It's Deck Time, Part 2

The next step was to wash the birdbath. Oh was that nasty. I took it into the house and scrubbed with dish soap and a stiff brush. Thankfully, it didn't smell. It was just red and weird. It's really important to thoroughly rinse the bath after scrubbing like this because who wants to ingest soap.

That made me feel so much better. The birds haven't been using the bath so I'm hopeful cleaning it out will make them return.

I turned my attention to the southwest corner of the deck.

Perhaps the spring weather encouraged growth. I can't have all this greenery in front of the air conditioning unit. That makes the motor run harder. Here, too, the daylilies at the upper right corner of the photo, were encroaching everywhere. But it's not just them. I don't know what all the plants are which took over the space. I just know they needed to be removed.

This was a 40 minute bit of work. I should probably pull daylilies from the side of the unit, too; move them back a foot. What this area now needs is for me to get mulch and lay landscaping fabric in front of the unit. There is old fabric buried in this area. Daylilies reproduce by roots so they simply burrowed under the fabric and spread. A spray of weed killer, then fabric, and top that with mulch will keep the area clear. It's overgrown to the right, but that's a project for another day.

I have, in past years, put datura in the pot, but the last two daturas I bought didn't do very well. This year, I'm trying nicotiana; tobacco plant. The colors are dark purple and chartreuse. I usually add alyssum to this pot, to surround the datura, but I think I'll forgo the alyssum here this year. I need to get a bag of washed stones and dig out the ground under the pot so it stands more flat.

After finishing this, because I had to trim to the ground, some small trees, I trimmed back some trees around the compost pile. What you can't see is, to the right, a mound of plant life which I'm going to bag up and put out for recycling. I thought about adding everything except the tree trimmings to the compost pile, but daylilies love compost and, since I can't, currently, find the top to the compost receptacle, I knew stuff wouldn't compost. Instead, I'd have a pile taken over by daylilies. I think the top is in amongst stuff near the composter. If I find the top, I can drop all this greenery into the bin and have good compost for the yard.

I was getting tired and although the day was wonderful, I knew I needed to not push myself and to take a break. But there was a bit more I wanted to do.

Beverage:  Earl Grey Tea

Deb

The End of Summer

So many photos with stories to tell. It's been quite a summer; quite a year. I'm going to start here and move backwards and probably sideways and maybe forward. One never knows where the road will go.

After last year's washer replacement, I took at look at my other appliances. The refrigerator was probably the next target. The seal around the door had, for years, not been flush with the upper left and right corners. The upper left corner allowed warm air to seep inside, particularly during the summer. It would condense and "rain" occasionally onto the items on the left side. Usually, this happened when you opened the door to reach in for something. When I bought yogurt, it went on the upper left shelf and the tops of the containers were always wet. Mold would, occasionally, grow on the upper right corner of the door because there was a semi-sealed environment with warmth and moisture. I was cleaning the door and the roof at the upper left of the fridge 3-4 times per week.

The lights would short out because of all this moisture. I haven't had an interior light in months. I bought a replacement bulb in the spring, installed it (That was an adventure.) and it lasted 3 weeks before there was a fizzle one day when I opened the door. It was then that I realized there were 2 bulbs in the fridge, one at the front left and one at the back right. Well, I'll get around to replacing both of them.

And the seal at the lower left of the door wasn't flush anymore. Chilly air would seep out, since cold air is heavier than warm air and would cause mold to grow on the bottom corner of the fridge. I didn't see that until this summer when I dropped a bottle of seltzer and it sprayed all over the floor. What's this on the side of my fridge? Ewwwww.

We bought it in 1993. I would say I have gotten my money's worth from it. It wasn't quite level but that's also a product of a 1953-built house and the floor in that location isn't quite level. It has served this family and me well, but it had started to run a lot more than in the past. It was simply dying, albeit slowly, but dying nonetheless.

I'd read where appliances are cheapest at Memorial Day. Also, the time to replace the fridge is before you need it. I intended to buy one over Memorial Day weekend, but life intervened and I didn't have the funds. I limped along. It wasn't quitting on me, just running more and more. That could be chalked up to the loose seal and the summer temperatures and, perhaps, it would stabilize once fall got here. But I kept looking in the event there was some deal which would be too good to pass up. Enter Labor Day.

JC Penney, of all places, is starting to sell appliances. They had a Labor Day sale. I compared the above fridge with other places that sell it and Penney's had the best price, including free delivery. I had to pay $15 to haul the old one away. Then, I got an additional 10% off the price because I used my JC Penney card AND because I'm an "exceptional customer" (Not sure why. I don't buy that much stuff from them.) I got 18 months no-interest. As I intend to pay this off by Christmas, or sooner, the no-interest made the whole purchase that much sweeter. It was delivered yesterday.

I couldn't remember whether we brought the old one in the front or the back. They went around back and determined they had to take the old one out the front because it's bigger than the new one. It seems the freezer space is the same, but the fridge space is smaller. Yet, I don't need all that space. When I was cleaning out the old one, I found sour cream way in the back of the fridge with expiration dates of 2012 and 2013. Stuff is less likely to go to the back and be forgotten in the new fridge.

They tried to bring the new one in the back because it's smaller but it just wouldn't fit between the wall for the basement stairs and the corner of the sink. In the process, they bumped the paper towel holder which has a shelf on it and down it came. It turns out the unit, which was wood, had developed a soft spot on the shelf right where the dish soap usually sits. At some point, I would have set a bottle of soap back on the shelf and it would have fallen through. Plus, there was a section of wall behind the unit which had bubbling in the paint. I've scraped that off and ordered a new unit, almost identical to the old unit. I need to paint the rear entry now. Remember when I bought the paint? Um...yeah. It still sits under the kitchen table.

They also knocked off the wall, one of the spice racks I've had for decades.

My dad made two of these. Simple construction. I think he made a bunch to sell at flea markets, too. This one was held up by one screw in the middle of the unit. The two screws on the end didn't work anymore. The unit which fell was above this. I have a smaller unit on the wall next to the microwave. It was the template dad used to make these two units which are almost twice as long.

I don't use spices much anymore. I don't cook much anymore. Yesterday, after the guys left and I was putting things back, I looked at the spices off the rack that fell. Some of them had Eagle grocery store price labels on them. I don't remember when Eagle left Chicagoland, but they haven't been here in a very long time. Some of the spices had no scent. Some were discolored. Some were hardened.

I knew I needed to replace spices. There are recommendations to replace some every 6 months, but there is a part of me that screams, "Money down the drain!" whenever I'd look at these. Quite a few were purchased for one or two recipes and never used again. These bay leaves aren't even green.

I had an unopened bottle of curry powder. "Best used by 4-20-02." I don't remember the last time I made curry. I love the smell of curry and turmeric, particularly when cooked. The last spice I bought was in July and it was ground cloves. It's to keep the cats out of the house plants. They don't like the smell of cloves.

Looking over all of these, I decided part of tidying up is to critically assess household staples. If I haven't used allspice in 25+ years, why am I holding onto a tin of it, a tin with rusted edges? I had some berries which needed to go to the compost pile. I would dump the old spices into the bowl, haul the bowl to the compost pile and I'd have the best smelling compost pile in the neighborhood.

All the plastic, glass and metal containers and their lids have gone into the recycling can. I have, currently, 6 spices on the rack next to the microwave. I want to move that rack. It's never been in a great position. I took down the one rack left and will add them to the recycling can. They are wood, after all. I found a rack I liked on Amazon and it's going where the wood ones were. Then I will take down the one that's on the wall by the microwave. So I have to walk a few steps for the cinnamon. It will be more convenient in the long run.

The last thing to do is sort through all the stuff that was on top of the fridge and was on the kitchen table. I moved all of it to a table in the office. The kitchen table was tipped up on an edge to make room for the movement of fridges.

Unfortunately, this room has become something of a dumping ground. I have stacks and piles of things to look through and make decisions on. I walk in with every intention of doing a little bit, get overwhelmed and walk out. I tell myself to just pick one pile and sort through it. I can't find my note cards to write letters to friends. They are somewhere in here.

I've cleared off half of this table. I had a lot of magnets on the old fridge. I'm not sure I want to put them back. With the new fridge being shorter, I can now, easily, reach the cabinets above it. That Dutch Oven on the table, can go back into the cupboard. Cat dishes will still be on top of the fridge and I keep my peanut butter on top of the fridge. It's my go-to meal when I'm too tired to cook.

I watched them take away the old fridge. It occurs to me the only appliance I have left from when I was married is the stove. That doesn't seem like it's having problems. The oven still heats to temp and the burners still come on and heat evenly. It was purchased in 1991. I thought, "Well, I should replace that next year", but, realistically, do I need to? It's not giving me problems.

So, summer ends with a new appliance. Heading into fall, this is a good thing. I would hate to have to figure out the fridge doesn't go through the back door when it's 15 degrees out.

Beverage:  La Croix Berry Seltzer

Deb

Hello There

So, I'm making my morning cereal and I see something in the back yard flitting about the compost pile. There's a lid someone around the thing, but I never put it on. That would mean taking it off when I need to toss in more stuff. I stopped for a bit to see what was at the compost pile and saw this.

It's hard to see because although I held the camera still, the blue jay was not still.

This is new to me. I thought jays migrated, but the Audubon Society says they migrate one year and are stationary the next. Since it's still winter, I would guess this to mean this bird has been here all winter. They tend to be aggressive with other birds but very skittish around humans. I don't remember the last time I saw one in the yard. It's been years.

We're supposed to get a warm up over the next few days. Does the activity of the blue jay mean spring is finally on its way? Man, I hope so.

Beverage:  Water

Deb

Last Flowers

The amaryllis has gone dormant now. Here are the last flowers.

I can't say enough about how happy this made me; to come home and find these smiles in the living room. I'm sad that it's over but I'm going to make an effort to bring this bulb back. It's going to take some work on my part as these are tropical plants and Wheaton, Illinois is hardly tropical. But this beauty in the dead of winter is something I'd like to try to recreate. I finally took the dead and dried bits of Carole's Valentine's bouquet to the compost pile this week, too. I have a lovely clear glass vase to use. I'm thinking a bouquet from the grocery store is in order.

Beverage:  Lady Gray tea

Deb

I Take Full Responsibility

It's going to be close to 70 in Chicagoland today. 70. On December 3rd. 70. Tomorrow is supposed to be 53. Then the weather is supposed to be 10 degrees above normal for the next 10 days.

I take full responsibility for the lack of snow.

On October 30th, I used the snow shovel to remove the rotten pumpkins from the front and put them in the compost pile. I looked at the shovel and decided, because we have received snow in November, that I'd just leave it by the back door. It's not in the way and it will be easy to get to when it starts to snow.

When it starts to snow. At the rate this end of fall beginning of winter is shaping up, that could be never, for the second year in a row.

Yup, it's all my fault. Just so you know, I'm leaving the shovel by the back door until mid-April . I'm not taking my chances.

Beverage:  Wild Berry tea

Deb

Let's Try This One

My friend Amber, from Australia, sent me this tin of tea for Christmas. 

I should have taken a photo with something familiar so you can see the dainty size of each of these. There is about a quarter cup of loose leaf tea in each of 9 flavors. I decided, on Boxing Day, that I should make a cup.

First order of business was getting one, any one, to come out of the tin in which they are packed. Either they all wanted to fall out or none of them wanted to come out. Finally, I managed to get the Earl Grey out.

I think I've mentioned before that tea connoisseurs will use an amount of tea once only. They say more than one immersion in hot water cheapens the taste of subsequent cups. I can't imagine having the disposeable income that allows you to make one cup and then toss the tea leaves. Even someone like me who like her tea strong, meaning the leaves steep for several minutes, sees more than one cup from the bag or bunch of leaves used.

I have a cup-sized strainer. It fits nicely in the top of most of my mugs. Drop in the leaves and pour over the hot water. I have a mug I set the strainer into for the next time I want tea. After roughly 3-4 soakings, the leaves get added to the compost pile. Unfortunately, I had used the strainer over Christmas and it needed to be washed. Searching around, I found this one. It holds about a tablespoon of leaves. I filled it, heated the water, wrapped the chain around the cup's handle, poured in the water and the thing fell into the bottom of the cup. Oh well. Fish it out with a spoon.

Do I prefer loose leaf to bagged tea? I honestly don't have a preference. Bagged is certainly more convenient, particularly if I am running late but must make my morning tea to take to the office. Loose leaf  has more flavor. My cup of Earl Grey was wonderfully aromatic and flavorful.

I'll use this for a couple more steepings and then add the leaves to the compost pile. I'm looking forward to experiencing a lot of variety in my beverage of choice.

Thanks, Amber and Phillip.

Beverage:  Earl Grey tea

Deb

A New Service

The company that delivers my milk, Oberweis Dairy, has introduced a new service. They will deliver fresh fruits and vegetables with your weekly milk delivery. On the 1st, which was my delivery day, they left me a small box with a free sample of the kinds of things they will be delivering.

As things go in my house, I didn't get around to opening the box until this weekend. In the meantime, I've composted some lettuce and a red pepper. I need to clean out the vegetable drawers and add the overripe contents to my compost pile. I figured whatever was in this box would be soggy and soft even though it's been in the fridge since I got it.

I opened up the box and here's a nice coupon. Maybe next month I'll take advantage of this. There are many different kinds of boxes you can get. Since my delivery is on Thursday, in theory, the fruits or vegetables will only sit in the fridge until the weekend. They have an all berry box which is appealing. I could get berries and make muffins or just sprinkle them over vanilla ice cream. Mmmm...blackberries over vanilla ice cream. I could eat that for supper.

I opened the top, expecting soggy peppers, an onion, a zucchini and an eggplant, something I have no idea what I'd do with it. Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be fruit. That's a "gala"-like apple, a peach, a white plum on top, followed by a red plum, a pear and a red delicious apple on the bottom. The fruit was still firm with a good aroma.

Now, I'm not a peachy person. Peaches are not something I gravitate towards. I can make a dynamite peach blueberry cobbler, but only if I have company coming. It's not something I'll make for myself. But I didn't want to summarily chuck this into the compost pile. I should give it a chance to impress me. So, I cut up the plums and the peach into finger-sized chunks.

I was doing uploads at the computer in between other tasks and wanted something to nosh on. These were delightful. The peach was sweeter than I expected it to be. I'm going to have to look into white-flesh plums. I've never had one before and it was better than the red plum which I like. I could see making a tart with both of those kinds of plums. That would be luscious.

Bottom line is that I think I will give this a try, but not until next month. I'll have to weigh the cost of a box versus the cost of buying this at the grocery. With a grocery store a 3 minute drive from the office, the box is going to have to be really fresh to win me to this method of buying my fruits and vegetables.

Beverage:  English Breakfast tea

Deb

A perfect weekend for catching up.

This is kind of beyond "Indian summer". The weather has been glorious. I have taken the opportunity to do things around the house I have put off.

1. I pruned branches from the volunteer trees next to the deck. I filled another container to go out on Thursday. Yard waste will be collected through mid-December. I might get these trees taken down by then, one can a week.
2. I cleaned up debris from the old compost pile way in the back. Zeke, who mows my lawn, dismantled that a couple years ago and piled the stuff next to the air conditioner. I have had other things to toss besides that, but I decided I needed to get rid of as much of it as possible. I have one piece that didn't fit in the can.
3. All the floors were swept which yielded dust bunnies the size of armadillos. I keep forgetting that a big black cat means big chunks of fur everywhere and that fur collects dust.
4. The kitchen was cleaned on Saturday so I could, on Sunday, bake. So far, I have made 3 Grain Pear and Fruited Bran muffins and 2 loaves of Butterscotch Banana bread. I have to wash the muffin tins again so I can continue to bake. It's fall and that's when I really enjoy baking.
5. The bed has been stripped and the mattress turned. I still need to figure out how to go get Jessie's mattress. I probably should just rent the appropriate size vehicle.
6. I read 95% of the newspapers I had piled in the living room. I need to try this recipe for butternut apple soup that was in a Wednesday cooking section.
7. And I washed every single rug in the living room. That's a chore because they tend to unbalance the washing machine. But, I tell you, the girls love clean rugs. Pilchard has been attacking a couple of them since I put them down. I love being able to drape them over the deck railing and allowing them to air dry.

The house is thrown open and the gentle breeze certainly helps with my allergies. As much as I love fall, my allergies do not. I'm worse now than in the spring. This unseasonably warm weather has helped me get a handle on the allergies so when it turns cold and damp, I might not be so miserable. Part of me thinks I should take a "mental health" day tomorrow, but that would look really bad.

It's been a wonderfully productive weekend. I need a few of those.

Beverage: Huckleberry tea

Deb

Yet another "hmmmm"

In case you're wondering, it's still pretty much intact in my compost pile. I have it nearly covered with fruit and vegetable detritus but you can tell it's a bag. Maybe "compostable" is used in the loosest of terms. Sure it's compostable if left to sit for 100 years, but that's not efficient as far as I'm concerned.

Beverage: Dr Pepper

Deb

Time to conduct an experiment.

You have, no doubt, heard about these bags. Perhaps you have even purchased chips in them. As Sun Chips were Carole's favorite, I bought a bag for her visit.

The bag is empty and I have decided to test this 100% compostable idea.

Tomorrow, I am tossing the bag into the compost bin. I don't have that much on a daily basis, to add to the bin so we will see just how long it takes for this to break down, if it ever does. I'll spare the photos of the compost bin.

I felt the bag was flimsy when I picked it up. The other kind of chip bag seems more sturdy. I thought just picking the bag up would break the chips into a million pieces. Honestly, I don't think I saw more small pieces at the bottom than usual, but I do admit that I don't eat chips that often to compare.

So, we'll see. Will this compost as advertised or just sit in the compost bin like any other piece of non-vegetable/fruit waste?

Beverage: Flat Club Soda

Deb

New Game Show!

How could this idea fail?

It's July 1st. Half of the year is over and another half is set to begin. It's a good marker for taking stock of what you've accomplished and what needs to be done.

Like cleaning out the fridge.

I started over the weekend. How many of those containers of marinara sauce from Arby's do I really need? Zero actually because, when I order the mozzarella sticks, I never use the marinara sauce. So, I brought all the sauce tubs home thinking the sauce would be good over pasta. Well, 15 tubs later, which spans the whole first half of the year, they are just taking up space, like the Alfredo sauce that's now yellow with small greenish spots. Yup, time to be ruthless.

But in the course of being ruthless, things "accumulate" in the garbage can until tonight, when I will haul them to the curb with the recycling. And that spawns the game show idea.

"What's that smell?"

I'm sorry. I should have warned you. There are monitor cleaning cloths you can buy.

After tonight, I won't have to play that game for awhile. I have the last shelf and the compost drawers, I mean fruit and vegetable drawers to empty. If there is anything in those drawers, it can go into the composter. I have wonderful compost in the back yard that I never use. But I'm being green.

I don't really take out a lot of garbage. Tonight, however, it's going fast to the curb. I'm not interested in playing "What's that smell" any longer.

Beverage: Free Coke from Chipolte because Mike won lunch there.

Deb