A Different Life II

[Lily&Me]

Letting the freshly roasted beans sit for a day before grinding made a difference, and this mornings coffee was the best so far.

Not going to roast again, tho, until the thermometer arrives.


After a fairly bitter cold period with nights in the 20’s, we have had 70’s and sunny all week.

My yard guys were here on Tuesday with one additional young man, all armed with large leaf blowers, and 45 minutes later the three of them had cleared the back yard of its huge mass of leaves and gotten them to the curb for pickup.

I, personally, have taken my own little electric leaf blower...easily less than half the size of theirs ... to the front and sides no less than THREE times this week, as partially turned leaves come down by the bushel basket full.

My red leaf maple in front only got to orange this year...it’s 2020, after all...but it was still beautiful and my burning bush looks like it will completely color before our next hard freeze.

I’ll get a picture in a few days, once it has completely turned red for the very first time since planting.

A sign, that the tide will turn and better times are ahead.


I noticed in my de-leafing the other day that a small area on the south window frame of the little house has rotted and left a little gap.

It will need replaced, but that will have to wait til spring, so I dug around in my repair supplies and found an unopened tube of outdoor caulk that had been tinted? to match the trim on the little house.

I am certain this tube of caulk is from the before, also that if I have ever wielded a caulk gun it is so long ago I do not recall it.

However, I found a caulk gun in the garage, cut off the business end of the caulk tube, got it loaded in the caulk gun and did a temporary repair on that window frame.

All by myself.

Should hold thru the winter and keep the moisture out, and then I will get it all torn out and replaced next year.


I bought a bottle of Chambord some weeks ago, one of the recipe mixers for making Kir, and have some Prosecco I’ve been saving for a reason to celebrate.

Today feels like a good day to celebrate, so here’s to new beginnings... whenever and however they present themselves in our lives.

And I’ll add this quote from a really excellent book I finished this week...

“As much as they may have come to the beginning of one thing, they’d also reached the end of something else.” from Since We Fell by Dennis Lehane

[Lily&Me]

Made up a batch of Bourbon Cherries yesterday, now set n a dark cupboard to do their thing for a couple of months before distribution.

There is a medieval housewife lurking in me somewhere, who come Fall in recent years feels a compelling urge to soak fruit in liquor.

Bourbon Cherries

1 pound fresh or frozen dark sweet cherries, pitted
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 ounces fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups bourbon

Mix Cherries, sugar and lemon juice in saucepan, simmer over medium heat 25 minutes. Pour into a heavy jar, add the bourbon and stir well to combine. Cover and set in a cool, dark place for flavors to blend and mellow a couple of months before using.


Left eye surgery tomorrow morning, right eye next week, and I feel pretty calm about it at this point.

Baked custard is in the oven, and pasta sauce with turkey Italian sausage and baby portobellos is cooking on the stove.

With what’s in my freezer, I can get thru the whole thing without having to cook if I don’t feel like it.

Never having been thru this before, I have no first hand experience on which to rely, but I really am expecting smooth sailing...and my son who lives nearby is going with and is prepared to stay should I need him.


Going to be 75 again today, but more seasonal temps return beginning Wednesday.

My burning bush no sooner turned vivid red than the leaves began hitting the ground, so the color won’t last long but has really been a bright spot of color.

[rmkrum]

Maggie, you will be fine, but your son will need to drive you home. It takes a few hours for your vision to start to recover from the eye being dilated. Be sure to take all the eye drops as ordered to make recovery easy. My DW and I both had the surgery on both eyes and it’s night snd day better vision now. I can safely drive at night again!

The medications usually include an antibiotic, a steroid and a pain reliever. Be sure to gently shake each bottle before you open it to put the drops in. The steroid and the antibiotic tend to settle to the bottom. Do observe the required time between taking each drug. In our case it was 5 minutes wait between each. YMMV.

The burning bush looks magnificent. We had one when we lived in Alabama. That and lots of azaleas and daffodils that carpeted our back yard in color in season. Our only real issue was keeping the bulbs planted so the squirrels did not dig them up. Deer used to walk through the back yard and nibble on the supposedly “deer-resistant” plants as well. We saw foxes, raccoons, skunks, and possums all the time, just passing through the yard. We were on the side of a mountain.

[Mollysdad]

Originally Posted by Lily&Me

We don’t get a lot of trick-or-treaters in our neighborhood, and this year I’m going to lock the door and leave the porch light off.

In normal years I get lots of trick or treaters. I enjoy giving the little kids candy. Of course, I buy what I like so I get all the extras.
This year, I googled Halloween and saw all the goofy recommendations, including a 10' pipe to slide candy into bags without any contact. So I turned the lights off and I saw zero kids in the street, so I think parents went to parties rather than hit the bricks.
The down side is I have no Snickers, and Butterfingers!

[Lily&Me]

Thanks for all that, Rich.

My son is taking me, staying thru the surgery, then bringing me home and is prepared to stay the day if I need him to...which I don’t anticipate.

I started the eye drops (3 different) yesterday, and the steroid continues for six weeks post surgery.

I’m setting the timer on my phone so I don’t forget them four times a day.

I’m sure there is a good reason for it all, and my place here is not to question the protocols, just comply and to the letter.

I’m especially looking forward to improved night vision. Went to my sons for dinner last night, then realized how dark it was when I got ready to leave and he had to drive me home.

Between the cataracts and the less than perfect vision with the glasses, I was afraid to drive the several miles across town and across very busy streets in the dark.


MD, my son and his pulled their fire pit into their driveway this year and had a bonfire with a “serve yourself” bin of candy for the kids that were out.

He said lots of families in their area were doing bonfires in their driveways this year, which would have been cool to see and may become a new tradition.

The kids next door had a party of sorts outside, complete with decorations hanging from the trees, so it will have been a Halloween to remember, like the blizzard we had last year.

Maggie

[Lily&Me]

Left eye...done!

No problems whatsoever, and I could immediately see as if I had a contact lens in.

I was awake for the whole thing, tho loopy enough there was no duress at all.

My eye burns a bit, but no real discomfort.

Pretty wild what medicine can do these days.

Maggie

[Silverbee]

Hi Maggie,
Glad the left eye is behind you. My husband had both his done in 2016, about 3 weeks apart. No problems.
The first was the worst because you don't know what to expect. All the drops were a bit aggravating but you get through it.
Deborah

[Lily&Me]

Thank you, Deb.

Yep, it’s that fear of the unknown.

My right eye is being done a week from today, then I’ll be getting out of bed every morning able to see without putting on glasses or contacts in for the first time in 64 years.

A persistent fear I have had for decades is that a natural disaster would separate me from my contact lenses, and I would be seriously dead in the water if that were to happen.

Before.

Now they will be a permanent part of my eye, carried with me at all times.

Maggie

[mimiandrews]

Wonderful! You're halfway there.

[Lily&Me]

Hi Mimi!

Your (and others) unflappable encouragement and dispelling of fear made this much easier than it might have been, and I appreciate it.

I took Tylenol once, yesterday afternoon, and have needed nothing since.

Ths biggest post-surgical issue was my sinuses going a bit wild, and I finally took an antihistamine to counter the pressure and incessantly watering eyes.

I’ll mention that to my doctor when I see him for follow up this morning, and see if it holds any significance.

They gave me fentanyl for the procedure, which I have not had before, also a little something IV to prevent nausea, which was a problem the last time I had conscious sedation.


It was almost derailed by my son/his exposure a week ago to someone who has since become ill and tested positive for Covid19.

They are all asymptomatic, and the clinic cleared it going on as said they treat everyone as if they may be infected, regardless.

We are having an upsurge in our state as well as locally, and because of their exposure my son with his family spent two hours in line in their car waiting for testing yesterday.

2-3 days before they will know anything, and if any of them are positive I have been exposed.

My daughter is also awaiting testing results of someone she has been exposed to, and if they test positive she will need to be tested.

Such a mess.


Cold is back, my first fire in the wood stove in a week.

[Lily&Me]

Saw the eye doctor yesterday am, who pronounced all well and said that my vision will continue to improve over the next couple of weeks.

The difference already is remarkable, even with only one eye done.

Everything looks lit by a spotlight. Amazing.


I preheated the little roaster for a few minutes this morning, which brought the beans to their first “pop” a bit faster, then when I went to use the thermometer I couldn’t remember if the temp for dark roast was to 280 degrees or 380 degrees.

In the process, I couldn’t stop to find the YouTube video, so I just winged it.

Then put a note on the thermometer to remind me next time.

It’s 380-400 degrees.

I don’t believe I quite reached 380 degrees, but these are looking pretty good.

[Lily&Me]

A pretty darned good cup of coffee this morning, I must say, and I noted spots of “gloss” on my rested beans when I poured them into the grinder.

I’m getting there, and it has been a nice distraction.


I am to be in UV protectant sunglasses for at least the next year, and my eye doctor actually recommends them at all times to prevent sun damage to the inner eye...particularly, macular degeneration.

I have the nice pair I bought for Greece some years back, but decided a small, inexpensive wardrobe of appropriate eyewear was in order, so that I could select ones based on my mood and apparel choice of the day.

I am a pretty sober dresser, more into clean, functional and comfortable than stylish “outfits” that must be carefully coordinated and accessorized.

But, I can and will have a small daily party in my eyewear.

Found these Foster Grants at Walmart, @ $6.97 each.

They are actually much prettier than this picture shows.

What’s not to love.

[mimiandrews]

Make sure the inexpensive sunglasses actually have real UV protection built into them. I know in years past the doctors were warning us of some that didn't.

[Lily&Me]

Thanks, Mimi, and they do as far as I can determine, not being a scientist.

Foster Grant, labeled as such.

Maggie

[Lily&Me]

Right eye is done, and I now feel like I have bionic eyes.

And absolutely uneventful.

The doctor explained that what they insert is similar to soft contact lenses. Directly into my eyes.

Amazing technology, and I’m glad now to have it behind me.


Not much else going on here these past few days.

Yard guys were here yesterday for a final cleanup of leaves and the yard, and I look at the mountain of leaves and remember Doug and I taking most of a day every fall raking up and hauling leaves to the front yard on a tarp.

But I was younger then, and there were two of us.

The grands and I did a lot of that back yard together early in the after, but it’s no longer fun for them and too much for me, so hiring it out to strapping young men is the way to go.


Now that cataract surgery is behind me, next on my to-do list is to get a new battery for the Toyota.

Tho running well, the battery is at least 4 years old so a pre-emotive replacement is in order.


I have smothered cabbage with turkey smoked sausage in my crockpot today, which just sounded good and I could prep and get in there before my son picked me up this morning.

I am going to stop by the butcher tomorrow and see if I can snag some turkey thighs to roast this weekend, just for me, as I will be the guest who brings sides to Thanksgiving dinner at my sons next week.

I like.


Starting to think about winter travel, and decided it’s just too far out to predict what I will be able to do in early January.

Just going to play it by ear, and see what things look like in 5-6 weeks.

Figure I can make a beeline safely to South Carolina and back for my Edisto stay, if nothing else.

Can’t miss Edisto. Don’t want to miss Edisto.


We had rain and high winds over the weekend, now it is cold and clear with the sun shining.

Fall.

Maggie

[Lily&Me]

My right eye was still a bit wonky from super-dilation when I went to bed last night, but when I got up this morning it was...wow!!!

It’s like an overhead light has been turned on in the world.

What an amazing difference, and the first thing I did as I settled with coffee to check emails and read the news was to adjust the settings on my IPad...decreases brightness, and smaller font size.

I could even read the small print scrolling along the bottom of the news this morning, without having to squint and/or get up to get closer to the television.

It’s a whole new world out there.


The Starbucks a mile or so from the little house, which we frequent once a week or so for a mocha for me and puppucino for Miss Lily , was suddenly closed but for very limited hours for a couple of weeks this past month.

I suspect a covid outbreak, and was delighted to see them recently fully re-open their drive-thru.

They are always busy, and I’m sure we are not the only locals who found their abbreviated hours not within their coffee consumption window...the limited hours announced only by a sign on the drive thru that they were open only from 2p-9p until further notice.

As we were waiting at the pickup window this morning I noticed the several staff, tho masked, were working in very close proximity to each other.

When I noted some concern for that, the young man agreed they cannot social distance but said that they now work the same hours and with the same others every day...basically their own little shift pod to protect themselves as best they can, while staying open and each of them remaining employed.


We adapt to whatever has capsized our boat...in order to survive...and that’s how we go on.

There is something about this adapting and overcoming, wherever I have seen it in recent months, that has been tugging a bit at my heartstrings.

I’m not sure why, but maybe it is the recognizing of survival skills mobilized in others that is a visceral connection of sorts to my inner self...which has several times in my life mustered from somewhere the will to go on, from wreckage that had nothing to do with Doug’s death and which I haven’t come even close to writing about here.

I worked for the State of Illinois, and will leave it at that.

We are all more alike than we are different, is the truth, and we all have the capacity for do-or-die skills when they are needed for our survival and that of those who depend on us.

A big difference for many is simply the believing that it can be done...that one can go on and at some point reach the other side.

And that’s why some of us write, to share our stories in the belief that others can draw something, and that we can act in some way as lighthouses for those in their own storms who may encounter similar rocks.

I am grateful to those who supported me during my personal storms, and who held my hand...actually or figuratively...and I feel a real sense of pride and connection these days in seeing the adapting, fighting their way thru and survival of my fellow humans.

It’s a good thing.


It’s one of those days.

Maggie

[Lily&Me]

Still experimenting with the coffee roaster, these are this afternoons roast.

I last roasted on Sunday, and decided I would let them sit a couple of days to “cure” a little more, as recommended by some.

So ground Sundays up on Wednesday, and they had probably the fullest flavor of any I’ve done so far.

Very drinkable, not outstanding.

So, setting aside for a couple of days...

These I roasted at a lower heat a full 25 minutes, once they got going alternating the little roaster on and off a moderate gas flame.

I cannot seem to get to the dark roast gloss of oils being released.

The smell and smoke emanating from the little roaster would lead one to believe the beans had burned to a crisp...but they’re not.

Something to occupy my mind.

[Mollysdad]

Originally Posted by Lily&Me

It’s like an overhead light has been turned on in the world.

I had cataracts. Worse in the left eye. Understand that I couldn't use drops or wear contacts because I knew I couldn't touch my eyeball.
So the concept of letting someone cut my eye open was as bad as it gets. But I had to do it.
The worst part was waiting to go into the operating room. (the unknown). I tell people it was the greatest medical experience of my life! The room was pitch black except for the light where they needed it. I wanted to look around, but was cautioned not to move.
At one point, I felt as if someone touched my eyelid gently.
I asked when they were going to start and was told they were almost finished! 15 minutes later and I took a cab home. (They didn't like that)
I could have returned to work the next day. and I had 20-20 vision! Miracle!!!

[azflycaster]

Originally Posted by Lily&Me

Still experimenting with the coffee roaster, these are this afternoons roast.

I last roasted on Sunday, and decided I would let them sit a couple of days to “cure” a little more, as recommended by some.

So ground Sundays up on Wednesday, and they had probably the fullest flavor of any I’ve done so far.

Very drinkable, not outstanding.

So, setting aside for a couple of days...

These I roasted at a lower heat a full 25 minutes, once they got going alternating the little roaster on and off a moderate gas flame.

I cannot seem to get to the dark roast gloss of oils being released.

The smell and smoke emanating from the little roaster would lead one to believe the beans had burned to a crisp...but they’re not.

Something to occupy my mind.

We had a few piles of those in my back yard this morning. I don't think they were beans...

[Lily&Me]

My left eye was the worst, too, MD, and the one they did first.

I still need reading glasses, as they told me I would, but the clarity and brightness of my vision overall is not something I anticipated.


I’ve just put those beans into a jar, Richard, and they smell really good.

I’ve watched some more videos and done a bit more reading on roasting, and I think I’m just going to have to take a deep breath and go past my current comfort zone to get the dark roast I like best.

Videos show roasting to beans that are very dark and glossy, so it can be done and I intend to get there.

Maggie