Tips and Tricks

I have become a real fan of fresh fruit, whether in a smoothie or whole. By happenstance, I learned that pineapple juice is an excellent preservative. I’d bought some to make homemade sweet and sour sauce. It turned out okay but my crab Rangoon wasn’t worth the effort. Grapes, apple slices, banana bits, and what have you stay fresh in the refrigerator with a dose of the sweet/sour nectar – for over a week! I also learned that black cherry Kool Aid powder gets everywhere, yet putting the water filled (or empty) pitcher on the fridge door shelf contains the annoying dye.

Outside the kitchen, I learned that hummingbirds don’t need their sugar water dyed red. And powdered sugar is bad for their health; they don’t need the cornstarch additive.

Remaining on the outside, where I’m now enjoying a lovely evening, I’ve discovered that I can legally own a flamethrower. Flame’s a great poison free weed killer. For now I enjoy using my little butane torch purchased for cooking use.

Still in the garden area, one of the best things I ever did was take a free course on pruning woody plants. You want to cut at the branch bark ridge, especially for trees. Otherwise, they can become diseased or even dangerous from sudden breakage. A local arborist calls this method ‘Treevorkian’, per Dr. Kevorkian’s infamous legacy.

On a funny note, years ago I purchased a pot of what the garden center called ‘snake plant’. He could tell me little else about it. After moving the withering, tropical looking plant to a shadier region I know have a spreading monstrosity that, while beautiful, shoots up stinky flowers – cadaverous smelling. Right this moment I see three shoots from where I sit. Hence I will never try selling this house in April or May. ~grin~ A contractor almost gagged one spring. Heh… And the same goes for prickly pear cactus. A single pot has overtaken parts of my yard.

Outside the home, my little town needs a lesson. Please mark a closed road before resients drive blocks out of their way. There are exactly two intersections allowing entrance and egress. And while I appreciate the infrastructure improvements, not knowing which way to go is annoying. It’s a first world problem, for sure, however this adds stress I don’t need.

My husband’s surgery was an apparent success – no cancr cells detected around the surgical sight. Therein lies another tip. If you require general anesthesia, know that a paralytic is included. This restricts bathroom activity, shall we say, and taking steps pre-op make the tummy region much more comfortable days after.

Forgive me if you’ve read any of this stuff here before. I appreciate you stopping by. Connecting with awesome bloggers keeps me sane.

Did you know that any cacti species are a Midwestern United States native?

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A Sudden Farewell

Monday, April 10 started out better than most of late. My husband had surgery the Tuesday prior and I’d been coughing for weeks. So I woke feeling pretty well and decided on a garden center visit.

Then I saw Jezebel stumbling around. It was as if her left rear leg wouldn’t support her weight. I immediately called our vet clinic.

A sleepy Jezebel back in February...

No doubt my post title tells the tale. With the clinic’s booked schedule, I dropped her off so they could fit her in and called hours later to learn her status. As it happened, the vet was about to phone me.

She said nobody believed her geriatric age (about 20) but the planned X-ray showed a tumor. Almost guaranteed aggressive cancer, she could prescribe an anti-inflammatory and tranquilizer.

Huh? Why?

I drove back with tears pouring down my face. Due to his post surgical condition my husband couldn’t attend. Thankfully, our kitty sisters keep me laughing. Yet the house seems too quiet.

Jezzy was almost certainly deaf and I took to calling her ‘Mighty Mouth’ (like Mighty Mouse come to save the day!) because she would meow shout for food/attention. Thank heaven we had so much time with her.

Can you believe several staffers, who see euthanasia daily, cried with me? How can I convince my husband’s lack of attendance shouldn’t make him feel guilty?

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