Today's Gratitude: The power went off yesterday evening. I would rather sit and read in bed, than on the couch. I am so grateful the winch that powers my Murphy bed is on solar. Between the new mattress and the extra shelf we added, that bed is too heavy to raise and lower manually, now.

Today's Gratitude: Well, we didn't ease back in, we jumped back in. It felt great to be back working after all the planning sessions of our week off. We have another garden almost ready for the compost. And I attacked the paperwork I have been ignoring. Life is good.

Today's Gratitude: I didn't even put my braids in yesterday, a true day off for me. I slept like the dead, and feel ready to tackle life again. Today we start easing back into our normal work schedule again. It has been a fabulous week of feasting and relaxing.

Today's Gratitude: 34 years ago I married my best friend and partner. Has life been perfect? Hell no, but man, it has been an adventure. And always, it is the two of us, in it together. Bringing out the best in both of us. We had a fairy tale wedding, and our life is as unusual.

Today's Gratitude: We found the My Big Fat Greek Wedding III to watch last night. It was a lovely, fun, romantic movie. Perfect for the mood we were in. It was a very nice day.

Today's Gratitude: 38 years ago this evening I met Garth, my beloved hubby. It was a set up, but neither of us knew it. I was there to help him with a surprise birthday party for his youngest bro. We fit together easily from the first minute, nicest blind date ever!

Today's Gratitude: Spent hours working on drawings for exactly where each new water tank is and where the downspouts are. Now I can figure out what piping I need and exactly how I am going to put this all together. It is fun to challenge the mind to get the details right.

My favorite answer when asked for my race? HUMAN!

Freethinkers United For Change@freethinkersunite.bsky.social · last wk.

Today's Gratitude: Hubby's birthday weekend was fabulous. I went all out on cooking, even made Butterscotch pudding from scratch. We ended it with watching Project Hail Mary. The best new scifi I have watched/read in a long time. Three days until the next celebration, time to plan.

Today's Gratitude: We went out to check on our small herd, expecting to see one calf, but found out we have two. Both our Jersey's have calves, so it is time to bring them back into the close paddocks and start milking again. Lovely birthday gift for hubby!

Today's Gratitude: We did a quick run into town to get stuff to celebrate hubby's birthday. I will be making a pineapple upside down cake,some carrot cake mini muffins as well as fancy meals. At least a few days worth, just can't celebrate enough in one day, he is worth so much more!

Today's Gratitude: I have learned that I must take 2 light days after giving blood to let my veins heal. So I dealt with a couple of headaches I had been putting off. Then rewarded myself by editing about 15 chapter on my book. They were really rough as I am ending a trilogy and it is not easy.

Today's Gratitude: We get a break again from real Texas summer. It was 104F/40C here yesterday. Today will be 10F cooler. Thanks Bertha. No rain, which feels really weird. A tropical storm going through us and no rain from it. I know we are on the clean side, but still.....

Today's Gratitude: We took an easier day since both of us had additional bruising on our arms from where we gave blood last week. Working too hard is detrimental to giving blood. So we have to take it easy for a while while this all heals.

This would sure make being a woman much nicer.

Miaganga@miaganga.bsky.social · 2w ago

Today's Gratitude: I managed to pick up a brick with a wasp nest attached, by accident and not get stung! I am so glad there were no rakes etc where I had to roll. I was already down at ground level so I rolled 15' to escape as the wasps came pouring out. Hubby helped me up and we both escaped.

Today's Gratitude: Cathy and Deshay came out to volunteer yesterday. We got 3 water tanks into place and a lot of weeding done. So nice to have help. It was Deshay's first visit, I hope he comes back. Really nice guy who asks intelligent questions about what we are doing.

Today's Gratitude: We did the other end of the bed yesterday. Weeded and covered. The summer heat is about to hit. So out working at 6AM. Nice to get the work done before the heat really hits. Then we can hide in the AC and work on indoor stuff. Love having good AC set at 78F.

Today's Gratitude: Another half a garden bed weeded, then covered with cardboard to keep the weeds from coming back. Logs on there to hold the cardboard in place. We will be filling the beds next month with compost. The beds were dormant for 10+ years but still have really great friable soil.

Today's Gratitude: The regional bosses of the blood taking place called me to make sure I was okay. They offered to pay the medical if I needed to see a doctor. Sounded like they really cared. There will be an investigation into why it happened. Yesterday was a bit rough, but I am better today.

Today's Gratitude: Went to give blood, the pesticide man started spraying where he was not supposed to. My blood pressure spiked so high I push the needle out and shut down the machine. But the staff was so nice, no BS about being a prima donna for the reaction, MCS is a bitch to live with.

Another glorious day of cooler temperatures and rain. We are working in the barn, rebuilding the shelving unit we took down. The floor had rotted under it, so we removed it, poured some concrete, now we are rebuilding. The shelving unit is 15' x 9' x 27", so a real monster to put back together.

Today's Gratitude: Rain, glorious rain. Very appreciated in the summer months as we were starting to turn brown. More expected today. No watering chores this morning. I do love the rain.

Today's Gratitude: Spent yesterday figuring out how to create a mice and rat guard for the barn. The bottom edge of the metal is all rusted out, so we have to replace it anyway. That will be a bit at a time kind of job. But we have kept in mind that nothing lasts forever and it can be replaced.

Today's Gratitude: The trenches are all filled in. Today, we start replacing the rusted metal siding at the bottom of the wall on the barn. And adding some 1/4" hardware cloth to keep mice and rats out. Only doing a small section today, but it should be fun doing this experiment.

Today's Gratitude: The water lines and installed. Today we finish filling the trenches back in. Rain is forecast for early next week so that should help settle the dirt back in. Nice to see a check mark on the todo list!

Today's Gratitude: My hand is completely back to normal. Clayton finished digging the trenches yesterday, so today, we hope to finish installing the water lines. We have rain forecast for next week so that will settle the soil back in the trenches. At least that is the plan.

Today's Gratitude: The swelling in my hand has come down enough for me to be able to use the hand again. The pain is subsiding as well. Back to work today which sure beats sitting around doing nothing. And the wasps nest is no more. A jet of water is a great tool for removing nests.

Today's Gratitude: So glad I am retired and that I can take time off when I need to. I got stung by a wasp yesterday. My left hand is still very swollen, I can't close it. The swelling all the way to my elbow, but not as bad as yesterday. My body doesn't like wasp stings.

Today's Gratitude: A day off from working the pipes, we forgot to water where the trenches will go, so the ground was too hard to dig. The grass seriously needed cutting. And we got the tractor into an area we haven't been able to reach. All the clearing for the concrete has paid dividends.