We’ve actually…

..seen the sun today…for short periods of time. We have rain forecast for all this next week. Plus we had it for most of last week. Since we were beginning to really need rain we’re thankful for what we’ve had. Just would really appreciate some sunny days in between.

This summer I ended up with a doozy of a case of poison ivy. I was pulling weeds from under the deck steps, not paying attention to what they were. Just reaching under and pulling them out. I happened to notice what looked suspiciously like poison ivy on my pile. By actually breaking the stem I really got the oil on me.  I should have gone looking for Jewelweed, but figured just washing with soap would take care of it. Didn’t quite work that way. And as long as you have the oil on you it can be spread to other parts of your body. Needless to say I had a miserable few weeks. It was extremely itchy and the worst spots seeped, so I wore a sock top on my one arm, used gauze on the top of the other one. While doing some research on what to do, I learned that Jewelweed is the best thing to use. If you crush the leaves and rub on you after exposure there’s a good chance you won’t break out. It’s also good to help the healing process. We ordered some Jewelweed soap for me to use….that was really soothing. Then I learned how to make Jewelweed salve. Between the soap and salve I began getting some relief.  

In this photo it is actually getting better. My arm is still swollen. Oh, I didn’t mention that….my arm was swollen and my face, even though there weren’t many spots on my face.  I’m happy to say that it’s basically gone. I have some spots that still look red like any healing sore.

As I’ve been writing this our sunshine has disappeared and we’re getting rain. My poor roses don’t need anymore. They have gotten mildew with all the dampness we’ve had. I spray them, then the rain washes it off. The next roses I buy will hopefully say they are mildew resistant.

I’ve appreciated the comments all of you left on my last blog and in my guestbook. I don’t receive notifications, so there were some I had missed. Have to tell you I sat here teary eyed as I read….think I’ve missed all of you. After Carole (my next state neighbor) mentioned about people leaving Spaces for Facebook and missing them. It got me to thinking….even though I didn’t leave Spaces for Facebook, the end result has pretty much been the same. So I’m going to do my best to remedy that.

Have a good day!

Hard to believe…

…it’s September already. This summer has gone by so quickly. I’m not ready for it to be gone. I didn’t do nearly as much canning as last summer, which didn’t hurt my feelings at all. Still canned peaches, tomato juice, pickles, green beans, and did some pickled beets. I hope to have some plums to can before I’m totally done. I’ll probably also make up a big pot of chili and can that. It is so handy to be able to open up a jar of chili, when I have no idea what to fix for us.

In July, our family dealt with the sadness of losing my mom. Perhaps I should say started dealing with the sadness…you don’t just deal with something like that. I’m not sure the true reality has ‘hit’ me yet. I keep thinking she will be calling, or I’ll think about calling her, then realize…   Time, hopefully, will make it easier.

My husband and I celebrated our 45th anniversary in July. It doesn’t seem possible that much time has passed.

My husband just finished screening in our front porch. It is so nice to be able to sit out there and not be eaten up by mosquitoes. We’ve eaten out there the last 4 nights and really enjoyed no bugs.

Lots more has gone on around here this summer. Hopefully, I’ll get back into the ‘swing’ of blogging and share some of it. I’ve semi kept up with all of you. Some days I didn’t even turn my computer on,. Then I spend way too much time on Facebook. I’m working on tapering that off somewhat. I have family and friends on there, so it’s not easy to just not check it out.

It’s late here, so I gotta go.