Just Checking In

I know it's a cliché, but time does really fly.  We're so busy with fall work, now that the weather has improved.  Garden is cleaned, flower beds in progress.  Deck is still messy with dead flower pots.  I emptied the compost from one of our 4 compost heaps onto some flower beds.  They look beautiful with the weeds covered up (pictures to follow).
Kubota Man Jr.'s Aran sweater is finished, and Daughter #2's aran hoodie is almost finished.  I also did 1 1/2 more  Rainbow Baby shawls. 

Trying to sneak in some work on the Fair Isle Design Challenge.  When I turn 65 in January, our Health and Dental plan is gone, so I've been spending lots of time finding a new plan.  Today we made our decision--good feeling.  Also had to apply for my Old Age Pension--done.

In November I'm getting 4 implants into my lower jaw to better hold my lower denture--I've had my dentures for about 40 years, and the lower ones are now hard to fit properly, since the bony ridge is disappearing.  That will require some surgery to put the base of the implants in, then in several months, another bit of surgery to insert the posts--and new dentures $$$$$$$$.  But I don't have to look forward to eating baby food and jell-0.

I took 5 lambs to slaughter last week.  We have never had lamb, so I'm collecting tried-and-true, delicious recipes.  I'm told that with lamb it's a love-it or hate-it relationship, and also depends on how the animal was fed and how it's handled and cooked.  My priests are from India, and they love any kind of sheep meat, even mutton.  So, if we don't like it, "Merry Christmas, Father James and Father Francis".  Also daughter #3's boyfriend is from Fiji,of Muslim heritage, and he likes lamb.

Welcome to my newest follower!

Till next time:  You have powers you never dreamed of.  You can do things that you never thought you could do. There are no limitations in what youcan do except the limitations in your own mind as to what you cannot do.  Don't think you cannot.  Think you can.  (Darwin P. Kingsley)

I Can't Believe I Missed my First Blogiversary

I forgot my own blogiversary.  Mind you, I have a lot of good excuses reasons for that.  We're getting busier in the greenhouse.  The renos are still going on.  I'm sure I will meet my spring goal:  to finish all the upstairs except the Master Bedroom (fall project).  I have only two walls left of the Living room, then the back porch, the remaining baseboards (on the walls that I still have to paint), and several miles rooms of wide crown moulding.  I've raised a lot of dust moving things around.

The Christmas stocking for Daughter #1 is coming along, there's progress on the wedding shawl with beads, and just for a lark, I'm going to swatch for a new sweater for Alpaca Man.

Kubota Man Jr. stopped by today to see us and to visit with his dog, who had to be retired to the farm, since he now has a job in Fort McMurray--3 weeks up, 1 week home.  While we had him for a while, we got him to castrate and dock the tails on the 6 new lambs.  Sadly, we found a new lamb drowned in a large pool of water.  The "fixing" is done bloodlessly, by inserting a tight rubber ring around the male lambs' scrotums, and alsy putting the rubber rings around the tails so they will fall off.  The tail docking is because sheep get their rear ends all poopy, and the long tails make the mess worse.  Then it is possible, even likely that flies may lay eggs there, and the larva may infest the sheep's flesh.  Also, breeding becomes more difficult.

I'm hoping to get the living room all painted this week, and the baseboards done.  While I'm watching the paint dry I will start some of the crown mouldings in the hallway and the kitchen.  I'll be really in the groove by the time I get to the Living room crown moulding.  I bought myself a new toy tool--an air nailer for the baseboards and crown mouldings.

No pictures,since I wasn't going to post today--but couldn't pass up the admission that I forgot my own blogiversary.  How could I do that, since I have met so many nice, interesting folks on the computer (and would probably have been finished the renos weeks ago if I hadn't been on the computer).

I have to make some confessions about myself:  I am addicted to Sudoku (the harder the better) and I love playing Mahjong on the computer.  The sudoku is one of the many kinds of puzzles I like to do--to hopefully stave off memory problems when I get older; the Mahjong--no reason, I just love it.