it from The Dollar Stretcher Website:

The hassle of cleaning ceiling fans can be made easier by using an old, preferably king size, pillowcase. I spray a little Pledge inside the case and slip it over the fan blade. While the blade is inside the case, grip the back of the pillowcase and the blade and then slide the pillowcase toward the end of the blade. All the dust is removed from the top and bottom of the blade in one clean sweep. The best part is that all the dust is enclosed inside the pillowcase rather than falling in your face! You can do several fans with the same pillowcase.

When you are finished cleaning, take the pillowcase outside and turn it inside-out and shake out the excess dust. When it's washed and dried, store the pillowcase with your cleaning supplies, so you will have it ready the next time it's time to clean your ceiling fans. By the way, if you don't have an old pillowcase, you can find old pillowcases at Goodwill or thrift stores.

jd is a friend and walking companion. (Visit her blog, Walk It Off, and tell her I sent you.) We've never traded cleaning ideas, but this sounded like a good one and I decided to try it. I found an old pillowcase in the linen closet, sprayed it with some furniture polish, and headed for the ceiling fan in the family room. The pillowcase worked great - everything fell into the pillowcase and not on the floor. I was able to do all the fans in the house before the pillowcase got too dirty to use. When I was finished I threw the whole thing into the laundry basket.

Nibble And Nosh

Before I can start my new job next month I need to have a health form filled out and signed by my doctor. When I called the doctor's office to make an appointment, they told me I was past due for a "complete" physical (including those annoying routine blood tests for things like cholesterol levels). Having blood work done means I need to fast; no food for 12 hours beforehand. What a drag!

It normally wouldn't be a problem to fast, but the earliest appointment time I could get was 10:00. By time I get through with the doctor and make it to the lab to have blood drawn it will be almost lunch time. My other choice is to go for the appointment tomorrow, then go back bright and early another day for the blood work. That would be two mornings are wasted instead of one, so I'd rather just get it all taken care of at once.

Besides, that way I can have a late night snack.

The family tradition, started years ago, is to have substantial nourishment just before you aren't supposed to eat anymore. My theory is that if you're going to be without food for a period of time, you should go into it with a full stomach. When the boys had their wisdom teeth taken out, we'd hit Domino's and order a medium pizza just for them. They thought it was a real treat.

I had everything planned out. About the time Tony went to bed I was going to drive to Sonic for some fast-food delight. Sadly, I forgot to ask Mother Nature if my plan was ok with her; a little before 9:00 the skies opened; rain poured down and I heard hail hitting the roof. There was a severe thunderstorm warning and a tornado watch posted for the entire area. I was looking forward to my snack, but it wasn't worth leaving the house for!

As the stormy weather continued, I gave up hope. I made myself a bag of lite microwave popcorn, poured it into a bowl, and ate it. Ironically, it was probably healthier than anything I could have bought at Sonic and will probably stick with me better. It was quite a letdown, though.

The Famous Question

The question How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop? was first answered by Mr. Owl in 1969. I can't respond to the original question, but today I got to the center of a Tootsie Roll Pop without biting.

I have never been able to eat a Tootsie Roll Pop without crunching through the candy shell to get to the soft middle. In my opinion, the combination of hard and chewy just can't be beat. I was challenged to complete this activity, though, so I decided to give it my best.

I stopped at a local gas station/convenience store and bought a cherry Tootsie Roll Pop for 10 cents. (What a surprise...I didn't know you could buy anything for 10 cents anymore!) I was extremely hungry and decided not to wait till I got home to unwrap the pop and stick it in my mouth. At first, all I tasted was the cherry sucker. However, about halfway through I got a distinct tootsie roll flavor. When my treat became the texture of Tootsie Roll, I decided I had reached the center and chewed the rest up.

I can't tell you exactly how many licks it takes, because I cheated and used a combination of licks and sucks. Licking requires one free hand which is hard to do while you're driving. I do know it took about a half-hour from unwrapping the pop to tossing the stick in the trashcan.

Nighty Night

For the last few months I've had trouble getting a good night's sleep. Some nights I toss and turn for an extended period of time before I doze off, and other nights I wake up in the wee hours of the morning and have a hard time getting back to sleep. I understand the problem is common among women "of a certain age", but it's getting really annoying. Recently an acquaintance shared a few ideas that helped her when she experienced the same problem. I followed up on one of them and last night I took melatonin to help me sleep.

Before I put any foreign substances in my body, I did a little research. I found out that:

• Melatonin isn't a chemical; it's a hormone produced by the pineal gland (a small gland in the brain) that helps regulate sleep and wake cycles

• It is secreted only at night

• Natural melatonin production decreases with age

I bought a bottle of melatonin at the chain pharmacy closest to my house and put it in the bathroom until I needed it. Last night I turned in at the regular time. As I climbed into bed I turned the radio on low. I pulled the sheet up to my chin, got my pillow situated just right, and closed my eyes. I listened to one song, then another, then a third. Turned over to my other side and listened a while, then turned back the original way. It was ridiculous! I got up and went to the bathroom where I took out the bottle of melatonin and read the label. The suggested dose was one 1 mg tablet. After putting a tablet in my mouth I discovered the bathroom cup was still in the dishwasher, so I scooped up some water with my hand, washed the tablet down, and went back to bed.

This time it only took about fifteen minutes to fall asleep. Hallelujah! I woke up once about four o'clock to use the bathroom, but went right back to sleep. When the alarm went off this morning I was well-rested. I didn't even need my normal mid-afternoon nap to stay focused. Life is good.

Tower of Goodies

Tony and I needed a housewarming gift for a 20-something male. This young man and his roommates are typical bachelors, so I knew that the gifts I'd usually bring (like a candle, picture frame, or plant) wouldn't be appreciated.

We decided to go with something consumable. I bought a set of nesting bowls, made a recipe of good chili, and poured it into the biggest bowl. We put tortilla chips in the next bowl, and a container of sour cream and bags of chopped onions and cheddar cheese in the third. In this picture the top bowl is empty; we stopped at the grocery store and bought a bottle of sriracha hot sauce to put in it. I tied everything together with a ribbon and we were on our way.

When we presented the tower, the young man's eyes lit up. Who doesn't like to have prepared food waiting for them when they come home from work? He can either keep it all for himself (freezing it in smaller portions in the bowls) or share some with his other housemates.

Mow, Mow, Mow Your Lawn

If you're a regular reader here or at my original blog, Kathy At 49 , you know that I'm always trying to do things in new and different ways. Today was grass-cutting day, and I figured out a way to vary the job when I mowed the sections of the yard in the opposite order.

We have a typical suburban yard with the house surrounded by grass on all four sides. When I mow I always do it in the same order. I start in the front yard, moving back and forth across it, then head for the tree yard, a small piece of grass between the sidewalk and the street. When that's done I proceed to the strip on the other side of the driveway between our yard and our neighbor's. That yard flows into the side yard which flows into the back yard and then to the section on the other side of the house. I've not really tracked it, but I think I may even mow around all the obstacles (patios, trees, deck posts, and garden beds) the same way each time.

Today I started in the tree yard in front of the house, then completed the main section of the front. Next, I mowed the side yard I usually do last, which meant I came into the back yard from the opposite side I usually do. It was strange to be pushing the mower through areas I usually don't get to until I'm hot and tired. I KNOW I did a better job there than I usually do. However, when I got to the second side yard I was starting to feel the effects of pushing the lawn mower, and the sweat was making my sunscreen run into my eyes. Since I usually do this part while I still have energy, I never noticed that this area has quite a few things to mow around, and the incline between the front and back yard is more extreme on this side of the house than the other, making it hard to push the mower up. By the time I got to the section that contained the mailbox I was glad to be finished.

However, there was one real advantage to my route through the yard today. The mail truck had come by while I was cutting, so I could grab the mail from the box right after I turned off the mower!

The Search Is Over

When I closed my tutoring center last year I decided my ideal job would be working with teenagers in the education field. However, that's not panned out. I've filled out some applications for administrative assistant positions, but got no nibbles there either.

A couple of weeks ago a friend gave me a lead. The preschool she works at was looking to fill a teacher assistant position. Preschoolers are about as far from teenagers as you could get, so at first glance the job wasn't a good fit. However, the more I thought about it the more intriguing it sounded. The school is inclusion based; it enrolls children with and without special needs. I have the necessary certifications to work with both types of children, and it would be a professional challenge. I sent my resume off and hoped for the best. I had an interview for this morning, and came out with a job!

The facility operates year round, with the new year (and my position) starting in July. Although I'll be working more hours than I did at the last job, it's still less than full-time, and only a four day work week. The biggest difference will be in the hours of the day; instead of working completely in the afternoon, I'll leave the house right after breakfast and return mid afternoon.

I guess I'll be spending the rest of the month brushing up on my cutting, singing, and reading out loud skills.

Get Your Kicks

I like exercising in a group setting, because I get bored using a stationary bike or treadmill. When I joined a new gym I realized that I'd have to get used to a whole different set of classes. I'm settling into a weekly routine of workouts that include Wednesday's kickboxing class.

There's no contact in this class. Instead, it's cardio kickboxing, which combines elements of boxing and aerobics. It's a high-intensity form of exercise to a mix of rock, rap, and dance music. In just a few weeks I'm getting better at it. I have more stamina and strength; the first time I could barely make it through the hour, but today I was bobbing and weaving for the entire time with no problem.

The class starts with a warm up, which includes a bit of stretching, followed by the kickboxing portion. We do punches (jabs, hooks, and uppercuts) and kicks (front, side, and roundhouse) in different combinations. In between, we do jumping jacks and "jump" rope without a rope. The instructor encourages everyone to work at their own pace and emphasizes proper boxing technique. There are mirrors on two sides of the room, so you can watch yourself jabbing away if you so desire. The last portion of the session is devoted to cooling down, core work, and stretching.

I'm finding that this class does wonders for any anger I bring into the room with me. I just imagine the person or thing that's frustrating me at the end of my fist! Besides, by the end of the class I don't have the energy to be mad. It's all I can do to walk to my car and drive home.

Be Careful What You Wish For-You Just Might Get It

I was sitting in front of the computer this afternoon, thinking how my quiet day needed a little adventure, when the phone rang. It was Youngest Son Donald. You know it's going to be an interesting conversation when the other person starts out by saying, "Don't worry. Everything's ok." However, he continued that he was on the shoulder of 270 just south of Manchester because the brakes on his car went out.

WHAT?!

He asked if I could call AAA and come help him. I started my adventure...

As I was driving east on Manchester towards 270, I turned on an AM radio station to see if they mentioned the stalled car on the side of the highway, but all they talked about was the normally slow rush hour traffic. I pulled down the highway entrance ramp and immediately saw Donald's car about 200 feet ahead of me, I stopped behind him, turned off the ignition, and put my flashers on. Donald got in my car while we waited for the tow truck.

Donald's car is getting pretty geriatric. The exterior is showing its age and it's had a steady stream of minor mechanical problems over the past six months. Donald explained that due to the traffic jam, he was only going about 10 miles an hour when he tried to use the brakes and didn't get a response. He maneuvered the car over to the side of the road and used the parking brake to stop it. While he was waiting for me, he talked to someone who "knows" cars. The person suggested he try to drive the car, because it could have been an air bubble in the brake line that caused the failure. Donald told me that he drove a bit down the side of the highway and the brakes seemed to work. He wondered if the car was good to go. As much as I admired his resourcefulness, I couldn't agree with his assessment, and insisted that he get it towed to a garage to get it checked.

The tow truck came, loaded the car on the back, and we followed it to a chain facility in Sunset Hills. Unfortunately, the shop had no electricity due to the storm earlier in the day, so Donald left the car there, along with the keys and his phone number. I drove him back to Kirkwood so he could complete his original errand, and then to work.

I arrived back home a little over two hours after I left. So much for my quiet afternoon!

Hand. Hand. Foot. Foot.

When I was a kid, I liked to do cartwheels. I could do them from one side of the back yard to the other without stopping. I haven't done one for many years, though. In honor of the first summery day of the year today I did cartwheels in the back yard.

I was pretty sure I'd still be able to do it, but just in case I took my shoes off and tried a practice one first in the basement where no one could see me. It went pretty well, so I moved outside. The ground still felt pliable, not hard and brittle like it will be in the middle of summer, and the grass was soft against my feet. Before I started, I took a quick glance at all the yards surrounding mine to make sure there was no one to watch me.

The coast was clear, so I raised my arms straight above my head, stepped forward with my left leg, and looked down to where my hands would go. I reached down with the left hand, than the right one, and kicked my legs up in the air. The momentum pulled my body up and over. I landed on one foot, then the other, and straightened up. I looked around; there was still no one outside to see me.

The first one was pretty awkward, but I think I managed to get my legs straight up in the air. After two it started feeling more natural. I did several before I started getting winded and stopped. I suspect I'll have some sore muscles tomorrow, but the pain will be worthwhile. I'm happy to know I could still do it.