Full Day

Remember I said I would put the bone broth kettle out to cool overnight so I could skim the fat off in the morning? Well, I forgot that I can't reach the top of the freezer where I had the Mister put it, and I also remember putting it into the car on the back deck. Oops! Sold car. I sure didn't want to temp the visiting forest critters! Well it ended up in the kitchen refrigerator after I moved things around to make space. Yes, there was a lot of fat to skim off this morning. It wasn't as easy to do as when it used to be hard, but I was able to do it. I found that the yellow split peas cooked down faster than the green ones, went mushier quicker, tried to stick to the bottom even! I had to do an extra amount of stirring. It was tasty but something was missing. I never salt or pepper it as I feel everyone has their own limits on condiment additions, but I did add a little black pepper. It was lunch in my pottery bowl and very filling. I'll stick to the green variety.

It went well with the fresh loaf of whole wheat bread that I baked this morning.

It is ready, after cooling down to put in the freezer. I leave room at the top for expansion. Nice yield!

I had a wonderful surprise from my family friend who took away the base of the ceramic tree and replaced the entire wiring system. He brought it over after dark and it was so wonderful to see it lit and pretty! Happy Dance! It will stay lit the entire season. I like it that much!

Early this morning I decorated it and now my world here is right.

Meatloaf for dinner tonight! I should have lined the pan with foil and now will have a cleanup. I forgot! Dang! Doesn't really matter - I make good meatloaf! I know it is done when the internal temperature reaches 160°. I usually make a bigger one, but this will keep me for a bit.

If anyone wants to help wash dishes and pots and utensils, my door is open. I could feed you too!

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Here we GO!

Welcome to Joyful Red, a new member of the Home Sweet Home Window Team! She’s currently hiding but will soon show off her redhead and long limbs and delicate arms. It will take time. Maybe even eight weeks! I plan to follow her growth and you may be privileged to tag along with me. Loving care is the key and I’ll do my best to keep her nourished and as warm and bright as necessary. She arrived as a wonderful, delightful and challenging gift from dear friends across the big pond.

On a completely different note, I now know why the mouse who got into my paper towels died! He was wire poisoned. Darn! Need some electrician help here! We had a four hour scheduled power outage and it seemed the perfect time to haul out my old treasured ceramic tree and decorate! Not today! 

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Wired

Yesterday I dug out some tiny beads that a friend gave me several years ago and I had used most of them poking pins through the holes and creating a holiday foam ball with my design. That was 2011.

Then I remembered that I had wired a very small circular embroidery hoop with wire and small nails. It was 2009 and I gave it away.

Well it seems that I've simplified my craft projects and the results are not nearly as intricate as in the past, BUT..... Today I made the last hoop for quite a long time. It is now hanging on the front porch beam so I can watch it swing in the breeze. I hope it holds together. It should - I think!

To see better detail, please click on image.

So now it's time to get back to baking and kitchen projects. 

 

Wired!

I'm Wired! 

It's not what you think. Since I have been receiving a regimen of physical therapy, my sessions end with a TENS treatment and an ice pack. For those of you who don't know what a TENS is I'll explain. 

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation

TENS is a non-invasive, low risk nerve stimulation intended to reduce pain. In simple terms, a TENS delivers electrical pulses through the skin to the surface and deep nerves to the spinal cord and brain. Then endorphins are released. (This is a bit of what it says on my unit's user's manual.) Remember this is only a simple explanation! In other words, It uses a set of electrodes attached to the skin that deliver up to 60 milliamps of current into the nerves where the pain occurs. This jolt serves to disrupt the pain signals coming from those nerves, and instead of hurting, the area ends up feeling tingly or even numb.

If you need to know more about a TENS, you can research and learn about its use. My medical physician prescribed a unit for me to use at home as I feel necessary. 

Right now, I have the electrodes attached to my painful shoulder and feel very comfortable. My unit is attached to my waistband and running on batteries. It does seem to help and each day I plan to use it for only fifteen minutes; and I need to know how fast it eats batteries so I'm keeping track.

I only use the shoulder program option, but it has low back/hip, hand/wrist, knee and a select back options. Actually it can be quite complicated. The LCD screen that displays the therapy sessions is nice, but doesn't light up. 

The self-adhesive electrodes really stick to my skin! I AM connected!