Eenie, Meenie...

Two tropical systems, one on each side...Gustav, a building, churning almost Cat 5 monster sitting in the Gulf heading towards the Gulf coast....and Hanna, sitting in the Atlantic, trying to decide exactly what she wants to do as she continues to build.

Some of the rain bands have been hitting us off and on since Friday from Gustav. I just read an update in the local paper and Hanna is supposed to be dumping rain on us by Wednesday if not before. Hit and miss at the moment to figure which one to worry about most. Summer time in Florida, got to love it...haha.

The day has been overcast with only bits of sun here and there. The temps have been in the upper 80's and the steam from all the floodwater makes it feel over 100 degrees.

The past two nights we've had rain in the wee hours and then rain periodically throughout the day. The chicken yard is once more a bog...I started out to open the coop this morning and sunk in the muddy bog before I could even get close to the door. Sigh, looks like they will be staying inside today...all were at the door in anticipation of release. I refilled their dishes inside the coop from the back access doors so they should be ok. At least it isn't too hot in there and they seem to be ok. After Fay went through, the doors on the back side were so swollen from the rain that I could barely pry them open. Once open, they almost wouldn't shut. Wouldn't be bad except that there is no fence on that side and the dogs would be chasing and terrorizing them.

Just another.....

Hubby ended up having to work this morning...I was up briefly for a bathroom trip and headed back to bed. This high humidity gives my sinuses a fit and causes headaches some days...today is one of those days. While I was up, I noticed the 'red sky' as the sun was rising...normally not a good sign. An old saying..."Red sky at night, sailors delight....Red sky at morning, sailors take warning"...this popped into my head as I glanced through the window before returning to bed.

Normally, I'm up by 7:30 am anyway, and today was no different...I was awakened by the sounds of blowing rain hitting the house....seems the old saying was holding true. Because we have two Tropical systems sitting so close, I went ahead and crawled out of bed to check the weather....hate getting caught unawares. Looks as if its just some odd rain band moving through the area.

Hubby did mention his brother inviting us to come camp again once he got in...danced around the subject with him and reminded him of how I really don't care for swimming at the springs and also the area they will be, is one where you have to haul your gear quite a fair distance on foot....I don't think so...we have had gatherings at Alexander Springs in the past and even for a picnic, it is a royal pain. You park out in a huge parking lot and then hike towards the picnic areas and the spring its self....from the parking lot closest to the first picnic table is almost a quarter mile...to the area close to the water is almost a half mile from the parking lot. Great if you are going swimming only...even those diving are hauling tanks and gear quite a little distance. But, personally, I'm just not interested in being around his family at the moment....he just happened to run into him yesterday and it was a spur of the moment invite...I don't need that myself.

Whew! That bit of rain this morning sure brought the humidity up quick...its only 80 degrees right now, but man is it stuffy. No wonder I have a headache...the house has been closed up for the past week with the A/C running...I walked out on the porch for a few minutes when I let the dogs out...uuuggghhh, think I need to go back to bed for a bit..

Chili con wowie...to Spanish Rice

Last nights supper...Still craving the Spanish Rice, I went ahead and cooked up a small amount of rice....1/2 cup dry rice...1 1/2 cup water...salt...for only the two of us, this is enough rice....

After the rice was done, I poured the remaining chili over it, mixed well and re-heated on low....stirring frequently to keep it from sticking....I did have to add about a cup and a half more water while it was heating. Re-heated the remaining cornbread and supper was done.

MMMMM...yummmm, this came out exactly the way my tastebuds were craving!!! Now that's something that doesn't happen often! The last of the leftovers....about two more servings....I'm so glad my husband doesn't mind finishing things off. He's usually the one saying let's have it again...

Chili con wowie...

Started with the idea of making a Spanish rice type dish...just had a taste for good ol' TexMex. Once the idea began taking shape, I decided that adding chili beans would taste even better with the beef and rice mixture. The recipe for "chili con wowie" is born.

I've been making chili since I was a kid and depending on the er, um, subjects planning on eating it, depends on the variety I make. This chili of mine goes from what I call 'sweet' chili which is very mild, all the way to 'chili con wowie'...just depends where my taste buds are at when I make it.

For this batch, I started out with dry pinto beans...maybe one and a half cups (I hardly ever measure) and cooked them in a two quart sauce pan with the following seasonings: Garlic Salt, pepper, Cayenne pepper, regular Salt, med onion, Oregano, Chili powder and about four little hot peppers from a bottle of hot pepper sauce.
All of the seasonings were added to MY taste, which was dulled by the fact that I couldn't SMELL. I broke one of my own rules for cooking chili...if I can't smell, then don't make chili.
Reason being, I cook by smell when it comes to my chili and by the time I could/can smell the seasonings, it is so spicy barely anyone can eat it. Done this numerous times over the years and have made some pretty HOT and spicy chili.

I cooked the chili beans over low heat, covered, until they were done. Cooled them down and let them sit in the fridge over night. The next day, I began with the ground beef. Browned the beef in the stock pot I planned to use for the concoction with the following spices: Salt, pepper, Chili powder, Oregano, onion and again about four small hot peppers from the hot pepper sauce. Once browned, I normally would drain the meat and rinse the grease. This helps make it very low fat for anyone on a fat restricted diet. This night however, I was surprised to see that the ground meat was very lean and the resulting grease was less than two tablespoons, so I didn't drain it. If I have to drain the meat and rinse it after it has browned, then I re-season to taste.

Once the meat was done, I added the beans and then a large can of tomato sauce. Rinsed the can with about a half can of water and added to the mixture. Stir well to mix things and simmer for about an hour and a half. Add salt if needed to individual bowls.
Was about to add the rice, until I saw just what a perfect texture this chili was...ok, no rice....this is the perfect consistency for chili as is.

We serve our chili usually with chunks of Velveeta (because I like it) or Cheddar. I made a pan of Cornbread and supper was done. MMMMM, it sure tasted perfect that first night...had just a touch of hot behind the spice that kinda lingered...the cornbread helps with that...

The second night, after things had a chance to mix and mingle, we heated it up and chowed once more...the main difference...all the spices were intensified!!! It is now 'Chili con Wowie'....felt like I blistered my mouth as I continued shoveling it in...can't help myself, I was lookin for true TexMex and I believe I succeeded!! Couldn't tell if it was heat from the spice or the stove...had to take a break and let it cool off a bit before starting again...soooo tasty, but it was definitely the spice. Had a couple bites from the fridge earlier today....not bad even cold...the spice is much 'cooler' when its cold...haahahaha. Not even a speck of grease showing....my kind of chili, eat it straight from the fridge...now that we're down to the last couple of bowls, I'll be cooking up a bit of rice and we'll be having chili over the rice...hope that drops the temperature down a few degrees!!

The waiting game...continued

The cable tech left after replacing the modem and checking the service line outside. Seems there are several places that have chew marks from possibly squirrels on the line from the street to our pole. Service tech for the line should be out sometime next week since today is Friday and Monday is a holiday.

In the meantime, things appear to be back to normal for the phone....WAIT!!!! my internet connection is not working now!!! Too late, he's already left the driveway....so I call repair again. This time at least the tech was able to reset my connection over the phone.... up and online once more.

For now at least, everything seems to be working pretty well. The service tech did say that we should have a much better signal once the service line is replaced. As long as the service works, I'll be happy.

The heat and humidity are overwhelming this afternoon. Even with the A/C running since before the temperatures began rising, it is still above 85 degrees inside...and there are two fans to help keep the air circulating....uuuggghhh, just plain hot.

Hubby phoned a bit ago rambling on about his brother and sister inlaw going camping this weekend out at one of the springs....good for them is all I have to say!...Too blessed hot and muggy for camping in Florida for this old gal at the moment! Not to mention the heavy mosquito population...yuk...I for one do not wish to battle humidity AND mosquitoes right now. I'm melting inside in the A/C fer cryin out loud!! They have a pop-up tent camper...electricity, running water....all the comforts of home...including an A/C unit on the thing. Our tent doesn't have A/C. But in any case, I don't care for all that stuff when I'm in the mood to camp. To me, if you have to bring all the comforts of home, ya might as well stay at home. Part of the camping experience, in my opinion, is making due with limited things. Primitive camping is what appeals to me. My SIL however, refuses to camp anywhere that doesn't have bathrooms and showers....just means they are limited to locations with electric hook-ups and bath houses. I personally don't care to be on top of other people at the campgrounds...and in my experience, that's what you have when everyone wants a site with running water and electric connections.

The last time we camped with them was Thanksgiving 2007...hubby and I had a major spat during that trip...my inlaws have been more distant towards me than normal since then...no skin off my nose. Figure if they didn't like what I had to say to my husband, then they should have taken a walk...I was in our tent when the rant began. After all, we were having Thanksgiving with HIS family members and even though I had injured my knee two days prior, hubby acted like all the gear would not only load its self, but unload and magically jump into position without his help. He chose to go off with some other family members and left me, not only to set camp, but to get the food preparations going...if the oldest boy hadn't been there, I would have thrown everything back in my truck and left his butt to ride home with someone else. Was a sorry holiday, and he chose to act like I was non-existent the entire time we were there. Left a very bad taste for me doing any future camping with them....and we've camped with them for several years now.

I guess I could say I've just reached a point in life where I'm not sucking up to anyone for anyone any longer. I've been a part of this family now for seventeen years...if they don't want to be around me, that's fine by me. Although, I do believe part of the animosity began when everyone was talking about which one was having Christmas dinner and expecting everyone to show at their house...when asked, hubby is like 'oh yeah, we'll be there' and I'm like 'I have to see what my sister's plans are, and I'll let you know'....they all acted offended, but pppfffttt, who cares?! His family IS NOT the only ones in the area...I have family in the area as well and see no reason to commit to doing every single holiday with his family. We did that while the boys were young, but not now...I'm just not doing it any longer. They want to act as if they are 'above' coming to our home...mainly because I refuse to let their kids and grandkids treat my home like a playground. Not one of them thinks a thing should be said when the kids and I'm talking pre-teen and up, as well as the toddlers, begin chasing each other in one door and out others, knocking things around and scuffling wherever. NOT in MY house!! I didn't let hubby's boys act like that when we visted any of them and would actually remind them that they didn't act like that in the house...take it outside. Other than that, I'm not sure of any other reason for them to act distant. I've attended every graduation, every wedding, etc...and invited each of them to visit us when they are in the area visiting the other siblings. Their loss as far as I'm concerned.
Seems none of them bother to even call unless they are looking for my husband to 'do' something for them. In my opinion, they are only proving what I've already said...he's only on their mind if he can help them out. Need to get off this subject as it only aggravates me and I'm really attempting to be good...

The waiting game...

Today is going to be a waiting game...yesterday I began having trouble with my phone...since it is part of a "bundled" service through the cable company, I put in a call for service....What a pain in the neck that was!

First, my home phone had no dial tone...wouldn't have noticed except that I was using the phone when it went out. Ok, did all the usual trouble shooting things...recycled the modem, unplugged then replugged and recycled the thing several times...checked to see if I had a cable signal...that was fine...then the phone would work for a few minutes and out again. GRRRRR.

Since the cable company is one of the numbers I always need, it is programmed into my cell phone, the same as the electric company. Got the recorded operator on my cell...get the call transferred to the tech line...rings a couple of times and hangs me up...redial go through the same thing about six times before I finally give up using the cell...just wasting my minutes at this point and only making me agitated. Try the house phone again...dial tone is present, so I dial 611 which is the repair number from the house phone...four times of being transferred to the tech before I finally get a 'live' person. By this time I'm on the edge of losing control. I let them know I'm having a problem with the phone dropping calls worse than my cell phone. The tech person gives me an appointment for a service call...they should be here sometime today between 10 am this morning and 1 pm this afternoon. Yippee...probably show up at 12:59 pm.

In the meantime, the phone is working like normal...I guess...not trying to use it at the moment.
But, when the tech gets here, I think I'm going to have them swap out the modem...that thing is supposed to have a battery backup for when the power goes out...when my power is out, so is my phone....not good. I'd go back to the phone company for service, but, I don't care for their calling plans. I've got nationwide long distance on my cable phone for less than forty bucks a month....the phone company in this area has nothing to compare....and I refuse to go to a 'dish' setup for the television.

The day is promising to be a very hot, muggy disgusting day. At the moment, it is overcast and very humid. The temperature is already 82 degrees at 10am. Feels like 90 to me.

Began working on some of the house chores earlier...gag...choke...bout knocked myself out using bleach on the walls in the shower. WHHEEWWW...can smell the chlorine all through the house now! The water has so much iron that it stains the walls in the shower...and with the humidity, it makes the black mildew grow on the wall and the shower curtain...a little bleach does wonders for this stuff, but is hell on the respiratory system. I'll be smelling bleach now the rest of the day!

There is still laundry to deal with, I just hate heating the house during the day by using the dryer...besides, with the humidity outside it takes the clothes longer to dry during the day. At this rate, it will be Christmas before I'm caught up!! Usually, I just do hubby's work clothes and wait until I am down to my last clean items before I begin mine. Not like I'm doing a lot, so I tend to wear my jeans several times before washing them. We re-use our towels several times as well...its the things like hand towels that get grundgy, bed linens, comforters, and such that I need to get done, but am waiting til the weather cools some before I jump into 'heavy' cleaning...the bed linens being a top priority as the weather is so yucky...those get done regular...thankfully, I have a good supply of towels, but now, I'm beginning to run low, so they need done. With the storm dumping so much water, I didn't do hardly any laundry until this week....fortunately, our new washer uses very little water so I am not as worried about overloading the septic....high water makes me nervous about adding more to the already waterlogged septic system.

Well, HURRAY!!! Here it is 11 am and the cable service tech is here...working on the outside connection at this time and has already checked out everything inside...says he's replacing the modem for sure...woohoo!...Let's see if it helps.

Heat, humidity...

Heat, humidity and temps in the low 90's...heat index today is to be around 102 degrees. Same ol' same ol'....at least the water in the yard continues to be absorbed. Sea breeze rains expected later today...at least when it rains, the humidity drops. Was another night of having to run the A/C.

With two Tropical systems sitting so close, its hard to really make plans for much. The yard is too wet to do anything, including mow, or moving equipment. Hubby goes out and tinkers a bit, but as for me, I'm hanging in the house. Between the mosquitoes and the standing water, its just too much aggravation to head outside. The humidity is miserable even after dark right now.

Glad to see this month coming to an end. It has been a difficult month all the way around.

More weather on the way...UPDATE

Seems that darn Tropical Depression has now reached Tropical Storm strength...we now have two storms to worry about...TS Hanna in the eastern Atlantic and Hurricane Gustav coming through the Gulf...both due to make tracking changes that could affect our area by Sunday or Monday.

Joy of joys...this news comes after TS Fay sat on top of us for a week dumping massive amounts of rain across the state. So many in the area are still not able to return to their homes because of the water being so high...some places have water almost submerging entire homes. Roads are still being compromised from all the water washing out the road beds.

More weather on the way...

The muggy nights are beginning to be a drag...once more we left the house closed and the A/C on overnight. This morning the air was a bit cooler, but still heavy. As I look out across the back pasture area, there is a 'foggy mist' hanging mid way between the ground and the tree tops...kinda reminds me of the mountain the way its hanging. The view is the same out front...mist hanging across the yard and beyond. Just means once the sun hits it, we'll be back in the sauna. I'm ready for the cooler weather....hoping September will bring less humidity and heat.

The Cantaloupes are blooming like crazy right now...both urns are growing well and are showing numerous blooms on the plants. Looks like the Tomato cuttings need to be re-potted now. All three cuttings have grown several inches since I stuck them in the planter. Unfortunately, the planter is a bit small for them.

Checked the Lavender last night...it does not look happy at all. SIGH...just too much rain and its in one of the raised beds. I can't imagine how bad everything would look if it hadn't been raised. I'm hoping that it will pull out of this and come back. Such a shame as it was beginning to sprawl and show new growth....was hoping to see blooms this year.

Our yard continues to show signs of the water being absorbed...much of the 'pond' in the east side yard has been absorbed and the grass is once more visible almost to the ground level. Little pockets of water remain in some of the lower areas. The chicken yard has several spots around the edges of the fence that are holding water. Hubby did add several shovelfuls of dirt to their yard so they were not in a bog...its still real spongy in their yard though. Seems like the entire area is going to be spongy for some time.

Two storm systems sitting close by means we will be keeping an ear tuned to the weather. At this time, the closest storm is Gustav. This storm is still well south of us, terrorizing Haiti, Cuba and Jamaica. It is forecast to enter the Gulf and once there, we shall have a much better idea of the direction it will take. Seems there is a great chance it could nail Louisiana....near the Anniversary of Katrina's devastating landfall there. Gives me chills thinking about it. Then there is a Tropical Depression sitting out to the east...its still pretty far away, but, it has a path that sends it too close for comfort to our coastline...the current forecast says this one could become a Tropical storm later this afternoon...will be named Hanna. JOY, just when we are beginning to dry out a bit. SIGH...this is just the normal weather stuff for us this time of year.

Things they are a changin...

The chickens were in bed last night by 7:30 pm...not sure why they went so early, usually its 8pm and sometimes 8:30 pm before they finally decide to head to the coop. I was surprised. Hmmm, wonder if it is due to fall being just around the corner? Haven't really been around chickens since I was a little kid, so I'm not sure, just thought it odd based on their normal habits.

Was supposed to take a short 'road trip' with my girlfriend this morning, but it has been changed til tomorrow. There is a place north of us where our family has held gatherings and camped that is so beautiful....L's daughter is coming in and is wanting to camp there this weekend. It's called Princess Place Preserve http://www.flaglerparks.com/princess/history.htm, the link takes you to the Flagler county site and gives a bit of history on the place. 1500 acres on the water that is just so awesome...one of the reasons we were going up is to check out if it is too flooded for a camping trip. Tons of wildlife, hiking trails and canoe trails as well. It is strictly tent camping and is very primitive. There are shower houses and porta-pottys, but you have to haul your water to the campsites...my kind of camping. The sites are huge...we've had as many as five tents on one site and still had plenty of space.

Our morning is beginning like every other day this month...cool and breezy til the sun begins to draw the water from the ground to the air....temperatures are expected to be in the high 80's and the heat index is supposed to feel like 100...I'm sounding like a broken record. Last night the humidity was once again so mucky that the house stayed closed and the A/C was on. No afternoon or evening rains means the steam just hangs until the wee hours before sunrise.

Hubby was up early, before the alarm, in the shower with the steamy hot water trying to ease his aching head and back. Some of this is from the accident injury with the chipped vertebrae and the head is mostly allergy/sinus. Nothing was giving him relief this morning...he popped a couple Advil and headed off to work. My heart goes out to him as I know too well how debilitating pain can be. He's afraid if he gives in to the pain, he'll be down for the count. SIGH...guess I'd be down for the count as I am over doing the things that create the pain....but he's working to support us.

All the water from Fay is still making things a challenge in our yard. Hubby put the mosquito baits out the other day and it seems to have made some difference. Hard to tell though as we have so much water in various places. Get rid of the ones on our place and they'll visit us from the neighbors....HA!

It looks as though I've found something that Four o'clocks don't like....two weeks of heavy rains...the poor things look withered and curled out by the split rail...that area doesn't even hold water that bad, so I'm surprised there! The ones in that area almost look as if they have suffered from extreme drought. I'm sure there is a bit of heat stress going on there as well. Time to cut them back...still time for them to come back before it turns cold. The ones at the end of the trailer sit a bit higher and they look pretty good. Even the Lavender is suffering...poor thing is wilty since all the rain and it was really looking nice just prior to Fay slapping us around. The Rhubarb has disappeared entirely, guess it had to be the rains as it is still protected with the cage.

For now, I have Cantaloupes starting to flower in the urns out front....these were the transplants from the chicken yard. The tomato starts continue to show progress and must have sprouted roots as they are all three looking good. Now to see if they will produce. I'm hoping this will happen and if it does, then definitely will be taking cuttings as I seem to have a hard time getting them to grow from seed....could just feed the seed to the chickens and let them do the work.

Haven't been out to the garden plot lately. All the water and the humidity just make me want to stay inside. Its been so miserably hot and mucky, even with the A/C....a sign I'm getting older I guess. There was a time that the heat and humidity didn't bother me much at all....just making it that much easier to want to head for the mountain.

A link to another portion of my journal

I have decided to go ahead and create a separate blog for poetry, sayings and other writings. You can find this link on the left called: Stormdancers Bits and Pieces.

Just a spot for my more 'creative' side.

End of the month...Already??

The water continues to recede in the yard...the sun is turning it to steam and dropping it back as rain late in the day...vicious cycle here. The morning began cool at 75 degrees...the humidity was pretty low considering how mucky it was last night at 11 pm. We left the house closed up and the A/C running because of the humidity. Before sunrise, the air was nice and cool.

Our biggest concern at the moment is the mold and mildew that goes hand in hand with all this rain...uugghh...you can smell it in the air outside around the areas where the water has been standing. We had a small area show water damage from the roof...I've had the fan blowing on that area of the ceiling since I began to notice the water ring. It's almost dry at this point and I'll be wiping it down with a bit of bleach to keep it from forming the black mold...ick. One of the more annoying things about living in high humidity. Even the moisture in the house causes the mildew to form on all sorts of materials...like my leather shoes...grrr...just noticed my good loafers are 'green'...yuck, sigh...guess I'll have to see if I can get them clean...sucks because I rarely wear that pair of shoes and was hunting something else when I ran across them. Makes me really scared to check my other leather items...like the suede skirt, two suede blouses and my leather dress....all hanging in the garmet bag in my closet....naw, not now, I just can't look!!

The current weather pattern is our 'normal' summer weather...this IS our wet season after all. At this point, I can hardly wait for November when the chances of being slapped silly by a hurricane is way less. Already looking forward to the cooler weather that September will bring...the temperatures should begin to drop to the mid 80's soon and the humidity should be much lower as well.

Hard to believe August has flown by so quickly! Guess being 'pre-occupied' with the storm and the rains have kept me from noticing how fast the month has flown. Hadn't given it much thought really, until this morning when I got my email notice that my rent check had been sent...WHAT??? Already? What is today's date???? Ok, so I know it's the youngest son's birthday today, but it still wasn't registering that 'hello, its the end of the month almost'!
Where has this month disappeared to already? Summer is truly almost at an end...school is back in session, the days have begun to grow dark earlier and now September is about to begin....another turn of the wheel as Fall creeps our way....

Here we go again....

Not good news for us or anyone who has been smacked around by Tropical Storm Fay...we have another storm in the Caribbean...this one has reach hurricane strength already...category 1 at the moment. This one is called Gustav. At the moment, it is south of Haiti and the Dominican Republic...the track is showing it staying on the south side of Cuba, but remaining a hurricane and gaining in strength as it hits the Gulf. So far, it is still unknown just how this storm will track from there. Watching the weather last night, one could see the air currents pushing down from the north of us that will be acting as a 'steering current'. This would help us greatly since it would force Gustav to stay west of Florida. Let's hope it stays away and heads off to somewhere else.

Even our daily storms are hurting those who are in heavily flooded areas. The St Johns River is creating havoc now, a week after the storm. So much water is pushing north. One of the news reports stated that they were pumping out over 6 million gallons A DAY in some areas. They were using Septic pump trucks to haul the water out of the areas...just no place for it to go and they have to empty the tanks some place.

For now, we shall be keeping a close eye on this storm...

Pineapple...hmmm, what to do?

During the storm our friend who needed the pump gave us a very nice size fresh pineapple. He grows them himself and this one was golden when he sent it to me. I'm allergic to citrus, but I do adore fresh pineapple and can hardly wait until my own produces. Its one I started earlier this year from one of his. But, I digress...

Once its peeled and cut, what to do with it before it goes bad? It was a bit tart, but very nice and sweet. Since I know if I eat it I will regret it, I limited myself to just one chunk...but still the question remains as to what to do with it? Hubby likes it, but not that much...hmmmm, I know I have a blender around here somewhere....I'll make it juice!! So after a few minutes rummaging around the bottom kitchen cabinet I find the old Oster blender...get it cleaned up....ewww, its been there since we moved in...washed it well and began chunking the pineapple into the blender...of course the lid is nowhere to be found...ok, here's another lid that will work...on she goes!! After several minutes, I have a beautiful frothy stuff in the blender...still a bit on the tart side, so I added a couple spoons of sugar....a few more minutes and yep! that's what I'm talking about...poured a glass and it was fairly tasty...a bit pulpy, like orange juice, but tasty nonetheless.

Now I have a two quart pitcher of this stuff about two thirds full...I decide to let it set and see how much juice I actually have. After two days, it doesn't look like it has de-foamed...so I pop the lid to check it out...holy shades of pineapplesauce !! Yep, all the 'foam' was actually a pulpy substance with the texture of applesauce....cool...ok, I know what I'm cooking now!! CAKE!
The cookbook has been open for the past two days to the cake recipes...just made one tonight...finally...lol.

Before the cake though, I was trying to think of something for supper...something besides leftovers. I made meatloaf last night and potato and broccoli soup the night before from potato soup I'd made on Saturday....we've eaten leftovers of some type since last week and I was looking for somethng different. As I'm thinking about this I envision chicken with a pineapple glaze...just got supper...chicken with brown sugar, pineapple, and sweet red peppers...I put the sugar, cinnamon, peppers and pineapplesauce in a sauce pan and began to heat it over low heat. After the mixture began to look smooth, I poured it over two salted chicken breasts in a baking dish and popped it in the oven. Cooked it at 350 for about an hour. It sure came out nice...the two of us didn't stop til it was gone.

Once the cake was done, I whipped up a butter cream type frosting, substituting Crisco for the butter...added cinnamon and then thought I was adding vanilla extract...oops, picked up the Lemon extract by mistake...didn't notice it until it was poured. Wasn't measuring, just eyeballing the amount...but it sure tastes good! The first piece was still warm...hmmm, tastes a bit doughy...might have needed a few more minutes, but the toothpick pulled clean. The frosting is yummy...will have to try another piece once its cooled...I dropped one cup of flour from the recipe, the original Applesauce cake recipe called for three cups flour and two cups thick applesauce. Since the pineapplesauce was not super thick, I went ahead and left out one cup of flour...the batter was really thick...light and fluffy, but thick. Its been awhile since I've made a cake from scratch...hmmm

The week begins...

Another beautiful start to the morning. The sun is shining, the air is cool and light....temperature is about 74 degrees with a very light breeze. Its good to see the sun and blue sky for a change!
Fay is still up in the panhandle area...newspaper says she's smacking Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and even parts of Tennessee around now. All of those areas have been in drought conditions so the rainfall is welcome...to a degree...flooding is never welcome. More rain moved in on our area last night around 8pm. Thunderstorms and heavy rain lasted almost an hour before moving on through. The yard remains unchanged...still holding water in the normal areas, although, the water is beginning to recede and the tips of the grass are now visible above the water.

The deer came to visit this morning...two does and two little spotted fawns...right out behind the trailer...the spots were close enough to almost touch, if the window was lower. They have been hanging in the Palmetto thickets in our back pasture lately.

Hubby finally is back to work...hoping this week will be a full week of work. The past three weeks have been terrible for us financially. Last week was only two days. We really can't afford for this to continue. On the plus side....my girlfriend may have a job for us and the tractor as soon as some of the water dries up....will need to run out and shoot an estimate before we know for sure. Looking forward to mowing again...both of us enjoy running the tractor...I just hate running it in our front yard...can't deny I prefer the finished look the mower gives.

The humidity is beginning to rise as the sun turns all this standing water to steam...everything outside sure is shiny from all the rain. Guess I need to get things started around the house before it gets too hot and miserable. Laundry is always at the top of the list....

Farmer's Almanac story...

After reading DJ's blog and seeing some of the subtle changes here in my own area, the story link above titled Farmer's Almanac story, really caught my attention. It will be available on this blog for about a month. Enjoy!!

More chores than hours in the day...

A very pleasant beginning this morning, cool temperatures...about74 degrees, promise of sunshine as the sun peeks around the clouds. The standing water from Fay is beginning to recede in our yard and around the state from what I'm reading. In our front yard, the grass is beginning to show on the 'east pond area'. Just so much water to deal with that I'm sure it will be a bit before it all disappears. Adding insult to injury is the weather forecast of two more Tropical storm systems heading our way...the closest isn't far from Jamaica and is said to be following a similar track to Fay....who in the meantime has been downgraded to a Tropical Depression and is moving north around the Alabama/Georgia line. The area there needs the rain as they have been in a pretty severe drought...just hope the flooding stays down for them.

Bluebirds are hanging in the front yard again, looking for a handout I'm sure as the feeders are all empty at the moment. Perhaps I'll get them refilled a bit later today. Hearing the huge Pileated woodpeckers call makes me feel like I'm in a tropical jungle...hearing them 'hammer' a tree makes me think of a roofer banging nails. The Cardinals have been very busy and are constantly bringing their young to the feeders...so cute to see the mottled colors of the young males and the way they all sit, waiting for dad to feed them. They were out and about around the feeders even during some of the heavy rains.

The chickens enjoyed their freedom yesterday, although I must say I can't believe how silly these birds are. All of them looked pretty drowned as they stood on the patch of ground in front of the gate during one of the showers yesterday. One of the main reasons I left them penned in the coop...they don't have sense to come in from the rain. This morning they are still penned for the moment...will wait for a bit to see if we are going to be receiving more rain. Silly birds...

An assessment of the yard, from the house...the Four o'clocks at the split rail fence sure look like they took a beating. They were all sprawled up to the top rail and looking like they were taking over the spot...now, they have been beaten by the rain and appear quite bedraggled, kind of like Barney, the rooster, after the rain yesterday. I need to cut them back a bit anyway...will be rooting the cuttings and moving a few to other areas along the fence. I'll be overrun with them if I'm not watching carefully....eh, who cares? Love their pretty perfume.

The Cannas have been blooming fitfully, one here, one there...the leaf rollers have them looking terrible. Another group needing attention. I'm ready to begin cutting some of them back as well. They really did a nice job filling in the area.

The Rubber tree plant looks extremely happy...it has really made a comeback after looking like something 'sat in the middle' after our wind and rain of last month. It is looking good once more.

Poor Hibiscus is showing signs of going from not enough water to too much water...she's showing a good many yellow leaves at the moment. Still throwing out a great number of blooms and is also beginning to show new leaves where they were all chewed back...sigh...won't be long til the 'muncher' returns to strip her foliage once again. Seems every time she starts looking like her old self, the muncher begins gnawing.

I'm wondering if all the rainfall this year has something to do with the way the Crape Myrtles are not blooming? It isn't just the ones in my yard, but those that are planted around town don't seem to be giving the show they normally do. At first I thought it was just ours, maybe because I don't cut ours back like they do the ones planted around town. But then as I drive through different areas, I've noticed that none of the Crapes seem to be blooming much this year. Just seems odd...

We have several Plantain banana trees at the east end of the trailer...unlike our little sweet bananas we had at the other house, these are the type that must be cooked. Looks like the storm brought a couple of these down as well. Sometimes they do bloom and we've had several bloom stalks that were producing fruit. Unfortunately, the last three that have produced fell out before the fruit was ready. By 'fell out' I mean the entire plant has bent in half and literally fell. Ants are a big problem with these plants...they destroy the blooms and the fruits.

As the water recedes, there will be plenty of work to keep us busy. The weeds and grass of course, adore all of this extra liquid. Already the path behind the chicken coop is beginning to get pretty high with grass and weeds. The weedeater will sure have a workout as soon as things dry out a bit more. The garden area is really full of weeds now that the chickens have returned to their yard. I need to pull the netting from over the area so I can get in there and get busy...more chores than hours in a day.

Once the weather changes and the chance for rain lessens, we really need to address the roof on the trailer. This storm has shown us that there is a 'weak' area in the roof and I have a water spot that shows on the living room ceiling. We have the sealer for the roof, its been sitting in my van now for over a year. I'm sure at this point though, we probably have a ton of pinestraw sitting on the roof once more. Hubby pressure washed the trailer and roof early last summer. Loads of pinestraw came down as he washed the roof. Again, more chores than hours. The worst thing about the sealer for the roof is that it has to be applied when there is warm weather, and little chance of rain. Good luck with that in Florida!! Warm weather here equals rain...

Among the other maintenance things around here, the flooring in the kitchen and back half of the trailer are going to have to be re-done. Currently, there is ceramic tile laid, but whoever did this floor to begin with, sure did a sorry job. When I first came out here the landlord was blaming the cracked tiles on 'the kids' who lived here. Having set tile myself, I informed him the broken tiles were not from something being dropped, but from a flooring issue. You can feel the floor 'give' in the areas where the tiles are cracked. Hubby has investigated this from under the trailer and says its because they never pulled the old flooring out, they just laid boards, a layer of foam and more boards, then the tile. Major headache here trying to rework this nightmare!! One of the reasons it has yet to be started.

End of the week...

Its 10:15 pm...the day has been dragging forever it seems. We did see a bit of sunshine for most of the morning and then the rains moved in once more around 11am. Seems we are still having a lashing from the tail end of Fay as she moves across the panhandle area. The sun brought the steam and I put the A/C on for the first time in days. By sundown, the humidity had dropped enough to open the door and windows once more.

Spent most of the day inside cleaning up a bit, just way too much water still standing for me to want to be in the yard. Hubby put the wading boots on and was out in the back pasture for a bit with the dogs. Mojo was in heaven as he romped and rolled in the standing water, racing around Bear and Spike, splashing like a little kid. He's had to be inside all week because of the storm and even though he's had his time outside to potty, he seems to understand that if he decides to romp through the puddles, then he has to stay on the porch...he's shown much restraint in staying away from the water during the storm. Today was different as 'dad' was out in the yard with them...Mojo races around trying to get someone to play chase any time they are out...all of them follow hubby as he putters around the yard, first out front, then heading to the back. So cute to see them all trying to see who is going to be the closest or who is first to the back.

At the present time, the rain has stopped, the frogs are singing happily outside and the air is cool...time to settle in for the evening

Drained....

It's almost 11 pm on Friday night. After a week of dealing with first the possibility of a hurricane, then the reality of the tropical storm that refused to move on, I'm feeling a bit exhausted. Of course I know that the wee hours of sleep being interrupted by the sounds of blowing rain is a huge factor in how I feel. This is our first tropical system since we have moved out here and definitely our first experience with something such as this while living in a tincan.
All in all, it truly hasn't been bad...this time. We seem to have two more systems working their way in our direction....still a ways out, but growing and building as they head our direction. This is part of what I despise about the weather people. Give us a break already before you start overloading us with anxiety about more storms...especially since they are both a very good distance away. Fer cryin out loud, we've just been blasted by five days of rain and it still is hanging around drowning the areas where it first landed with the tip of its tail as she swirls out towards the panhandle area.

Any time we have severe weather, I am one who is pacing the floors, going window to window, keeping watch for signs of dangerous or threatening weather heading towards us. I watch the sky, the trees and listen...waiting for the least sign. Hubby is so laid back and relaxed about these types of storms that unless I just absolutely start freaking out about how things are beginning to look weatherwise, he tends to ignore them.

Holy mother of god! Fay is in the gulf now, just switched the news on...she seems to be close to the panhandle coastline...I feel for everyone in her path. Over the gulf she could grow stronger and become even more of a problem to others. Originally, the forecast called for her to go on up into Georgia or maybe even into Alabama...could still happen, but not if she decides to hang out and play on the panhandle beaches the same way she hung out on the east coast beaches. Her tail is still whipping the east coast area from Melbourne to Jacksonville. We are still under flood watches from the rain still falling.

As soon as the adreneline rush is over, I'll really be a whipped pup. I'm already feeling the energy begin to drain. Too many days stuck inside with grey drippy weather outside. Couldn't get to the chicken coop for all the heavy rain the past two days. Finally got out there this afternoon when the rains let up. The doors are swollen from all the water and somewhat difficult to open. The food dish was empty and the water dish was bone dry...poor babies...I just penned them with the food and water Tuesday night...so maybe they were only out for a few hours. They seemed alright when I refilled the dishes...at least its dry and comfy in there.

We're all beginning to get a touch of 'cabin fever' from all this rain. Hubby is so bored he's taking naps most of the afternoon and then he's ready for bed by 10 pm...I've been up by 5:30 am and still wide awake at midnight. Sigh, I'll be glad when the adrenaline is gone so I can relax....

Rain, rain and more rain...will Fay ever leave?

Its Friday afternoon...at 4 pm, it's raining very hard....we've already received close to twenty four inches of rain since Fay landed. For all the rain, our yard looks about the same as when we get a couple hours of hard rain...its flooded in the normal spots and looks about like the storm pictures I took last month. Last I saw, Fay is up around the Gainsville area, but the tail end of her broad band is still smacking all of us around on the east coast. Weather forecast is for rain through the end of next week...where is all the water to go???

Looks like the St. John's River will be flooding areas north as it carries our flood waters and the rest of the water that Fay is dropping north of us now....wild to think the river flows away from the ocean. Hopefully, Fay's rains will relieve the drought in Georgia and the Carolinas as she moves on across. She's a big storm and was spread from Melbourne south of us all the way to the South Carolina coastline last night. Never would have thought we'd still be dealing with her this long. Fay has proven to be one of our record making storms...we've gotten record rains...most of us don't see much more than thirty inches of rain for the year...here we've got thirty plus inches in just a couple of days in some areas.

Hubby and I made a run out late yesterday to help our friend who borrowed the pump...had to run down to the shop and pick up a piece for the pump...WOW!!! The main road from our house had water to the top of the canals almost all the way down to the highway....right before we get to the highway is a rural crossroad where one of the biker bars sits...there is a campground across the street and just about two miles north is the Equine center....OMG!!!...the water had spilled from the canal on the one side of the road and as I looked across the fields are flooded to where no grass or growth other than trees is visible....looks like buildings and trees sitting in the middle of a huge lake. At the crossroad where the campground sits, the water is up to the top of the benches at the picnic tables...we were in hubby's truck which is a 4x4 and pretty beefy. Our little errand was made safely, but until then, we really had no idea as to how flooded the area was. Seems our news reporters are too hung up over the beach erosion to take a look at any other area. As of this morning, our main road was closed because of the heavy flooding on the south end and the crossroad down on that end was also closed due to flooding. Even the highway was closed because of the high water....the ditches and culverts along the highway weren't far from flooding when we came through yesterday.

Even along our main road, people are having to park their vehicles away from their homes...many of the homes on the west side of our road had water from the road to within inches of their homes in some places. Loads of water damage will be dealt with for months.
One of our neighbors across from us has the pasture closest to her house flooded from the canal back. Way more water than most have ever had to deal with in this area. Even the storms of 2004 that hit us back to back didn't leave this much water.

I'll be glad to see the end of the rain myself. The chickens have been in the coop for the entire week. Their yard is under water at this time so it could be a bit before they get turned back out. Thankfully, I can get to their food and water containers without having to wade through their yard. The dogs are so bored with staying inside...because of the rain and flooded yard, they have only been outside briefly since all this started. Poor Mojo is hating life the worst, as he is the one who adores being in the yard. He woke me at 5:30 this morning whining to be let out. Didn't stay long and was ready to come back inside....everybody went for a potty run at that time and all were more than willing to head back to the dry inside. Mojo just doesn't understand why so much of this water is coming down...this is his first storm like this, he's not quite two. The older ones have been through this routine numerous times. As long as there's no thunder, they could care less...thunder and lightning sends the older two cowering, trying to see how close to 'mama' they can possibly get.

Ready to see what I can find to eat...so bored I'm ready to start cooking...but I really don't need the extra calories...already heavier than I care to be. Ah well, a fresh batch of homemade something is calling me....shall have to drag the cookbook out and see what I can find that looks yummy. Made a big pot of potato soup last night and a pan of cornbread to go with it....was pretty good...I like the cornbread myself and could make a meal from just that....we heated it up for lunch today so now I need to see what I'll be throwing together for dinner tonight....dang, we would have to have POWER...hahaha, can't get out of cooking that easy!

Thursday Fay update

http://www.news-journalonline.com//scripts/weather/weather.cgi?forecast=pass&pass=local_radar&dpp=1&radar_icao=kmlb&place=daytona+beach&state=fl&zipcode=32117&country=us&county=12127&zone=flz141&alt=radarview_optionpass

At 10:45 am this is what the weather map is showing....Fay is continuing to hug the coast as she drags north. We are just beginning to see the southern edge of this old gal in our area at this time...looks like the heavier rains will be on top of us soon. Also looks like she plans to hang out on the beach for awhile instead of crossing the state like the forecasters expected...HA!

From what I see, looks like she's gonna run the coast all the way past Jacksonville...looks like Georgia and South Carolina could get a taste of her rains next if she continues this path.

And the storm continues...Fay...GO AWAY!

It's Thursday morning and again we are feeling the effects of this crazy storm...the outside temps have been hovering around the 78 degree mark...humidity is 100% but without the sun, it doesn't feel bad. When we awoke this morning, the air was calm, no rain....hmmm, need to flip the tube on and see what's happening....the 'eye' of the storm was sitting 45 miles ESE of Daytona when I went to bed last night around midnight...that's just below the city of Oakhill, which is only about five miles from my sister. WOW...now the 'eye' is sitting just 20 miles ESE off Daytona...that's sis's area for sure...as we watch the weather map, you can see the edge of the eye has begun to cross the coastline between North Daytona and all the way to the north end of Titusville...that's a few miles!

By 8 am, we are seeing light rain once more. Still sitting and spinning around us...our county is currently under a Flood watch as we continue to receive rain. Brevard county to the south has severe flooding issues and is still receiving rains from the southern edge of the storm. Its a fairly huge system. I think one of the most irritating things during this storm has been the way people seem to act...You'd think Florida has never seen any type of hurricane or tropical system the way everyone is all spooked acting.

Ok, so maybe there hasn't been one that acted like this storm exactly...yippee skippee...every single system that enters this area acts in its own way. But they all say this same thing every time we have a weather system...'we've never seen this happen before'...yeah, give me a break already. If you haven't seen it, maybe its because YOU haven't lived here long enough to experience it. After all, this isn't the FIRST storm to stall out over the state and dump gallons of water. There are just so many 'snowbirds' who have moved here recently that have never had the pleasure of our summer systems. I have lived in this area for the past twenty-one years and while its disruptive, the storms are just a part of living here...kinda like living in 'snow country'...every year you know you are going to have some type of weather certain times of the year...ya just hope its not a severe year weather-wise. I'd rather see the rain than snow...at least it's warm outside and we don't have to worry about freezing. Got the canoe close if its needed, and both of us swim....the dogs and chickens though, well, guess they'll just be wet if it gets that bad!

Our yard isn't looking too bad...of course the swamp is back, and it is rising a bit. But the lull in the rains while we were sitting directly under the 'eye' has allowed a good bit of the water to run off or soak in. Last night it was up to the fence post closest to the end of the trailer...was beginning to creep up the little 'hill' in the front of the screen porch. This morning it had receded back to its 'normal space'. Even the pasture next door had drained considerable.

The winds are beginning to pick up a bit and the rain is falling pretty steady...guess we won't be worrying about drought any time soon! From the newspaper, they are saying that because we haven't had a lot of rain this summer (where have THEY been?), there is enough room in the local lakes and retention ponds that we should be ok...yeah, well have they looked at the canals and storm drains? There's no place for the water to run to as the storm is pushing in from the coast!! HELLO....it normally is carried to the river....which is FULL and spilling...the 'river' is the Intercoastal waterway...between the mainland and beachside....the storm is pushing the water through the inlet as it comes on shore. I'm over the news reporters...they are so concentrated on what is happening to the BEACH, ok, well what about the rest of the area? Can we not be shown what is happening on the main roads and on the mainland? We all know the beach is getting tore up as the waves pound and pull the sand out. Ya'll were idiots for ever allowing developers to build on the east side of A1-A to begin with. What were they thinking to allow building on the dunes? Now every storm that hits, they expect help to rebuild these monster condo's and hotels because the sand has been sucked out from under their foundations. Money wasted in my mind. Can't even see the water as you cross the bridges any longer because of all the high rise buildings.

To the north of us in Flagler county, the concern is A1-A being washed out by the storm...last night the roadbed was only a couple of feet from the edge that drops to the beach below. Its been washed out before and has been shored up with huge boulders to help hold the bank in place...like that's going to stop an angry ocean....hahahaha...I know, sick pup.

For the past two days, hubby has been home. His boss was to call him later this morning if they were going to be able to do anything at the shop. So far, looks like he won't be going in today either....the bank account is not happy. All the grey seems to be having a depressing affect on me, woke up mad, couldn't find my hairbrush, and listening to the weather idiot only made my mood more foul. Found the hairbrush finally (was in the shadows, under my cellphone), got hubby to turn off the tv...made my coffee and finally got calmed down. Now I'm ready to turn the tv back on so I can at least see what this hateful 'bi-ach' is doing. Glutton for punishment as I know it only irritates me....one more reason to use the mute button....

Still spinning...Fay

Here it is almost 8 pm Wednesday night...Fay is still spinning just off shore pounding our coastline with some pretty heavy squalls. We've already got standing water in the yard and they are calling for us to get somewhere around fifteen inches or more...Fay is only moving at 2 mph so we are in for a major drenching...Brevard county south of us has already received over 21 inches in some areas with an expected ten more inches before its over.

A friend called to see if we had an extra sump pump, his yard is flooding so heavy that its affecting his septic system. He's running two sumps already, but the water is coming so fast they can't keep up. Hubby has a well pump set up that we used for pumping water out from under our old house...worked super...got it out and took it to him...

11:30 pm...Fay continues to spin off the coast of Daytona...the rain bands are dumping a considerable amount of rain on us at this time. Winds are pretty steady, but not doing damage around us at this time. The position of the storm at this time is 45 miles ESE of Daytona...just south of the area my sister lives....looks like the storm will be coming in between there and our area...

Sit~n~Spin Fay

The outer bands of Tropical Storm Fay reached the Daytona area around 6pm Tuesday evening. By 11:30 pm, we were hearing the howl of the winds pretty frequently as they began moving through the area. If you've never been in one of these storms, they are really pretty neat to experience...you can actually hear the wind coming towards you several minutes before it even begins to move the trees...the sound is like listening to the ocean in a seashell as the wind moves in. Once you hear the 'hollow seashell noise', you begin to see the trees moving and can tell which direction the wind is spinning from before you even feel the breeze.

We've been under Tornado watch since early Tuesday morning....its been extended numerous times and is currently until sometime Thursday. So far, Fay has just been sitting and spinning over the top of the county just south of us, Brevard. They have been getting slapped around by the rains and winds since Fay made landfall. Right now, the 'eye' of Fay has moved just off shore around Cape Canaveral. The entire area there is experiencing some severe flooding as they have received ten inches of rain or more in the past 24 hours. This storm is not moving very fast, only 5 mph at the moment. The expected path...well, that's something no one is very sure of. Fay seems to be hugging the coast as she moves north. It is expected that she could gain strength and actually become a Category one hurricane before she turns and heads back across Florida....someplace between Daytona and Jacksonville.

When we awoke this morning, the winds were gusting much the same as when we went to bed. The rains we received overnight have once again turned the yard into the familiar 'swamp'....its still raining lightly at this time. By the time this storm finally blows out, we are expecting close to 15 inches of rainfall. Will definitely have to take pictures of the yard at that time.

I left the chickens penned in the coop yesterday. Their yard is already under water once more, but at least with them inside the coop I know they are dry and safe. Later I'll go check on them and give them a bit more feed and water. Good thing hubby made the coop so large, but then, this type of weather is what was in mind at the time it was built. Could be days before I can turn them back out into their yard. Barney sure was quiet this morning, but as it is raining pretty hard at the moment, it will be later before I go check on them.

Our news coverage of this storm is laughable at best. These people have hyped it to the point of being ridiculous. You'd think Florida had never seen a tropical storm or hurricane before. In the newspaper, the comment blogs are so negative about all the hype being broadcast....you can tell how fed up most of the locals are about hearing this. Just let us know if there's something severe like a tornado being spawned and tell us which direction its heading...but for cryin out loud, show something other than the storm and what it looks like standing on the beach...most of us know what it looks like when the storms come in. The only damage from this storm besides the flooding, seems to be from a tornado that was spawned yesterday in Brevard county. Seems like every two minutes they are bouncing from one beach area to another just to show how angry the ocean looks and how much erosion is likely to happen...enough already!! Just throw the map on the screen and let us see where the bands are and how close it is to our location...then move on to something else.

This isn't the first storm we've experienced that has done the 'sit~n~spin'...can't recall the name of the last storm that did this, but its just like the afternoon rains, a normal occurrence that happens now and then.

As slow as she's moving, we are being told that we could be feeling the effects of Fay into the beginning of next week even...ok, I'm over it now!!

Tropical Storm Fay...update...Tuesday late afternoon

Ok, its now 4:30 pm...only a few light squalls, no real wind in our area...south of us in Brevard county, they had a tornado go through one of the manufactured home communities...hate that, as this same community got slammed real hard in 2004.

The skies remain grey and threatening...temperatures have remained right at 75 degrees all day. Only thing rising has been the humidity...still not real bad...the A/C hasn't kicked on at all and I have the windows open with fans running.

From the looks of things, we should be feeling the effects of the storm in the next couple of hours, probably right around dark...winds of the storm have increased to 65 mph...it hit land at 60 mph around 5:30 this morning.

As of now, the wind is beginning to pick up, nothing steady just little gusts. The map shows the main bands from the storm are still just south of our area. The 'eye' is still churning down around Lake Okeechobee area, pretty far south of us. Deja Vue for many I'm sure....

Tropical Storm Fay...update...Tuesday afternoon

All geared up waiting for the weather to hit and so far..........nothing...ok, just a small squall for about ten or fifteen minutes...the sky continues to show dark clouds with spots of sunshine now and then. Temperatures remain low for now, only 75 degrees at 12:30 pm...the humidity is rising a bit, but still very tolerable. Occasionally, we have a bit of breeze blow through, but so far, nothing threatening. We are forecast for sustained winds of 20-35 mph with gusts up to 60 mph. South of us in our 'neighboring' county, they are currently being blasted by the winds as the storm moves further inland. Flooding is the main concern from the rain being dumped by the storm bands....that and tornadoes being spawned by the churning winds.

Our east coast beaches are being pounded more than expected from this storm, erosion is always a big concern, especially since they've spent MILLIONS replacing the sand that is constantly dragged out by the ocean....

From the weather map showing right now, the winds are getting closer to our area, I think they were saying something about us getting the worst weather after 2 pm. The storm winds have not dropped since it came onshore, a bit unusual, but the forecasters are saying its being fed by all the water from the rivers, Everglades and lakes that are in the area where the storm is currently sitting. The way they are talking, they expect the storm to cross on through the state and come out below us in Brevard county....guess we shall see...then they expect it to take a westerly turn and come back in around Jacksonville / St Augustine area...hmmmm, I believe we've had similar action from a few other storms in the recent past....

Holding our breath, waiting for the storm to pass.......not really, YAAAWWWNNN....I'm over it already. More updates later as the afternoon passes and the storm begins to do its thing in our area.

Tropical Storm Fay...update...Tuesday Morning

Its 7 am...the storm moved in on the west coast near Cape Romano, just south of Naples, around 5 am. Not bad as storms go. So far, it has not made much of an impact. The forecasters are talking about things deteriorating as the day moves on. They are changing the forecast for the track once more...now they are saying it will move across, head off shore and then come back across the northern part of the state....last night, they were calling for it to go 'straight up the spine' of the state. I don't think they know what they think.

So it looks as if the majority of our weather will be storms, some gusting winds and the possibility for tornadoes. We're still under a state of emergency until Wednesday sometime.
Really stinks for the kids going back to school...they just started Monday, some of the lower grades were scheduled to begin today and Wednesday...for now, schools across most of Florida are closed because of the storm. Once the winds get above 35 mph, the buses don't run. After driving our van in wind, I don't blame them one bit...waaaayy too top heavy. Many of the schools are also emergency shelters as well.

The rain bands from the storm are making for a very grey start to the morning. News people say that people should stay inside, mostly because of the flooding from the rains and the possibility for tornadoes. As calm as it is at the moment, I doubt that most will listen.

Tropical Storm Fay...update

Looks like we're gonna be on the bad side of this storm...northeast side as it comes in...worst of the weather for us in the way of tornado possibility...one of the forecasters called it the "dirty side"...be making landfall early morning...more to come

And the question is.....? Update

Ok, so I've now went through the house of our friends' with an eye on details....whoa!!! So yes, it does have a good deal of potential....this morning when my girlfriend and I went over to check it out was the first time I have ever been entirely through the house. When I go for a visit with someone, I'm not 'looking' at the house with my critical eye...what's there or not isn't usually of importance...I'm there for a visit.

The findings...its a one bedroom, two complete bathrooms, large 'great room' and kitchen. The pool enclosure is actually larger than the house itself...but set up to entertain most definitely. The 'great room'...living room area off the kitchen...has nice window area on one wall, wood burning stove for heat, central a/c, bedroom has built in cedar sauna, bathroom off bedroom has washer/dryer hook-up...the pool bathroom has full tub/shower enclosure, double vanity sink and the hotwater heater is there....the pool bathroom is accessible from the pool deck as well as from just off the living room area. On the pool deck, the enclosure is covered with metal roofing on two sides, screen over the rest...huge area...tons of possiblities there as well.

The downside...so much crap to haul out of the house and off the property. I'm sure most of the things inside will need to be dealt with by them as some of it appears to be some personal items that just haven't 'found' their way to the other house yet.

Since we haven't given them a yea or nay as yet, there are now more things to add to the list of things to talk about...like what do you want me to do with your stuff?
The deck furniture, of course, would be used around the pool...but the rest of the stuff....OMG!!! Looks like OUR stuff and how we have things!!! Junk mostly, but it might be something we could have a need for someday...sigh....so much work to make it even half way ready for us to try and move into...do I really have the energy for this and is it really going to be worth the monthly saving of $200/month? Guess that will be mostly decided now as the current tropical storm moves in on us....at least that place is a solid house....not a tincan.

Tropical Storm Fay...Monday morning

Storm tracking.... click the link for the latest updates on where Fay is

http://www.intellicast.com/Storm/Hurricane/Active.aspx?storm=1&type=visible&animate=true&enlarge=true

Tropical Storm Fay...Monday morning

Seems all our news is carrying at the moment is the track of this storm. Currently its about 9:30 am, the temperature is about 78 degrees....sky is cloudy, with hazy sunshine. Very light breeze at the moment, with the humidity rising.

At the moment, the tracking map is showing Fay sitting off the tip of Florida...the forecasters are saying they don't really know for sure which side of the state this storm is coming in from....they believe it will turn north and slide up the west coast....and then again, some of the computer models show it could just as well come in on the east tip...who knows for sure, except the storm its self...

I went on http://www.noaa.gov/ and checked things myself yesterday...as of this morning, even their forecast has changed.

Will be updating as the the storm progresses.

This and that...2

Just past the half way mark for the month, summer is drawing to a close and we have our first Tropical Storm of the season threatening. Today has been a rather blah day, humidity is up, the skies continue to be full of clouds and very grey...the temperatures are about 88 degrees, but the heat index says it feels like 90. Got the current electric bill the other day...was about what I figured since the A/C has been cranking day and night...not bad though considering the increase in the fuel costs on the bill...we even managed to use LESS this year than last year for the same time...I'd have to pull the old bill to see what we paid on that one...but this one was only $150...that I can handle.


This work situation is grating on my last gray hair...hubby got a call this morning telling him..."oh, by the way, YOU know your pay is at the shop right?"...got me riled right off the bat. What do you mean HE knows its at the shop???? Has HE been to the shop since Wednesday??? Did YOU bother to call him to tell him it was ready??? Some people....grrrrrrr

Rain is threatening at the moment...Hubby is out trying to get the piece welded for his truck so he can finish putting it back together. We got a bit done on the project truck...the '63 International...looking to pull the engine out and replace it soon...did manage to get some pictures of the work in progress....its a bit rough at the moment, but it sooo has potential.

Click on the picture to go to the album on this old truck...she's All wheel drive, and I can't wait til she's running!!

1963 Yellow International Pickup

Tropical Storm Fay

Well, it looks as if we are being threatened by our first Tropical Storm for 2008...Fay is expected to be hurricane strength by the time she reaches us sometime Monday or Tuesday....they are forecasting a very similar path to Hurricane Charley which came in from the west coast and smacked around the east coast pretty hard in 2004...we were among those without power during the week that followed Charley. Still don't have a 'good' path projection as the storm has to cross over Cuba...there is also an upper level high that will have an effect on how the storm is steered....much hype at this point. But we shall remain alert and watch for the updates on the track of this storm. Looks like it will be bringing some very heavy rain...thought I read about it dumping around eight inches over Puerto Rico as it passed over them. The winds are expected to be quite high as this storm moves across the state...right now we are expecting it to be at least a Category 1 when it makes land....forecasters are talking about winds of 70 to possible 85 mph as the storm moves through....tornadoes on our side of the state will be very possible as we will be on the 'backside' of the storm...the worst side for the heavy winds. Right now, it appears as if the entire state will be in the projected path as it moves almost straight up the middle.

I'll be posting as I can...will really depend on whether or not we lose power....no power, no cable, no internet...ahhh, but I do have the blue tooth connection for my cellphone....if the cellphones are up and running, I will be able to post.

Summer Storms...

Seems all the news is talking about at the moment is the current tropical storm heading our way. Its all the hype while these storms are fairly far away that makes people ignore them entirely...until the storm is at our front door, huffing and puffing and blowing the roofs away. While it is nice to know we have the possibility of the storm hitting us...do ya have to start keeping track of it the minute it forms as a wave off the coast of Africa??? Most of these storms fizzle out before they ever reach anywhere near us. Stock up, stock up, stock up....and then the storm never comes anywhere near...a waste of cash in a time of limited funds.

We've always just made sure that we know where certain things are in case there's a need...oil lamps, candles, the propane camp stove...extra propane cans.....and of course made sure we have our normal food supplies stocked. Once it looks as if we could get nasty weather for sure, then we move to the next step of making sure we have cash on hand, fuel in the vehicles and fuel for the generator. We always figure if push comes to shove, we can use the fuel in the vehicles for the generator....fifteen to thirty gallons in each vehicle....would run that generator for quite a spell with all the vehicles we own...lol.


Summer storms are also in the lives of several of my friends...my heart cries for them. One is a friend I have known most of my life. Not real sure exactly what she's experiencing at the moment, but from her cryptic emails, it doesn't sound good. She's been having some issues in her marriage, as well as health and even the death of a brother inlaw in the past few months. I worry for her, knowing that depression can lead down dangerous paths...especially for one who is feeling so disconnected from everyone.
Another really close girlfriend is also having family issues that are wreaking havoc with her marriage...and they've been together for thirty years. This friend has a child who although adult, still lives at home and the shenanigans this one is up to has almost destroyed the parents.


For the moment, the storms have left my relationship and things are going better between hubby and myself. A big part of our 'storm' damage is due to my own sharp tongue jumping out to slice to the bone. Since I did the 'binding' of my sharp tongue and mean words, things have gone smoother... should have done that quite some time ago...ah well, hindsight is always 20/20.

Isn't this August???

Today has been a repeat of yesterday, with the exception of temperature. The humidity has risen a bit, and the temperature is hanging right at 82 degrees.



Rains are in the forecast as the front continues to sit over the state. Next week it looks as though we could see a bit of weather from two tropical systems....we've got at least one Tropical storm...Fay...that could be a category one hurricane by the time it reaches us. Looks like it could come straight up the middle the way the forecasters are showing...either way, no matter where it comes in, we will get weather from it.

Got the yard mowed finally...will be mowing the back pasture Saturday...ran out of gas and daylight about the same time. I'm whipped and ready for a shower and food.

Around the yard

The chickens are now back in their pen. While they were in the garden, there were several Cantaloupe seedlings that decided to grow in their pen. I finally managed to get the planters filled yesterday and got them transplanted. The planters they are now in sit on either side of the walkway on concrete posts...I'll have to get a picture soon. There were about ten starts, so I have split them between the two planters. Thought they would look pretty nice vining down the posts, spilling out of the planters, especially once they begin to bloom. The planters sit fairly close to the split rail fence and depending on just how well they grow, I have the option to train them over the fence as well.

The new Tomato starts look like they have decided to set roots...YAY!!! One looks as if it may have a bloom starting also. Most definitely will be starting them this way in the future.

After looking at the Rosemary, I'm considering adding a bit more soil to her pot...she's beginning to get quite 'woody' and near the top of the soil, looks like she may be throwing some roots from a few of the lower branches. The pot didn't get filled entirely when I transplanted it so there is plenty of room for additional soil to be added. Guess I misjudged when I first put the soil in the pot, so when all was said and done, there is probably about four or five inches between the top of the pot and the top of the soil....its a pretty deep pot anyway...but the Rosemary is pretty good size.

I've been scoping out the large pot situation around here....the Stevia is needing a much larger pot again...I'd put it in the ground, but since we don't plan to stay here, I don't intend to leave it.
There are several larger pots still available for me to use...I'm just trying to make sure I get them used most effectively. There are several Hibiscus starts that will need the larger pots also.
After careful thought, I'm going to dig up the Basil and put it in a very large pot also. I really enjoy the smell of the Basil and know it will grow as a perennial here in Florida if protected. Its another plant I intend to take whenever we relocate....many of the plants will be transplanted into the large pots as I rethink what is going to be left here when we finally move. It doesn't seem to think much of its current location. Its in the ground, but sure acts like it needs to be moved...one more thing to add to the list...lol.

My plans for the garden are evolving into working with containers for the remainder of the growing season. I'm planning to use some of the seed flats I have that are open (not individual cells) and sow a bit of Leaf Lettuce once more. The last time, it never germinated. I have some different seed to try this time. I'm also wanting to try Scallions/green onions...I adore those...there are several planters I could use for those.

The Rhubarb has finally given up. All the intense rain we had must have been more than it could take. There is no longer a sign of it having been planted...except for the little marker.

There is more Yellow Squash to plant as well and I'm considering which pot to use for them. After dealing with the Boring worms out in the garden spot, I don't think I want to try them there again...and I adore the yellow squash so I really want to grow them. Love their pretty blossoms too.

Today's weather has really pulled me outside...the cool air was wonderful after so many days of high heat and humidity....too bad the rain chased me back inside before I had the opportunity to start getting my trays and pots ready for their new soil and seeds. The Cantaloupe starts are looking so nice in their new homes and last night's rain sure perked them right back up...no drooping at all after being transplanted. Nice to see some things doing like I wish.....

Isn't this August???

The day started out grey and fairly cool...it has continued throughout and is currently 76 degrees on my porch at almost 4:30 pm. It hasn't grown much warmer that about 78 all day. Pretty nice considering August is normally one of our hotter months. We seem to have some sort of odd front sitting over us for the past two days and that's where all our rain seems to be originating.
Actually, I think its pretty nice...kinda makes me think of how the weather on the mountain is this time of year...and I'm sooo missing it at the moment.

Since it has been raining off and on all day, there hasn't been much for hubby to do to keep busy...he just has been able to get outside and finish working on his truck brakes...rain keeps running him inside. We've been discussing the friends offer and some of the concerns we both seem to share...we plan to go back again and discuss it in more detail and see if we can all reach an agreement we can all live with. I'd really like to be in a house and the finances would ease a bit with the lower rent. Seems all I'm able to think about is what I could do in the house with the furniture we already have...I'm decorating it in my head...but, I haven't even seen the entire house on the inside...LOL...
With several of the antiques we have sitting out in the shed right now, I'd love to be able to have them where we can enjoy them once more...this house has that kind of room. It's kinda funny cause even the bookcase in my back room here, would have a great place in the living room at that house...oooohhhh, jeez...here I go again...

Work worries...

Another cool morning...rains fell late yesterday...rained most of the overnight hours. Very pleasant 70 degrees at 7 am...

For the second week now, hubby is to lose two days pay...the shop is still tight on cash. We can't afford to do this, yet hubby won't say so to his boss...male thing here...so into the savings we go.
I had mentioned this before we went on vacation...the cash we have is going to be whittled away the longer we are here. Its beginning to get a bit scary.

We have decided to go ahead and write out our concerns and sit down and go over them with our friends regarding their house. Losing two days a week, I can't afford to live in this place for long.
Hubby was saying he would start tearing out the back bathroom so the floor could be fixed and then that would be taken off the rent. Well and good, except for the fact that it takes CASH! The rent is paid for August...worry about how everything else gets paid.

Back to square one. God I feel like I'm back in my twenties when life was a struggle to make ends meet. This isn't supposed to be happening at this late stage of life...

Grey day....

At 2:45 pm, it remains a very grey day. The humidity has come up high enough to chase me and the dogs all inside. The temperature on the porch thermometer reads about 88 degrees. There is a bit of a breeze now and then. To look towards the sky makes one feel as if winter is just around the corner...its that grey and nasty looking. Again the forecast is calling for afternoon rains....we shall see.

If the rains come, it will probably happen about the time hubby is heading home after work....especially seeing as we planned to stay home tonight and work around the house...such is life!!

Perhaps if the rains hold off we might be able to get the yard mowed, at least the front....it so sucks with the 'new' rider...its a pull start, which I have a very hard and painful time trying to start...god, I miss the electric start mowers!! My pulling arm, right arm, is the shoulder that gives me the most trouble...just trying to use it swimming last week about brought me to my knees after doing a very shallow dive movement...the abrupt movement as I brought it above my head shot pain to my little finger, from the shoulder down. Bursitis issues have plagued that shoulder since I was seven. On a happier note, since experiencing that while swimming, the shoulder has actually 'freed' up a bit and is moving a bit less painful at this time.

Time to move on today and get something started for tonight's dinner....been craving a big pot of ham and pinto bean soup...and a pan of cornbread...yum...well, if that's gonna happen for tonight, then I'd better get to cooking!!

Maybe???

Beginnings of another summer day...cool, but beginning to feel muggy and thick already and its only 8 am...temperature is hanging right at 78 degrees. The sky is overcast as if the sun has yet to rise. Forecast is for some pretty healthy rainfall today. If the start of the morning is any indication, could be right. Its pretty neat this time of year to finally notice the subtle seasonal changes...its only taken me over twenty years to be able to see the changes...before January. The air is very light and even has a touch of chill in it during the very early hours...the kind of feeling that 'fall' is just around the corner...very similar as to the changing seasons up north...our leaves don't change though until almost January.

Last night's dinner with our friends was nice. Nothing fancy, just good food and company. We hung out with them until well after dark. Before the evening was over, our friend did mention the house once more...said we could start painting or doing whatever we wanted...hubby told them we are still tossing it around and considering our options and what we want to do. Ok, now, I'm really kinda pulled here...found out from conversation last night that the house also has a sauna room in the master bedroom and the tubs in this house are the jacuzzi type bathtubs.....just the thing for those achy muscles.....Maybe? So now, I'm really torn between wanting to move from here and not wanting to possibly screw up a friendship...and they just keep making it sound so much better....I just don't know....should I toss a coin and leave the choice to that? Its become very tempting at this point to do just that...

This and that...

As the day wears on, the sky is becoming full of dark clouds...so far, the temperature is climbing slowly, still mid 80's and its past 1 pm. The humidity has come up to the steamy point, although a light breeze is keeping it from becoming intolerable. Supposed to hit the mid 90's again today, but somehow, I don't believe that will happen. Looks like we could be getting a bit of rain from what the sky is looking like...dark, ominous looking grey/black at the moment.

My girlfriend stopped in after work again this morning...she has an open invitation to stop down anytime she wishes....spent a couple hours visiting with her before she had to leave.
No real plans today, just playing things by ear...I do have to run into town for dog food and also to pick up the wine for dinner tonight...so far, my buddy isn't home yet, so I figure to wait until I hear from him before I head out. That way I can make it in one trip....save that gas!!

Checked the Hibiscus after noticing the 'rope fence' wasn't sitting the same...something (deer?) has sure made a hearty meal from the poor thing. Looks like the electric livestock wire is about to be run...this is just so disheartening after seeing how much new growth had been put out. Its bad enough the thing has to go through all the heat and humidity, but to be constantly munched on and she still manages to throw out some beautiful blooms...just irritates my eyes out!!

So far, the yard has almost dried out where the water was standing just a few short days ago...of course that means we shall have buckets of rain dumped on us now...it has grown very rapidly the past month because of the standing water. Shaggy looking is the best description at this point. Hubby had the weedeater out and really did a great job around the areas where I can't get the rider...too bad it will all need doing again as soon as the mower can be run....hahaha. Never ending around here with the mowing while we are getting the rains!! Won't be long though and we shall be able to go several weeks between mowing...most of the grasses and weeds seem to go dormant in September, which makes the mowing way less around here.

Hubby is continuing to plan for the mountain...he's looking at having time off more frequently as things at the shop are beginning to get seriously tight moneywise...things like getting the van road ready are shifting to the top of his list....finally!!! With the job being what it is though, it truly makes a dent in the finances trying to juggle things around so payments can be made on time. Guess its just one more reason to feel glad that we aren't in debt the way so many are right now. Every vehicle we own is paid off, and the property payment for the mountain is our only real outside expense...living expenses are the only thing we really have to worry about.
Since we are already living about as close to the bone as a person can get, there isn't much more we can cut out of the budget. Push comes to shove, I guess I'll start looking for outside work myself...just when I'm enjoying staying home....story of my life.

I really need to get out and cut the Stevia for drying...its beginning to look as though its finishing for the season...would love it if I could actually figure out how to use what I'm harvesting...lol. Done a bit of research on it a few weeks ago, and the info says to harvest it in the fall...if I wait until our 'fall', it will be dried out to nothing....so its cutting time I guess.

The Basil is looking kinda crappy...still growing, but just doesn't look as nice as the ones I've had in the past...might just be the soil its in...I don't really know.
Got all three of the cuttings from the tomato plants looking like they have rooted....woohoo!! Those were some very tasty tomatoes...Big Boy variety. Since I know this is possible....look out!! I'll be starting the tomatoes from cuttings now. Figure once ya find one you really like, keep it going!!!

So far, the Lavender has shown quite a bit of growth. I've left it be in its spot, just checking periodically for signs of flowers...nothing yet. Smells wonderful though when you run your hand through the foliage. My Cannas continue to bloom sporadically, even though there are signs of the Leaf roller doing damage to the foliage. They really look bad at the moment. The mystery lillies have done nothing...just lots of foliage, no sign of a bloom even being considered...I'm about over these darn things! We've had them now for several years (I count at least five years) and they have never done anything...one plant I will NOT be taking when we finally decide to relocate. My Poinsettias have not looked so well since I first purchased them...they really love their spot in the front bed and I can hardly wait for them to bloom this winter.

Rain has moved in just as I figured...its almost 2 pm and its raining fairly hard. No thunder or lighning at this point....hahaha and as I type this, what do I hear in the far distance....the rumble of thunder...so much for that! Only a short spit of hard rain this go round...about five minutes and its done? Still looking nasty though, so will probably be getting more...just another rainy summer day in paradise....Liquid Sunshine.

A meal and a peel....

Another cool start to the day...temperatures are at 70 as the sun begins to light the sky. Forecast calls for it to be another hot one, we are expecting highs in the 90's once more. Never did get any rain yesterday although it threatened several times. Probably dump buckets today.

Got side tracked with an errand last night and didn't make it to our friends'. Worked out ok though, got a call from them later and an invitation to dinner for tonight. Hubby told them he'd bring the weedeaters when we come tonight so he can get some of the high grass cut back for him. Hope that they will understand our desire to remain friends is stronger than the desire to move. Must have enjoyed the wine....our friend asked if I could pick up more for dinner tonight, so looks like I'll be calling my buddy after he gets home from work....just up the street.

Icckk...got the little blisters itching and popping around all the sunburned spots...my entire back feels like it is covered with the little blisters....oozing all over when scratched or rubbed....knew this would happen eventually. My forehead and nose began peeling yesterday....now it seems like every inch that saw sun is going to blister and peel. I'll really be glad when that is over.

And the question is.....? Update

Hubby was in for lunch, a bit later than his normal lunch time. Looks like this time off stuff could become more frequent...not what I wanted to hear. He's talking about getting the van ready so we can just take off whenever he gets time off...ok, but what are we supposed to pay the bills with? Guess we'll figure it out as we get to it...sigh...not what I was expecting to cope with at this point in life.

As long as the weather holds, read, no rain, we plan to go back to our friends' tonight. Hubby wants to give him a hand with some of the weedeating that has gotten out of hand as their weedeater went down...geez, do I understand that one. Figure we'll let them know our decision when we see them this evening. Who knows, they may have thought it over too and have similar apprehension. Guess we'll find out later.

And the question is.....? Update

After visiting our friends last night and discussing the possibility of us renting their old house.....hubby and I have both slept on the information and we both can see the writing on the wall...

The conditions / stipulations on renting this property....

1. They maintain rights to use the pool.
2. Tree service equipment, trucks, trailers, etc... will continue to be parked on the property.

What this means...

1. We could expect to see them in the pool whenever they decide and possibly with others, such as the kids (all older and grown) and grandkids...whenever the notion hits.
2. With the equipment being parked in the yard...the crew will be in and out at least twice a day getting stuff for the job and coming in after the day is done.
3. The crew is usually 'day labor' type workers who have had and some continue to have issues with drugs and alcohol...not the cream of the crop here. The friend tries to help out those who are down on their luck and trying to earn their own way...he's been burned so many times by these people and yet, he continues to offer work for those willing to show up. Things have been stolen from his home, his equipment has been stolen and sold all because he's trying to be a good person. But, to continue, we have a considerable amount of cash invested in hubby's tools and other equipment. Having the crew in and out would be a real issue should anything go missing. I know what a ballistic, red-neck, screaming, insane, bitch I become when stuff goes missing...I'd hate to ruin a friendship.

So, after careful consideration, much discussion and mulling over... we both have agreed that we see these things as very possible MAJOR issues that would ruin our friendship. With this in mind, we've agreed that even though its a house and has a pool...it isn't worth the known aggravation and loss of friends. For now, we will remain where we are and take care of the things that need fixed...the landlord takes it off the rent, so he will be charged hubby's same rate as when he is at the shop...plus materials. Since I already know the caliber of people he hires for repair work, he can pay my husband and we will take the full amount off the rent...no real money out of his pocket then and I don't have to worry about questionable people being in my home half-ass fixing things, because they aren't qualified to do the work in the first place. At least my husband and I have experience in doing re-modeling work and knowing how my husband feels about making things tight and right, I'll take his work any day.