Scrubs and More

Here's another of those short scrub tops. I made a pair of pants, added a band to the top and sewed matching fabric on top of the v-neck. Two down...one to go.



Later today...



...Texas made German-style sausage steamed in a skillet of fried cabbage along with stewed yellow squash. The cabbage and squash are from Mama's garden. Along with a sliced tomato, also from her garden. A delicious but simple Texas supper.

Beautiful Rain...

...cooler temps.

It started raining Friday evening before we went to bed. In the wee hours of the night, I woke to a gorgeous lightning show...Sam snored. I was awake a long time watching the 'fireworks' and listening to the thunder...enjoying every minute of it. Sam snored. I almost got tickled and started laughing but was able to control myself. I still can't believe he snored through the thunder without waking up!!

We got 1 1/2" of rain overnight and woke to 69 degrees! How glorious!! Who would've thought that the 95 degrees yesterday would be described as 'cool'? LOL

Once again, it was 69 when we got up this mornning and almost an hour later still only 70. Sam's outside working in his building. I have a library end of summer reading program party to go to so I have a reprieve.

Yesterday we met a high school friend of mine, his wife, and his parents at David Beard's Catfish Village for lunch. Andy and Debbie live in New Mexico where she teaches and he preaches. His family moved here back when we were in junior high school and his dad, Brother Guy, was our preacher for several years. Two of their kids graduated here...Andy and his younger sister Sally.

Andy and Debbie are on vacation visiting parents. They leave here Sunday and go to San Antonio. Debbie's dad is having shoulder surgery.

We had a great visit. Stayed so long in the restaurant visiting that I almost ordered more fish. ;o)

When the 'party' broke up, we didn't go home. Since we were just a few miles from Carol and Elton's, we went over there...because...yesterday was Elton's birthday and he had invited us to go eat dinner with them. Steaks at Texas Roadhouse. Then back to their place for Texas Sheet Cake. I was so stuffed!

Verterans Still Fighting!

You will have to go to the bottom of my blog and pause the 'juke box.' Please do so! This is worth listening to.




Or, go to You Tube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeuBB_mOFIA

My Replies

I decided to answer your questions and respond to your comments here:

Shogun, We have two remote thermometers. The receiving unit in my sewing room receives information from the thermometer in the screen porch on the south side of the house. The unit in Sam's office receives information from a thermometer mounted in a more shaded area out of direct sunlight AND he has a ventilated housing for it so that air flow doesn't affect it much. Quite honestly, the thermometer in the screen room generally registers a degree or two higher than the thermometer in the shade. BUT it is still that hot in the screen room.

Weatherman last night had the number of days 100 and above. Normally, Shreveport, Texarkana, and Tyler register about 6 days all summer long. This year, the number of days were 16-18 depending on the city!

Lani, Doesn't that finger have the prettiest fingernail? If all my fingers looked like that, I could've been a hand model. The knife? In the building? Cutting insulation. And he's not through. I love those carbon steel knives. It is so easy to put a good cutting edge on them. AND you don't have to be too careful with them...which is a good thing since they can be used in the construction trade.

I also have a great set of stainless knives. Sam doesn't use them. He doesn't touch them any more...not after cleaning up behind me in the kitchen. When my back is (was) turned, he'd put stuff in the sink...while I'm still working. I reached in to get the cutting board back out and sliced a finger on a knife under the cutting board. I threw a little fit...okay a BIG fit. He leaves me alone in the kitchen now...except every once in a while, he'll close a cabinet door or the pantry door. I'll turn around to get something else and have to wash my hands instead of just reaching in. Dang! Didn't their mothers teach them anything?!

Elsie123, You live in Texas. You better make more than one! I can just see us with color coordinated neck thingies to go with our Sunday dresses. ;o)

Karenfae, Northeast Texas. On Hwy 259. 45 miles north of Longview. 55 or so miles southwest of Texarkana. 130 miles east of Dallas. Seems as if it's mostly humid. We have a lot of lakes in the area. It's not as bad as the Texas Gulf Coast. OMG! Lived down there for seven years. You could cut the humidity with a knife it was so thick. Here...as the summer ticks on, we do get drier. I heard on the news the other night that we were down to 30% humidity. That's nice....at least nicer.

Sam is planning a trip around the Grand Canyon in mid August. That is the recommended time for the north rim. Did you catch the term "around"? On the other side...and he's planning on going through Vegas. That area and the south rim get over 100 degrees. Oh. I forgot. We are trailering the motorcycles to some Harley dealership and unloading them. We were planning to ride motorcycles around the Grand Canyon. I told him in the beginning that I'm not going through Vegas. He's already got a motel/hotel picked out for the night but no reservations.

The more I've thought about it the more I know that I don't want to ride through Vegas, and I don't want to ride the South Rim. It's hot as hades here, and I'm not riding. Why would I want to ride in the heat there? His argument is, "There's no humidity." My reply is, "Hot is HOT." I finally told him in no uncertain terms that I would not be making the entire loop. I'll wait for his return in a motel, or I'll ride back to the Harley dealership "on my own" and get a motel there and wait for him.

I heard him on the phone late yesterday with his son. He's still saying that we are probably going to ride the loop. I started to go in the livingroom and wave my hand at him, point to me, shake my head NO. I may not leave town. ;o)

Neck Cooler Thingie

For you Lani!

First, clean off your work area. Or...

Just push everything outta the way.

Cut a strip of 100% cotton fabric 5" x WOF (width of fabric). Width may be between 40" and 45". It's not rocket science, so don't fret it. It can also be a little narrower than 5 inches, but I certainly wouldn't cut it less than 4 1/2". (Make certain that it's colorfast. You don't want a black neck or discolored blouse.)
Sew or serge the long seam with right sides together.
Turn. See that little package of white crystals? They are a water absorbing polymer crystal. I found that itty bitty package at Hobby Lobby in the artificial flower section. It's a little over 1/4 cup, and I paid $2.99!! BUT it is enough to make four neck cooler thingies. It's sold in the floral section to be used with real flowers. I think the instructions said to put 1 - that's ONE - teaspoon in three cups of water. Let sit overnight, then arrange your flowers. You WILL be surprised how much water those little suckers LOL absorb. I don't know what brand these are. One brand found on the internet is Polysorb. You can also check in garden/nursery departments of your favorite store. Another brand of this stuff is sold to be added to potting soil.
WOW That's at 7:30 p.m.! The thermometer is on the screen porch.

Back to the neck thingie. Fold it in half. Measure in 6" from the fold and mark each side with a pin. (Don't pin all the way across.)

Sew straight across at only one pin.

Measure 1-1/2 (one and one-half) teaspoons of the crystals and pour into the center of the tube. Shake them down to the stitching line.

Sew across the thingie at the other pin.
If you want, cut the ends at an angle, turn the raw edge in, and stitch down.

I hope you can see how plump the blue thingie is.

It's the same size tube and 12" section with the same amount of crystals. Don't put in more crystals than called for. 'They' say it gets oozie and slimy feeling.

Use, care, and cleaning:

Use: Prior to use, soak 15 - 30 minutes. No longer. Do not put in refrigerator or freezer. Please don't warm it in the microwave unless the manufacturer of your crystals states that it's okie dokie. When you let it dry out, it will return to some state of crunchy crystals. I don't know 'cause I've wet mine each day since it was made. Overnight, it did get a bit thinner. To 'regenerate,' soak for 1-5 minutes...that should be enough.

Care: After use, hang. Do not just lay it on the counter. Dehydrate to store. Just let it hang out at room temperature. As the day drags on and the thingie starts to dry out, pour a little water over it. It will absorb your sweat and your body odor if it dries out. So, keep it wet.

Cleaning: Wash very quickly by hand. Really, just get your hands soapy and wash up and down the thingie. Rinse quickly. Do NOT put it in your washing machine!

I've read that the crystals will eventually lose their ability to absorb water. Do not pour the crystals down your toilet! Dispose in the garbage.

I made one for Mama to wear in the garden. Actually, I made it for baby brother who works out in the heat. On my way over to the garden Monday morning, I thought about Mama in the garden and gave it to her. I'll give the one I made for the tutorial to baby brother. Hmmm...That means I also need to make one for younger brother the truckdriver. That's the last of my crystals...

Cooler Today

'Cause the only time I did any work outside was first thing this morning!! I went to Mama's to raid the garden. I am sooo glad there was only one cucumber. I can't make dill pickles...they get soft. I can make a really good bread and butter pickles, but Sam doesn't like them...so I don't. Sam also doesn't eat them raw...I do. But can't eat the volume that's been coming out of one or two pickings!

Mama doesn't know this, but I took several to the library Monday afternoon and gave them to a patron who came in. At least they didn't ruin.

My crepe myrtles are finally blooming!

I get impatient waiting on them even knowing that they are a mid-summer bloomer. I am a bit concerned about the tree on the far right. I need to get some water down to them.

I walked up to the building to help Sam. He had the 'roof' on the potty room and plywood on a couple of sections. After dry-fitting the drain for the shower, he also dry-fitted it.

No commode yet. He's going to insulate the walls, then put wallboard on the inside before installing the commode and securing the shower.

Here's the tub. The hot water heater will go beside it.

Imagine my surprise when I walked up to the building and saw the FIAT he had hid out in the building! He didn't mention buying a FIAT!! Where's MY set of keys???

;o) I went back to the house to wash some clothes and clean some floors. Yuck! But I'm not complaining...the air conditioner was working just fine thank you very much. After a while, I walked back up to the building. Sam needed to go to Mt. Pleasant (20 miles or so away) to buy the wall board for the inside of the potty room. I had a brilliant suggestion to eat at David Beard's Catfish King. Back to the house to clean up and change clothes. When we got home...we didn't go back outside.

My kinda day!

Hot as...

...well, you get the idea! When we got through Monday afternoon about 4 p.m., the thermometer had 103 degrees! This afternoon at 4 p.m. as I walked in the house the outside thermometer had 100 degrees. A cool spell. Argghhh!

I've been helping Sam in his building. The plywood walls are all installed. Sam is cutting trim for the windows. I got outside in time to hold the last piece in place. ;o) Great timing!
Umm...this looks like a knife from my kitchen...

Next on the To Do list...frame out for the potty/shower room.

Yep. It's small. Just large enough for a shower stall on the left and a commode on the right. I think the 'footprint' is about 4' x 8'. Sam hammering in the last nail on the 'rafter.'

The shop sink (a tub on legs) will be on the outside behind the shower wall.

I'll get up early in the morning for another raid on Mama's garden. Then back home to help Sam put plywood sheeting on the outside of the potty room.

AND, the intense heat is supposed to let up a bit with a chance or two for rain. I'll be doing my rain dance.

Oh! I made a neck cooler. And it works! One of those strips of fabric sewn into a tube with the polywhatever crystals in it. It's amazing how a teaspoon and a half of those things swell to a big fat sausage! I'll have to make another and post a tutorial...although they are all over the web...

How to Live a Good Life

Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight, and bull-strong.
Keep skunks, bankers, and lawyers at a distance.
Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.
A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.
Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled.
Meanness don't jest happen overnight.
Forgive your enemies. It messes up their heads.
Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.
It don't take a very big person to carry a grudge.
You can not unsay a cruel or unkind word.
Every path as a few puddles.
When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.
The best sermons are lived, not preached.
Most of the stuff people worry about ain't never gonna happen anyway.
Don't judge folks by their relatives.
Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll enjoy it a second time.
Don't interfere with somethin' that ain't botherin' you none.
Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.
If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.
Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.
The biggest troublemaker you'll probably ever have to deal with watches you from the mirror every mornin'.
Always drink upstream from the herd.
Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.
Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin' it back in.
If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around.

Don't forget to...
Love generously.
Care deeply.
Speak kindly.
Leave the rest up to God.

My personal favorites.
Live well, laugh much, love often.
AND
Don't sweat the small stuff!

(Lest someone thinks I thought up this stuff...I didn't. Got it in an e-mail this morning.)