More worn out

 A couple of weeks ago I had a brake caliper repaired in my car.  I didn't notice right away, but eventually I used the e-brake when I parked on a small slant.  Actually, I use my e-brake a lot, whether on a slant or not. The handle pulled up really easy and smoothly.  At first I thought "Wow. My e-brake must have been messed up along with the rear caliper."  Then I thought - wait.  I pulled the e-brake and pressed the gas.  The car moved forward and backward with no issue whatsoever.  Hmmm.... I called the garage. I was busy for a week or two but had my appointment yesterday.

My daughter picked me up and we went out for breakfast and to a thrift store. She dropped me back off at the dealership and I waited another hour.  No charge.  The brake caliper they repaired had failed.  I asked "If I had not noticed my e-brake not working, how would I have known the rear caliper repair had failed?"  She said "You wouldn't."  Yeah.  Certified or not - I think I'm done with the dealership.  I've been taking my (total of 2) cars there since 1996.  They changed hands a couple of years ago.  I think it's time to move on. Besides my car is too old for anybody to care if it is certified with manufacturer parts or not.

This time every year we go to a Swiss festival in an Amish town near us.  There is a wine and cheese tasting event in the fire station. My Son-in-Law's band plays there every year.  After Covid they stopped providing chairs. Now it's just tall tables placed around the station with the establishments set up against the walls. My daughter and I said this year we were bringing our camping chairs. A couple of others did also.  For some reason this year they would not open the big garage doors to let air in. It was so hot, I had to go outside several times to cool down.  It took me a while before I realized it may have been the samples of wine that were making me so warm.  Oops.

There is just something about a small town carnival/festival. With those carnival rides and noises. But, it's the lights after it starts to get dark.  You have the lights, the familiar noises, the smell of deep fried foods, children laughing (or crying, depending on the issue) and running around making their parents wonder why do they do this to themselves each and every year?

And, back home, I continue to prepare for the family get together tomorrow at yet another winery. I am exhausted.  But still, I only sleep 3 - 4 hours.  I thought I was getting better when I did a couple of 6 - 7 hours but it went right back to 4 or so.  My Mom had horrible early morning insomnia.  My daughter and I both have it.  I get up at 3 (or 4 if I try to go back to sleep and fail) and read or browse the news on the Internet.  After two hours or so I am ready to go back to bed.  I can also go back to bed even if I drink coffee.  It is pretty much okay now that I am retired but when I worked it was a bit of a problem. Some say don't go to bed before 11 p.m. or Midnight.  That's okay if I am interested in something and I don't notice the time.  Other times I fall asleep right at my desk while I am reading on my computer.

I do nap if I need to.  Maybe once a year I nap more than an hour, but mostly it's an hour. Sometimes I am just too busy to nap with going places.  I don't want to ask my doctor for anything. I don't want to get addicted to anything or depend on anything. After all these  years I finally started noticing some allergy symptoms creeping in. I have to admit, I've been lucky in that area.  I take Benadryl and that helps me sleep but I don't have a reason to take it all year long when the allergies just happen a couple of weeks out of the year. I remember years ago taking Tylenol-PM or one of the same.  I remember sitting on the couch watching TV when this overwhelming sleepiness came over me.  How nice that was, but I stopped that right quick.  It just didn't seem right. And how long before  you need more and more to get the same effect?  I might pick some up if I decide to go on a vacation where it is really hard for me to sleep somewhere else in a strange bed.  But, I know me.  If it is in the medicine cabinet and I can't sleep, I'll just take it.

I'll try to remember to take some pictures tomorrow at the winery.

Worn out

 Went to Berlin (Amish country) today.  The above photo of my front porch has nothing to do with our trip.  I did see the barn planter (one the same size and a smaller one) but not as much white on them.  

The above image I did over the week-end. I purchased some colorful mums and the orange decoration I made last year after visiting Jo-Ann's shop.  Which is now gone.  I guess a Hobby Lobby is coming to our town.

Berlin is only an hour away from me and honestly, a lot of food items there are stocked at my local grocery stores and small markets in my town. As are the many cheese options.  So much cheese!

Today we went to browse the crafts.  Wow!  So much out there.  A couple of bus loads came in today and there were quite a few shoppers walking around town.  I've seen it a lot busier.  

I'm planning a family camp fire this week-end at Maize Valley in Hartville, OH.  I'm trying to get a family event four times a year.  Christmas we have done for years.  My oldest sister has hosted Memorial day for years (we consider that the summer one).  I think she said it was a bit much for them so they are stopping it.  It is an awful lot. Years ago I used to host the 4th of July (I think if you go back far enough in my posts, you will see pics of some of the parties).  I would get about 40 people. I stopped them when a family member would ruin it each year with her drunken escapades and nobody needs to have their children around that. She had been in prison for years and family get togethers were stress free and so fun.  Sigh.  I have to add this - she is great fun when she is sober.

Anyway, this week-end it looks like mid-70s and hopefully no rain. I reserved the pavilion so we will be under a roof.  I would imagine the campfire will be outside, though.  I am bringing hot dogs and buns, condiments and calico beans.  Everybody loves the calico beans, here is my recipe (some folks call them cowboy beans).

Calico Beans

1 large can of baked beans (with juice)

1 can black beans (drained)

1 can kidney beans (drained)

1 can butter beans (drained)

1 can green lima beans (drained)

2 tiny cans of the small green baby limas (they are too cute not to add in, but sometimes hard to find)

3/4  cup brown sugar (adjust to your desire of sweetness)

14 oz catsup (I get the cheapest brand for this)

1 Tbsp dijon mustard - adjust for taste (or honey mustard, or dried mustard powder)

1/2  lb cooked and crumbled bacon

1 lb ground beef, browned, broken up and drained

1 small onion diced (I use yellow cooking onion or sweet white.  I think red/purple is too strong)

But you do you.

You can add any other beans you want, also save some of the drained juices in the refrigerator in case the beans become too dry and they need liquid.

You can adjust amounts to your liking after you make it for a while and family members tell you they like it this way or that way.  The above way is how I make it for my crew. You can add Worcestershire sauce, I don't as my daughter is sensitive to it and usually has a skin reaction when she eats it.

I brown the ground beef and fry the bacon on the stove but then add everything to a crock pot on low for 4 - 6 hours. I usually make everything the day before and refrigerate the beans in the crock overnight and fire them up early the next morning (make sure you have the time to cook them all the way through before your get together) and take them to the event in a crock pot that travels well.  

Now, this next part is V-E-R-Y important. Get a crock pot with the lock-down lid. And even with a lock-down lid, put them in a cardboard box so they fit snug and cannot move around.  Pad with old dish towels if you need to. You do not want spilled beans of any kind in your car.  Trust me on this. No matter how much you clean it, you will be reminded of the spillage each and every time it rains.

Greed, cheating in horseracing

 Surprised?  Nope. Me neither.  It is so disheartening, though.  I just finished a book titled "Death of a racehorse."  by  Katie Bo Lillis.  The doping of the horses to make them run and perform faster.  Getting caught whether guilty or not.  Lying and paying off people to get out of it.  Horses dying left and right because the strain is too hard (drugs or not).  And after the race they have to service (stud) mares twice a day and if they can't perform they are dosed up on vitamins and who knows what else and this also kills them sometimes.  I loved to watch the Kentucky Derby/Preakness and Belmont.  I also love to watch the trotters at the county fair.  A few years ago I started to wonder.  Is this abuse?  I know that some are treated very well, but it is barbaric to me.  I no longer watch them live or on television. 

Yes, but blackberry?

 One of the first guys I dated was a Jack Daniels fan.  So, I picked up a liking for the whiskey.  It did not serve me well.  I think one of the major reasons I have stopped drinking is because how sick I would get the next day(s).  I can't even imagine how that blackberry would taste coming back up.  I'll tell you one thing.  I never will know because - Hell to the No!

I really have no words...

 I'll just let the article speak for itself.  I don't recall what magazine I read this in, but...here we are.

Ain't We Got Fun?!

 I was housesitting for my niece this past week. She has two dogs.  I got up on Wednesday, let the dogs out and fed them and went to take my shower.  When I came back downstairs there was blood paw prints everywhere all over the family room.  It took me a minute to figure out which dog was bleeding and it was Daisy's dew claw.  At first I thought she chewed it. She was licking it.  My niece had just moved into this house and I did not know where any bandages or gauze was located if there even was any.  To top it all off I had left my phone at my house when I went to check on things on Tuesday (Plants and my dogs, etc...) I did have my computer so I facebook'd my daughter and told her the situation.  She is the one you want to have in an emergency.  She said take a towel, wrap it around the paw and put a hair tie around it to hold it on.  I have scrunchies (old school) but I did just that. Whew. She also said get to a pet store and get a product that stops bleeding.  I'd forgotten about this powder (we had a small container when we had our cockatiel). When clipping any nails on any animal there is always the chance of bleeding.

I wrapped the foot of the dog, knowing darn well she was going to pull it off. I jumped in the car and as I was driving down the road, I realized it was 8:15 in the morning. No pet store or drug store was open yet. I went to a grocery store. Of course the employee who was in the aisle could not help me. This was the pharmacy aisle. The pet section was completely at the far end of the store. I fast walked passing a man in a motorized cart. If  I had to, I would have cut him off and the end of the aisle. I think he was trying to race me.  I persevered and pulled ahead. I was in a small panic. Nothing.  I fast walked back to the pharmacy aisle (Pharmacy was closed so there was no asking anybody in that department). I finally found some Bleed - Stop and I also grabbed wound cleaner. (Totally forgot gauze and tape but she would just pull them off).  Of course I get in line where the person in front of me does not know how to use their card on the machine. I grabbed my stuff and ran to the next line.  That one also took a while.  My debit card is in my phone case holder along with my drivers license, credit cards, grocery store cards, car insurance ...you know.  I did have my small purse with cash, though.  The cashier ran the items up and I gave her a $20.  She said "We don't take cash."  My brain deflated.  Okay, leave the stuff and run to the other side of the town to get to the drug store which must be open by now.  This was in a split second. Then the cashier said "You have to put your cash in the slot down there" and she pointed to a slot under the conveyer belt.  Why the hell didn't she lead with that?!  Instead of saying "We don't take cash."  Then she asked if I had a store card. I did but it was in my phone case an hour away. I said "No."  She asked "Phone number?"  In that split second I couldn't have rattled off my phone number to save my life. I said "No! Just...."  I really can't recall what I said. I grabbed the stuff and quickly drove back to my niece's house.

Yes, the dog had pulled off the towel. The dogs were jumping around the family room smearing more blood all around the floor. I tried to get Daisy up on the couch. She was not having anything to do with that.  The other dog - Pepper, jumped up for me.  She was like "I'm the good dog, see?  I do what you say!"  Sigh. I finally got Daisy up on the couch and opened a packet of Bleed Stop and gently began packing it around the back paw.  Now take a minute here and let me explain something. I have no fear of my dogs or my niece's dogs. They are sweet as can be. But, my daughter was recently bit in the hand by a stray she was trying to take back to the owner and she required 16 stitches. So, I was thinking - great. If this dog bites me, there is nobody here and I have no cell phone. (New house - no land line and she probably won't get one anyway. I dropped my landline years ago). No incidents. The dog was as sweet as could be but she didn't want me touching it - rightfully so.

Now - how to tell if the bleeding stopped?  I had to clean up all the blood on the floor because the dogs were still dancing around.  It took me quite a few wet paper towels but I got it all and kept watching Daisy. No more blood. Whew!  I didn't tell my niece until she returned Thursday afternoon.  It was all taken care of and the ordeal was over, so there was no need to stress her out.  She really, really likes her critters.

I called and checked on Daisy today and she is doing very well. I am reminding myself to get some Bleed Stop for my medicine cabinet. I have two dogs (my daughter has two) and I have one cat. You just never know.