Kitty Weather

We've been having some sunny warm temps outside, and it's funny how the cats always crave to go outside and take advantage of that, as much as we do.

Beanie always looked like she was saying "that's not fair!" whenever we let Bossy out, but made her stay inside, so we bought a leash for her.  We don't trust her yet to not run off if we just let her roam free, but I suppose she will earn our trust eventually.  

So we introduced her to our back yard for the first time, attached to a leash, and she was very interested in everything.

Aren't I beautiful?

...including my flower bed.

Bossy was more interested in inspecting my veggie garden beds.  I have no idea what she expected to find in there.  Maybe she was just showing off her freedom from a leash.

While the kitties were enjoying the outdoors, I got busy finally weeding out my flower bed.

Those dang chives are so invasive!!  I had to get a spade and dig them out.  It took a long time (hours!) to get them out all, and I had no idea until later that I was earning a "badge of honor" on the palm of my hand in the form of peeled-off skin.  It still hurts and is not very pretty, so I won't gross you out with a picture.  Just use your imagination.

Meanwhile, we had this pile of dirt delivered to our house.

And so we were stuck with the job of shoveling all that dirt into these four beds.

Chuck is a hard worker, but even he needs a break every now and then.

I was busy with weeding and unchiving (de-chiving?) my flower bed, but I went to help Chuck when I was done.  I was actually very glad to do the work with him because I needed the exercise and was glad to get some.

While Chuck was "sleeping on the job",  I noticed that Bossy was very distracted with something.

You have too look closely to see it, but Bossy was creeping up on a robin.

Of course the bird saw her coming.  Doesn't Bossy realize that black and white does not camouflage very well in green grass?  She would make a terrible soldier.

Anyway, it was entertaining to watch her.

Back to work!

So we got those beds filled up, and now we got this much dirt left.  But we have a plan for it.

Someone from Chuck's work said that she would give us some raspberry bushes.

Mmmmm...........yummy.

But where are we gonna put them?

We walked around the yard and discussed this, and for awhile we disagreed.

Chuck wanted to put them here, in this "hole" against the fence.

I was "mad" at him for chopping down that patch of "weeds" because it was a thick patch of fireweed and looks so pretty when they're all in full bloom.   Plus, that is where I like to throw my rhubarb scraps. He said "don't worry, they will grow back again....."

Question:  If the raspberry bushes are lined up along that fence, and if we let the fireweed patch grow again, the raspberries will be hidden, and I'll have to get behind all that fireweed to get to the raspberries. Where is the logic in that?  

To me, it made more sense to put them here, on the left side of the strawberry mound:

But he didn't want them there because, I really don't know why.  He was struggling with the choice of putting beds there, or building a mound, and he said he didn't want a mound in his grass.....but isn't that what the strawberry mound is?

I don't know, I just couldn't understand what his problem was with that.

Maybe I need another man to explain Chuck's manly way of thinking to me.

So we took a walk around the back yard and made a different decision to put them here, on the east side of the yard:

So Chuck is building two more beds to put on that side of the yard, and that's where the rest of that dirt pile will go.

However, I have since then made a different final decision to put the raspberry beds here:

on the west side of the yard, because I read on the internet that fruiting plants do better in morning sun than later sun.  So, since they are "permanent" plants, I made up my mind to put them in the very last bed that is furthest away. And they will be along the fence, which will be helpful if we find out later that they need to be staked up.

And thankfully, Chuck never said a single word in protest.

So the two beds that he is currently building will still go on the west side, but I am going to experiment with "cool weather" vegetables in those, like broccoli and brussels sprouts.  So now that I have beds on both spectrums of my yard (one side getting morning sun and the other side getting evening sun), plus a greenhouse, and beds in the middle of my yard, I can experiment to see what veggies do best in what beds.  

Whew!

Here is my newest garden decor:

I have wanted a bird bath for a long time, and they had these at Lowe's, so I asked Chuck if I could have one.  I always hate asking him for stuff, but if I don't ask for it, he'll never get me one.

"Ask and ye shall receive", right?

I would love to have my yard turned into a full-fledged bird haven with lots of birdhouses and bird baths, but for some reason, Chuck doesn't like to spend a lot of money of that kind of stuff, even though I try to explain to him that lots of birds would help in having a hardier garden. I suppose I will never get my back yard to look like the cover of a "Home & Gardens" magazine, but one can wish.

SO!  this is my last post now for awhile.  We are leaving for WI soon, so hopefully when I get back (in a couple weeks), I will have something fun and interesting to share.

I only hope that Beanie behaves while we're gone.  She is getting comfortable with stalking Bossy now, and Bossy doesn't like it.....

"I'm naughty!"

My Elixir

I feel kinda silly blogging about this because it's boring, but sometimes I just get desperate to write about something, ANYTHING just to stay connected to my many wonderful fans out there.  Ah'em.

So what's been happening here is the flu bug.  Seems kind of weird to have the flu going around this time of year, but apparently it's really making its rounds these days, attacking anyone who gets in its path.  Like aliens coming from outer space to invade and take over the earth.   

But I am like the Gingerbread Man.  It can chase me, but it has a been really long time since it has caught me.  That's because I arm myself with a flu repellant.  (kinda like "bug dope")

If I were a traveling salesman living in the 1800s peddling my wares, I would definitely be stocked up with this concoction:

"The secret formula elixir to cure all kinds of ailments".

Except it really is no secret.  You can pretty easily find this, or something similar to it, with a click of a button on the internet.  I found it on the "Dr. Axe" website.

I started drinking this 3 or 4 years ago when I was having my stomach issues.  It is really excellent for settling any acid issues like GERD or acid reflux.  (Any gastro doctor who disagrees is ignorant and misinformed, and would much rather get you dependent on drugs that only make your condition worse.)

Anyhoo, I took this tonic every day for awhile for my stomach issues, and whenever I went off it,  I noticed that I felt better in general when I went back on it again.  I can't be specific in this explanation.  All I know is that I feel better in my general well-being when I am taking it.

I also began to notice that whenever those alien flu bugs from outer space came to invade, everyone around me got sick.  But I wasn't even touched.  I thought this was interesting, so I kept taking the tonic, kind of as a continual test trial and waited for the next invasion to observe how/if I would be affected. I escaped every time.

My poor poor poor hubby came home early one day last week, complaining of chills, sore throat, stuffy nose, headache, and fatigue.  He said it was going around at work and pretty much everyone at work either had it, or has it.   Chuck spent his whole entire weekend in misery, huddled under a blanket, sucking on throat lozenges, coughing, blowing his nose, and sleeping.  He was never professionally diagnosed, but I think it's a no-brainer that it was the flu.  As you all know, the flu bug is VERY contagious.  If you get in the same room as that person, you might as well count on getting sick yourself.  Being that I'm his loving, caring, doting wife who had to take care of him, I couldn't avoid him like the plague, so of course I took the necessary risks and put myself in that sacrificial danger zone.  The whole time I was thinking, if I am the average person (and I am), I should definitely be getting sick any time now.  Every morning when I woke up, I opened my eyes and moved around a bit, just to test how I feel.  Nothing.  So I could then start my day as usual. Hooray!

Now, I will be honest and admit:  On Sunday when I was in church, I started to feel a headache coming on.  And this wasn't the usual kind of headache that I get from hormones or too much sugar or whatever.  This felt like the kind of headache you get right before getting sick.  So I thought, "Hm.........maybe it's my turn to get sick now".

But the headache only lasted for a few hours, and then went away as fast as it came.  That very same night, I felt as normal and good as ever. SO, if I was destined to be victimized by the alien flu bug from outer space, I guess that was as bad as it was gonna get for me. (C'mon you buggers, is that all ya got?  Bring it on!) And yet, my poor poor poor hubby is still trying to recover  (stuffy nose and coughing, and even still now a week later complains of having chill spells.  Sheesh, this thing is not giving up on him.  I imagine it wants to knock him out cold so it can abduct him onto their space ship and do experiments on him).

My guess is, I owe it all to my personal elixir.  I hate to brag and boast about the power of this stuff because I will be embarrassed if I ever have to eat my words, and I'm sure that day will probably come.  But I tell you, I have not had a cold or the flu (in it's fullest form), in over three years, even while everyone else around me is suffering big time.  And I DO NOT EVER EVER EVER get the flu shot.  If I am right about this stuff, it beats the flu shot HANDS DOWN!!  Cuz even people who get the flu shot still get the flu!!!!  I keep telling Chuck he needs to drink my tonic, but he never listens to me.  Too bad there isn't a verse in the Bible that says "Husbands, listen to your wives, for they know what's good for you."  It would fit in very nicely anywhere in Ephesians 5.

If you take one little sip of this stuff, you will most likely put it down and say "THIS STUFF IS NASTY!", and that is why most people (like my poor suffering hubby) would rather get sick than drink this nasty stuff.  I, for one, HATE being sick, so learning to tolerate this stuff was well worth it. Yes, you do have to learn to tolerate it, I won't lie to ya.

But at the same time, imagine yourself being the ONLY one in a crowd that's NOT SICK.

Am I starting to sound like a 19th Century peddler?

Lucky for both you and me, I'm not trying to sell you anything.

Okay, so here is the not-so-secret formula recipe for this amazing "cold and flu bug dope" (repellent).

Water

A splash of apple cider vinegar

A dash of cinnamon

A dash of cayenne pepper

A little bit of ginger syrup

Fresh squeezed lemon juice

You can skip the water and just drink it straight in one swallow, but if you drink this undiluted you probably won't like the burn on your throat.  Some people might prefer to get it over with (like ripping off a Band-Aid), but to minimize damage to your throat lining and the erosion of the enamel on your teeth, I would highly recommend diluting it.  Now, let me explain the way I make it.  First, I take a 6-8 oz. mug and fill it up with water.  I heat it up in the microwave for 1 minute.  (I used to drink this stuff cold, but I found that I prefer it warm.)  Then I throw in the rest of the ingredients.

(do not literally throw them - you know what I mean)

Dr. Axe does not include the ginger syrup.  That was my own idea after I discovered its existence.  I add about a 1/2 tsp of ginger syrup, just enough to make it more palatable but not enough to make it taste like a sugar drink.   I used to use honey or salt, and that is okay too, but the ginger flavor in the syrup helps with the flavor and I like it that way.  Sometimes, when I remember to do it,  I stir in some minced ginger, but I often forget this step. Yes, this stuff tastes pretty nasty, even the way I make it, but medicine is supposed to taste bad, right? -- Keeps you from overdosing on it.

And besides, if you keep at it like me, you will eventually find that you like it.  I have gotten to the point where I actually sometimes crave it.  

Plug your nose, if that helps ya get it down the hatch.

C'mon, you wanna stay healthy, don't ya?

All righty then, next:   the cinnamon also helps with flavor AND it's really good for you in a number of ways that I can't remember right off the top of my head.  You will just have to trust me on this one.

I'm not sure what role the cayenne pepper plays in all this, but here is my guess:  I've read on numerous websites that cayenne pepper is really good for fighting viruses and infections, (some people actually keep some in their medicine cabinet!) and is also supposed to help thicken the protective mucus membrane in your stomach lining, which would be very good for me. (I've read that ulcers were cured with the use of cayenne pepper.)  I can't vouch for how true that is, but in my experience it hasn't hurt anything yet that I've noticed.  The reason it's supposed to be good at fighting viruses and infections is because it's hot and spicy -  do you ever feel hot and flushed after eating something spicy?  It gets the blood flowing, and circulating blood is what helps heal those troubled spots.  

The lemon juice is really good for the flavor.  I used to use the bottled lemon juice, but after slicing a fresh lemon and squeezing the juice out of it, it really does make a difference in the flavor of this nasty tasting tonic.  I cut a lemon into 6 slices and squeeze one slice of juice into it, but you can put in whatever amount tastes good to you.  The lemon is also alkalizing, which helps neutralize your stomach acid and also helps flush out your liver.  

The apple cider vinegar is probably the most important ingredient, but I think all the ingredients somehow work together as a team.  You can probably use regular apple cider vinegar, but I really think that the unfiltered kind with the "mother" is best.  Look for the kind that looks like it has murky gunk floating around in it.  It looks gross, but that's the kind of bacteria that your body can benefit from.

After you get it all together, you can do what I do.  After fishing the lemon seeds out of your cup (if there are any), take your fresh cup of warm tonic to your computer and read the news while you sip and enjoy, like a morning cup o' joe.

And now you know what my morning routine is.

And that is my secret to not getting sick.

(knock on wood)

Or at least, I THINK that's my secret.  What other explanation is there?

I never thought I'd write a complete detail of this because it's not very interesting.  But like I mentioned, I have no other news, so if you are bored with this, all you have to do is get up out of your chair and find something else to entertain you.

Like taking a picture of your cat sitting in a sunny patch in the middle of your living room:

(how exciting is that?)

Beanifer

I know "Beanifer" seems like a weird name for a cat, but I told Kayla that she could pick a name for her.  And that is what she came up with.  Most of the time we just call her "Beanie".

Sometimes I call her "Beaners" or "Mrs. Bean".  It's one of those names that you can have fun with.

Kayla calls her "Beanie Baby" and refers to her as "the Bean" when she's talking about her.

I think Kayla has a new BFF.

The first few days, she spent most of her time hiding, and we spent most of our time looking for her.  She was very good at finding hiding spots and we often gave up looking, knowing she had to be in this house SOMEwhere!   And every time we found her spot, she would find a new one.

Finally we decided to set up living quarters for her in Kayla's room until she got comfortable.  That way if she wanted to hide, we knew she would be in there somewhere, and that was better than searching the whole entire house.  It didn't take too long for her to warm up to Kayla, and before long started hanging around more on top of her bed, and spending less time under the bed.

Then she got spayed on Friday, and that kinda set things back.  But it was good that we had her confined in Kayla's room because that kept Bossy away from her, and gave her a sense of security while she recovered.  Kayla discovered that she likes to be bundled up in a blanket, so she stayed wrapped up like a burrito in a fleece blanket for most of her time.

We were getting concerned because she still wasn't eating and hardly drinking any water at all.  The only thing we could get her to eat was Gerber baby food.

(never thought I would ever buy that stuff again!)

After a couple days of eating that, she finally started nibbling on her normal cat food.  And she is also drinking more water and using her litterbox.  

A couple nights ago, Kayla came downstairs and left her door open to see if Beanie was ready to come out yet, and sure enough, Beanie followed her downstairs and into the kitchen. 

I was sitting on the couch and she came to say "hello" to me, but only for a minute.  I guess she has gotten pretty comfortable with Kayla because she kept watching her, and then went into the kitchen to hang around her feet and rub on her legs.

When Kayla went back upstairs, Beanie followed right behind her, and that was all I saw of her for the rest of the night.

Today she came out again for a little bit longer, and we also finally got her interested in playing, but only for a few seconds.  So far she hasn't been very playful; she's actually kind of a boring cat, but maybe she will play more after she feels more at home.

Anyhoo, it's good to see that she's feeling better.

Other than that, I am getting more seeds started. Today I started my broccoli, zucchini, and sunflowers.

My five pumpkin plants are thriving and growing.

And so are my tomatoes.

And Bossy actually got out of bed and went outside today.

That's big news.

But she doesn't stay out very long unless I'm out there with her.  Pretty soon she is begging to come back inside already.

That's about all that's going on in my corner.

Our Newest Addition

Meet our new kitty!!

We just got her a couple hours ago, so I haven't gotten any decent photos of her yet because she is still too busy exploring her new surroundings.

She is 9 months old, getting spayed later this week.

We still don't have a name picked out for her yet, but that will come in time, after we've had a chance to know her better.

Every Saturday at the Pet Zoo, they have an Adoption Clinic that comes and brings cats that need a new home.  So me and Kayla went there to check it out and this was the first cat that caught my eye because she is so pretty.  Her "foster mom" believes that she is part Siamese and part Himalayan.  She came from an abused home, but she is very friendly, loves to be held, and purrs all the time.

Pictures really don't do her justice.  She is a very beautiful cat.  I tried to get rid of the "red eye" effect so you could see her eyes - they are a very very deep deep blue.

Chuck doesn't know about her yet.  He's been in Milwaukee these past few days and is right now as I'm typing this flying on his way back home.

Bossy is still trying to figure what just happened to her happy home life, but hopefully, in time she will come back out from under the bed.  I just hope this kitty works out for us because I kinda feel like we maybe adopted her on impulse, which I guess is true.

But she really needs a name!!

Anyone got any suggestions?

Fairbanks Visit, March 2016

So last weekend we drove up to Fairbanks to visit Steph and Isaac.  One the way up there, we ran into blizzard weather through Denali Park.  Since we didn't really have a winter at our house this year, for me it was a welcome sight, even though it significantly slowed us down, which Chuck wasn't too happy about.  Why are men always in such a hurry to get to where they wanna go?

Why is it that men can never just enjoy the journey?

Hurry, hurry, hurry............!

When we arrived, I was glad to see Mica again.  She is such a nice cat.  I really wouldn't mind taking her home with me. We always laugh at her cuz every time she meows, she sounds like she's asking a question.

"Meoww??"

Of course Charlie was SO EXCITED to see us!

For his Easter present, we gave him this stuffed Easter bunny.  He carried it around with him all weekend and even slept with it at night.

Speaking of which, he INSISTED on sleeping with me and Chuck at night.  

Have you ever slept with a horse?

Me neither, but I think I know now what it would be like to sleep with a horse in your bed.

It doesn't work very well.

Since Steph was on spring break from her work, she decided to use this time to work on some home improvement projects, so we came prepared to help her with that.

Chuck's job was to help her install some windowsills on all of her windows.  It took a few trips to Lowe's and/or Home Depot, a lot of cutting, and a lot of priming.

While they were working on windows, I was given the task of painting one of her bathrooms:

It took me about a day and half to get it all done, including all the taping, and redoing some spots three times because textured walls are hard to cover evenly, even with a roller. I was supposed to do the ceiling too, but graciously bowed out of it because I didn't have confidence that I would do a decent job with that.

Chuck's job of doing all of her windows took pretty much the whole weekend, so when I was done with the bathroom, I helped him with that wherever I could or when Steph was too busy with other things.

So, it was a busy weekend.  We did have some down times though.  Chuck and Isaac sometimes found themselves both sitting at the table with their computers, discussing and comparing videos and information about their favorite subjects:  snowmachines, motorcycles, and for Isaac - Jeeps.

(yawn........!)

So that was pretty much it.

On Sunday we went to church, got a bite to eat a Chinese restaurant, and then drove home.

After a weekend with a hyper pup, it was so nice to get back home to Bossy!!

So now that I'm home, I got back into "gardening mode" and figured out which seeds I needed to start right away.  From what I found, the tomatoes needed to be started 8-10 weeks before the last frost.

It's pretty hard to tell when the last frost is gonna be since every year is different.  But the smart people usually consider June 1st to be a safe day to plan for planting outdoors.  I always hope to plant on Memorial Day, but just to be safe, I counted 10 weeks before June 1, which turned out to be today.

So here we go:

This time I ordered two different varieties of tomatoes.  The Stupice tomatoes are supposed to be strictly for growing in the greenhouse.  The Polar Beauty tomatoes, so it says on the package, can be grown in the greenhouse OR in a warm place in a garden bed.  So I started seeds for 6 Stupice tomatoes, and 12 Polar Beauty tomatoes.  That way I can try my luck with them in both places.

For the rest of the seeds, I counted the recommended weeks before the last frost, and wrote down the dates on the packages, so that way I know at a glance when I need to start them.  In a couple weeks I will need to start the zucchini and the pumpkins.

So here are my tomatoes so far.  Looks yummy, don't it?

Since I had some leftover pellets, I also went ahead and planted some other seeds, just cuz I didn't wanna waste the pellets. Maybe I should've just went ahead and made them all tomatoes, but I didn't know if that would be too many.  

I know, here I go with my boring gardening posts again..........

Before I close this out, you wanna see something really weird?

I was cutting apart this green pepper the other day, and I found a GREEN EAR inside of it!

That is weird.

Matthew 7:7 ASK!

As most of you know, I am a self-taught student of NT Greek, or I should say "self-teaching", since I am still learning, and always will be learning.

Anyhoo, I learned something today that I thought was very interesting and I wanted to share it.

This morning, my translation exercise was Matthew 7:7.  You are all quite familiar with the English translation of that verse:  "Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you."

I was particularly interested in the word "ask" because I knew that there were several different Greek words for the word "ask", and I wanted to know if there were any significant differences in them, and how it would enlighten me in a new way whenever I came across this word in the future.

Indeed there is a significant difference!

As I said, there are several different Greek words for the word "ask", but I will only focus on two of them, since they are the ones that should be distinguished for deeper meaning.

1. The first one is the one you see here - the first word in the verse, pronounced "hye-TAY-te".

It is in the imperative mood (a command).  The lexical form is "hye-TE-oh".

It suggests a request or a petition that is made from a person of less equality or status than the person to whom the petition is made.  Like a child to a parent, or a subject to a king, or in this case - man to God.

Are you with me so far?

2. The other Greek word to compare it with is "air-o-TA-o", which also means to ask or request, but it suggests that the petitioner is on equal footing or familiarity with the person of whom he requests, like a king to another king, or sibling to sibling.

So, if I am going to request something from a friend, I would use #2.

If I'm going to ask something from any authority figure, I would use #1

Interestingly, in Luke 7:36, one of the Pharisees "asked" Jesus to eat with him. The word that Luke used in that narrative is #2, which suggests that the Pharisee considered himself to be equal with Christ.  Perhaps at that time, the Pharisee didn't understand who Jesus was? Or perhaps he thought Jesus was inferior to him? In vs 39, he refers to Jesus as a prophet, so maybe he was just arrogant?  What do you think? Certainly, by using this word, the Pharisee didn't consider Jesus to be above him in any way.

(The way I see it, #1 may suggest an attitude of respect and humility.)

Okay, here's the really interesting part that I'm still trying to wrap my brain around: Jesus never used #1 when making requests to the Father. The reason is obvious - He was EQUAL to God.  

It would very interesting to point this out to the Jehovah's Witnesses and see what they would have to say about that!

It's amazing how something so trivial can have so much meaning!

And this is just one teeny example of why I love learning Greek!

So there's your little Greek trivia for today.

In other news:

I got my veggie seeds already!

I will be planting pumpkins, winter squash, zucchini, tomatoes, snap beans, beets, broccoli, brussel sprouts, carrots, cucumbers, salad mix, peas, and sunflowers.

I would like to start planting some of them NOW, especially the squash and pumpkins, but we are leaving for Fairbanks in a couple days, so it will have to be my #1 priority when I get back home.

Other news:

Bossy took Kiska's place as far as helping me with my quilting.

It's kinda hard to sew it with a cat sitting on top of it.

She likes cushy things, I guess.

That's all for now.  Hopefully, I will have some news from Fairbanks when I get back.