The Shed Notebook: Motivation to Clean the Bathroom

Now what in the world would give any sane person motivation to really deep clean a bathroom?
My motivation was a visit from the contractor. Shawn came and looked at our bathroom with excellent ideas of how we could renovate it. Right now it serves the purpose, but having a walk in shower, new flooring, paint, and sink is getting me pretty excited. As I prepare for my knee surgery a higher toilet will be so much better, and safety rails in the shower will provide me with peace of mind. The best part of the visit from the contractor is he found other little things throughout the house that he could fix easily and without a big cost. I thought I was the only person having trouble with the basement stairs. He said they needed treads and it would make my trip up and down better. Who knew?

We have more plans for other projects I will share later. The other good thing is he is doing our house and brother Bill Woolum's next door at the same time. One dumpster, all the workers moving between the two houses, so much   more efficient.
Now it has been internet scouring for bathroom ideas. Between Houzz, Pineterest and the Lowe's, and Home Depot sites,  it is mind boggling. JEJ finally requested I not show him any more images until I narrow down the ideas to about fifty. Stay tuned.

The Shed Notebook: The Mysteries of Grayson, Frontier Internet, and All That is Missing

Our house has been surrounded by some strange mysteries this month. Grayson is our big, beautiful, fluffy gray cat. We have a cat door in the basement so the cats can go outside. The mysterious disapperances of Grayson started early in the fall, but after diappearing for at least a week, he returned. He could have stopped in to eat during the night. We just didn't know. Then he was back living with us twenty-four seven. Last week he decided to disappear again. After a few days he just saundered upstairs for feeding time like he had never been gone. Where does he go? Does he have another family that he gets tired of? Is he cat food stealing around the neighborhood? We just don't know. Perhaps he needs a cat cam so we can track his activity. We are so pleased he is back home and keeping my head warm as he relaxes on the back of my chair.

Frontier Internet has been another huge mystery in the Silver Valley the month of February. Many nights in a row about 7:30 the internet would just go off, then come back on much later in the evening. Our local classified page on Facebook had a huge thread about what was going on. It seemed each time a person called, they got a different reason why this was happening. They heard they oversold in our area, there was a break in the line, they were going through an update, a solar outage ( which happens in February or early March. Who knew?), or they had no reports of any problems. I think my sister's theory is the best. When people livestream the Olympics, watch Netflix, or play games after dinner it does overload the system. It has been okay for a few days now. The next thread on the page was how it needs to be fixed. I am not even going into that!

The third mystery is all the things that have ended up missing in my house. I received a beautiful book from a friend after Mom died. It is missing. When I couldn't get my printer to work wirelessly, I looked for the cord. You guessed it. Missing. Two camera batteries walked away to somewhere also.
I won't even go into the usual socks, Tupperware lids, keys, and gloves that walk away. I am hoping one day soon I will open a box, drawer, or bag and find the missing items. Either that, or when the snow leaves, the dogs will show me a hole they dug so they could bury the items. I am holding on to hope.

The Shed Notebook: Top Ten Things I Dislike When It Is Below Ten Degrees

In Kellogg we went from a few days that felt like spring to a blizzard, ten inches of snow, then temperatures that dropped way below freezing.  These temperatures can make things difficult for this person that just wants to sit in front of the fire, wrap up in a blanket and sip hot beverages.

Top Ten Things I Dislike When The Temperature is Below Ten Degrees

10. Having to find boots at eleven o'clock pm to check the garage light. Advice: don't try it barefoot.
9.  Discovering my arm isn't quite long enough to reach the newspaper out the front door when I still have on nightwear.
8. Having Riley jump in my lap when he is covered with fifty tiny snowballs from head to toe.
7. Learning that a latte left in the car overnight turns into a icky coffee slushy thing.
6. After dressing in layers, zipping the coat, getting on gloves, scarf, and hat then discovering I needed to use the bathroom before leaving.
5.  Losing my lip balm.
4. Getting shocked by the static electricity on my sweater, socks, bathrobe, and hair.
3. Realizing shivering doesn't count as steps on my Fitbit.
2. Finding snow in my boots.
And the #1 thing I dislike when the temperature is below ten degrees:
Remembering I forgot to buy my dogs the latest clothing and assessories for really cold weather

Fifty-Two Cups of Poetry: The First Chapter

During the time I first composed this poem my sister Carol was doing research and beginning the writng of a historical novel. As I shared in my last post, life gets in the way of writing sometimes.  Life got in the way for Carol also. I am hoping in sharing this revised version of the poem, she will get back to those characters from so long ago. Enjoy.

The First Chap­­ter

to my sister Carol

Reflecting on the beginnings of

 her historical novel,

her hands fluttered in excitement as

she shared her revisions.

She had completed the first chapter.

She was surrounded by

The women writers at “The Swallow’s Nest”

As her mind journeyed back through the eyes of

Mother Earth,

embracing The Cataldo Mission.

Through her prose she introduced

A Coeur d’Alene Indian, an

Italian immigrant, and a

girl named Elizabeth.

Gentle suggestions, questions for clarification,

historical observations, and praise

spilled out over coffee and warm cake.

“Who is telling this story?”

“What about the point of view?”

“Can you explain the setting?”

Her thoughts drifted far away to a place long ago.

 “Oh… the view… atop the hill by the Mission is breathtaking,” she replied

as she closed her journal and smiled.

The first chapter had been shared.

By Christy Woolum 2006   Revised 2018

The Shed Notebook: The Eleventh Anniversary

Eleven years ago yesterday I began writing this blog. In that time I have written 2030 posts. When I started my blog it was for the purpose of keeping a chonological order of events in my life and have a place to share sibling writing assignments . Later I began using my blog as a place to share photos. As a lover of poetry I also have shared many favorite poems.
As a teacher of writing I stopped following my own advice. I told students to just put the pencil to paper and write what comes to mind. At first it may be not be good, but just get it down. Don't lose those thoughts and ideas.  I stopped doing that. Life got in the way.
I know as a writer I need to keep up with it. Having a routine helps. I admire my two siblings that have each kept a routine of posting their own reflections each and every day. I hope to get to that point again. I remember saying the other day, "I just didn't have anything to write about" when explaining why I hadn't posted on my blog.

Thank you this quote Jodi. How true. As I continue to build a routine again and get those words down I will realize I do have something to write about each and every day. So here is post #2031 with hopes of more to come.

The Shed Notebook: Comfort Food

Usually on Sunday we hold family dinner . Today we thought we were going to be gone, Bill thought at one point he might be picking up The Deke, so we didn't plan it. We also had just had a wonderful time connecting with family Friday night.
Today I felt like comfort food. I have always liked Tuna Casserole, but have tried a variety of versions of the recipe to see if ones were better than others. Today I found a winner on Pineterest.
I liked that part of the cheese was blended with melted butter and bread crumbs on top. The mixure for the casserole was easy to prepare, and the recipe give an alternative to using cream soup.
It hit the spot.  You can tell by the pan that is looking pretty empty!
If you feel like preparing an easy recipe that falls in that comfort food category, try it. You can find it here.

The Shed Notebook: Obsession With Sunsets

When we lived in northeastern Washington we didn't ever see sunsets from our house. The mountains blocked them. We had lovely sunrises, but no sunsets. I missed them . When we moved to 514 we have a perfect sunset view from the front of the house. I was reviewing sunset pictures, marveling at how each was unique, but beautiful in its own way. Enjoy a sunset collection from 514.

The Shed Notebook:Best Buddies

Our Springer Spaniel Annie died last June. When we decided to get a brother for Tucker, we decided on a Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier. Tucker is an Australian Cattle Dog or blue heeler. Above is close to when Riley arrived home.

Since the time Riley got in the car Tucker has loved his little brother, The have romped, played, ran, swam, walked, wrestled, got in some trouble, and played with toys together for the last seven months.  Riley has had some puppy challenges, but sometimes Tucker helps by herding him into shape. Tucker is the barker alert dog in the house, but Riley hasn't picked that up. I have only heard him bark a few times.

Here are some photos below that capture that brotherly love between Tucker and Riley.

Tucker teaching Riley how to do stairs when we were at a vacation house.

Checking out the view from The Shed,

Both love to watch out the window.

Riley showing off his new haircut.

Tucker showing off his new bed

Fifty-Two Cups of Poetry: Poem #3: Behind the Shed

Last week I began the Fifty-Two Cups of Poetry project. You can read it here.

I think all of us has some place that things just end up being stashed. Read on.

Behind the Shed

Broken flower baskets stashed under the eaves for safekeeping,

A dog toy we call Dirty Rope sits in a pool of mud,

The rusty garden shears areburied under the blue tarp,

And the stack of terra cotta pots seems to have multiplied again.

Somebody heaved the last pile of fall weeds out of sight from the house,

The cracked holder for potting soil is now full of water,

After lifting a broken chair the lost work glove was spotted,

And the lasting signs of dogs digging left holes to be filled.

Everyone has the place where things just get stashed,

Often it is out of sight, out of mind, out of the way,

As the winter turns to spring there is a nagging feeling,

Either we widen the shed or decide to clean up.

Christy Woolum, February 5,2018

The Shed Notebook: Photography Review

Sometimes I get overwhelmed with all the pictures I have stored. I have never done a good job at labeling pictures, but at least I named folders and they are listed in chronological order. Another goal of mine is to go through and remove pictures I don't need. If I have taken five shots of the same subject, I don't often go back and remove the ones that weren't good. Sigh. That is why I am overwhelmed.
But, another fine way of procrastinating is to just look at all the photos today and enjoy them. Here are some favorites I chose to share. The one above was taken when my brother and I took a tour of the Portland Rose Gardens. Yes, it was raining. I loved this because the couple weren't bothered by the rain. They were embracing the beauty of the flowers anyway.

This is the end of our driveway at Martin Creek in winter. I loved catching the late afternoon light in the winter.

I love this picture because I actually had enough sunflowers I raised myself to arrange a bouquet. Sunflowers in a vase light up the room.

Another favorite spot at Martin Creek wss our pond. I love the red leaves of the maple tree in autumn,

The Shed Notebook: Am I Ready to Garden?

With all the rain this week, I looked around my front flower beds looking for signs of spring bulbs. No bulbs. What did I find? All the weeds that didn't get pulled last fall. When the weather got so cold in December why didn't those weeds get killed. Maybe I am not quite ready to garden.

When I think about two big galvanized tubs that were moved from Mom's during the winter, I see dirt that needs to be added. I see items that need to be pulled out that ended up there during the winter. I think I can blame sweet Riley for that. Maybe I am not quite ready to garden.

Seeing roses that didn't get cut down, vegetables that didn't get pulled out, and more weeds in the raised beds that didn't get removed I know now I am not ready to garden.

I think I will creep back into the house, pull my blanket around me, and watch cooking shows. I know longs days will bring the energy it will take to tackle the garden projects. Right?

The Shed Notebook: Making a New Friend

Today I made a new friend. It is hard to decide whether a person should be a new friend at this time in life. They need to be honest, sincere, share valid and true information, and treat me with respect . Dr. McGinnis did all of this today and more.
I went to this orthopedic specialist today about my knees. Five years ago I visited another doctor in Colville and he said, "Yes, you have bone spurs, you don't want knee surgery yet, wear better shoes. "

Today I learned that my knees are bone on bone. Arthritis doesn't get better. Knees  won't get better. I can buy the most sensible shoes with the most expensive inserts, but nothing is going to fix my knees. Fortunately I can still get  around and only have pain when I climb stairs. or overdo walking. I am one of the fortunate ones.

My new friend Dr. McGinnis kindly and gently told me that he is doing knee surgery on me , but not yet. In fact he will do both knees three months apart. Guess what folks? I am chubby. I am at higher risk for the surgery.  He helped me by outlining a plan to get me unchubby for surgery, set me up with PT, got knee braces,and gave me shots in my knees for my pain.

Why do I share this? At our age we often get fearful  about what is going on in our bodies and don't want to take that next step toward healing. I took it today, found a new friend, and see a rosy future. If you are in a similar situation, take the next step. I felt the stress just flow out of my body today.