When I was 30 yrs old I started walking "the Horn" after my daughter Daisy got on the bus for school at 8 in the morning every day. I met a lot of people that lived in Rockton and I am so glad I got to know several of the "old timers"
Donna Kuntz was one of those lovely folk who became my friend. Little did I know that my visits to her elderly father would endear me to her at the time. Many days I left my home for a walk depressed, often stopping to chat with Andy for 20 to 30 minutes as he sat outside to enjoy the day. As he got older and his health declined I made an effort to stop at the house and visit for an hour. Donna cared for her dying mother, Andy's wife and then Andy also. She appreceated the time I spent listening to her father's stories and lifting his spirits as there are few people who have time for an old man.
Andy had wonderful histories of the people that lived in Rockton during his lifetime, what it was like delivering mail, how hard it was on him when his baby girl, Donna got polio, the tragedy of his son's suicide, and the heartbreaking loss of Donna's husband during WWII while she was pregnant with their child.
I am gratefull my life was on a common road with Donna Kuntz as she enriched my life and I will miss her loving me.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010
Puttting up veggys
I love having jars of food in the cupboard that we eat. Over the years there have been foods put by that we didn't like or that the recipe didn't pan out. As a consequence, foods that are our favorites or get eatten the most.are what get canned.
Vegetable soup is a two day process and I get about 18 quarts that we enjoy for more than a year. The vegetables need to be ripe at the same time or some have to be bought or begged. This year the only thing I had to buy was the meat and celery and it is delicious, I had one quart that didn't seal that we ate for lunch.
Currently I am working on tomatoes, plain sauce, spaghetti and juice, plain and V8. I have been giving quite a few away because I don't have time to do the canning right away. Howard got the dishwasher (18") installed so I can wash jars in it, YIPPEE.
The glut of veggys is always a "problem" this time of year when time is a challenge to juggle. I took a large box of cabbage, tomatoes, greenbeans and carrots over to the shelter the other day. I am sure the indigent folks there enjoyed the homegrown tomatoes.
There are four wedding gowns and countless dresses associated with those weddings here to work on. I have been to the orthodontist's office (2 hr visits each time) three times in 7 days and as a consequence am feeling stressed to get my own work done. Then there was the depression and inability to deal with stress that I have been trying to get a handle on. On top of that a stressfull friend needed some place to stay till she could get some help. We got her into the shelter for now and hopefully she will get her life back on track.
I am needing some time to do some sewing without calls, folks dropping in and appointments so I can get some sewing done!
Vegetable soup is a two day process and I get about 18 quarts that we enjoy for more than a year. The vegetables need to be ripe at the same time or some have to be bought or begged. This year the only thing I had to buy was the meat and celery and it is delicious, I had one quart that didn't seal that we ate for lunch.
Currently I am working on tomatoes, plain sauce, spaghetti and juice, plain and V8. I have been giving quite a few away because I don't have time to do the canning right away. Howard got the dishwasher (18") installed so I can wash jars in it, YIPPEE.
The glut of veggys is always a "problem" this time of year when time is a challenge to juggle. I took a large box of cabbage, tomatoes, greenbeans and carrots over to the shelter the other day. I am sure the indigent folks there enjoyed the homegrown tomatoes.
There are four wedding gowns and countless dresses associated with those weddings here to work on. I have been to the orthodontist's office (2 hr visits each time) three times in 7 days and as a consequence am feeling stressed to get my own work done. Then there was the depression and inability to deal with stress that I have been trying to get a handle on. On top of that a stressfull friend needed some place to stay till she could get some help. We got her into the shelter for now and hopefully she will get her life back on track.
I am needing some time to do some sewing without calls, folks dropping in and appointments so I can get some sewing done!
Thursday, August 26, 2010
These days.
Back again and doing better.
I had a rough week of depression a few weeks ago after several months of being well without medication. It really caught me off guard when I began getting depressed late morning and it would get worse as the afternoon went. It was very severe for a week. I discovered the Neurontin I was taking at night for the fibro was helping the depression so I started taking it in the morning too. Also started taking sAMe every day too. I am feeling better but subject to stress so at those times I am taking a third neurontin to cover.
I had a rough week of depression a few weeks ago after several months of being well without medication. It really caught me off guard when I began getting depressed late morning and it would get worse as the afternoon went. It was very severe for a week. I discovered the Neurontin I was taking at night for the fibro was helping the depression so I started taking it in the morning too. Also started taking sAMe every day too. I am feeling better but subject to stress so at those times I am taking a third neurontin to cover.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Transfering audio books to iPOD at two in the morning
Why am I awake? Did I drink too much coffee this morning? Are there too many cats on the bed? Possibly.
I love listening to audio books and if I turn the iPod on when I go to bed I don't want to quit listening. so I just finished up a neat adult fairy tale and wanted to add the latest two books I downloaded to my iPod. Now that that is done. I should go to sleep but the cats (three) are still on the bed so I shall sleep on the couch.
The last time I slept on the couch one of the cats brought a frog in the house and dropped it on my face which woke me immediately. I have had the opportunity to hold several of God's creatures lately because of the cats, the frog being one of them. Today it was a very new baby bunny. I did not think I was going to be able to get it from the cat, Patches but by the third try I was holding that precious thing. I held it till it came to it's sences and I released it in the woods. The other day it was a young bird that Cookie had caught that she allowed me to take from her. Again I held it till it became aware and let it fly away.
I am still feeling better and the dark cloud I was dealing with last week seems to be in the past. The terror that comes with those dark moods will be with me for a while. I needed to be reminded of that horrible place so when I have an opportunity to talk with anyone about their depression I will have that place fresh in my mind.
God is good.
I love listening to audio books and if I turn the iPod on when I go to bed I don't want to quit listening. so I just finished up a neat adult fairy tale and wanted to add the latest two books I downloaded to my iPod. Now that that is done. I should go to sleep but the cats (three) are still on the bed so I shall sleep on the couch.
The last time I slept on the couch one of the cats brought a frog in the house and dropped it on my face which woke me immediately. I have had the opportunity to hold several of God's creatures lately because of the cats, the frog being one of them. Today it was a very new baby bunny. I did not think I was going to be able to get it from the cat, Patches but by the third try I was holding that precious thing. I held it till it came to it's sences and I released it in the woods. The other day it was a young bird that Cookie had caught that she allowed me to take from her. Again I held it till it became aware and let it fly away.
I am still feeling better and the dark cloud I was dealing with last week seems to be in the past. The terror that comes with those dark moods will be with me for a while. I needed to be reminded of that horrible place so when I have an opportunity to talk with anyone about their depression I will have that place fresh in my mind.
God is good.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
sAMe and more neurontin
Depression hovered like a cloud over my head all last week. I recognized it right away even though I had very little of it over the past 16 years. The Effexor has been out of my system for four months and I have been feeling as well as before I went off the drug. The odd thing was I would wake up fine and the depression would begine to slide in around 10 to 11 am. I got to thinking that maybe the neurontin that I was taking at night may be helping and was wearing off in the morning so I began taking it in the morning also. There was quite a bit of relief but not enough so I added sAMe also and am feeling much bette but not totally the same.
I don't know what moods are normal for people. I can expect a down day but don't want it. I do a lot of self talk to banish the negative thoughts that want to run with my brain. So I am also taking some B complex and multi oil (fish, borage, flaxseed, etc.). This week is going better. I find myself praying more. I have lost some of the confidence that all will be well in the world. I am also getting rid of some of the stuff that is stressing me. (All the male ducks and the ducklings). I am making an effort to get my exercise a few thimes a week.
What's next? I am hanging in there!
I don't know what moods are normal for people. I can expect a down day but don't want it. I do a lot of self talk to banish the negative thoughts that want to run with my brain. So I am also taking some B complex and multi oil (fish, borage, flaxseed, etc.). This week is going better. I find myself praying more. I have lost some of the confidence that all will be well in the world. I am also getting rid of some of the stuff that is stressing me. (All the male ducks and the ducklings). I am making an effort to get my exercise a few thimes a week.
What's next? I am hanging in there!
Monday, August 2, 2010
What am I going to do with the squash?
Yep, folks better lock their car doors because I have got lots of squash and I pick it small!
I already grated a lot of squash and packaged it with the food saver and put it in the freezer but I suppose I can do some more.
Today Rylan (my grandson) and I dug up a row of Yucon Gold potatoes and had an interesting time. We found lavae eating the potatoes and doing a number on them at that. After some research I found that they are white grubs, the larvae of June bugs. They don't normally bother potatoes but the grubs were in the soil before we worked it into garden and found the potatoes growing around them to be good food. Four more rows of potatoes to dig when they are ready. We got about a half of a bushel of potatoes.
The mulching of gardens is going slow. I have been able to haul and spread two cartloads a couple times a week. It sure helps that we have had this cooler weather. The work is good exercise, especially for the abs, lifting forkfulls of mulch into the cart. The hardest part of the job is backing the cart up and getting it to go where I want it to go. Howard makes it look so easy!
I thank God that I found homes for all the ducklings except one and both the drakes. I was getting really stressed out aout the ducklings that hatched out (at least 24) and then I found two new nests the the ducks were setting on, AGAIN. So there are three ducks (hens) here and the goofy littly runt of a duckling that doesn't seem to be growing. I have everyone watching for a possible fourth duck that may be setting on a nest. She will come off the nest at some point if that is the case. It is also possible that something killed and ate her.
There are way too many critters in the neighborhood.We have a young racoon that is coming around and feels right at home here and I see that as trouble. Hopefully we can get him trapped and carried away. When Don and Deb came to check the corn they have planted here, they saw a good sized (maybe 200 pounds) bear headed for the garden, and Debbie went into action scaring it off . She has been salvating over this corn ever since we planted it in May!
Daisy took one of our cats and I hope he likes it at her house. The cats she brought to our house over the years sure like it here. So we are down to 6 cats which is a relief.
What a life!
I already grated a lot of squash and packaged it with the food saver and put it in the freezer but I suppose I can do some more.
Today Rylan (my grandson) and I dug up a row of Yucon Gold potatoes and had an interesting time. We found lavae eating the potatoes and doing a number on them at that. After some research I found that they are white grubs, the larvae of June bugs. They don't normally bother potatoes but the grubs were in the soil before we worked it into garden and found the potatoes growing around them to be good food. Four more rows of potatoes to dig when they are ready. We got about a half of a bushel of potatoes.
The mulching of gardens is going slow. I have been able to haul and spread two cartloads a couple times a week. It sure helps that we have had this cooler weather. The work is good exercise, especially for the abs, lifting forkfulls of mulch into the cart. The hardest part of the job is backing the cart up and getting it to go where I want it to go. Howard makes it look so easy!
I thank God that I found homes for all the ducklings except one and both the drakes. I was getting really stressed out aout the ducklings that hatched out (at least 24) and then I found two new nests the the ducks were setting on, AGAIN. So there are three ducks (hens) here and the goofy littly runt of a duckling that doesn't seem to be growing. I have everyone watching for a possible fourth duck that may be setting on a nest. She will come off the nest at some point if that is the case. It is also possible that something killed and ate her.
There are way too many critters in the neighborhood.We have a young racoon that is coming around and feels right at home here and I see that as trouble. Hopefully we can get him trapped and carried away. When Don and Deb came to check the corn they have planted here, they saw a good sized (maybe 200 pounds) bear headed for the garden, and Debbie went into action scaring it off . She has been salvating over this corn ever since we planted it in May!
Daisy took one of our cats and I hope he likes it at her house. The cats she brought to our house over the years sure like it here. So we are down to 6 cats which is a relief.
What a life!
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