Deciding Which Projects to Finish this Year

Thanks to Wikimedia Commons for the wonderful pictures and shapes in the public domain.

Mid-September is quickly approaching, leaving me with many tasks to complete before the icy chill of winter takes over. When the year changes to sunshine arriving late in the morning and nightfall taking over in the late afternoon, I know it’s time to complete the most important projects on my slowly dwindling list of things to do. As with other years, I’m going to rely on common sense and fairly reliable forecasts to focus on the three most important projects.

Repairs and Maintenance

Some of the outside walls of the house have paint peeling away. The last few years have provided winds of over 100 mph, temperatures exceeding 100 and dropping below zero F, and rain, ice, and snow. Painting the exterior of the house is a top priority. I’m taking a few minutes here and there to sand the area where the paint is loose and following it with an application of primer. In another month conditions should be right to start painting the buildings to avoid damage from yet another hard winter. 

When the bad weather sets in, I’m replacing the old indoor-outdoor carpet on the enclosed front porch. It’s a perfect DIY inside project that abolishes cabin fever.

Decorations

I know how to make my own happiness and it starts with celebrating special days and holidays. Decorating is a wonderful way to share my joy with others and hopefully inspire them to do the same or at least add a chuckle and smile to their day. I have outdoor displays I put along the fence for Halloween, Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. I put solar lights on the fences top and bottom to keep the décor visible.

Basic Needs

There have been winters of being housebound for a week or more. This looks like a rerun of the same. I’ve made a list of things to stock in the pantry so we have enough food. An extra can of coffee and cocoa, as well as gallons of bottled water, have their own special shelf this year. 

The main source of heat is a woodstove. It only takes short logs, so I’m using the electric chainsaw to cut down some of the branches that fell during last winter and spring. I’m hoping to find someone who needs larger pieces of firewood and will use the large gas chainsaw to cut the big limbs for themselves and help cut up the smaller ones for me. I’ve reached the point where handling the big saw is just not fun to do anymore.

As a kid in San Diego, my biggest winter worry was having the bus fare to get to the beach during Christmas vacation. Now it’s hoping I don’t have to tackle flooded roads and highways or have the need to go to town over icy, snowy roads.

The remaining “to-do’s” start my 2015 list and an inspirational look at next year! What will you carry over to next year?

Plan Next Year’s Garden Today

I have been gardening all my life. Part of the process was sharing food with others and learning to plan for lean seasons.  If you have children, encourage them to have a garden of their own and arrange for its care if they will be gone for a day or so. It’s a fantastic way for them to learn responsibility and enjoy the fruits of their labor. 

What’s the best place in town to get healthy fruits and vegetables free from pesticides and unwanted chemicals? Quite a few people have discovered it’s from the raised container gardens in their very own yard or patio. What makes raised containers so great?

Multiple sizes

Home garden areas range from less than a square yard to acres of planting room. Build or buy containers to fit your lifestyle and the plants you want to raise. Six by six inch squares can hold green onions, radishes, or carrots, as well as herbs. The concrete blocks with the holes in the center are an excellent small container choice.

Convenience

If it’s hard for you to get around, set the containers near the door that is easy for you to access. Measure the height so you can harvest the crop when it ripens. Use a drip system to water or some other convenient method.

Types of Soil and Environment

Like every other living thing, each type of plant has different soil requirements. Check with your local US Department of Agriculture for instructions on DIY soil improvement and compost heaps. Be sure each plant gets enough, but not too much, sunshine every day.

Plant the Foods You Like to Eat

If you are planting for yourself, grow the foods you enjoy eating. Radishes are quick and easy to grow, but why waste time growing something you will not eat? A few strawberry and zucchini squash plants, some carrots, and Swiss chard yield fresh produce to eat now and freeze for later.

Share the Bounty

Ask friends, family, and acquaintances about seed sharing. If each person in the group buys a couple of packs of seeds and shares them, everyone’s garden will cost less for a larger amount of variety. Contact the local senior centers and homeless shelters to find out if they will accept surplus fruits and veggies from your garden.

Use your computer to design next year’s garden so it can be in place by spring. Make a list of what you intend to grow, as well as the people in your seed sharing group. Stay in touch over the winter to keep the enthusiasm flowing. Happy gardening!

Freedom to Exercise in the Great Outdoors

 The picture above is very similar to the terrain by my rural home in Fernley, NV.

The past 18 months have been a challenge. I’m aggressively searching for and finding ways to make more money to cover the bills while trimming expenses that are truly frivolous and unnecessary. The result is too much time at the computer from sunup to sundown. By the time I have a few minutes to walk outside, it’s dark and I’m worn out.

The good news is my hard work is paying off and I’ve managed to take care of some of my outstanding debts. I am getting much better at keeping my calendars up to date (I like having more than one to keep me on track). Staying motivated to follow my schedule is easier every day. Today, I gifted myself with the freedom to exercise in the great outdoors.

The first thing I noticed after a mile walk is how happy I felt to be outside in the fresh air with absolutely no pressure to hurry. The next thing I noticed is that I need to get back into what I like to think of as my cross country speed walking routine.

There is enough acreage on my property to provide a variety of terrain. I really enjoy walking up the hard-packed dirt driveway to the narrow, paved country lane and striding down the slight incline to the main road that leads to town. From that point, I have several choices for travel, complete with hills and straight roads.

It was a delight to stop and look at the cute baby goats and the llama when I reached the half-mile mark today.  I intend to build on the distance each day and the joy I feel from this September walk.  

How do you break back in to an exercise pattern? What is your favorite kind of exercise?

Have You Used the Family-Friendly Thermometer?

I was so surprised to see how easy the latest device for measuring body temperature is to use. I can remember arguing with my mom that since my forehead and neck were warm, there was no sense in sticking that icky tasking, glass thing in my mouth to confirm a fever. Now all that it takes to get an accurate reading is a quick roll across the forehead with a temporal artery thermometer!

The process is the same for infants to adults. It reduces the threat of broken glass or the transfer of germs from one person to another. Its accuracy is amazing! Everyday activities like breathing, drinking cold or hot liquids, and coughing are known to cause inaccurate readings with other thermometers. The temporal artery thermometer, however, reads the heat released from the skin above the artery. Outside influences do not interfere with the measurement. 

Several prominent manufacturers include this type of thermometer in their inventory. They are available for the medical community and individuals. The price is higher than that for regular thermometers, but the speed, accuracy, and convenience offset the amount. Move the instrument across a clear area of the forehead between the eyebrows and hairline. Any obstruction, even hair, can cause an inaccurate reading.

I listened to the kids chattering about how much fun it was to have their temperature taken at the clinic without having something pushed into their mouth, under their arm, or other undesirable spots. It is impressive that someone developed this incredible idea and created a beneficial family-friendly item to reduce the stress of going to the doctor. This is on my “to buy” list as the year moves into colds and flu season.

Has anyone in your family had their temperature taken this way? How do you feel about its use?