Cleaning Up And Claiming Space

Earlier this year Hubby Tony and I discovered a small water leak on the living room ceiling right above the fireplace. The company hired by the condo management company attributed the issue to an ice dam on the roof that damaged the fireplace flashing. We weren't the only unit with a problem; the company had a crew on site and repaired the flashing issue that day.

After the repair, Tony and I let things simmer for a while to make sure the issue was really corrected, then Tony quarterbacked finding someone to fix the ceiling damage. The work was done by a friendly, efficient painter. He told us that after the repair was done he would have to touch up the paint on both the ceiling (which he would supply) and the top few inches of the wall right underneath the repair (which was on us).

When we moved in five years ago, the previous owner left extra paint for each of the rooms, so it was just a matter of finding the right can and shaking/stirring the components back together. There was a half gallon of paint, and at the end of the project I decided to keep just enough for touch ups. I poured approximately two cups of paint into a jar with a tight-fitting lid, then posted the rest of it on my Buy Nothing group. Two days later the can was gone.

It was great to have one less can of paint on the floor of the linen closet in the master bathroom. However, there was still several cans, and two five-gallon buckets in the laundry room. I thought it would be a great idea to get rid of the rest of the surplus paint. The buckets were more annoying, so I decided to tackle one of them first.

Today was the day. My plan was to keep a little pain and offer the rest to someone on Buy Nothing, so first I had to make sure it was still good. Because I am messy when it comes to anything involving paint, the first thing I did was change into sloppy clothes. I assembled my supplies in the laundry room-tarp, stirring stick, brush, and large rag. Ten minutes later my hands were covered in paint, and I had a large splotch on my leg, but the paint was well stirred. I used the brush to touch up a couple of spots in the office, decanted what I was keeping into a jar, then cleaned everything up.

Down the line I'll tackle the other bucket and recover a little extra space in the laundry room.

Five years ago today: Social Distancing Voting

Dogs And Cats

(In the Catholic church, the Paschal Triduum is the three days leading up to Easter. There are evening services on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. My preferred blogging time is after dinner, and since we're leaving for church shortly after that it's been hard for me to post. Until my schedule gets back to normal, please enjoy this comparison of canines and felines)

Adam and Eve said, "Lord, when we were in the garden, you walked with us every day. Now we do not see you anymore. We are lonesome here, and it is difficult for us to remember how much you love us."

God said, "I will create a companion for you that will be with you and who will be a reflection of my love for you, so that you will love me even when you cannot see me. Regardless of how selfish or childish or unlovable you may be, this new companion will accept you as you are and will love you as I do, in spite of yourselves."

God created a new animal to be a companion for Adam and Eve. It was a good animal and God was pleased. The new animal was pleased to be with Adam and Eve and he wagged his tail.

Adam said, "Lord, I have already named all the animals in the Kingdom and I cannot think of a name for this new animal."

God said, "Because I have created this new animal to be a reflection of my love for you, his name will be a reflection of my own name, and you will call him DOG."

Dog lived with Adam and Eve and was a companion to them and loved them. They were comforted, God was pleased, and Dog was content and wagged his tail.

After a while, it came to pass that an angel came to the Lord and said, "Lord, Adam and Eve have become filled with pride. They strut and preen like peacocks and they believe they are worthy of adoration. Dog has indeed taught them that they are loved, but perhaps too well."

God said, "I will create for them a companion who will be with them and who will see them as they are. The companion will remind them of their limitations, so they will know that they are not always worthy of adoration.'

God created CAT to be a companion to Adam and Eve. Cat would not obey them, and when Adam and Eve gazed into Cat's eyes, they were reminded that they were not the Supreme Beings. 

Adam and Eve learned humility, and they were greatly improved. God was pleased. Dog was happy. Cat didn't give a fig one way or the other.

Five years ago: Entrées and Entertainment

No Wasting Here!

Last month a group I belong to had a St. Patrick's pot luck dinner. I volunteered to bring bread, and made a loaf of Irish Soda Bread. Actually, I made two loaves.

The simple bread has four ingredients (flour, salt, baking soda, and buttermilk), and is baked in a cast iron skillet or Dutch oven. The recipe directions said to line the pan with parchment paper before putting the batter in. I did that, and was irritated when the paper stuck onto the bottom and sides. I couldn't tak it to my event, so I tried again. The second time I added the batter into a well seasoned, lightly greased skillet. After baking it came out like a charm.

Everyone at the event said they enjoyed the second loaf. Hubby Tony and I eventually ate our way through the imperfect one, picking the adhered paper off the crust each time we ate a slice.

For my first attempt at soda bread making I bought just buttermilk, but later in the day when Tony went back to get more for me the only thing in the dairy case was a small jug that had twice as much as I needed. Not a problem; I ended up freezing the extra for something down the line.

For the last couple of days I've been planning our Easter dinner, which will include me, Tony, and Son Donald. This afternoon I asked Tony if he wanted the meal to include bread from the bakery or another loaf of Irish Soda bread. He quickly chose the latter, and I got to work. 

Ninety minutes later the completed loaf was cooling on a rack, and it will go in the freezer until Sunday. I crossed 'bread' off my grocery list.

Five years ago today: Just Right

A Historic Resting Place

This morning before a scheduled class at the gym Hubby Tony and left the house to take advantage of a cheap drink promotion at a local gas station chain. Although it was cloudy, the temperature was lovely. After getting out drinks we decided to take a walk before heading to the gym. 

The gas station we had chosen is close to a paved rail-to-trail path. Tony suggested a route that would take us to one of its trailheads, where we could hop on the trail to circle back. Along the way we wandered up and down several small streets. Shortly before we got to the trailhead we came up on the front entrance of the Father Dickson Cemetery.

Wikipedia

I am more familiar with the back of the cemetery, which is visible from the trail, but I've never taken the time to stop and explore the area. Both Tony and I thought today would be a good day for exploring and we turned through the gates.

The first thing I saw was a large obelisk dedicated to Moses Dickson (the cemetery's namesake), who was a member of the Underground Railroad and a community leader during the Civil War era.

Thanks to the educational signs that lined the road I learned that this was one of the first public cemeteries available to Black people in the St. Louis area, and several notable people are buried on the grounds. When the cemetery closed in the 1970s there was no endowment to maintain the area. It fell into neglect until a group was established in the 1980s to preserve the site. In 2021, the cemetery was named to the National Register of Historic Places.

At the edge of the cemetery there was a small path that led to the trail, where I saw a information about a walking tour brochure. We didn't have time for that today, but I put the activity on my mental list of things to do.

Palm Sunday Distractions

If you are a Christian you know that today is Palm Sunday, which is the feast that commemorates Jesus' entry into Jerusalem the week before his crucifixion. 

This morning Hubby Tony and I walked to the church just down the road from our condo.We picked up individual palm leaves from a table, then walked into the nave and chose our seats. Just about the time I was settled the lector invited everyone outside.

There, the priest and deacon went through a short rite (consisting of prayer and a short Gospel reading), then everyone processed back inside. Once people were settled in the pews the priest issued an invitation to the young children who wanted to participate in the Children's Liturgy. They gathered in front of the altar, then followed their teachers out for their lesson.

(After they left the Liturgy of the Word began. There are always three readings at a Sunday mass. The first is from the Old Testament or Acts of the Apostles, the second is from one of the New Testament letters, and the third is from one of the four Gospels. On Palm Sunday, rather than being proclaimed by the priest or deacon the Gospel is divided into four spoken parts-Christ, the narrator, a reader, and the crowd.)

At the beginning of  the Liturgy of the Eucharist the children returned for the rest of the mass.

The family in the pew in front of me had three children (who looked to be about 7, 5, and 3). The children were well mannered except for their new palm leaf toys. As much as I tried to concentrate my attention kept wandering their way:

• Boy One used his like a floppy baton, swaying his body in time to the music in his head.

• Girl twirled hers around in the palms of her hands until it fell on the floor. She hopped down to retrieve it and then started again.

• Boy One poked Boy Two with the tip of his and Boy Two retaliated.

• Boy Two turned his palm into a sword and batted his sister on the head, then stuck it in her ear.

Mom and Dad were trying hard to moderate the worst of the behavior while trying to pray themselves. (I was sympathetic, because my boys used to do the same thing many years ago.) However, just before communion Mom had enough. She collected all of the palms and kept them for the rest of Mass.

Five years ago today: There's A Word For That

Small-Scale Soaker

I have a 'boo-boo' on the pinky finger of my right hand. Someone suggested that soaking it in Epsom salts would help relieve some of the pain. 

However, I had trouble coming up with a container small enough for one short digit.

After a thorough search in the kitchen and bathroom, I walked into the office and spied a prescription bottle left over from some cat medicine. It was just tall enough that my finger would fit, and narrow enough to only need a dash of Epsom salts and a couple of tablespoons of water.

Pen for size

Five years ago: A Curious Poem For Good Friday

A Quick Measure Of Creativity

Tonight I took the Divergent Association Task, which measures verbal creativity and divergent thinking in four minutes or less.

The test was developed by Harvard University postdoctoral fellow Dr. Jay A. Olson. It involves listing 10 nouns that are as different from each other as possible. People who are more creative tend to think of words that have greater distances between them.

I tend to overthink things and couldn't believe that I could actually complete the test in less than four minutes, so I timed myself with a stopwatch. The elapsed time from starting to hitting the submit button was 2:15! Scoring was immediate, and based on a calculation of the semantic distance between the words. Most people score between 74 and 82. Mine was 78.

Five years ago today: Heat Ho Hums

A Different After Dinner Drink

During the cool weather part of the year I often drink a cup of herbal or decaffeinated tea in the evening. I enjoy trying new flavors. The last time I was in a fancy tea shop I saw something called barley tea on the shelf.

The associate explained the roasted barley drink was a popular in many Asian countries, particularly Japan, China, and Korea. She said it had no caffeine, and many people find the drink coffee-like in taste. When I found a small bag of Apple Barley teabags in the clearance section I decided to bring it home and give it a try.

I brew my tea a cup at a time, and I'm sure a purist would shudder at my method. After my favorite mug is filled with water I add a tea bag, heat the mug in the microwave, and then let the tea brew for a few minutes before pulling the bag out.

The barley tea is nothing like the light and minty chamomile combinations, invigorating ginger blends,  or the tart and fruity hibiscus-based mixtures I usually drink, but it's a nice change of pace. Its flavor is slightly bitter, toasty, and nutty and the apple taste is barely noticeable.

 How about you? Are you a tea drinker? Have you ever had barley tea (and if so, what did you think of it)?

Five years ago today: Worth A Watch

Commandments for seniors

I'm sure you've heard the old saying "April showers bring May flowers". If that's true, the atmospheric river of rain we're scheduled to get this weekend should mean that there will be blooms everywhere! Newsweek quotes AccuWeather meteorologists, who say that a "1,000-mile swath through the central U.S. could see four months' worth of rain in only five days this week".

While I hunker down inside and stay dry, here are some funnies to ponder:

• The ability to speak several languages is an asset, but the ability to keep your mouth shut in any language is priceless.

• Just once, I want the prompt for username and password to say, “Close enough.”

• Becoming an adult is the dumbest thing I’ve ever done.

• I hate it when I can’t figure out how to operate the iPad and my tech support guy is asleep. He’s 5 and it’s past his bedtime.

• Why do I have to press one for English when you're just going to transfer me to someone I can't understand anyway?

• You don't need anger management. You need people to stop irritating you.

• Even duct tape can't fix stupid – but it sure does muffle the sound.

• Talk to yourself. There are times when you need expert advice.

• Aging has slowed you down, but it hasn't shut you up.

Dawning

Almost a month ago when I rolled out of bed, before Daylight Savings Time started for the year, there was a tiny bit of brightness coming through the blinds. After the time shift, the bedroom went back to being completely dark first thing in the morning. However, I knew that eventually the longer days would come back.

Wikimedia Commons

And they did. Last Saturday I was almost able to find my clothes in the dresser using just natural light, and according to WillyWeather, today's first light was even six minutes earlier than that, so the room was even incrementally brighter. I thought that was exciting, and so did the newly-returned birds I heard chirping outside.

Five years ago today: Take One, Leave One