Saturday

Friday night was a repeat of Thursday night and I was up again for good just after 5:00 AM on Saturday. On Saturday, the news doesn’t come on until 6:00 AM, so I typed in the rather extensive Blog entry and posted it. It was the second morning in a row it was below freezing here in Southeast Michigan, so April seems to be a lot more “normal” that March was.

I lazed through the usual routine and then I headed out for Home Depot. I didn’t “need” anything. I just wanted some samples. I have been thinking about replacing the self-stick floor tile in the kitchen for a while now. The past owner of the house (and my landlady at the time) was laying the present floor (with admittedly cheap tile) the day I signed the rental agreement. So, it’s about 10 years old now and it’s starting to look it.

Although I still believe there is hardwood flooring under the original linoleum, I can’t find any contractor who says they could successfully sand off the black gunk they glued the linoleum down with, stain the wood and match the other floors.

I went online to Home Depot last night and came up with three different tiles (one cheap and the other two more expensive) that I thought might work. So, I went and bought one of each tile so I could hold them up against the wall, the bead board, the cupboards and the counter tile. It cost me $3.70 but it’s a hell of a lot cheaper than buying all I would need and then deciding I didn’t like it.

A second opinion would be nice, but other than the mistake of painting the whole living room wine colored, I think I’ve done okay so far with decorating the place.

Of course, I personally can’t remove the old tile or lay the new stuff, but I can probably get the guys who painted the living room to do it. Next time I see my neighbor, I plan on asking him to ask them to give me a quote.

About 11:00 AM, I started another load of laundry (this time all the bathroom towels – it takes three for me to shower) and the bathmat. I had put six eggs on to hard boil. Kim (my ex-in-house nurse) called and asked if it would be okay if she came by in about 20 minutes, instead of the 12:30 PM time we had agreed on. I said, “Sure, why not?”

So, she showed up, wearing her stethoscope. I said, “Oh, no! You have to work this weekend?” She said, “Yes, you wouldn’t believe how crazy it is. We have all kinds of new patients!” Bummer!

Just then, the stove timer went off, telling me the eggs were done. So, she followed me into the kitchen where I dumped the hot water and filled the pot with cold. I explained she caught me in the middle of coloring Easter eggs.

Then I thought, “Ah ha! My second opinion!” So, I said to her, “You know, you did so well on the candle holders, how about giving me a hand again?”

I’m not sure I mentioned this, but I did ask her the last time she was here if she thought the Orion candle holders looked weird against the wine-colored wall and she thought for a moment and said yes, they would look much better on any of the other three walls. So, I tried them in several other places, finally ending up with them on the shelf above the picture window (and away from any cat activity). I keep meaning to take a picture for you, but it has to be in the evening (if you remember) so the glare of the aforementioned picture window doesn’t wreck the photo.

So, I showed her the tiles and explained how I compared them to everything and she did the same. She said, “I really liked the dark tile, but I think this one would work better in this room.” And, she picked the same one I had decided on. So, it was unanimous! If and when I go ahead with this project, I know which tile to use.

She took the box of leftover medical supplies and we said our goodbyes (again).

I got out six coffee cups, dropped in the PAS tablets and added three tablespoons of white vinegar to each cup. When I was sure the tablets had dissolved, I added 1/2 cup of water to each cup, stirred it gently and dropped in an egg. I set the stove timer to check on them in 15 minutes. And, no, I’m not trying to be creative with three colors on an egg, etc., like we used to do. I’m just coloring Easter eggs.

When the timer went off, I decided to go another 15 minutes (I’ll leave the purple one in the longest, like we always did for my Mom).

I (finally) put up the thermometer on the kitchen window (if you remember, a squirrel broke the original one). But, at what cost? I broke my favorite pair of scissors cutting the stupid plastic pack to open it. Then I put out the rain gauge and the birdbath.

I started a newspaper under my charcoal chimney lighter and set it in the fire pit. It fell over! The grates are much wider than on a grille. So, I did it again after picking up the spilled charcoal from the cement pad, this time more carefully. When the coals were hot, I added a bunch of twigs and some small logs left over from the chiminea. When those had caught, I started adding Mom’s spiral bound notebook diaries, three at a time.

It’s too chilly (for me anyway – the thermometer says its 59 degrees F.) to sit out there, so I am keeping a close eye on it from the kitchen window and will add notebooks as needed. I doubt I’ll get them all done today, but I started Mom. I started.

Since I was in and out anyway, I went back to my raised bed garden and, using my long handled tools, I cleaned out the spot under the chicken wire where the peas go. I pounded in a piece of shoe molding in the middle of the wire to help support it and pounded down the two end stakes a little more. Then I planted a row of peas. The seed packet was three years old so I’m not sure how many will sprout, but its time. I took my small watering can and watered them.

One of the things I dug out of the pea row was a catnip plant. I took it inside and the cats are in Heaven. Oh, and I took a photo of my garden tool (no bending) and the watering can (light weight) so my Brother Carl wouldn’t be worrying about me.

My daughter Melissa called about 3:00 PM to check up on me and we talked for about an hour. Then I told her I had to go before the fire died. I went out and fed three more spiral notebooks into it and they caught.

I kept a close eye on the fire and added notebooks when possible. Meanwhile I swept and mopped the floors (except for the living room). I quit the fire pit (nice rhyme, BTW) at 6:00 PM. I want everything to cool down and all the coals out by dark. I got about 2/3 of the box burned, BTW.

I must admit, I am having a had time burning one particular diary. It's a small five-year diary with no lock, just a ribbon for a bookmark (like some bibles have). Its so old that the ribbon fell off when I touched it. Its dates are 1936 to 1940. For some reason, maybe its because I keep my own version of a diary here in this Blog) it feels too precious to burn.

I tried making another blue box of mac and cheese for dinner again, but this time using whole milk. Much, much better!

I watched some TV until B___ called. We talked for a while, mostly about what each of us had been up to since we last talked. He thought the refi was a great idea.

After I had washed out the mac & cheese saucepan, I tried a trick I saw on TV. I had bought some tomatoes a while back (I had planned on making some BLTs) but never used them. So, the were starting to wrinkle and get soft. Until today, I would have just pitched them (kicking myself for not using them somehow). But, I filled the clean saucepan with cold water and whisked in salt. I put in the tomatoes and left them overnight, hoping I can use them for my Easter dinner. The theory is that the cells slowly absorb the salted water and the tomato will firm up again. We'll see...

I watched a couple of taped TV home improvement shows and then switched to reading until bedtime. I had a late-night laugh regarding diaries and Blogs after the author's death. I'm burning my mother's in a fire pit but Jake will probably burn mine to a CD.