Something You Don't See Every Day

I went to the corner liquor store yesterday to get our Powerball tickets, and once again as I was pulling out of the drive thru, there in the big garbage can was what seemed to be an empty half gallon ice cream carton. The flavor on the carton said strawberry.   

Where Did The Summer Go?

 It's hard to believe that Jefferson County schools are back in session tomorrow.  With the snow days they had to make up, it seems like the kids only had two months of summer vacation.  This summer has flown by fast.  I wish it would fly back faster to give us some cool fall weather. 

Apologies

 I apologize, faithful readers - I have been lax in my daily posting.  I had a very lazy week, and needed to get some rest.  Nothing is wrong - I just went through a lazy spell.  

The only thing partly exciting that has been going on is the Old Man and I have had peaches for our mid-day snack for the past week and a half.  On the spur of the moment, I ordered a box of peaches from the awesome Peach Truck.  Believe me when I tell you the highlight of my day for the past week and a half was when I would [easily] peel each of us a peach and chunk it up.  They were so sweet and ripe, and didn't need any sugar.  Today we will have the lsst two peaches in the box.  They were sure good while they lasted. 

Thanks Once Again For Great Neighbors

 Once again, we got a bunch of home grown veggies from neighbors today.  We got a bag of yellow squash, a bag of tomatoes, and a bag of cucumbers.  We had some of them all tonight for supper, and will have more tomorrow.  Thanks for great caring and generous neighbors. 

Happy Life Day

 Happy Life Day to me! It's hard to believe that it is my Life Day again - the year has flown by. For those that don't know about it, today is my Life Day - on this day in 1992, I was almost killed in a car wreck. But the Lord had other plans for me. So on this day every year, I celebrate my Life Day. First, I want to give big thanks to some dear life-long friends who helped me through the ordeal - Michael Pottinger, Patty Doering Dailey, Gary TwoKnee Dailey, Kathy Darby, Charlene Gilbert Bishop, and others that aren't on Facebook. I remember how sweet Louise Vance aka Weezy brought me her Pig Licking Cake and nacho casserole faithfully while I was off from work for almost six months. Today I am spending the day enjoying the day with my father.

Something You Don't See Every Day

 When I was pulling out of the drive-thru at the corner liquor store after getting my Powerball tickets, once again I noticed something odd in the big garbage can - a Skechers shoe box.  That is truly something you don't see in a liquor store garbage can every day. 

Ohio Valley Weather Update

 A front moved through late yesterday, and when I got up this morning it was 58 degrees and sunny.  The high today is supposed to be in the upper 70's. It sure is a beautiful day.  But I know we're in for more 90+ days this summer.  

We Dodged Another Bullet

 We dodged another big bullet yesterday evening.  Southeast from us in Hart and Grayson counties, there were multiple tornadoes.  Luckily here in Louisville all we had was some heavy rain and a little wind.  For that we are still thankful. 

Something We See Every Day

 The Compound is on a stretch of our road that is straight and level for about half a mile - that makes it the prime spot for was we call the Evel Knevel Show.  At least 3 or 4 times a day the motorcycles zoom up and down, most of time doing wheelies.  Last night they came by while I was taking the garbage can out to the end of the driveway.  One of the daredevils was standing up on his motorcycle with his arms spread open wide.  If they weren't so loud, they would be slightly entertaining. 

We Dodged Another Bullet

 A powerful storm moved through our neighborhood yesterday evening, but it left us unscathed.  Others, not so much. A mile up the road, some friends had six huge limbs down in their front and back yard; one of which fell on their garage roof making a big hole.  Another friend about a half mile from them  also had some huge limbs down in their yard.  I'm thankful we were safe. 

Flashback Friday

 In case you missed it, Kentucky, Indiana, several other states are having a cyclospora parasite outbreak. The most recent info on this points mainly to shredded lettuce from Taco Bell.  Regardless, I will be thoroughly washing any fruits and veggies I get.  The Old Man and I were talking about this, and we thought about how way back in the day Gram had a salad spinner.  You'd wash your lettuce and put it in the spinner to spin the water off.  When we had salad, Gram would let me do the spinning.  I bet people have been looking for one on Amazon the past few weeks. 

Update From The Compound

 For the past few days, my stomach has been all jacked up.  Not to get gross, but I threw up Sunday and Monday, and I didn't have much of an appetite.  I was able to eat a bit today - I had a Long John for breakfast and had some salad for supper.  I think I'm on the mend. 

Purging Update

 As soon as the Old Man and I get back from our hair cuts this morning, my plan for the day is to sort through my ton of t-shirts and see which ones I want to keep, and them fold them and put them in a dresser drawer.  Then I have a task I am looking forward to - I bought a show organizer that you hang from your closet rack.  I can't wait to put all of my Brooks tennis shoes in there.  It's the little things that make me happy.

Back At It Again

I am confessing I lost my momentum on my purging in my closet and drawers, but I was back it after lunch today.  I got another bag of clothes for the homeless ministry, and another bag of "stuff" that I thought I would need, which will go out in the garbage can.  

I Love Our Neighbors

 I love our caring and sharing neighbors.  We were watching TV after supper, and I saw Neighbor Meghan drop off a bag of something on the back porch ramp.  I went out to get it, and was happy to see the bag was full of red and green tomatoes.  It reminded me of the mmany, many bags of tomatoes that the 'Rents would take to church to give to our friends. 

Update From The Compound

I was in and out of the dermotologist today in about 20 minutes.  I'm not going to try to type out what the pathology said - suffice to say that all is pretty well.  The doctor said the skin spots have to do with circulation so he said to wear compression socks during the day.  A hopeful easy fix.  

Ohio Valley Weather Update

 When I went out this morning to bring in the garbage can and get the newspaper, it was actually very pleasant outside - not heavy with humidity like it has been early morning for the last week and a half. .  Highs of upper 80s seems cool compared to what we've had recently. 

Something You Don't See Every Day

 This morning, I went to get some awesome custard filled Long Johns from our favorite local donut shop, and as I was pulling into the shopping center parking lot, I for sure saw something that you don't see every day at 8:30 in the morning.  Across from the shopping center entrance is Cracker Barrel.  I had to do a double take when I saw a lot of vacant parking spaces.  I'd venture to say the parking lot for a normally busy Sunday morning was about 2/3 filled.  That is definitely something you don't see every day. 

Ohio Valley Weather Update

As I post this, the temp here is 94 degrees, with a feels like heat index of 118.  I am still thankful for our Trane a/c still going good.  There's not much relief in sight, unfortunately. 

Ohio Valley Weather Update

 Since Sunday we have been under an Extreme Heat Warning here in the Ohio Valley. Each day so far, the temps have been mid-90s with a feels-like at 100-115.  According to the weatherazzi, this will continue for another week.  The Old Man and I are thankful for our Trane a/c, keeping us comfortable. 

Update From The Compound

 Yesterday morning was crazy here.  We couldn't get a signal or anything on the TV when the Old Man turned it on at 9:00.  To make the long story short, I called Spectrum and they said to unplug the HDMI cord from the cable box and the TV and switch the ends when I plugged them back in. Easier said than done. To get to the HDMI port on the back of the TV you would have have to stand on your head. I truied every way I could but couldn't get it in.,  All of our handy neighbors were at work, so I called our long-time friend up the road and he was down here in 5 minutes.  After he got the cord plugged in, we spent 15 minutes fooling with the cable box and remote, but finally got it going.  You know I breathed a big sigh of relief this morning when the Old Man turned the TV on and it was all good.  It's things like that that drive me crazy.  

Another What A Week Update

 Yesterday morning started out bad but it turned around in the afternoon.  The Old Man was finishing his breakfast and then the power went off.  At least he had breakfast and we both had hot coffee.  We made the best of it, and both just sat in our recliners and didn't do much, of course.  The power came back on around 2:00 and it was welcome.  

What A Week Update

 I was still tired today from the past three days of various appointments.  I didn't do anything today except go get some Long Johns from our new favorite local bakery.  No shame in that. 

What A Week

 It's been a busy and tiring week.  Tuesday I waited a couple of hours while the Silver Bullet got it's regular maintenance check. Wednesday, I spent a couple of hours getting my regular female maintenance check, and today I had a yearly check-up with the dermatologist that turned out to be way longer than I'd anticipated.  The doctor did a biopsy on a spot on my leg, but thankfully he said it wasn't cancer, so now I'll wait for two weeks to go and get the stiches out and see what treatment they will give me.  I'd like to go to bed right now - it's getting ready to storm, and that makes for good sleeping weather.  

Stay tuned. 

Me Time

 I hope this doesn't sound selfish, but I will get an hour or so of Me Time this afternoon.  I will be taking the Silver Bullet up to the Honda dealer for the regular oil change, tire rotation, and maintenance check.  I plan to sit in the waiting area and just do nothing. 

Whew . . . Again

 The Weatherazzi was on live from before 8:00 last night until way after midnight, following and covering the severe storms and tornadoes in southern Indiana and possibly moving into our area.  The Old Man asked me to stay up with him till the bad weather was over, watching the storm coverage.  We are happy to report that none of the most severe storms made it to our area, and we both went to bed a bit after midnight.  Once again, we are thankful for protection for The Compound.  Needless to say, we are a bit tired today, along with a lot of other people I'm sure. 

Happy Fathers Day

 TWIT and I would like to wish my faithful readers that are fathers or substitute fathers a very happy Fathers Day.  The Old Man has had a goof Fathers Day.  I made him one of his favorite breakfast meals, SOS.  And then made his mother's/my grandmother's hamburger goulash for supper.  We're getting ready to cap the night off with some cheesecake.  He's happy and in a good mood, and his hip isn't hurting too much. I can't ask for much more. 

Flashback Friday

 During my purging the past couple of weeks, I found something yesterday that really intrigued me.  It was a small daily planner from 1985.  I haven't read it yet, but I will, and will post a picture of the little book later.  I can't wait to see what I had to say over 40 years ago.  

Stay tuned. 

Whew . . .

 For a couple of days, the weatherazzi was getting worked up over a big storm Wednesday night into Thursday morning. They were right.  At 5:00 this morning, the civil defense sirens went off and you could hear it the thunder, lightning and rain. The Old Man and I got up and turned on a local news channel to see what areas were under the tornado warnings.  Other than wind an a ton of rain, we were in the clear here in the south end.  The sirens stopped at 6:00 and they cancelled the tornado warnings, so we went back to bed.  But the storms kept on - needless to say we didn't get much sleep. I definitely see a nap in my future. 

New Product Review

 

For weeks I have been reading about Blue Bell Red, White and Blue Bell ice cream, in honor of the mega 4th of July celebration.  I got a carton last week and it did not disappoint.  It's a Neapolitan version with strawberry, vanilla and blue berry ice creams.  I've had it for three nights now in old school cones.  I plan to have another tonight.  The Old Man ate a cone full but wasn't crazy about it - he is still a chocolate Moose Tracks fan.  But TWIT and I will give this not one but two thumbs up.  

Things That Make You Go Hmmmm

 There are a lot of homeless people here in our area, and I noticed that I've seen them usually sitting with their bags or shopping carts by an ice cooler in store parking lots.  On Saturday, I saw a woman with a shopping cart full of her belongings sitting on the sidewalk next to the ice cooler at Dollar General Store. As I got ready to pull out of the parking lot, I noticed something - she was plugging a charging cord into the electric outlet where the ice cooler was plugged in.  Then I saw her plug the cord into her cell phone.  Now I know whey they camp out by the ice coolers. 

Happy National Bourbon Day

 TWIT and I would like to wish you, faithful readers, a very happy National Bourbon Day.  The Old Man and I will be celebrating later tonight with a shot of Bulleit bourbon.  Enjoy. 

Flashback Friday

 June is here and that means the Catholic church picnics are here, too.  From June to September, Catholic churches in Kentucky have theirr annual fund-raising picnics.  Usually for Friday and Saturday evenings, the picnics have lots of food, games of chance, and beer - lots of beer.  Back in the day when I was a kid, a family friend would take me and her two sons to the local picnics on Friday and Saturday nights where we would go throughout the area with big garbage bags picking up empty beer cans.  We would keep the bags of cans in our garage until the big semi trailer was at the Dixie Manor shopping center collecting the 6 aluminum and paying for them.  For a kid, if we each got 6 or 7 bucks, we thought we were rich. 

Thank You, Sunshine

 Thank you sunshine and the wind coming out of the west that will help dry up some of the big flood waters in Lanesville and Corydon.  

Update About My Friends in Southern Indiana

Heavy rains started early this morning and Southern Indiana got hammered.  Lanesville and Corydon, both about a half hour from The Compound were flooded.  The flood waters rose in Lanesville first and then washed down to Corydon.  The pictures I saw online and on the news weren't pretty. I felt guilty coming home from getting hair cuts this morning during a monsoon, but the rain stopped here shortly, thank goodness.

Update From The Compound

 I've been laying low the past few days and just relaxing. I took a break from my clothes and stuff purging but was back at it today. 

Flashback Friday

 

Happy National Donut Day

 TWIT and I would like to wish you, faithful readers, a very happy National Donut Day.  The Old Man and I are going to celebrate with custard filled Long Johns.  It's not too late for you to get a donut and celebrate.

My Favorite Day Of The Year

 Ode To Billy Joe 

It was the third of June, another sleepy, dusty Delta day
I was out choppin' cotton and my brother was balin' hay
And at dinner time we stopped and walked back to the house to eat
And mama hollered at the back door "y'all remember to wipe your feet"
And then she said she got some news this mornin' from Choctaw Ridge
Today Billie Joe MacAllister jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge

Papa said to mama as he passed around the black eyed peas
"Well, Billie Joe never had a lick of sense, pass the biscuits, please"
"There's five more acres in the lower forty I've got to plow"
Mama said it was shame about Billie Joe, anyhow
Seems like nothin' ever comes to no good up on Choctaw Ridge
And now Billie Joe MacAllister jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge

And brother said he recollected when he and Tom and Billie Joe
Put a frog down my back at the Carroll County picture show
And wasn't I talkin' to him after church last Sunday night?
"I'll have another piece of apple pie, you know it just don't seem right"
"I saw him at the sawmill yesterday on Choctaw Ridge"
"And now you tell me Billie Joe's jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge"

Mama said to me "Child, what's happened to your appetite?"
"I've been cookin' all morning and you haven't touched a single bite"
"That nice young preacher, Brother Taylor, dropped by today"
"Said he'd be pleased to have dinner on Sunday, oh, by the way"
"He said he saw a girl that looked a lot like you up on Choctaw Ridge"
"And she and Billie Joe was throwing somethin' off the Tallahatchie Bridge"

A year has come 'n' gone since we heard the news 'bout Billie Joe
Brother married Becky Thompson, they bought a store in Tupelo
There was a virus going 'round, papa caught it and he died last Spring
And now mama doesn't seem to want to do much of anything
And me, I spend a lot of time pickin' flowers up on Choctaw Ridge

And drop them into the muddy water off the Tallahatchie Bridge

Update From The Compound

 It's still officially spring, and spring cleaning is under way here at The Compound.  Last week, I started on my bedroom and closet. I'm happy to report that since I retired in July 2022, I've lost 85 pounds.  I threw away a couple of bags of old clothes I would have been ashamed to give to a clothes closet, and have bagged up three more bags of bigger clothes to take to a clothes closet. I still makes me feel good that I'm getting rid of clothes that I can't wear, and better yet, being able to help someone who needs clothes. 

Drama Free Sunday

 It was a drama free Sunday here at The Compound.  I'm happy to say I had the best night's sleep last night than I'd had in weeks.  Not ashamed to say I went to bed at 10:00 and slept till 8:30.  The Old Man had a good night's sleep, too.  That's all you can ask for.

Happy National Hamburger Day

 TWIT and I would like to wish you, faithful readers, a happy National Hamburger Day.  I have some ground beef thawed and the Old Man and I will enjoy some hamburgers tonight.

Something You Don't Hear Every Day

 "I need you to get me a new can of hair spray", said by my 92 year old father.

Ohio Valley Weather Update

 We had more rain last night and this morning, but the sun has been out for the past couple of hours.  It will be short lived - heavy rain and storms moving in later today.  But the weatherazzi is calling for no rain for the next week.  We'll see.

Rain Rain Go Away

In the past 7 days, we've had 3.5 inches of rain here at The Compound.  The weatherazzi is calling for more rain and storms today and tomorrow.  It's been quite a while since we've seen the sun.  This weather makes me want to get in the bed and sleep.  

Happy Memorial Day

 TWIT and I would like to wish you, faithful readers, a very happy Memorial Day. Take some time today to remember and honor all of the military that have given their lives in service. 

A Day Of Rest

 The Old Man had a rough night last night - he was up for a couple of hours sick at his stomach.  After he threw up (TMI) he said he felt a bit better and was able to go back to bed for a few hours of sleep.  He's in his recliner now drinking some ginger ale and resting.  I hope he will be back in action soon. 

Update From The Compound

 I sprayed my ground hog repellant yesterday, but this morning I saw what I hope is the same spawn of Hogzilla.  I got with my neighbors on both sides of us and they set out their traps close to our barn.  I hope the traps will work. 

Update From The Compound

 I'm happy to report that we've seen the finches for the past couple of days, but not happy to report that I saw a spawn of Hogzilla this morning.  As soon as I post this I will go outside and spray the ground hog repellant around the little red barn and the gazebo.  

Stay tuned. 

Update From The Compound

 I am very happy to report that we saw three finches on the feeder this afternoon. I hope they bring all of their friends here after we get through with these storms. 

Update From The Compound

 It's been a couple of days and we haven't seen any finches on our finch feeder.  We hope they will remember that they could get lots of seeds here.  

Stay tuned. 

New Product Review

 

I read online earlier this week that Krispy Kreme was selling orange Dreamsicle glazed donuts, but only available from the 14th to the 17th.  I figured what's not to love about this combination? I love Krispy Kreme glazed donuts, and I love orange Dreamsicle pops.  So I got up earlier yesterday morning and went and got some for me and the Old Man to try.  

As soon as I got home, we tried them. They were borderline stale.  I can't imagine a Krispy Kreme store ever selling stale donuts. They weren't as orange-ish as I had hoped, but I couldn't get back how they were almost stale.  That having been said, TWIT gives them a thumb's down. 

New Product Review

 

I was at Walmart the other day, and after getting the Old Man a bag of Bugles, I headed down the aisle toward the check-out lane.  I passed by something that caught my eye - white bags of Nacho Cheese Doritos.  They are NKD, aka naked, because they don't have the orange cheese dust on them.  I was intrigued and bought a bag.  The Old Man and I tried them when I got home, and quickly found out they are also naked of some flavor.  You could barely taste the nacho cheese flavor.  The Old Man said they would be good with salsa, and I agree.  But I'm not impressed.  TWIT gives the NKD Nacho Cheese Doritos a thumbs down. 

Spring At The Compound

 This morning, I bought some thistle seed and am getting ready to go out and fill up our finch feeder.  I have a perfect view of the feeder from my chair, and enjoy seeing the finches.  I hope they will be back soon. 

Happy Mothers Day

TWIT and I would like to wish my faithful readers a happy Mothers Day.  I hope your day is filled with love and appreciation.  

My Faith In People Is Restored

 I was getting ready to leave Kroger this morning, when there was a drama.  An older lady was trying (key word) to park in the spot next to me but she couldn't.  A time or two I thought she was going to hit the old Silver Bullet.  A man that was parked on the other side of me was getting ready to leave, too, and he got back out of his car and walked over to the woman and asked if she wanted him to park the car for her.  She said yes, but repeatedly told him to "be careful."

As I finally pulled out, I rolled the window down and told the man that his mama would sure be proud of him.  

Flashback Friday

 Flashback to that time I was Florence of Arabia. 

Lost And Found

 The Old Man has a favorite long sleeve lightweight sweatshirt with a few buttons.  He loves this shirt more than any other shirts in his closet.  Every time I take the shirt to the laundry, I pray over it that it will last another washing.  Yesterday I told him I was going to get another almost identical sweatshirt to the laundry to get it softened up. He and I looked through his closet and dresser drawers last night and couldn't find it.  I knew I had bought one a couple of years ago.  Fast forward to a few minutes ago,  I went through his closet again and found the sweatshirt. I showed it to him and he said it's too heavy for summer but he would sure wear it this winter. Persistence pays off. 

Update:  I just bought him another lightweight sweatshirt with a few buttons on eBay. I showed him the picture of and he's happy.  My work is done. 

Thank You, Mother Nature

 Yesterday morning, one of the weather forecasts I read said we were going to get 2-3 inches of rain here in the Ville last night.  Luckily we got a shower.  Thank goodness for that. 

Happy Cinco De Mayo

 TWIT and I would like to wish you, faithful readers, a very happy Cinco de Mayo.  The Old Man and I are going to celebrate this afternoon by having chicken fajitas, guacamole, and a Margarita,  

Ole!

Derby Wrap Up

First of all, I want to report tta the aforementioned drama here at The Compound is under control and no longer a drama.

It was a busy week getting things ready for our now annual Derby weekend party with the kinfolk.  But it all came together.  We had a lot of fun packed into two and a half days.  There was no drama, and that's all I can ask for.

The Old Man and I had a nice nap after our early supper.  Now to tackle the new week.  

Updates From The Compound

 Everything is cleared, cleaned and ready for our kinfolk to come on Friday for the Derby weekend.

I don't have the energy to get into it now but I'm dealing with a drama here at The Compound.  I am putting it off and will deal with it on Monday when the kinfolk leave.  

Stay tuned. 

My Typical Luck

 We're in get things together mode for our annual Derby weekend festivities at the Compound, and now the freezer in the garage isn't freezing.  It's cold, but not freezing.  I honestly don't have the patience to deal with it now.  I found the owners manual that my Sweet Mother had tucked away and went out and set the temp to Fast Freeze.  We'll see if it works.  

Stay tuned. 

And They're Off

 Today kicks off Derby week here in the Ville.  The Great Balloon Race and the Mini Marathon are going on right now.

My Favorite Cousin and her Dear Husband will arrive on Friday for their annual Derby weekend visit.  The Old Man and I have our food and adult beverage list made out, and now we just wait. 

Branching Out

I stepped out of my cooking comfort zone yesterday and made something that is one of the Old Man's favorites - macaroni salad.  Normally I would buy it at the grocery store or deli but yesterday I made it myself.  It made me feel proud when he kept carrying on about how good it was.  And he even had a second helping.  He told me to be sure and put the rest in the fridge.  

Let Them Eat Cake

I got a new issue of Taste of Home magazine the other day, and gave it to the Old Man to read. After reading the magazine thoroughly, he handed it to me. He had torn a few strips of paper and had them in the magazine to mark some pages he wanted me to read.  One of the recipes he marked was lemon blueberry cake.  He said "I'm going to make you a baker. " That is a pretty tall order, coming from a man who did a lot of baking.  He said "It's like any other recipe - you just follow the directions."  Right.

Stay tuned. 

Still No Anxiety

 The weatherazzi is still calling for a lot of rain and some severe storms tomorrow for Thunder Over Louisville.  But once again, since I am not going, I have no anxiety.  I did my weekend grocery shopping today so I won't be getting out in the rain tomorrow.  I do feel sorry for the hundreds of thousands of people that are planning to go.  

No Anxiety

 The big Thunder Over Louisville air show and fireworks is this Saturday. I have no anxiety about it whatsoever, because once again, I am not going. I will admit I enjoyed it the first few times I went with some friends, but even then I would be nerved up the week before - what to take, and more worrisome, where to park.  It was cool to not only see the fireworks but to be able to feel when they would boom.  But the traffic getting home was just too much to handle. Everyone that is planning on going should be nerved up about it right now - they are calling for severe storms Saturday evening.  They've only cancelled it twice - the first time in 2020 when Covid was rampant, and then last year due to flooding.  But I'm not nerved up at all. 

Monday, Monday

 It was a bittersweet morning as I packed up my paint brushes, paints and bottle caps and put them away until the fall.  I can't begin to say how much I enjoy painting and crafting.  It is so therapeutic to do, plus I can do it at the kitchen table while six feet away from the Old Man in his recliner if he needs me. 

Craft Bazaar Report

 It was a beatutiful spring day yesterday, but unfortunately that didn't urge the shoppers to come out.  I did sell twice what I sold at the Christmas bazaar, so I was happy with that. 

Unless I can find any summer bazaars, I will hang up my paint brushes and store my bottle caps until the early fall. 

Almost Show Time

 The Silver Bullet is almost loaded up for the craft bazaar tomorrow.  I bought a cool lightweight folding wagon to use - the other folding wagon I had been using was heavy and cumbersome getting it in and out of the back of the van.  I also bought a cool Snoopy cross body bag to use for my keys, phone and my ones, fives and tens for my change.  Nothing to do now but wait until I go this evening to set up. 

A Busy Day

 Tomorrow evening I will go to the church and set up my booth for the craft bazaar.  I've been busy this morning packing up all of my bottle cap crafts into plastic bins with lids.  It will make for easy transport and easier storage.  I put together my display racks to make sure all is well and other than taking the bins and stuff out to the van, I am good to go.  Bring it on. 

A Busy Week

 I've been busy this week putting the finishing touches on my bottle cap art, and getting everything ready for the craft bazaar on Saturday.  Tomorrow I will load the Silver Buller with all of my stuff and be ready to go to the church on Friday evening to set up.

Once again, I can't say how much I enjoy the painting and crafting.  I don't care if I get a dollar back in sales - I just enjoy the painting and seeing something that people would like (hopefully) to buy.

A Great Monday

 The Old Man has been dealing with sciatica pain for the last few weeks.  A friend called yesterday and asked if we could meet her out in our part of town for dinner.  I asked the Old Man, and he said sure. I prayed last night for no pain today.  We had a great early dinner with our friend and stayed at the restaurant two hours talking.  It sure was a great Monday. 

Flashback Saturday

 Yesterday was the anniversary of the April 3, 1974 tornado outbreak.  It was one of the biggest and worst tornado outbreak in the country.  Cherokee Park here in Louisville was almost wiped out and the fairgrounds were badly damaged.  There was other devastation but these two were the worst.  But other than seeing pictures of the park with trees, one thing about the tornadoes still stands out in my memory. On April 4, schools and businesses were closed, and I vividly remember going with my Sweet Mother and Grandpa to the drugstore, and in the 52 years since, I have never seen a sky as crystal clear and blue. 

April Fools

 Yesterday was my Sweet Mother's favorite day of the year - April Fools Day.  From the moment I got up in the morning until I went to bed at night, she would prank me.  And would be successful at it. Gullible me, I would fall for her prank every time.  

The best one she pulled was one morning when I was getting my coffee.  She was in the family room and said "Would you look at that big white rabbit out in the yard?"  As I said, gullible me, I went to look out the window, all the while she was laughing.

I sure missed her a lot yesterday. 

Busy As A Bee

 My next craft bazaar is April 11, and I am in full bottle cap flower making mode.  I had an idea this weekend to make some bigger flowers that would look more like sunflowers, so I went on a search through the house for bigger jar and bottle lids.  I quickly discovered that the plastic lids don't take the paint as well as the metal bottle caps.  I decided this morning then I take the Old Man's watch to the watch repair guy, I will go to Hobby Lobby and get a can of spray paint, hoping it will work better.

Stay tuned. 

Update From The Compound

 It's been a frustrating week here at The Compound,  Last Sunday while I was in the drive thru line at KFC, all of a sudden the engine revved up while the van was in park.  On the short drive home, the van was running rough.  I called a shop up the road on Monday and asked if they could run the diagnostic test on it to see what caused the check engine light to be on.  They said I would need to bring it up there on Wednesday and leave it. Not going to happen. This frustrated me. Tuesday morning, I went to Auto Zone to have them use their tester.  As my luck goes, they tried 4 testers and couldn't get any of them to register. They did me a huge favor by telling me to take it to a repair shop across the street.  I did, and they tested it and said it was a bad spark plug or a bad ignition coil. I told them to replace all six spark plugs. They checked their parts supplier and they only had 4 in stock, but could get more the next morning.  I knew I couldn't bring it back Wednesday because that is my Bible study day, so I said I'd be back Thursday.  And I asked if it would be OK to still drive it till they could fix it and they said other than it running rough, I would be fine. 

Thursday morning, I was up there early.  They put on the spark plugs and it was still running rough. The manager told the mechanic to go check all six of the coils. Lo and behold, one was bad. They ordered a coil from their supplier, and the part was there in about 15 minutes.  They put it on, and now it runs quietly.  Well, as quietly as a 26 year old mini-van can run.

Play Ball

 We found out two days ago that Spectrum cable will have the Reds.Tv.  We are watching the pre-game show now and am waiting for first pitch at 4:10;

Go Reds!

Ohio Valley Weather Update

 Saturday, the high was 83.  Yesterday, the high was 88.  Both days were beautiful and sunny.  A cold fron moved through last night late, bringing some storms and wind.  As I type this the temperature is 42, and with wind out of the north, it feels like 26.  To sum this up, yesterday evening I turned on the a/c for a few hours, and then flipped it back to the furnace because I knew it would be cold.  

Something You Don't See Every Day

Let me preface by saying this isn't politically correct but there's no other way I can say this.  

I was getting ready to go into Gordon Food Service this morning for coffee, and as I pulled up and parked, a few people came out of the store, and they were Hispanic.  One of them was a midget.  I've never seen a Hispanic midget, or little person, however you want to say it.  That's about all I can say. 

Flashback Friday

 

Not Looking Good For The Home Team

 We found out a couple of months ago that MLB.TV is taking over the broadcasting of the majority of the MLB teams, including the Reds.  And unfortunately Spectrum hasn't reached a deal with Reds.TV yet.  I'm not going to buy a new smart TV, only to have to pay to subscribe to MLB.TV.  Opening Day is a week away, so I'm hoping Spectrum will reach a deal.  If not, it's going to be a long summer for the Old Man. 

Ohio Valley Weather Update

On Sunday, we had winds of 40-50 mph all day. At night, we had tornadoes and rain.  Monday morning and yesterday morning, we had temps down in the 30s with some light snow.  I'm ready for this mess to end.  

Happy St. Patrick's Day

 Top o' the mornin' to you, ladds and lasses!  Here's one of my all-time favorite jokes, that just happens to be an Irish joke.

Paddy O'Bryan was not home at his usual hour, and his wife Kathleen was fuming, as the clock ticked later and later. Finally, about 3:00 AM she heard a noise at the front door, and as she stood at the top of the stairs, there was her husband, drunk as a skunk, trying to navigate the stairs.

"Do you realize what time it is?" she said.

He answered, "Don't get excited, I'm late because I bought something for the house."

Immediately her attitude changed, and as she ran down the stairs to help him, she said, "What did you buy for the house, dear?"

His answered, "A round of drinks!"

Under The Weather Again

I am under the weather, literally and figuratively.  I made a full recovery from my stomach bug, and now have a head cold.  And we are expecting bad storms with high winds tonight.  I don't feel bad - just dealing with head congestion.  

Stay tuned. 

Back In Action

  I was under the weather yesterday - I caught a stomach bug and had a rough Tuesday night, and didn't get much sleep. So I stayed home yesterday and rested. I ate some chicken soup broth last night and feel much better and rested today.  I even felt good enough this morning to get back to painting bottle caps.

Update From The Compound

 I am very happy t report that the big freezer is still working fine.  That is a load off my mind. 

Update From The Compound

 I was relieved to find that when I adjusted the temperature on the freezer that all is back to normal on it.  I know  - I usually say "normal" is just a setting on the washing machine.  But everything was still frozen.  As I said yesterday, lesson learned. 

A Not So Amusing Morning

 I did a stupid and careless thing on Friday - I put something in the upright freezer in the garage and didn't pay attention, and when I went out this morning to get something out of the freezer, the door hadn't closed all the way.  The foods that were on the shelves on the door were all thawed out, but the rest of the foods in the freezer seemed to still be frozen. 

Lesson learned. 

An Amusing Morning

 I went to my weekly trip to Kroger this morning, and I sure was glad I took along my raincoat.  As I was leaving the store, it was pouring down.  I am almost ashamed to say I sat in the parking lot for ten minutes before I left to watch people running in and out of the store in the pouring rain.  It sure was entertaining. 

Thank You Sunshine

 After almost a week of rain and clouds, we are happy to see the sun today.  And as I post this, it is 70 degrees.  I might have to get out a pair of shorts to wear later just because I can.  

Rain Rain Go Away

 It poured almost all day yesterday, last night and again almost all day long so far.  Rain is in the forecast for the next few days.  Ugh. 

Wow. Just Wow

 On the entire way to the east end church where I have my weekly Bible study, the rain was so hard it was hard to see the cars in front of you.  I kept it slow, and was thankful that the most of the other drivers kept it slow as well.  I made it there fine, and on the way home, the sun was out.  Thankful for safe travels today. 

Tuesday. Tuesday

 I apologize for not posting the past few days.  My heart has been heavy for dear friends going through so much right now.  Though I might not be able to physically help them, the one thing I can and am doing is praying for them. 

A Better Saturday

 The Old Man had a better day today, which made me have a better day.  

Not A Happy Friday

 The Old Man is having a very bad day.  His arthritis and sciatica is flaring up, and he said he can barely walk. He has a few other health issues going on, too.  I just prayed for relief from pain, for strength, and for a good attitude. 

Ohio Valley Weather Update

 When I got up this morning, it was pouring rain.  And on my cell phone there were several "snow alerts", saying the rain would change over to snow this morning.  Believe me when I tell you I wanted to just crawl back in bed.  But thank goodness the rain stopped and we haven't had snow.  

Random Fact About Me

 Back in the day, I used to be able to yodel. I listened to an old country song "I Want To Be A Cowboy's Sweetheart" by Patsy Montana, and after listening to it non-stop, I was able to yodel her part in the song. When I got my small portable karaoke machine, I made sure I downloaded that song so I could sing and yodel to my heart's content. 

Winter Is Still Back

 If you've followed me for any amount of time on TWIT, you know that I like to be cool, especially in the winter,  But for the past few weeks with us being in the deep freeze here in the Ohio Valley, the cold has affected me.  After I post this I am putting another Duraflame log in the fireplace.  Just because I can. 

Winter Is Still Back

 Yesterday, the high was 28 and very windy.  We had a few minutes of some snow.  As I type this now, it's 21 and windy.  Enough already.

Winter Is Back

 The weatherazzi is calling for a "coating" of snow tonight, with highs in the low 30s tomorrow.  

I knew it was too good to be true.  

Updates From The Compound

I am very happy to report that we've been steadily getting mail since last Saturday.  And thanks to a couple of 70 degree days this week, the snow is gone. 

My back is better than it was on Sunday but it's still hurting some.  The Old Man is still dealing with sciatica pain, but thank the Lord it's not near as bad as it was the first of the week.  

Yesterday

 Yesterday was one hell of a day.  When I went to bed Saturday night, my lower back was hurting.  There was no way I could get in the bed that it didn't hurt.  When I got up yesterday morning, for a minute I thought I was going to have to use the Old Man's walker. After taking extra strength Tylenol all day and night and after sitting on the heating pad most of the day, when I woke up this morning there was no pain.  I can move around without pain.  Well, almost no pain; the darned arthritis in my knee is flaring up, but I can deal with that.

Happy Valentine's Day

 TWIT and I would like to wish you, faithful readers, a very happy Valentines Day.  Tell somebody that you love them. 

Post-Snowmageddon Mail Update

 On Saturday, we got two pieces of mail - one was a 1099 form I needed from my retirement fund and the second was an ad from Westshore Homes.  Yesterday, we got two pieces of mail - one was a form letter from Medicare for the Old Man and the second was an ad for gutter helmets.  Nothing today. 

Snowmageddon 2026, Day 18

 The high yesterday was 70. Yes, 70 degrees. A big hunk of snow melted.  It's sunny now, and 46 degrees - I will gladly keep the temps above freezing.

Yesterday, we got two pieces of mail - a Land's End catalog and what I have been waiting for - my retirement fund 1099.  I will now be able to file my income tax returns.  

Still waiting on a lot of birthday cards and other assorted mail.  Maybe we'll get more today.

As of now, I am officially saying Snowmageddon 2026 is over. 

Snowmageddon 2026, Day 17

 The snow melted a tiny bit yesterday, thanks to the sunshine.  The forecast is calling for the temp to get up to 60 today with more sunshine.

Once again, no mail yesterday.  Maybe today. 

Snowmageddon 2026, Day 16

 It was cloudy yesterday so no sun to melt some of the snow, but today the sun is shining brightly on my old Kentucky home.  As I post this, it is 41 degrees - hopefully the temp with the sun will melt a bit more.

The Old Man had a doctor's appointment this morning, and I was so thankful for a clear ramp and driveway for him and his walker to maneuver.  On our way home, he suggested to stop by the post office and see if we could get our mail.  I went in and right back out - 10 people in the "getting mail" line.   I just got home from dropping a bag of laundry at the corner laundramat, and I went to the post office again.  I was in line for 25 minutes - with 5 people in front of me.  During that time, the line didn't move.  I said screw it and came home.  Maybe we'll get mail today.

Snowmageddon 2026, Day 16

 I am happy to report that we can actually see some grass underneath the snow.  There are a few patches showing, but it's an improvement.  It's cloudy today, so I'm sure we won't see the sun cine out.

I was excited briefly yesterday afternoon when Neighbor Nick said he had mail.  It wasn't worth bundling up to go to our mailbox - all we had was an ad for Westshore Homes.  Maybe tomorrow. 

Snowmageddon 2026, Day 15

 As I post this, it's 22 degrees but the sun is shining brightly on my old Kentucky home.  I was thankful that we didn't get the ice/freezing rain they called for yesterday.

For a few minutes yesterday afternoon, my spirits were lifted. Neighbor Nick checked and said I had mail in our box, and that he would bring it up to the front porch.  My hopes were quickly erased when I saw one small box with something I'd bought on eBay 3 weeks ago.  Maybe today. 

Snowmageddon 2026, Day 14

 It was a warm 26 degrees when I got up this morning.  As I post this, the weather app on my phone is saying heavy ice falling for the next hour.  Great.  Still no mail, but Amazon sure doesn't have any problems delivering to us. 

Snowmageddon 2026, Day 13

 When I got up this morning it was 9 degrees. It's up to a balmy 24 degrees this afternoon.  

Today is day 13 with no mail delivery.   Not much else to say, other than I am thankful for the warmth of our house and the help and care of our neighbors. 

Snowmageddon 2026, Day 12

 As I post this, it's 23 degrees - one of the "warmest" mornings we've had in weeks.  Yesterday marks 11 days since we've gotten any mail.  

We got a dusting of snow yesterday afternoon.  It was pretty watching the giant flakes falling while I was in my recliner. 

Snowmageddon 2026, Day 11

 When I got up this morning, it was 26 degrees - the warmest morning temperature we've had in over three weeks.  As I type this post, it's 40 degrees.  The weatherazzi is still calling for 1-3 inches of snow this afternoon and evening. Just what we need. 

Neighbor Nick went out yesterday afternoon and chiseled a path to our mailbox for us.  Now if we can just get the USPS to get us our mail.  

Snowmageddon 2026, Day 10

 When I got up this morning, it was 21 degrees. That is one of the warmest temperatures we've had in two weeks.  It got up to 34 today, melting a tiny bit of snow.

We still haven't gotten any mail, but the Old Man did get his Monday morning newspaper and the garbagemen picked up as well. 

The weatherazzi is calling for about an inch of snow late tomorrow afternoon.  To get prepared, I went out and put down some rock salt on the back porch ramp and on the front porch steps.  

Snowmageddon 2026, Day 9

When I got up this morning, it was -5, but I was thankful for a warm house and for the sunshine.  It's supposed to get up to 23 today, and the weatherazzi claims it will get above freezing Wednesday and Thursday. 

Yesterday morning, Neighbor Josh came over and climbed mini Mt. Everest and got our mail for us.  I apologized to him - we only had a small box from eBay and a junk mail ad from AAA.  I signed up for the USPS Informed Delivery - they scan in your mail and send you a text or email showing what is supposed (key word) to be delivered that day.  According to them, we should have had 8 birthday cards, 2 bills, and some statements I will need for filing my income taxes.  Neighbor Josh said they hadn't had any mail since last Saturday.  But his efforts weren't all lost - he got our garbage can out of the snow mound, and put it on a dry spot in the driveway.  I sure am thankful for good neighbors.

Snowmageddon 2026, Day 8

 As I post this, it's 3 degrees, and unfortunately it's cloudy and doesn't look we'll see any sun today.  I ventured out to the library yesterday to get some books for the Old Man, and I went next door to Meijer to get a jar of dill pickles for my potato salad, and I noticed a trend.  The older people, re: my age, were wearing heavy coats, hats, gloves and good shoes, while the younger people were wearing hoodies, pajama pants, and Crocs.  

Snowmageddon 2026, Day 7

 As I post this morning, it's 14 degrees and once again, it is sunny.  

We haven't had a newspaper all week, and I am still not going to risk falling to attempt to get to the mailbox.  Neighbor Nick came back home yesterday, and said he would clear out the snow in front of our mail boxes and would clear the snow away from our garbage can .  

Snowmageddon 2026, Day 6

 Yesterday morning when I got up, it was -6, and luckily the sun was out all day.  We didn't know how to act - it got up to 30 yesterday afternoon.  I ventured out yesterday to Walgreens, and you could actually see a tiny bit of water on the side of the road where the snow is very slowly melting. 

Snowmageddon 2026, Day 5

As I post this, it is -4 here, but once again, the sun is shining bright on my old Kentucky home. It's still way below freezing, but the sun is melting a bit of the snow.  We haven't gotten a newspaper nor any mail this week.  But I always say no mail, no bills.  

Snowmageddon 2026, Day 4

 As I post this, the temperature is 12 degrees, and once again the sun is shining brightly on my old Kentucky home.  It's supposed to get up to 25 today. 

Just as I thought, Saint Marvin came over yesterday morning and cleared the driveway again.  With the sunshine yesterday melting some of the snow, it sure is good to see concrete on the driveway. 

On a related snow note, my birthday streak continues.  There has been snow on the ground on all but two of my birthdays. 

Snowmageddon 2026, Day 3

 As I post this, the temperature is 5. But the sun is shining brightly on my old Kentucky home.  When the stopped yesterday afternoon, we had a total of 11,4" here at The Compound.

Yesterday morning, our neighbor Marvin across the road used his new big snow blower and cleared our driveway and the back porch ramp.  Of course, we got a couple more inches after he cleared, but I'm not complaining. I will refer to him from now on as Saint Marvin. 

Snowmageddon 2026, Day 2

 As of 9:00 this morning, we have 8.8" of snow, and the temperature is 16.  It looks like snow plows haven't been on our road yet.  There is a lull in the snow right now, but it is supposed to start back up soon. 

While I watched the morning local news, pretty much every church here in the 'Ville is closed today.  They were interviewing the Mayor via Zoom, and he said something that impressed me.  He said that all of the Louisville public libraries are open until 5:00 during the snow storm so people can go in and get warm and charge up their phones.  That's a great humanitarian gesture but with the people will have a heck of a time getting there. 

Snowmageddon 2026

 As of 1:15 here at The Compound, Snowmageddon has begun.  So far, it's a fine snow but you can see it on roof tops and on the grass.

We are as prepared as we can be.  I am still praying for the power to stay on and for the pipes not to freeze.  We had a good late lunch and are warm and ready for a nap.  When we wake up, I will put a log in the fireplace.  

Snow storm/birthday week meals and treats are planned.  Tomorrow, I will make a pot of taco soup.

Stay tuned for updates.