daybook 7/29/2014

 

[photos from Friday’s VBS – Does this guy have a great cheesy smile, or what?! goes well with the cheese pizza.]

 

:::For today:::

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Outside my window... it still looks similar to this picture I took Saturday, except the skidsteer and post hole digger [aka, PhD] have been returned to Bobcat of Ames

Hearing... Abby snapping the green beans while she listens to something via the laptop

Pondering... more green beans in the garden [where the Cattleman & the Cowgirl are still picking], two girls at camp, a nap in my bed

Praying... especially for Denise – this is her doctor-prescribed week to build up her strength, enjoy having her son home on leave, and even attend church.  Next Monday will be Day One of the new bold treatment regime – heavy doses of chemo and radiation for four weeks before they run scans again, hoping and praying for better results.

… for the Popper to have a great week at camp.

Thankful... for a successful year with green beans in our garden – first in a long, long time!  Also thankful I at least know where my wedding ring is at, although it should be on my hand.  [sad but hopeful face]

Creating... travel plans, hot water for blanching beans, this post… [eyes roll – “creating” is stretching it a bit] 

But here’s Abby being creative, helping prepare favors for a wedding reception last week… {and multi-tasking with some entertainment while folding boxes}

  

Going... to blanch and freeze a bzillion green beans today {and then clean the stove top…now that my blancher has boiled over}

Reading... the Psalms mostly.  Hoping to finish a couple library books before they are overdue – I think I’ve run out of allowed renewals on Frozen in Time.

The Popper & I listened to Focus on the Family’s audio drama of The Secret Garden yesterday while driving, does that count?

Looking forward to... having my girls home again – ALL the kids under one roof.  And having my ring back on my hand where it belongs!  Um, looking forward to having a brain again… someday?

In the kitchen... green beans of course!  {this pile went in the freezer last Monday – then we ate most of what were picked the rest of the VBS week}

Weekend leftovers included grilled burgers, hot dogs, and turkey for fajitas – yum.  I left a beef roast in the crock pot for last night’s supper, to which the girls added mashed potatoes, bread sticks, green beans, and apple crisp.   Tonight = whatever leftovers are available… 

I should buy groceries yet tonight after the sun’s power has waned for the day. {ha ha}

In the learning rooms... “Water and weeding help make a productive garden.”

Around the house... dirty floors {what’s new?}  and piles of Kate’s stuff I brought home from Wisconsin today.

The Mother Load... beans, floors, laundry, menu plan and groceries, decide travel agenda and book some hotels(!), call the chiropractor for a family-sized appointment next week…  {wash, rinse, repeat}

Noticing that... the county road crew finished rebuilding our road today – woot!

Something fun to share... insanity?  Surely a group of friends would make it so much more fun?

A favorite quote for today...  An unwatched pot is sure to boil.  Over.

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Okay, okay, here’s a better story from a friend, courtesy of facebook:

J wanted to wear cowgirl clothes today...she has already milked the cows and taken care of her horse. Now, she is harvesting the corn...with a hockey stick. Clever choice for an imaginary sickle! She's singing "Har-ves-ting!" over and over to the tune of Deep and Wide and asking C to lend a helping hand because it's a lot of work for one little girl to harvest corn. C said "no, thank you!" And went to the bedroom to put on a "big flower dress"...they are so different. I love it! Oh, and J defined "lending a helping hand" as "something that is hard work with one person and not so hard with two!"

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So, on that note, I am very thankful for my kiddos lending several helping hands to harvest, wash, snap, blanch, and freeze so many green beans!

One of my favorite things... green beans fresh from our garden!  [no cooking required]

A few plans for the rest of the week... um, yes.

A peek into my world... lots of progress on Saturday

  

  

 

And now that today’s 19+ pounds of beans are in the freezer, I am calling this post done too!

  

 

~.~.~.~.~

Giving credit where credit is due:

While I am not linking up with anyone, you could read more weekly news posts at other blogs by following any of these links:

• Peggy at the Simple Woman’s Daybook

• Julie for adapting this daybook version as her own ‘Grasshopper Days’ ~ Perhaps I could call it the GHV Daybook. :)

• You can also find a similar weekly meme in Happy Homemaker Monday at Sandra’s

~.~.~.~.~

Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord,

that thou fulfil it. Colossians 4:17

VBS week

 

So far.  And I’m too tired to say much more than post these few pics.

Snacks & Crafts are scheduled/located together, so while I am only part of the snack department I have enjoyed taking pictures of the kids while they are crafting as well.

I mixed up the dough, but Abby baked and decorated the 100+ sugar cookies for Monday’s snack.  {Lesson: Obey God out of love.}

 

  

 

{Monday}

  

 

{Tuesday}

  

 

{Wednesday}

  

 

{Thursday}

     

 

{one more day}

…zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…

homemaking a-z

 

Conny was actually tagged by Sandra, but I thought it looked like fun too—so here we are!

 

 

Aprons - Y/N If Y what does your favorite look like?

Yes, if I think about it before I dust my shirt with flour.  My prettiest apron came from Emilie, so I save it for special occasions.  My down-and-dirty apron I’ve had for years.  It features a rustic scene of a French farmer & his wife complete with critters, a cow of course!  I finally adapted the fit a few years ago after not wanting to wear it because of the neck strap.  {I’m a little OCD about my neck sometimes}  I did the bold thing, cut the neck strap and tied it to each waist tie – so it now criss-crosses my back.  Happy me.

Baking - Favorite thing to bake?

This is almost like choosing a favorite hymn.  What’s not to bake?  Breads, rolls, cookies, cakes, even pies…

   

 

Clothesline - Y/N

I wish, but currently No Clothesline.  We are still under construction, we live on gravel, we have frequent strong aromas in our countryside air = nuff said?  But reminiscing, the clothesline was one of The Best Things about the first house we owned twenty years ago.  We even had one in the basement laundry room for rainy days and cold weather.  {thanks to original home owners}

 

Donuts - Have you ever made them?

Yes, but maybe just donut holes.  Which works just fine for me.  It’s been a long time though.

 

Everyday - One homemaking thing you do everyday?

Cook, I suppose.  Ought to do a little or a lot of cleaning and de-cluttering every day…

 

Freezer - Do you have a separate deep freeze?

Yes, we have two – an upright as well as a chest freezer.  {And two refrigerators with freezers.}

 

Garbage Disposal - Y/N

No, not here.  Actually we haven’t had a garbage disposal for a long, long time.  Probably only in a couple of the houses we’ve lived in over the years of married life.

 

Handbook - What is your favorite homemaking resource?

Along with good friend Marianne and my mom, probably my Better Homes & Gardens Cook Book.   I guess that tells you which room I make our home in.  ;-)

 

Ironing - Love it or hate it?

To quote Sandra: “HA, if you know me at all, you know the answer to this one.” 

When I was young, I thought ironing was fun.  My mom let me practice on my dad’s hankies.  Let’s just say, if all I had to iron today were hankies …and a steady stream of videos to watch or books on audio, I could probably learn to enjoy it again.  8-)

 

Junk drawer- Y/N - Where is it?

Yes, we have always had a junk drawer.  Why is that?

 

Kitchen - Color and decorating scheme?

Blue.  I am a blue sort of girl.  So I decided years ago to adopt my mother’s kitchen feature of a Danish blue plate collection.  I’m a good Norwegian still with off-white walls through most of the house.  {eyes roll}  Still determining what flavor of farmhouse we are going for in this house – open to dining area and living room makes me want smooth transitions between the different areas…. Someday we’ll have window trim, and then I’ll have to get to do something better with the curtains and such.

 

But I also like a pop of fun colors!

 

Love - What is your favorite part of homemaking?

I love to cook/bake, but there’s so much satisfaction in sewing and crafting something that we can enjoy a bit longer before it’s gone.

 

Mop - Y/N

Yes, love my Norwex dry & wet mop system.  {but yes, I could use both of them a bit more often}

 

Nylons - Wash by hand or in washing machine?

I wear them as little as possible ;-)  so I just rinse by hand.

 

Oven - Do you use the window to check on things or do you open the door?

I open the door.  Yes, it has a window, but I can’t see well enough through it any more after 18+ years.

 

Pizza - What do you put on yours?

I enjoy sausage & mushrooms or ‘supreme’ {with green pepper & onion added} or just extra cheese usually.

 

Quiet - What do you do during the day when you get a quiet moment?

Hmm, probably check email etc.  Or hide away with a good book.  Quick naps are a welcome respite too.

 
Recipe Card Box - Y/N

Yes.  But I prefer using my 3-ring binders of recipes in plastic sleeves.

 

Style of house

Eclectic?  Lived in.  Traditional but not formal…

 

Tablecloth and napkins - Y/N

No, not that we use.  

 

Under the kitchen sink - Organized or toxic wasteland?

Let’s just call it semi-organized. 

 

Vacuum -  How many times per week?

Well, the laminate floor needs something every day, if not multiple times each day.  But if I’m using the Norwex, I can leave the vacuuming for once a week.  I’m really not that regular or consistent about it though.  And the bedroom carpets…?

 

Wash - How many loads per week?

Six to eight.  or ten.  or more?  Depends on how many are home from college or who’s been working outside or going through the creek or cleaning the garage or their bedroom… :-)

 

X's - Do you make a daily to do list and check it off as you do things?

Sometimes.  And sometimes I even make one halfway through a productive day, just so I can cross things off a list  ;-)  

Maybe I should have titled this True Confessions of an Underachiever?

 

Yard - Y/N - Who does what?

Flowers and shrubs are my ‘babies’  tho I do enlist help.  Two years of drought with new trees required lots of man-hours of watering from all of us, so this year has been easy on that account.  The Cattleman is still the chief gardener in training, but the girls are great help—the Popper just picked a couple quarts of green beans this afternoon – Yum!   The Popper has started running the riding mower this year too.  Abby loves to run the weed-eater.

 

Zzz's - What is the last homemaking task you do for the day before you go to bed?

Hmm… check tomorrow’s agenda and menu plan, clear off dining table if necessary or other quick tidy in the living room, lock the front door. 

becoming frequent fliers at the ER {beware the parsnips}

 

Happy 4th of July.  Tim’s arm seems to be healing.  No sign of infection.  Cows are done with AI.  Tim is sleeping better and back at work. 

Next on the agenda:  VBS snacks, jury duty possibly, and Daniel’s wisdom teeth.

Jury duty for my group was again cancelled.  Hallelujah!

I went with Daniel on Tues to his consultation with the oral surgeon.  See you again on Friday.  Still weary from our late nights, early mornings, and running to Ames both Monday & Tuesday, I stayed at home that night instead of going to church for a special time of prayer for Denise.

Wednesday the outdoors were calling me from my kitchen duties.  While pulling some weeds and making a mental list of trees and shrubs to remove or transplant, I decided I needed a bouquet of fresh flowers.  This purple wildflower {weed} would look good with some of this yellow from the flooded un-mowed ditch.  And so I carried them around with me while looking at other plants we were actually trying to grow in our yard.  Must have scratched the back of my head at some point.  When I had my flowers arranged and got back to my baking, I noticed my scalp was really itchy!  Carrying on, I thought maybe I just needed to wash my hair.  Weird.

The Cattleman & Abby came home from working at the Berry Patch, and he commented loudly about whoever put the wild parsnips on the table?!  I said that I did, thank you, and he said no more.  When I finally decided to shower after lunch I found a red rash on my shoulder.  Uh oh!  I texted Tim and another friend to ask about wild parsnips being an allergen possibly?   Oh yes.  Slight understatement.

I found some old {expired even} children’s benadryl in the cupboard and swallowed some of that, and decided a rinse with vinegar might pull the toxins out of my body.  The doctor thinks I spread the toxins over my skin with  that quick bath; I should have only showered, and with plenty of soap.  At any rate, it now seemed to be a systemic reaction. 

Wednesday night as I slept I felt the burning rash moving from one spot to the next {upper arm to lower to hands, etc.}  When I woke up on Thursday I didn’t see any rash.  Happy day!  But then my scalp started to feel prickly again.  Oh dear.  Well, maybe it will get better as it works its way out of my body?  I debated going to the doctor, but didn’t call because steroids are not on my bucket list of things to do.  But after lunch it all seemed to be getting worse instead of better.  I called my doctor’s office in DesMoines and gave the receptionist an earful of my predicament.  The doctor was fascinated and really wanted to see me, especially if I still had welts blistering.   Yes, I’ll be thankful to see him yet today.

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Burned by wild parsnip:  Sun-induced burns from a common weed stump medical professionals and outdoor enthusiasts alike. by David J. Eagan, 1999

Wild parsnip II:  Itching for an update? Here are your tales of encounters with the "burning bush." by David J. Eagan, 2000

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I gave the nurse a couple articles I’d found online about burns caused by wild parsnip juice.  The doc came and we chatted through the whole thing, and I showed him some rash on my arm.  But he wanted to see the worst of it.  Okay then… Oh my!  Yes, I do stuff in a big way, don’t I?

Dr. Steinmann was quite concerned.  We had to stop this reaction before my skin was further damaged.  Strict admonition to not do this again.  He rattled off a list of prescriptions he wanted me to get as well as several over-the-counter meds I could also add.  And I headed back to Ames for the Rx.  I opted not to buy any OTC b/c the only thing I could remember was the benadryl, and I decided the Rx would be more than enough nasty stuff for now.   Prednisone?!   Yuck.  And the pharmacist gave me more insight on some of the Rx – steroid lotion will ‘thin your skin’ – oh great.  Meanwhile I’d been sitting in the late afternoon sun for an hour’s drive home from DesMoines via Ames.  When I got home I was eager to start the cure, but I was also feeling nauseated with the burns flaring in most of my body all at once.  

Supper must have helped, and time allowed for the blistering burns to fade again.  I opted to sit on the couch for a while before bed.  When I decided it was late enough to retire my tongue had started to swell – but just half of it.  Weird.  My hands were completely red and my right eye too.  My skin was also red where I’d leaned against the couch.  Tim was gone on an errand so I texted him to please come home.  Texted my friend Marianne who said GO to the ER now!  Decided to put a call into my doc’s beeper.   He called back and said GO to ER to get evaluated now!  Tim came home and off we went.  I was breathing just fine, so I wasn’t really in a panic.  Just weary of it all.  By the time Dr. Boyko at the ER looked at my tongue, he thought it looked normal.  He left to look up wild parsnips and came back with information I already knew.  He strongly recommended adding the OTC benadryl and a heartburn med because it would also block the histamines.  Okay then.

As they discharged me from ER, the nurse pointed out the diagnosis of “acute phytophotodermatitis” as something that would surely impress my friends.  ha ha 

Okay, how about a reduction to my bills for the continuing education I’ve given so many medical professionals today?

We could get a frequent-use discount perhaps?  We have been to the doctor and ER more times in a few weeks than in the past 5 years or more!  It’s been more than seven years since the Popper broke her arm.  

What a wild life we live.

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This image from Minnesots DNR website.

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More from Mr. Eagan’s article for the Wisconsin DNR…

Keep these three points in mind when you encounter wild parsnip:

1. Everyone can get it. Unlike poison ivy, you don't need to be sensitized by a prior exposure. Wild parsnip causes a non-allergic dermatitis that can occur with the right combination of plant juice and sunlight.
2. You can touch and brush against the plant – carefully – without harm. Parsnip is only dangerous when the juice gets on skin from broken leaves or stems. Fair-skinned people, however, may be extra-sensitive to tiny amounts of juice.
3. Wild parsnip's "burn" is usually less irritating than poison ivy's "itch." Generally, wild parsnip causes a modest burning pain for a day or two, and then the worst is over. The itch and discomfort from poison ivy, in contrast, can drive people crazy for a long time.

Some unanswered questions remain. I did not test, nor did I find in the medical literature, how long skin remains sensitive to sunlight after being exposed to parsnip juice. And there are also other plants in Wisconsin – such as Queen Anne's lace or wild carrot (Daucus carota) and cow parsnip or hogweed (Heracleum maximum and Heracleum mantegazzianum) – that are reported to contain psoralens that cause phytophotodermatitis.

Botanical basics

Life history: Wild parsnip typically lives for two years. The first year, as a spindly rosette of leaves, it keeps fairly low to the ground while the plant's carrot-like taproot develops. It may live two or more years this way until conditions are right for flowering. The second year, a hollow, grooved flower stalk rises 2-5 feet high, first holding clusters of yellow flowers and later dozens of flat, oval seeds.
Leaves: Pinnately compound, with a main stem and 5 to 15 leaflets.
Flowers: Yellow, in flat-topped umbrella-like clusters at the top of the plant.
Season: Wild parsnip rosettes are among the first plants to become green in spring, and its flowers turn a prominent yellow in midsummer. After flowering and going to seed, plants die and turn brown in fall, but first year rosettes remain green until frost.
Habitat: Roadsides, abandoned fields, unmowed pastures, edges of woods, prairie restorations.

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Today {Monday, July 14} is day five since I was in contact with the parsnips.  I was out of the house only a couple times this weekend while the clouds were thick, and then only briefly.  The doctor says I can quit taking the steroid since the rash is not evident.  I decided to take a half dose today and see if there’s any change.  My skin still is very sensitive and tender, like the burn is still lurking.  I may have residue of the redness for a long while {up to two years according to Mr. Eagan’s research!}  I am not eager to test my photo-sensitivity any time soon – maybe in a couple more days?  Loose clothing and minimal pressure or contact {ie, standing on my feet} feels best, but I don’t like much of that either without shoes.  I am very thankful to be done with the worst of this experience, but I’m still nervous about resuming normal life completely.  Next week is VBS, for which I am in charge of snacks – I have most of the items needed for that, so I am preparing to let my assistants take over if I am unable to be there.

flooding & a visit to the ER

 

The month of June went out with a roar… tornado warnings, high winds, heavy rains, power outages.  And our creek quickly became a lake.

At 5:30pm on Monday, June 30, here’s the view out our window.

 

How it looked out there an hour later…

  

 

And at 9pm…

  

 

Tuesday about 7am…

 

A lot of water, but no flooding in the house.  And other than fencing washed out, just this old calf hutch that was ripped to pieces…  {Thankful the materials for new shed are still safe and mostly under the tarp}

 

Tuesday, 9:30am…

 

By8:30 Tuesday evening the flood had receded…

 

Wednesday morning…

 

Wednesday afternoon… Road closed.  

 

Sorry, was that overkill on photos of a flooded creek?  You’re wondering when I’m ever going to get around to the story of Tim’s stitches?

Well, it was like this… Tuesday, July 1 {while watching and worrying about rising flood waters}… I texted Tim mid-day to ask if he was coming for lunch soon.  No answer.  No surprise there. 

What I got was a call from my uncle telling me he was taking Tim to the clinic in town and I should meet him there.  Now.  He’d had a little accident in the barn.  He definitely needed stitches and some pain killer.  Okay…?

While on my way to town Tim called to say I needed to take him to Ames to the ER instead because there wasn’t anyone at the local clinic to do the stitches.   So that’s what we did.  He wasn’t bleeding too much at that point; but oh boy, he had sure ripped his arm open.  :p  A helpful coworker at the farm had given him an icepack to put on his neck to help with nausea {his mom is an ER nurse} – very helpful!

I was also very thankful someone else was doing the scrubbing and suturing, so I could feel free to study the ceiling… Dr. Clewell was excellent, and the nurse staff very kind.  We were in the right place.  The doc was an Iowa farm girl, so we chatted about the current flooding as well as her ER residency she’d had in a Cleveland hospital  where the ER had 75 beds –> BUSY place where she learned some lovely handiwork to benefit Tim’s arm now!  She did some mending on the inside before stitching the two gashes with 18 visible stitches.

After stopping for a concrete mixer {Heath candy bar in yummy custard} at Culver’s and an antibiotic Rx from w-mart, we headed back to the scene of the crime to discover what had happened so fast in the dark barn that Tim couldn’t tell the doctor just how he had cut his arm open.  He had stopped at the old barn to pick up a bale of hay on his way home for lunch, but he never made it to the hay mow.  He knew that he stepped on a hole covered with wood {access to water shut-off} that evidently had rotted after 40 years; so when it gave way his right leg went down into the hole.  He thought he’d heard a metallic sound but he must have cracked his arm on the concrete surrounding the hole?  Nope.  Leaning against the wall near the hole were a couple florescent light fixtures – the open kind made of sheet metal for use over a work bench.  He must have sliced his arm down them as he fell into the hole.  {the barn has been empty of livestock for decades, but it’s quite full of a variety of stuff stored there by several different people in my extended family, including us}

But the day wasn’t over.  Tim had an 4pm appointment to keep with the vet for AI process in the cows.  The Cowgirl and her brothers set up the corral gates while we were at the ER and herded the cows together, ready to run them through the chute.  I gave Abby strict orders to keep an eye on her dad, but I think he was using his right {injured} arm as he helped chase the cows – crazy guy.  He stayed at home the rest of the week, but still went outside to repair fencing etc. , so he didn’t quite stop working.   8-)

Here it is…

 

Some friends joined us for the Fourth… grilling & chilling, playing games, resting…

     

 

Continuing the holiday attitude on the 5th after a late night  :-)