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Welcome back. It was a treat to see your post

Hi Diana, thank you, it is good to be back.  I hope that you had a good month of May.  Happy to see you here in the forum.  :)

Wonderful post! I do think that Life is always about changing things to fit whatever season you are in. And changing furniture arrangement is a big part of that. When we are young, we don't think about what we may need when we are older and don't think to plan for it. I tell everyone young that I see when they buy a house, "plan now for when you are older!".  When you are young is when you should plan for wider doorways to accommodate wheelchairs, even though you may feel that is so many years away...accidents happen and we simply never know what may come up in our lives in the future. 

Love the photos and how lovely your home is. I am sure it feels so good to get so much done and organized. I have been fighting the grass and weeds. The rain we have had made it all so hard, but now that we finally got some dry days, I am getting the yardwork all caught up. For now!  ;-) My goal for the Summer is to get the shed cleaned out and organized. It is my "catch-all" area. 

I'm pacing myself as my hubby has been diagnosed with Dementia. I have questioned it for a year now. His neurologist blamed symptoms on his Depression, but I felt it was Parkinson's. After a stay in the hospital, (18 days) for a tick bacteria, Anaplasmosis, he was tested and the EEG showed Dementia. Doctor said he has had it for a while. I wish I would have insisted on him being tested earlier. I know now if my "gut" is telling me something is wrong, I am going to insist on testing being done.

I don't know what my future is going to look like, dealing with him and the Dementia, but for all you younger readers, think about what you can do now for your future. I'm in my late 60's and I can tell you it came a lot faster than I thought it would!!  

But God is good and all will be well~

Darlene R, a perfect reminder of plan ahead.  We all know the possibilities of what could happen but there are so many people that look down on us that even consider thinking much less talking about the possibilities that can happen.  They don't want the negativity so they embarrass those that are "negative people" and that keeps us bound from good planning ahead.  

My dad had strokes, my mother had breast cancer, my mother then had dementia,  Charles aunt down the street had pancreatic cancer, macular dementia and diabetic all while she was living alone while Charles was helping her each morning and each evening on his way to work and on his way home. No preparation for elder life.  I was home taking care of my mother with advanced dementia. 

 Charles mother had a stroke and brain cancer.   Charles father died suddenly while sitting on the side of the tub using a Qtip to get the water out of his ears at the age of 66. A widow maker heart attack they called it.   You are so right, plan for the future when you are young.  If only we are allowed some "negative" in our life so people could follow their gut and plan for the what if's. 

You are so right, lesson learned about listen to your gut.  Thank you for sharing and you will be in our prayers for your changes in your journey. If you ever have questions please just ask me, here on the forum so others can learn, or in private if you want.  My mother's care was seven years and we experienced a wide range of issues during years with dementia.  Big hugs and love. Donna

Welcome back!

I have reduced screen time but I still use my computer for banking, bill paying, etc.

I have been going through closets and pulling out stuff to get rid of in a yard sale or donate.  My living room looks like a yard sale is going on right now!  I have a sibling who will be visiting me soon and she will help me put on the sale.  I'm looking forward to getting this stuff out of the house, and as always, wonder why I held on to it for so long!

I have a yearly Medicare wellness physical, and I just had one last month.  My doctor has started asking me about how I am preparing for reduced mobility/poor health/new health conditions, etc.  One thing she mentioned was getting rid of rugs that can trip us or slide under our feet.  I hadn't thought of that.  She also asked about grab bars, moving things to lower cabinets, and any access/egress issues at my house.  Due to my late husband's health issues, I already have a walk-in shower, grab bars in the shower and by the toilet in the downstairs bath, and a ramp outside.  I have already put things in the kitchen in the easiest places for me to reach, but I'm thinking about adding a section of cabinets to increase the more accessible places. It's a good idea to start making these changes before it becomes necessary.

I've worked steadily on my yard and garden.  The rains have finally come, although we are still behind in rainfall amount, but the frequent watering is over for now.  I'm starting to get produce to eat, reducing my grocery bill.  As GDonna stated, there is always more to do.  I just need to remember to pace myself.  

I haven't actually rationed, but I've watched my usage of things like chocolate, sugars and fancy ingredients.  I rarely or never use them now.  I've been cooking plainer meals and making sure I waste nothing!

I've also done some sewing for the home and plan to do more.  Painting is also in my plans - my pump house, a bathroom and a hallway need repainting after 25 years (!), but my living room/kitchen area has a vaulted ceiling up to the roof of the second floor, and I can't manage that on my own.  I will have to hire someone for that.

I look forward to seeing how everyone else did.

Joan S, hang on to that doctor that had concerns about you being prepared for reduced mobility and actually mentioned thing you might need in your home.  She sounds like a very good and concerned doctor. Very good on clearing things in your home and I hope your yard sale goes well when you sister comes to visit. :)  We are happy about the rains as well, very needed. 

Your bread looks beautiful, and I like the new schedule. I like having weekends off, and the new schedule closes the forum for the weekend (and then some). I am trying very hard to have restful or recreation activities on the weekends, and no work. Not that the forum is work, but it takes my attention from these other activities. 

I did get a lot done during May, though I had the stress of the hail damage to deal with. We are getting all new siding and a new, hardened roof, and my rooftop solar attic fan installed over the bedrooms. The attic fan should keep the house cooler and the electric bill down. It is completely solar operated with no electricity at all. It has a built-in solar panel instead of one that isn't attached, and I think it looks a lot better that way. We did have to pay extra to get the third side done with new siding and the upgrade on the roof, but we think these changes should last for a very long time, maybe even for the rest of our lives. Fingers crossed. :) It's been raining almost non-stop, so no one has a new roof on yet. It's meant that I can't get the carpet ripped out until next near. :( I would rip it out with my bare hands today if it wasn't raw particle board underneath. 

Tomorrow is June, and that's when I start my summer, so my meals have changed again. I've decided to start making extra to freeze since I never got my canning started. If we have a power outage, we have some generators, and since it's cooked food, it will last awhile in a cooler. I need the convenience. I have gotten too busy with the house right now for everything from scratch every day. Tomorrow I am freezing bread and meatloaf slices for sandwiches. I am cooking the meatloaf in the Crock Pot. it was 91 degrees today and it will be 91 tomorrow, but tomorrow I can turn on the air conditioning because it's the 1st of June. :) When we start canning from the garden, I'll be sure to can more meat and stews and things along with it. 

I have no hummingbirds! I've seen two this year, and they were a few weeks ago. The bee population is down too. I'll work hard to provide homes for the bees this year. I think it's the only way they will be safe. Our carpenter bee lives here, and he is very happy. Of course he's got practically all of the flowers to himself! We might have a cat. Someone dropped one off in the neighborhood and it was so hungry it meowed at the screen door and came inside to me when I opened the door. It was all bones. It ran out after that, but we put out food and water everyday in the garage and leave the garage door open enough for it to get in, and it stays in the garage some times. It's a very nice cat. I hope it gets comfortable enough with us to be our inside cat, but it's not there yet. 

And that's our news. :)

Oh, yes, the 1942 study. The tank in the car was finally almost empty so I could start rationing my gas, and then my husband came home from an errand and told me he had filled it for me. :) I'm at half a tank now, so it will still be awhile, but I have started to reduce my Victory speed to 35 when it's appropriate. I've been too busy this year to give proper attention to a study. I miss being able to give my attention to a study, and I'll be so glad to have the house in order next year so I can go back to one. I still haven't been able to give as much attention as I need to sewing, and I really want to do that. I keep telling myself this is just a season in time and it will be over soon.

Thank you once again for such a wonderful, helpful post!

In May we had our attic mold remediated, which included having a new ceiling put in my closet.  Luckily the original assessment was incorrect and there was no mold damage in the bathroom.  Then we got a new HVAC system, which is a heat pump but there is a backup gas furnace (it is dual fuel).  After that, we added 8 more solar panels where the old HVAC unit had been on the roof — wow have those added to our production, as they are on our south facing roof.  Just Friday we had a drop down attic ladder installed, and now other than having the permit signed off on, I believe our leak and HVAC issues are solved.

I changed out the bedding, I finally realized that the dark sheets and quilt with darker colors weren’t pleasing to me simply because of the time of year,  I packed them away and put on the white sheets and white and yellow comforter, which we don’t sleep under because of the heat, but I like the bed to look properly made.

I decluttered and organized the pantry — I always know it is time when things start getting put on the pantry floor.  I switched where the foods are, I had them on deeper shelves but find it hard to know what I have when it’s that way, so I moved the food back to the shallow shelves and the storage containers and jars to the deep shelves.  After the HVAC stuff was done I moved back into my closet, which also calmed the bedroom.

I mended a hole in my husband’s hoodie pocket, and also mended my robe, I can’t remember if that was late April or early May.  I sorted all of my scrap fabric, and in doing so found a cotton table runner I had set aside because we didn’t use it.  I decided to cut it into three pieces and I hemmed them into tea towels — it was the perfect upcycle.

That’s about it in terms of my productivity.  While I have had success with a new medication for one autoimmune disease, I have unfortunately been diagnosed with another one, only it is an uncertain diagnosis right now.  All signs point to lupus, so we will see.  I have had a lot of joint and muscle pain, along with edema.  I’ll be seeing a cardiologist soon, as the rheumatologist wants and echocardiogram done to look for heart damage and pulmonary hypertension.  I am praying it is all negative.  I had no idea all of this time that some of the health issues were pointing to an autoimmune connective tissue disease, and neither did any of my doctors!  I only went to the rheumatologist on the hunch of my GI doctor, who wanted to rule out any other causes for my joint pain (other than my IBD, which can cause joint pain too).  Even the rheumatologist didn’t expect the blood results I got.

So I am facing a new normal, and this post was timely for me.  I need to stop climbing up the step stool, for one thing!  I get dizzy and uncoordinated and could fall.  My husband has already offered to build shelves in the craft room closet so I can access totes one at a time instead of having to move them all, just as you and Charles did.  I have lost a lot of strength.

I have spent a lot of time winding embroidery floss onto bobbins.  I started doing embroidery more often and bought many new colors second hand.  I can hardly believe the prices in the stores now, 69¢ each at Hobby Lobby and 79¢ at Michael’s although I can get a senior discount at Michael’s or wait for a coupon.  I remember when the sales brought the prices down to 9¢ each!  Using eBay I was able to get them to around 25¢ a skein, and after I finish doing an inventory I might sell the extras that I don’t need.

I did stick to my sugar rationing!  Also, with much dedication in addition to not eating sugar, I lost 10#

It sounds like you had a very productive month of May. I have little energy to do much these days and can totally relate to growing slower rapidly as we age.

We were not planning on a large garden this year but, we both, felt it is prudent to change course and grow what we can anyway. We aren't up to alot of canning, however, we have two large dehydrators and use them frequently.

The herbs, in our yard, are ready for a second cutting, so the dehydrators will be going constantly. We have about 15 different herbs growing for culinary and medicinal purposes.

I am still working on getting my organization re-established after almost a year of too many days unable to work due to autoimmune flare-ups, vision issues and a huge amount of dental work that was caused by an autoimmune disease. Simplifying is the goal.

So glad you have a sound new schedule. I enjoyed your post.

Happy to see this post and know that everyone is well.

I did so much in May it seems like I was in a whirlwind. I cleaned and sorted the 3 car garage, the storage shed and the equipment shelter along with yardwork, cleaning the pond and the usual house work.

I started so many seedlings and transplanted them for the greenhouse. I have been able to gift seedlings of several perennials to family and friends saving all of us money and having fun doing it.

I have done well on the rationing of everything but gas....DD's car had to be repaired so my other DD takes her to work and I pick her up.  It uses more fuel but family is important. 

Still baking bread and have slowed on sweets as they aren't too much wanted in the summer, enjoying fruit and strawberries are coming on well.

Garden is planted but will have to replant beans and corn and I had poor germination, could have been old seed. But I have time to replant my "victory garden".

Just this week a raccoon has killed 2 of my chickens and had to do a deep repair on the coop, I have traps out to catch and relocate them. I did catch an opossum.

My "movie" nights are now watching documentaries on Netflix.   

My home had many of the handicapped modifications made for my late dh but there are still issues.   

I have stenosis of the lower spine, and I've had to make changes to avoid leaning over especially lately.  I use the front of bottom cupboard shelves for everyday and store occasional use items to the back.  I also have "grabbers" that I use to pick up things from the floor, pull from the back of cupboards and to unload the dryer.  I put light weight items on the top shelf and use the grabber to get them.  If they fall, being light they won't kill me.  I put multiple small items in dishpans so I can pull the entire thing out rather than reaching/searching for smaller items.  Also, I use old 9x13 cake pans to contain small items so the whole thing can be pulled out.  It is easier to slide them out and set on the counter to find what I want rather than leaning over to reach the lower shelves.

I use dishpans for sewing projects.  Everything pattern, fabric, thread, elastic, trims, buttons etc. go into the pan so it's all together when I'm ready to sew.  They fit on a shelf next to the sewing machine and are neater looking as well as convenient.

My garden is planted.  It is much smaller than I planned because of my current back issues.  I plan to can tomato products but not much else from the garden.

I receive a bi-monthly mobile pantry box.  In March we received a 10# bag of frozen chicken hind quarters.  Last week I cooked, picked off the bone, diced and canned 7 pints of chicken in broth.  The gentleman who picks up my box for me got a10# bag in his box this month (I didn't).  He gave it to me (I didn't really want it!!) but I have it cooked etc. it and have it in the fridge trying to decide between canning or freezing.  The broth is going to a neighbor who just had all her teeth pulled.  I have a lot of canned chicken already in my pantry and plenty in the freezer.  I'm thinking of canning and then giving it to the gentleman who gave it to me.  

I had cataract surgery in May so have not been able to do any shopping.  Eating from my pantry I only spent $82 for groceries in May.  It will be another two to three weeks before I can have the eye exam and order new glasses.   I actually can see fine to drive without glasses however my license is restricted to glasses.  I've driven a couple times but only locally in the small town where I live but we do not have a local grocery store.  Shelf stable milk has been a blessing!!

Grandma Donna, I just have to say that this post is my PERFECT, DREAM magazine photo spread!!!!! Even though that’s not what it is, that’s what it looks like to me! I can look at these pictures for EVER and get all sorts of ideas! :) I LOVE EVERYTHING!!! Your “new” bedroom is FABULOUS!!! You two have done an AMAZING job this month! Put me right to shame! lol (I know it’s not a contest! ;) )  The beach pictures are lovely too. So glad you got to see your brother. 

I got some things done in May, but still plenty to do, of course! Seems like that’s always the way, but that’s OK, because what else would I be doing? ;) It’s not veggie gardening time here in So FL, and we’re still waiting to catch up on rain. We’ve had some here and there, but not nearly enough. We have planted some wild flower seeds in our yard for fun and to see what happens with them. But, we are still currently watering them. Today God watered them though, and hopefully will continue that trend for a while! I hesitate to complain about not enough rain, because I don’t want to invite the… you know… extreme kind of weather. Whose name shall not be mentioned! 

My husband has done a ton of yard work  in May, and that has been a nice thing to catch up on. Some of it was “extra” though because of our extreme cold this year. Some things are coming back in quite nicely, especially my Pink Wild Pear, which I was extremely worried about! It looked absolutely pitiful after the below freezing temps! In January, it has more blooms on it than I have seen in the 15 yrs we have been here, and the bees LOVED it and were everywhere! But then Feb practically wiped it out! My husband pruned it back after the weather passed, and it is really doing well now. Our Areca sp?) palms are still recovering, and many fronds are brown and need to fall. We have many of these trees in our yard. 

We have been staying home as much as possible, because we love to, and because of the gas prices. We are very much homebodies. During Covid we were quite happy. But, our then teens were not of course! 

Reading your post G'donna is very inspiring! Since it's late I will post what I did for May tomorrow. I love reading everyone's comments!

Another interesting post.  Luckily doesn't affect us as our normal winter temps are around 8-10 degree minimums and much warmer during the day - the worst is the cold wind coming from the west which can make it feel colder but electricity, summer or winter, isn't a big deal here, we don't use much anyway.

Lovely to see you back, I've missed reading the blog.

Thank you for such a lovely return post GDonna, your May seems to have been very productive and I love your new bedroom, it looks very calm & serene and a lovely place to rest after such busy days.

It’s been unseasonably hot here in the UK with several days of over 30 degrees C, I know that doesn’t seem hot to many but ou houses don’t tend to have AC so much time has been spent trying to keep our cottage cool and our pets happy & comfortable.

I’ve been managing the garden in the early morning, the early crop of potatoes are in, we’ve eaten our first broad beans and of course the salad leaves are doing well. No tomatoes yet but we don’t have a greenhouse so they only went out a week or so ago. I put straw around the strawberries and we’ve had a few on top of our breakfast yoghurt.

The house has just been ticking along really, I did give both the bathrooms a deep clean and have washed down all the skirting boards. 
Mending wise I took up a pair of linen trousers that I found in a charity shop and am pleased with the result.

I was also lucky enough to pick up another of the Miss Read / Thrush Green series secondhand and am enjoying reading about all the good folk there, it’s a life that I can relate to having grown up in such an English village and makes my heart ache for those slower days before phones & computers ruled our lives, it makes me even more determined to limit their use.

Lovely to have you back, GDonna, I have missed you!

As Lainey said, we've had a mini heatwave here in the UK and, being British, there's been lots of moaning about the heat... It has been unusually hot though. (OK, hot for the UK, I'm sure that lots of readers on other continents are coping and have coped with much higher temperatures!)

I have spent a lot of time in the garden, weeding and fertilising my raised beds ready for planting.  The heat has meant getting up  very early in the morning and having a 'Siesta' when it gets really hot in the afternoon.  Worries about rising food prices and a strong desire to have a more self reliant life have meant that I've ramped up my veggie garden this year.  To amalgamate this with the spirit of the 1942 study I've obtained "A Green and Pleasant Land - how England's gardeners fought the Second World War" and "Digging for Victory - wartime gardening with Mr Middleton; (both library books and I'm loving having a 'free' read. 

I've also spent (far too much), time whilst you've been away,  watching 1950's YT videos.  Although having read V. Singleton's book on the 1950's housewife , I realise that things were not as rose tinted as history makes it out to be, it has been useful to see how women managed their households before consumerism really took hold. I'm a huge social history fan and, as I've signed up to go to the Brandwine Festival in September, I'm really interested in how to live a low tech life. I currently don't have an electric vacuum cleaner or washing machine/drier but rely heavily on my electric stove, water heater, fridge and freezer.  I'd love to learn how to can but am wary of purchasing yet more equipment that has to be stored: I simply don't have the room!

I'm totally envious of your treadle sewing machines GDonna.  I'd love one but don't have the room. I do have a 1939 hand crank Singer which sews beautifully and, as it sits on my main living area table, doesn't take up as much space. Again, no electricity required!  I'm currently making my Brandywine Costume with a combination of hand crank and hand sewing.  It's slow but meditative work.

My home is almost as I'd like it although my bedroom could do with a good clean and sort. I've been eyeing a set of bedroom curtains with a bright red flower pattern - I reckon it would make a fabulous 'day dress'. Watch this space.

The weather here is a little cooler and I need to get outside and sow some more squash, onion and brassica seeds.  I'm a little late to the party but the seeds don't seem to mind and, as the first lot of seeds failed to germinate, there's very little choice! I'm in no rush to harvest ( for some reason it's my least favourite stage of the gardening process) but will be eating the first new potatoes with a cheese and onion quiche for supper this evening. I do love home grown (aka free),  food!

I know there's more I want to type but think that this post is far too long and wordy as it is! I'm glad that you're back GDonna, and will be very much looking forward to your next post. Thank you for keeping it 'real"!

Bright Blessings, to you, to Charles and to your pets. 

so glad you’re back!  Whew y'all were busy while you were gone. 
I know all about having to be slower. I’ll be 65 in November but I’ve had one knee replacement due to arthritis and I was told my other needs it as well. I have arthritis all up and down my spine. Everything takes longer. 
That restaurant looks so warm and cozy

Good morning! It's been very interesting reading how everyone is handling mobility issues. I'm storing away this knowledge for later. The grackles have been trying to take over my yard this morning, and I have to keep chasing them away. The other birds won't come if the grackles are around. I've already got laundry on the line and more washing. The windows are open now, but I'll have to close them soon because of the humidity. It's air conditioning season for us! I have to bake bread this morning, but I will put some in the freezer. It molds so fast in this humidity! 

The world bothers me lately. I stay away from a lot of the news, but just using technology seems to be an issue lately with things not working as they should. I've had a run of deliveries where things didn't show up or I was sent the wrong things. Unfortunately these aren't things I can get locally, or I would, but things I have to order. I'm starting to feel like nothing works right anymore! I love the Miss Read books. I also wish we lived during a time where things were simpler. I can control what goes on in my house, but I can't recreate the outside world, and this makes me sad. I've been giving a lot of thought to my clothes lately too. I watch old movies where everyone dressed so nicely, and I see people out or in commercials and wonder what we are thinking dressing the way we do. We look terrible compared to other decades! No style at all. I want to create a style for myself. I'm getting better at sewing, and I would have to sew my own clothes because I can't buy what I have in mind. This is one reason I want life to settle down so that I have time to sew and sew and sew. :) We really are getting a lot done this year, and I can't wait for things to slow down next year. 

We are not going to hook the rain barrels up after the new roof is on. There is too much toxicity from the new materials initially. We'll let the roof season this year and hook the barrels up again next spring. I'm going to get some downspout extensions to make sure the water from the roof drains away from my plants. We've had a crazy wet spring anyway, and it's still supposed to rain in June! I think we'll be okay.

Bonjour Gdonna,

Je suis tellement heureuse de vous retrouver tous. Le mois de mai a dû être très intense !

Ici en France il a fait chaud aussi quelques jours, mais aujourd'hui nos revenons à des températures plus agréables.

Pendant le mois de mai, beaucoup de tri et de rangement, et le ménage à fond.

Portez vous bien. A très bientôt.

Welcome back!  It is so good to see you. You were missed. You are like a little place of grounding in a life of chaos:-). 
I know you are okay if furniture is still being moved (haha). It actually looks like a very comfortable setup.  
Also, Charles did a wonderful job at the racks for the storage totes.  Before I even read, I thought how nice, you won’t have to lift one to get to the next. 
I had to take a little time and set some things to right in our home also. There are always projects it seems, so making sure certain areas are in order helps calm those areas being worked on.  
Glad to see you back and grateful for whatever time you can spare for us. 
Blessings to you both.  

Oh, so nice to see you back, Gr. Donna!  I did go and reread some old posts.  May seemed long & I missed these posts, because they bring me incredible peace, homey peace. I think the posting schedule is great for you and for all who don't want to be online all the time. I've been trying to chuck my Iphone. I just hate it due to managing oodles of spam calls and it ruins my peace & privacy.  Allergies were horrific since end of Feb. Brain fog, tired and my back which is horrid, has been tweaking for a month & that leads me to not being able to do a lot physically which isn't good.  I have a vacuum issue w/my back having hard floors - nothing works well on all this dog hair and dust except my swiffer. So I've swiffered which doesn't hurt me then use a robo vac. Seems to work the best.  The best would be a smaller area/house, but that won't happen. Husband did clean the yard up a lot. There's a trailer full of junk he's taking to the dump. Yay.  We had company so the spare room was used & is ready again.  I've actually started to keep things out in my kitchen that I use daily in nice jars. It makes prep easier, so I like your set up.  My cat died this month at 18 yrs, so I can finally find myself a nice rocker to put near the kitchen. There isn't one comfortable chair in this house as they're all too spongey & the cat was destructive so I didn't purchase anything new ever. 

I absolutely love your new arrangement.  I know I'd do that if something happened to my husband. I just don't want or need all our space. I'd install doors to one end & close it off for storage. It wouldn't save me money because my flooring requires heat & a/c. It would save me cleaning.  Moving things around is very good for the brain.  I did that last year, but hubby complained for months upon months so I moved it back ( I know I talked about it before ;)) I also wanted to set up my sewing machine as it's too difficult to drag out, move the kitchen table to plug in, but I have no place to put it since my husband put his computers in my office on my spare table. Bummer.  Your home is so very homey and I'll bet it's fun for your family to be there.  Just like Sandi P mentioned my dream too.  I can't wait to see your new curtains!  I can't believe all you've accomplished.  I've had to learn to rest in between with my back & stop doing before it's too late. It's quite a learning curve as I have the energy, just not the physical back to do it all. 

But speaking of saving money, I can't always make bread & have a Zojirushi bread machine. It's 20 yrs old and works, but the pan and paddles are in rough shape. To buy a new pan is almost $100 & I didn't want to spend that on something that was that old. There was an estate sale that had a Zojirushi machine (that is $455 new) that I was looking at. I was just doing a wait & see, since I didn't want to spend that either. I decided go to the sale.  It was brand new only the box top was open the rest all still taped and packaged - $44.00.  Talk about a score!  I just had to share that deal. ;) I saved $410. LOL Wheeeee.  Anyway, it's wonderful to have you back and I love hearing all you've done in your home.  You and Charles do an incredible amount of work considering the health issues.  Amazing.

We are doing the same thing here in our household due to my ailments.

 Absolutely YES on the caregiver exhaustion.

Im a newbie from TN and am enjoying your blog so much.

Blessins,

April Jo

Stephanie G wrote:

Quote: The world bothers me lately. I stay away from a lot of the news, but just using technology seems to be an issue lately with things not working as they should. I've had a run of deliveries where things didn't show up or I was sent the wrong things. Unfortunately these aren't things I can get locally, or I would, but things I have to order. I'm starting to feel like nothing works right anymore! I love the Miss Read books. I also wish we lived during a time where things were simpler. I can control what goes on in my house, but I can't recreate the outside world, and this makes me sad. I've been giving a lot of thought to my clothes lately too. I watch old movies where everyone dressed so nicely, and I see people out or in commercials and wonder what we are thinking dressing the way we do. We look terrible compared to other decades! No style at all. I want to create a style for myself. I'm getting better at sewing, and I would have to sew my own clothes because I can't buy what I have in mind. This is one reason I want life to settle down so that I have time to sew and sew and sew. :) We really are getting a lot done this year, and I can't wait for things to slow down next year. 

I could have written this myself.  I've stayed away from the news. It's all so negative. The local is just as bad as they have to find every bad thing from other states and write or talk about it. It's just all too much and all junk we don't need to know about.  Dress.  All I can say is YES! We're a very sloppy generation.  I for one though am tired of not finding cotton socks.  Odd thing to say but true.  Plastic clothes, polyester junk and it's all starting to make me break out.  I've also read a lot this month and heard of Miss Read, but have yet to read one.  Also as far as not finding anything locally that is truth.  Amazon just up and stopped delivering to our home and now mails everything which is bad since we don't get mail here. They also can't seem to deliver it to my husband's work when they're not closed and leave it when it states to give to staff, so it gets stolen. eye roll.  I'd like to dump it, but as you said, I can't find this stuff locally. Stores are not what they used to be.  And you're right, nothing does work right anymore. It's all made so horribly. I actually did a journal entry rant on that very thing that I'll keep to myself. LOL.  It's really sad.  I miss better times.

Ann E Rawganique is a Canadian company that sells 100% cotton socks. Canaltown and Puremeadow are their best-selling socks. I hope they can be a ray of sunshine in your life. :) 

Gas rationing didn’t start here in the west until December 1942, but gasoline prices have been an effective motivator to change our driving habits regardless.  We bought 10 gallons of gas in May, which is well under the 4 gallons per week number, and I don’t even know if that is per person or per household.  We have intentionally cancelled some planned day trips to save the gas, but still make sure to drive it a good distance once a month to keep the battery up.  Our son does the same with the other gasoline car, which is technically ours although we rarely drive it.  Sometimes we take it to Costco to maintain the battery if he is too busy.  We are leaning more heavily on our electric car for any distance it can cover.  My son had to be taken to and from the airport, and rather than go along for the ride, which would require our gasoline car to carry three people and all of his luggage, I stayed home and my husband used the electric car.  Each trip saved our son $16.

The electric car is so effective because of the solar electricity on the house.  It is now producing very well, more than we need to refill the batteries and meet our daytime needs, and the batteries store enough to meet our needs overnight.  We expect the system to fully meet our needs all summer and come August we will have a full year of data.  We installed our system so late (2025) that our utility pays us almost nothing for our excess production, but we wanted to wait until we could pay for it.  Now we understand that had we been willing to take on debt and install it several years sooner, we could have been in a much better program in terms of what they would have paid us for our production.  Still, we find debt somewhat scary — what if something had happened and we hadn’t been able to pay it off?

Also, the heat pump HVAC doesn’t use a set amount of electricity to cool, it varies depending on the house temperature.  We were advised to simply set the thermostat to a temperature and see how the HVAC works to keep that temperature for at least a month.  I do set it a degree higher at night because I am more careful right now with the overnight electricity usage since it comes from the batteries.  So far the heat pump HVAC seems far more efficient than the old unit, which had been installed in 2009.

I’ve also thought about staying in my house if my husband were to die before I do and my son is living elsewhere.  I would have to hire a lawn service and probably someone to help with the heavier cleaning.  In terms of the space, I would probably choose to convert the primary bedroom (which we don’t sleep in) into a junior accessory dwelling unit, which is what our state calls an attached apartment with a kitchenette.  The room is large enough to be a studio apartment or even to be divided into a very small one bedroom apartment, and the bathroom, which includes a second closet (small walk-in), could be the kitchen and bathroom.  Divided, it could have a 10x12 bedroom, a 12x12 living room, a tiny kitchen 6x8 or so, and a small bathroom.  It would have a separate entrance.  The rent would easily cover my extra expenses, and as I am in a college town I’m sure I could find a young woman who would be interested in renting from me.  Where I am now that kind of setup easily goes for $1400 per month or more.

It could even be a full kitchen if I were to buy one of the newer 120v induction ranges and install a vent fan.  But a portable double induction burner and convection microwave would be a lot less expensive.

You have been incredibly hardworking! The rooms look wonderful.
I think it is excellent that you are furnishing your home to suit your health needs. I know many people who do nothing but complain that they can no longer do this or that simply because they have gotten older. You, however, are adapting your environment so that you can manage well. You are a wonderful role model.
I tend to be a minimalist. That is why I have no trouble with tidying up and cleaning. Cleaning isn't exactly my favorite activity, but I do it regularly so that things don't pile up. My favorite chore is working in the garden.
Thank you for simply scaling back your blog rather than stopping blogging entirely. You are a great source of inspiration for me. 

Good to see you back!! May was my birthday Month -whatever chore I need done my hubby does it cheerfully and willingly-so we got a lot done! I turned  66 and have arthritis in my knees so I've slowed down some also. My 3 kids and their families got together for the weekend with us-21 total-yes, I have 13 grandkids-in our log cabin -had bodies everywhere-so many memories made. Got some pressure canning done on ground beef and chicken. Ground beef prices are ridiculous but Memorial weekend ,the store had a good sale on gr. Beef so bought 30 lbs. and it's now on the pantry  shelves and the chicken also. hubby is pulling our beets this week so I'll be canning those. We've had a ton of rain here in Eastern Kansas and are waterlogged but the hear and humidity is coming which we need for tomatoes. We had a tornado hit about a mile from our place about a month ago, and did not have power for 24 hours, luckily we're fine and no damage but a lot of folks lost a lot. .I love reading this forum and how everyone is managing. You all are an inspiration! 

Welcome to the forum April S, it is good to have you here with our great group of people that have similar interests and wonderful ideas, stories and information to pass along.  We talk about anything but politics so to keep a nice calm place to gather.  I am happy that you have joined in commenting here in the forum.   I grew up in Tennessee and I still have family there so I have fond memories of Tennessee. :) 

GDonna, good to have you back! Your rearranging and finding new ways to adjust for accessibility and aging are good inspiration for me. I love to zoom in on the pictures, so many new ideas and just pleasant, calming and cozy to look at. I read old posts while you were gone.

In May we sorted out or improved several areas. Linen closet/medicine cabinet now has shallow shelves so that otc medicine and first aid supplies are visible and accessible! Also sorted out and organized braces, wraps, heating pads etc in the same closet. Only helpful if you can find it.

In the kitchen I bought a cute little corner shelf that houses teapot, special old cookbooks, and potatoes. This let me organize other spots in the kitchen a bit better too. My husband needs to have things immediately visible to remember they are there or to do certain things. He's always been that way, but I think I finally accepted it. Switched from a breadbox to an open basket and he can now see all the rolls and bread at once. No need to line them up on top of the breadbox and cookbooks! Seems to be working. I slid a thrift store tray under his kitchen counter pile of random items and suddenly feel much better about it. No complaints from him...I will look for more trays! :) Still trying to figure out ways of making things easier to access in the kitchen. Being sick this year has really given me pause. I thought it was all pretty easy to get to, but it is not. 

Also, husband surprised me with window trim! Our house had none, just painted drywall. He did the two I see the most and will do the others eventually. They look so nice. Slightly rearranged furniture in the living room and "redecorated" with things I already had, it's so much cozier. I wanted to do more heavy cleaning during the month but my health and energy just weren't up to it. A little bit at a time!

Welcome back GDonna. It seems that you and Charles had a very busy month of May! I love your furniture arrangement and you have given me lots of ideas about aging in place. My house/garage purge plans were postponed a bit. I have been caring for my 93 mother, she fell and fractured a back vertebrae and shoulder blade but thankfully has greatly improved.   I  was able to work on the project  a few days each week and I am happy with the progress I have made so far. I have decided to tackle one room at the time so it will not be so overwhelming. I was able to organize my kitchen better, get rid of things not used and have the things I use every day easier to reach. Our raised bed garden is growing  so hopefully I will be harvesting cucumbers, tomatoes and yellow squash very soon. Your new blog schedule is a great idea. It will give you much needed time and also all of your readers will still be blessed with blog posts monthly. Thank you for continuing to blog, you are an inspiration in this sometimes bleak world. 

Angela

I will look this up!  Thank you!

Ann E., I am sorry to read about the passing of your cat — even if they are destructive (or in the case of my dogs, loud) — they are still family members.  Congrats on the great deal on the bread maker!

Like you and Stephanie G, I bemoan the unavailable of quality items.  I recently read that men’s clothing is more likely to be made of natural fibers because men keep their clothing longer and expected it to last, whereas women are in the cycle of purchasing clothing far more often, and it is usually made of synthetics.  Of course, when it comes to socks, all genders suffer.  Cotton isn’t the best fiber for socks as it wears quickly and stretches out.  Wool is much better, but fell out of favor because it was cheaper for manufacturers to add nylon to cotton socks.  I have a lot of mixed fiber socks, and will use them until they wear out, but the planned replacement is lightweight wool socks if I can find them or knit them (still a goal)

Thanks, Donna, for another fine post. It is good to have you back!

Ann E - They still sell Buster Brown socks, which are all cotton. They are very comfortable, but they do wear out easily. I have gotten a lot of practice darning on mine. You can buy them on eBay.

Becky Sue K, thanks for the tip on Buster Brown socks!  A quick search shows that The Vermont Country store sells them in several colors.  I had looked on eBay and saw that they were made in China, which gave me pause as to whether or not they would truly be 100% cotton, but knowing that VCS trusts them, I feel much better.  I find it interesting that they are sold in sizes rather than just covering a range as socks usually do, but it makes sense since they aren’t stretchy

It is for comments like this that I love this forum.
I live in Europe, so I certainly won't be having any items shipped over from the US or Canada; however, the warmth with which advice and tips are shared here is so comforting—especially in these times, when the world (global politics) around us seems to be nothing but terrible.
Warm regards to everyone here! ❀

Britain, June 1942. 

From 15th June 1942, Restaurant meals will be limited to three courses with meat, game, or fish, allowed only in one of the courses. The maximum price allowed is 5 shillings. It was not fair that wealthy people could dine out well every day to supplement their rations. 

There will be no petrol ration for public use from 1st July 1942, it is restricted to those on the official list as essential workers. 

We are going to be having dried eggs from the USA next month, as part of or ration. Egg rationing has been very difficult, just one per adult a week, if available, and then addled as like as not, coming from a central depot instead of the local farm.  I do miss our hens. 

We had a beef joint for our meat ration this week. With our combined ration at two shillings and fourpence for the week, it wasn’t very big, so I cooked it as a pot roast over carrot, parsnip, celery, and a tiny onion, so it didn’t shrink, and it was very tender. Who would have thought that onions would be scarce? I am eking out the leftover cold beef with lots of fresh salad for as many days as possible.  I shall make soup to have something hot with it. 

The strawberries are growing in the garden, but not ripe yet. Summer started yesterday according to the calendar, and with it the weather turned cold and wet again, a heavy downpour in the night with some flash flooding locally. I have washing on hangers and on the airer indoors to dry. It is a problem for farmers and housewives that weather forecasts are banned in case they help the luftwaffe. 

I went to see The Longest Yarn, Britain at War, which was at Lichfield Cathedral in May. There were some life sized knitted figures and eighty display cases of knitted scenes, many  taken from photographs. It was very moving, and I lit a candle in St Chad’s chapel for my family members who had lived and fought through it. 

The Women’s Land Army, the rat-catcher. 

Coventry Cathedral, Churchill visits after the Blitz 14th November 1940. 

Gdonna,

I am very happy with my doctor.   She has an MD as well as being a functional doctor.  She has encouraged me to use weights in my exercise and to walk with a weighted vest or backpack with some kind of weight in it to help my osteopenia, and it has helped!  She also directed me to a place to order blood tests for myself that insurance won't pay for, at a cheaper price than if she ordered them for me.  She is a real believer in eating a good diet and has asked me how I feel about my health, stress, and fitness since I first started going to her back around 2018.

The third photo in this post, the bowl with flowers across the front with the plate on top of it, just brought back all kinds of memories to me.  My parternal grandmother had a set of dishes and bowls with that design on them.  My dad and I went to his parents' house every Sunday to have lunch - what we all called dinner - with them and other family members back in the 1960s.  These dishes and bowls were my Mammaw's "best" and they were only used on Sundays.  She was an incredible cook and every Sunday she'd make each one us our favorite dish - mine was the bread pudding for dessert.  To this day, I've never tasted bread pudding as good as hers.  

Wishing you, Grandma Donna, Grandpa Charles, and everyone else a blessed and happy summer!

It's so nice to see you post, GDonna  It sounds like you got quite a bit done, even with pacing yourself.  I like your latest re-imagining of your living space, and the pictures of the beach are beautiful

I have continued to muddle through years of my things, my husband's things (although he is reluctant to clear out anything) and now over 70 years of stuff (lots of stuff) in my parents house.  My mother, who has dementia, is still living at an assisted living apartment, and it is is next to impossible for me to get through all this stuff while she is still living.  It feels somehow wrong? I can't explain it.  But I am making progress, slowly.  That's what I have been working on in May, and also selling/donating some of my stuff.  And retirement planning stuff.  Change is a hard thing for me sometime.

In 1942, the one local paper, a weekly, had a big spread about Memorial Day (Decoration Day) celebrations.  They reported that is was much larger than usual because of the (then) current war.  We ourselves always go to a very large (non church) cemetery that always has multiple Memorial day events.  We make sure all our ancestors buried their who served have a flag on their grave, and generally "tidy" them up.  My relatives are buried there, and my husband's are buried at a church nearby, and we do the same thing there.

I have only read the June 1st paper for the other local community, and the only thing that caught my eye was a big ad from Bell Telephone urging their customers to stay off the phone during events such as an air raid as that would hamper emergency and rescue efforts.  

Joan S your doctor does sound wonderful!

Janet W  The pictures you shared from The Longest Yarn, Britain at War are amazing!  I wonder how long it took to knit those very detailed scenes.  I zoomed in on the life sized one, and saw that even the pin on the sweater appears to be knit.  Coventry Cathedral was well done too.  I have read about that and have seen the same picture that you posted. 

Grandma Donna, I  Love your blogs!!  Every time I come here I feel rejuvenated and optimistic.   I get so down missing the old days but here I feel ready to live my own life my way.  And this post has So inspired me.....your moving into the living room.  Our bedroom is upstairs in our 120 year old home and it's Hot from now till October.   I have a good guy for a husband as well, and he's agreed it's a good idea to help save on the a/c to just close that room off for summer.  He's getting over the bed in the living room thing lol....well, he's giving it a go at least.  This is our home to live as we want to live.

Thank you for your posts....I think your new schedule is just fine.  The garden and all the little creatures out there are a handful right now so take the time to enjoy it and sew some pretty curtains!  looking forward to the next blog.  

from Tracy in SE Missouri 

One of the things I did in May that made such a big difference for me was I cut a piece of black tarp/white on the other side and hung it in my bedroom window. Black side out white side in. I am one of those people that simply cannot sleep/rest with any light and the neighbors motion light was coming on and waking me to the point I was sleep deprived. So essentially I made a black out curtain. I have white drapes inside and you can't even tell it is there. But I can finally sleep and feel rested.

Tonight I made liver and onions with mashed potatoes for supper. I feel depleted and because I am not eating red meat. My iron levels were low, trying to avoid taking pills and using diet to correct things. From what I have read on rationing, liver and other organ meats were available and didn't require ration stamps. I like liver so that's good.

Today I spent some time looking into what my town was doing during WW2.  Being on the west coast, people feared an invasion and blackouts were a serious endeavor.  In my town any domes on homes or businesses that were painted gold were repainted black.  They removed brake lights on cars and left headlights off.  They blacked out or turned off the traffic signals.  Street lights were covered.  And of course citizens blacked out their windows.

My town did all of the usual things: tire and rubber drives, paper drives, war bond drives (we outdid every quota!), bandage making, blood donations, planting victory gardens and more.  Many business were converted to supplying military needs, making jeep and airplane batteries, tents, etc.  Oranges moved to juice production, which was canned to send to the troops for the vitamin C.

At some point in my area sugar was not allowed for home canning, only factory canning.  That surprised me.

I have some buttermilk, so I am considering using some of my sugar “ration” to bake a buttermilk pie for Sunday’s dessert

Joyce C, I also need total blackout to sleep and have neighbors with bright lights as well as a street lamp on that side of the house.  My blackout curtains still let light in around the edges, so I took another blackout panel and used tension rods to secure it in the window frame.  I use a towel at the bottom of the door to block any light coming in that way.  We just leave the window blacked out, as the sun beats down on that side anyway and this set up helps keep the room cooler.  We are only in the room at night — we don’t have leisurely breakfasts in bed, lol — so after a few weeks of taking it down each day I decided it wasn’t worth the effort.  I leave a lamp on in that room during the day, the light bulb uses 7 watts if on at full light and I keep it dimmed, so we estimate it uses about 30 watts of electricity per day, or 900 watts per month (that would cost us about 30¢ per month if we didn’t have solar).

Kimberly,

I leave mine up also because unless I am cleaning or sleeping I am not in that room. 

I get the full sunrise along with the neighbors light and this has worked great. I am starting to feel rested.

It keeps the room cooler also.

I love your new set up with the bedroom in the living room. We just changed all the furniture in 4 guest rooms from one to another so my husband could make a room with a desk and place to play guitar. He said the furniture in that room was too girly so we moved my dad's Campaign dresser set down and made a masculine room.  

I have 6 raised  beds planted, and made an herb garden by the back porch and also have two large pots I put cherry tomatoes in and two barrel planters with sweet potatoes. Last year we made a flower bed along the left side of the fence. I have rooted tomatoes from lower branches off the ones in my raised beds, and have squash and zucchini that I will plant in the flower bed. I am trying to grow as much as I can so I am planting every pot and tucking vegetable plants in every place I can. I will freeze zucchini and dehydrate it and use it in bread, instead of noodles, and eat it as a side dish, too. 

I pulled up Purslane and have been eating the leaves in salads. I sautee them in olive oil.  I dehydrated the stems and smaller leaves and powdered them to add to soups or casseroles. It is very nutritious, so I am using this weed instead if wasting it. I have already canned 42 pints and 6 quarts if green beans. I replanted two beds because my son likes to get  them when they come. 

I watched a wonderful you tube video from Diane's Wardrobe titled 10 Comfortable Dresses American Housewives Wore in the 1950s that Disappeared From Modern Wardrobes. I wish she had one from the 1940s, but I think this group would love to see the beautiful dresses, which some were 40s era also. I was given some old patterns from a friend's mom and would love to make some older style dresses. 

I am not participating in the study, but my heart is to be content with what I have, and be a good steward of what God has blessed me with. I love to garden, can, sew, and quilt. 

Welcome back GDonna, I missed you :) Thanks for such a lovely post. All the changes looked great, I especially loved the Blue Room.

What a wonderful post Grandma Donna and thank you. My husband is in very ill health so we like you have to take our time and have rests in between to get things done so it does take us longer to do things too.

The month of May has been busy for us and we cleaned 3 of our sheds out the garden tank stand shed, tool shed and our metal gardening shed. We pressure cleaned all the sheds out, scrubbed greasy tool shed work benches, sorted wiped everything over and put it all back. 4 x 240lt wheelie bins of rubbish/packaging and machinery that stopped working and we couldn't get parts for went out. What was good that we no longer needed we packaged them up and put prices on them to sell at our local trading post. We have also repaired a shed door that wouldn't close in the tool shed, repaired rotted wood in the framing of a door in the outhouse and changed an outdoor light cover near the front door that had disintegrated with the heat.

In the kitchen I went through one plastic kitchen container kitchen cabinet, swept them out, wiped all the shelves, went through recipe books and got rid of any containers that didn't have bottoms and tops. DH went through a lounge room bookshelf, emptied everything out, wiped all the books over, sorted out what we didn't need and put the books back in categories like gardening etc.

We are feeling a lot more sorted and things are slowly getting clean, tidy and organised. It is important to us currently as we are currently on 1.22 acres in the country and plan to move to town and downsize to a house block in the next few years.

Lorna from Australia.