More Trash

 

Tuesday's cleaning adventures located not one, not two but the remains of three different sets of dishes in the back of the old cupboards! And there was a jumble of cutlery that went with all three in the old drawer behind my Ikea island. My cleaner & I had a great time tossing most of it out. I saved two Corning Ware dinner plates & two bread plates that I owned 35 years ago when I first moved in. I loved that set. It was translucent white with delicate tiger lilies painted in the middle. I have no idea where the rest went but I don't need them now anyway. I now have three shelves that I can reach easily & more paring knives than I need. Funny how it goes with paring knives .  .  .  .  you either have too many or can never find one. I love them. I also love my veggie cleaver which, don't tell anyone, I usually use for meat as well. It's not the big, heavy one the Chinese meat man uses but that stainless sharpens up nicely & does whatever I need!! I once butchered up an entire quarter of venison with it!

While snuggled in my recliner I watched snow falling yesterday. Just what we need at the end of February when the buds are starting to swell. I have a pot of bulbs on the porch with 3" of green poking out of the earth. And snow on the ground is not good for gimps who need to walk .  .  .  .  

A blast from the past - the photo is my favorite Crab Cactus in it's blazing glory. It used to spend late spring to late fall outside, on the patio, under the table with my Jade plant in the semi-shade. It bloomed all winter when it came inside & often  kept on blooming when it went back outside as well.

The Cleaning Lady - part 2

 She came, she cleaned & I managed to dirty only 3 things before she came back this time. My gawd that girl is a whiz.

 She's decided to clean the fridge next. I'm so glad it isn't that bad. My pal Ron hauled everything out after Christmas & tossed most of it. I even wiped the shelves before he put them back so it isn't too terrible except for the crispers that get backed up .  .  .  but I'm buying fewer things more often now so it doesn't go bad on me. 

One of the big problems is that I have to cook or get things going in the morning before I get tired or I don't cook dinner at all. By 5, I'm too tired to chop, peel & dice. More & more of my evening meals are light with a large late lunch. I am not a breakfast eater at all so it works out. And since I do like oatmeal, I often have oatmeal & dried fruit for dinner. I love it. Thank gawd for the microwave!! Slow cooker chilli for tomorrow I think . . . . .

She also cooks. She brought me two skewers of Philippine BBQ pork. Was soooo good! I ordered 10 of them. Two or three with a salad or veggies on the side will make a really nice meal. Mike put his order in too. I think we'll keep her.

The cat left me a gift by the back door last night. I didn't find it until I stepped on it as I turned on the kitchen light - yup, a big, fat mouse. She didn't even eat any of it. Guess the processed food in the food dish is so much better that raw mouse just isn't the same anymore.

Knitting - two more wash cloths down half a cone of yarn to go. I wanted to knit some gloves - I fell in love with that Knitty pattern - Handspan - and finally found the yarn to cast on. It's called - Frog Fight - florescent green with dark splotches, if you can imagine! When I find my damn camera, I'll include pictures.

Found my Chicken Bag, above, with needles & half a sock inside on Monday. Someone stuffed it into a box of kitchen supplies when I moved. Now if I can only find the other ball of yarn .  .  .  .

The Cleaning Lady Cometh

 I've been hanging on to Independence with breaking fingernails. As I become feebler - is that even a word??? - I've been squawking loudly that I can do it myself. But, if it falls on the floor, it stays there unless I can get it up with my picker up stick or bend over on a good day. 

Sunday I knocked over a half cup of coffee & had to throw a towel over it because I couldn't wipe it up. There's a ring of 'stuff', including garbage bags, where I sit most often. I have a method to the madness. I have to admit, it gets out of hand. Just pulling stuff out of the back or bottom of the fridge or the dryer reduces me to breathlessness very quickly. Do it too often & I have to spend the rest of the day in my chair, quietly or go to bed. Cooking has become difficult unless it's in one pot & washing floors is impossible. But, I'm not ready for Care quite yet. 

Enter the Cleaning Lady. She's the girlfriend of a friend of mine who came to Canada to work in her Aunt's cleaning company. Aunty sponsored her, provided room & board & minimum wages. And then aunty treated her like a slave. She managed somehow to save enough money to get back home but my friend offered free room & board if she would keep house for him, instead. I think she's also been cooking for his best friend who lives in the basement suite! She eventually organized the whole house, renters & all, became engaged to my friend & looked after him when he had a near fatal illness & surgery! She's all of 4'11" & never stops working. She called me & told me I needed help & she was available on Mondays. Before I knew it, she was here with rubber gloves & bucket. She cleaned the kitchen & moved stuff around until I had to make her stop & go home!! Boy, does my kitchen sink ever sparkle! That woman is a dynamo. She did all the work but I was worn out when she left. She also thinks she needs to cook for me. OMG. I'm going to try to confine her to 4 hours a week doing all the things that make me breathless. Mike loves her already .  .  .  .

Knitting - you know how it is when the sun comes out & you start dreaming of summer Tees & airy open Cardigans??? I've already been sitting on the porch with the old Ipad looking .  .  .  .  problem is, I think I'd like to spin on the porch instead. Meanwhile, I've just cast-on another big washcloth in orange & white stripey cotton.

Finding Knitting

My doctor has been telling me for the last two & a half years to lay down with my feet up for at least an hour every afternoon to help the circulation in my feet & ankles. Problem is, when I lay down I fall asleep. When I fall asleep, even when it's intended to be an hour or so, I'm out for several hours. That screws with my bedtime & keeps me up till dawn. If I could lay down with my feet up & knit??? Not possible, I've tried. I just don't get enough knitting time.

And speaking of knitting, it was my intention to have a new cardigan by now. But, I wanted to finish the washcloths first & then get right to the cardi since I really need one in this cold & drafty house. The truth is, I still haven't finished one. I have several started, they got packed stuffed into bins when I had to move fresh out of the hospital, but that's it. Two sets of Denise needles are scattered throughout my yarn bins in this project & that project but no completed cardi for me. Even though everything's in the back room in bins, I still need help getting to it!! It's horrible to contemplate, but I may have to buy one. 

So, I continue to live in thick, winter sweatshirts. I love them but a wool sweater is so much warmer than a thick cotton sweatshirt any day. I have the horrible suspicion I'll be finishing my sweater just in time for summer .  .  .  

Has anyone seen the new Knitty Winter Surprise????