Ouch!

Yesterday afternoon Hubby Tony asked me to give him a haircut. I agreed. He sat on a bar stool in the kitchen while I buzzed his head with the clippers. When he left the chair there was a clump of hair on the seat. I dumped the stool over so the clump would fall on the floor with the rest of the hair that he was going to clean up. The chair slipped out of my hand and fell on my little toe.

I let out a couple of choice words, then took a look at my foot to assess the damage. The toe was bright red, and within minutes it started to bruise and swell. Tony asked if I thought it was broken. It hurt like the dickens, but since I could manipulate the toe and put weight on it I guessed it wasn't.

For the rest of the day I sat around with my foot up, and iced it off and on. When I went to bed I put it on a pillow at the foot of the bed. This morning some of the swelling had gone down, but an angry purple bruise now covered a quarter of my foot.

I could walk barefoot around the house with no issues. Putting shoes on, though, was another matter. The only ones that avoid the toe area are my flip flops, but the strap cuts right across the top of my foot. I guess until the bruise subsides a bit I won't be going anywhere.

Impressive?

Plants In A Pandemic

For the past few years Hubby Tony accompanies me on a trip to the nursery to pick out annuals and vegetable plants. He pays for whatever I put in the shopping cart and we consider it my Mother's Day present.

 Now that we're in a condo my plant requirements are minimal.-basically two hanging baskets, one for each end of the deck. On Mother's Day it was still too chilly to have annual plants outside, so we put off the trip, but yesterday we headed out to my favorite plant place to see what I could find.

Each year this nursery pops up on the parking lot of an Aldi in early April, and is gone by July 4th. The "walls" of the nursery are landscape timers inserted into stacked cinder blocks. Inside, more piles of cinder blocks hold wood shelves for the plants that can take the sun, two greenhouses hold the shade-loving plants and vegetable starts, and hanging basket racks hug the ends of the greenhouses. Close to the entrance there's a tiny shed big enough for two associates and a cash register.

Calibrachoa

When we pulled into the parking lot I saw a sign that indicated they were practicing social distancing measures, and customers weren't allowed inside the shopping area. Instead, Tony and I stood outside and surveyed the hanging baskets from a distance. An associate came over to us and asked what he could bring over for us to look at. I asked to see "the pink flowers that look like little petunias". The associate said they weren't petunias, but were actually calibrachoas. I inquired about the plant's sun and water requirements, which jived well with what I could offer on my deck.

In addition to pink, the associate also pointed out the purple, red, and orange baskets, then brought several baskets of several colors over for me to pick from. I decided on pink and purple. Tony gave his credit card to the associate, who walked it over to the shed and processed the payment. He returned with our receipt and thanked us for coming in.

The process was easy, but I much prefer being able to browse through the plants myself and take my time choosing the exact one I want. Hopefully things will be back to normal by next spring.

Five years ago today: How Do They Know?

Did You Know These Things Had Names?

The cry of a new born baby is called a vagitus.

The space between your eyebrows is called a glabella.

The plastic or metallic coating at the end of your shoelaces is called an aglet.

The tiny plastic table placed in the middle of a pizza box is called a box tent.

Your little toe or finger is called the minimus.

The wired cage that holds the cork in a bottle of champagne is called a muselet.

In a song, the nonsense syllables like 'na na na' and 'la la la' are called vocables.

The condition of finding it difficult to get out of the bed in the morning is called dysania.

Unreadable hand-writing is called griffonage.

The dot over an “i” or a “j” is called a tittle.

The metallic device used to measure your feet at the shoe store is called a Brannock device.

Five years ago today: Fences, Sewers, and Dog Doo

Nextdoor Neighbor

Last week we got a flyer asking us to join Nextdoor. I had heard of  the company, but after Hubby Tony looked into it he shared that it was a hyperlocal social network where we could do things like read about local events, look for recommendations, and buy/sell things. Tony told me we could use either our exact address or only a street name, which made it feel safer, so I decided to go ahead and sign up.

As part of the sign up process I was asked to give them my spouse's name (sure, why not); select topics I would be interested in following (not, now-maybe later); invite people in my neighborhood (nope-I don't know them); or import my email contacts so they could get an invitation (no way!). Fortunately I could skip all of the questions that bothered me and submit the sign up request.

Soon I had an email telling me I could start using the site, so I spent some time clicking around. It seems to be set up so I can filter by just people in my immediate neighborhood or include others that are nearby. There were people looking for tree trimmers, landscapers, and gutter cleaners. Someone posted a photo of a dog they had seen running loose. There were long discussions about supporting local restaurants and which ones were open for carryout, and whether or not a new proposed elementary school would be a good idea or not.

I already have a couple of things I need local sources for, and I think Nextdoor will help me find them.

Five years ago today: One Person's Trash is Another Person's Treasure

Heavens To Chicken

Hubby Tony always cooks dinner on Sunday. Yesterday, he told me choose a Mother's Day menu and he would take care of putting it together. I knew exactly what I wanted. Earlier in the week I had seen an ad for a restaurant featuring family-style fried chicken dinners to go. Unfortunately, that restaurant was pretty far away from our house, but seeing the pieces of crispy, juicy chicken made me want some.

I only indulge in fried chicken a couple of times a year. I prefer white meat to dark, but my favorite part of fried chicken is really the skin; I think that chicken fingers have the best ratio of meat to crust. At first Tony was going to get the fingers from the grocery store (and make the rest of the dinner from scratch), but they've recently cut back on the selection in their deli department and he couldn't be sure they were available. I suggested that he drive through Raising Cane's. It's close to our house, and they their limited menu only has a couple of items...chicken fingers, fries, slaw, and Texas Toast. They know what they're doing.

Yesterday before Tony left to pick up our entree he made cole slaw and started sweet potato fries in the oven. He was only gone ten minutes before he sent me a text saying that the Raising Cane's parking lot was filled with fire trucks and ambulances and he couldn't get in, so he was heading to Kentucky Fried Chicken.

KFC was farther away, and I was appreciative that Tony would drive the extra distance, but I was disappointed. The chicken fingers that Tony brought home were less than piping hot and their seasoning left something to be desired.

Tony bought just enough chicken for one meal, and told me he tomorrow he would go get what I really wanted. Tonight as he left to pick up the chicken I set the table, heated the sweet potato fries, and put out the slaw. When Tony got back we added the chicken to the table and sat down to eat.

I took one bite of a chicken finger and was in heaven. The fresh-tasting piece was juicy and tender, and the thick crust was crisp and well-seasoned. Exactly what I had been looking for.

Five years ago today: Better Late Than Never

An Unexpected Musical Treat

Hubby Tony started work early today, and so he also finished early. Working from home means no commute time, so by 3:00 he was ready for the weekend to start.

So was I. But there were no activities planned, and nothing to do. We decided to take another (!) walk. Our first choice of a route ended up being a little muddy, so we decided to head in a direction we hadn't been before-west over the nearby interstate, north on the major residential road just past the highway, and then looping back to our place.

The highway overpass had a nice walkway, but it was still a little disconcerting to watch the traffic speed by underneath. When we  turned right and headed up the street I quickly realized the inclines that are so easy to navigate in a car were actually pretty steep when on foot. We eventually made it to the top of the last hill, though, and turned right again. All of a sudden I heard music.

Keyboard, vibraphone, drums

I looked over at the strip mall to the right, which has a restaurant on the end that was closest to us. On a patio just outside the restaurant a jazz trio was playing.

Tony and I decided to sit and listen to some of their music. We stepped off the sidewalk and took a seat on the grass under a large pine tree. While I listened to the music I looked at the parking lot, which was set up with a dining room chair in every other space so there was plenty of distance between. About a third of the spaces were filled.

At the end of the trio's song Tony and I clapped. I saw someone in one of the cars offer a thumbs-up, and realized that there were people inside them listening to the music. A restaurant employee walked a bag that I assume contained food over to one of the cars.

Tony and I listened for about ten minutes then I realized I was getting hungry, and we decided to continue on our way. The restaurant's website indicated that they were going to have several more 'car concerts'. What a great idea!

Five years ago today: Insurance Claims and Action

Why Not?

Last night, with nothing do and nowhere to go, I was wasting time on Facebook. After scrolling past pet videos, COVID memes, and photos of people's grandchildren, I saw that one of my friends had posted:

Okay, so I need to get something off my chest, even though I doubt anyone pays attention to my statuses. Sometimes when I’m bored, I put on my tutu and a big horn on my head, lather myself in sparkles and glitter, and prance around the kitchen like the unicorn that I am!

This woman has a great personality. I could see her doing exactly that, and quickly liked the post. Two minutes later she sent me a personal message, which said:

I'm really sorry. I lost at the unicorn game and now so have you. Anyone who likes or comments on my post has to continue the game for Autism Awareness. Be a good sport and continue the game, sharing the same post that I did on your timeline. And then share this message with anyone who likes or comments.

In the real world I would consider something like this on a par with chain letters, and the message would have gone ignored. However, I was bored and decided to follow her directions. Over the past 24 hours 25 people have responded to my post. Five of them followed the directions and continued the game. Guess they were as bored as I was.

Grateful Or Not-Fill It Out

A while back I got this daily gratitude pad from a friend:

Each sheet has plenty of room to write down specific details about people and things that I'm grateful for. I especially like the section that asks me what the best part of the day was; that makes me review everything that happened so I can focus on the good. (Sometimes I realize that I've forgotten a highlight until I look over the whole day.)

If the day has been a bust and I'm not feeling very grateful, I can still act as if everything was hunky-dory, write down things that would make me smile on a good day, and check the box I want to mean it. Then hope the next day is better.

Five years ago today: EVERYTHING Has A Use!

"Four Dead In O-hi-o"

A news compiler told me that today was the 50th anniversary of the Kent State shooting, when four students were killed (and nine wounded) by members of the Ohio National Guard, when they fired into a crowd of student demonstrators at Kent State University.

In honor of the day, here's the song written by Neil Young in reaction to the event, and performed by Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young.

Five Years Ago Today: Surplus and Survival

Walk On

If you've been reading here for a while, you know I'm a pretty physically active person. But now with socializing nonexistent, one of the few activities that is available is getting outside (as long as you practice social distancing). Most days, weather permitting, Hubby Tony and I go out for a walk during lunch or after he finishes up with work. That gets us out of the house, gets us our exercise, and as an added bonus helps us learn the neighborhoods around our new condo.

However, all that walking led to a problem. A couple of weeks ago I saw I was getting a hole in the toe of my right walking shoe. My feet are really hard to fit. I walk out of the vast majority of shoes, because my heel is too narrow for a medium width (and my instep is too wide for narrow). Even when it’s a brand I’ve worn before I still have to try them on first. That really doesn't lend itself to ordering online.

My solution was to put a piece of thick packing tape over the hole inside the shoe. That worked well until one rainy day when the shoe got wet and the tape fell off. I replaced it, but things were never quite the same. The hole continued to get bigger, and I was resigned to put up with the problem. However, after several weeks of babying the shoe I got a text from DIL Nicole that said:

"I saw these NB shoes on sale I think they're the same ones that were on your xmas list."

Hmmm..... I had completely forgotten that back in December I had gone to the sporting goods store, tried on enough footwear to find something that was comfortable, and put a link to the specific model on my list. I'm guessing that Nicole had set up an alert on the website Slickdeals to tell her if the shoes went on sale and forgot to cancel the alert.

Now those shoes were on clearance for a great price-less than half of what they would have cost in December. This color would not be my first (or second, or third) choice, but they would do. It took me about two and a half minutes to pull out my charge card and place the order. I was not in any particular hurry and chose the free shipping.

When the shoes arrived I wore them around the house for a couple of days to make sure they really fit, then took them out for a trial run. They rubbed my heels a little, but the next day they were good for an hour-long walk. Since then my new kicks and I have rambled around almost every day. Hopefully by the time I need another pair I can pick them out in a physical store.

Five years ago today: Singular Sign