last night took my old chair out to the farm. the girls were thrilled.

Z tried on her new clothes. today I took Izzy and Mommy to Mommy's appt. then we went to the park. and Casey's for a snack. hung solar lights on the wheel at farm. cashed in Kevin's pocket change...(...and I didn't get the change cleaned out of his trucks.) $132!!!!! see a penny pick it up, all the day you'll have good luck.

planted the strawberry, sunflower, and daisy things. not expecting much out of them. wet dirt STINKS. how do I always forget this?

furniture supposed to arrive this afternoon. not here as of 2:09. Kevin needs to go pay for his brushcutter. he took an early out and is hanging out here with me for furniture truck instead of going to pay for his brushcutter. called Nurse Melissa back. they'll set me up an appt. with surgeon and weight loss clinic. hooped 30 minutes today. Kevin's trying to do something on his phone where they send him a code and he enters code and it won't work. I hate those things. I truly do. put the new letter E on mailbox. old one had faded to completely white. so now it says DAILEY again instead of DAIL Y. it's the little things. it really is.

more ripping out fence at farm.

redid the wagon wheel flower bed. I am very smug with results. KJ helped me weed and packed and dumped bags of rock. new brush cutter arrived. put more mulch on our daylilies. outlined ones by house with my rock collection. started rearranging patio.

day 2 of my pledge to cut down to 1 pepsi a day. you don't know how much pepsi I drink. you just don't know.

spent the weekend at the farm cutting down trees, pulling out fence, and mowing the yard. whew.

mavourneen

[ muh-voor-neen ] noun darling or dear

Hello, dear one! Mavourneen is an Irish term of endearment meaning "darling or dear," and it's been whispered in love songs and poetry for centuries. A little old-fashioned? Maybe. But romance never goes out of style!

after Kevin's chiropractor we stopped by moms. her porch is in progress.

got my call from the specialist I was referred to. being overweight makes acid reflux worse. that's why it keeps getting worse. I've lived with it for years. YEARS. minimum 45 lb. weight loss before surgery. they have a medical weight loss program I qualify for. recommend gastric by-pass. if anything is wrong with my gall bladder, it'll go. (if i would gain back weight, the hernia repair could fail.) I have the weekend to weigh my options. I am leaning heavily towards just keep on keepin' on. I'll give up sweet tea and pepsi, but life will be less enjoyable. gastric by-pass scares me. greatly. so back to the hoop. walking. watching what I eat. I won't be having surgery this year most likely, so will have to pay my $3000 AGAIN next year. this is why I hate going to the dr. it can never be something easy. I know I am fat. I know I am getting fatter. I know I'll feel better. sigh. how did that girl in high school who lived on PVM and Ayds diet candy and Diet Tab and Dexatrim and baked potato diets get to this point? how did I become this weeks episode on My 600 Lb. Life? unfat people do not understand fat people. I was a fat people BEFORE I was a fat people. I know that fat girl will always be in my head. maybe that's where she belongs. I hate change. I suck at it.

yesterday to Olathe. checked out a thrift store. went to Ian's orchestra and choir concerts.

downpour complete with thunder and lightning when we exited theater. Violet was terrified. it WAS an awfully long cold walk to the car, but we made it just in time for Koren to get there and unlock it. the kids with Koren were all "oh no, Grandma doesn't run!"

drove home today through Trenton. checked in with mom. looked at water damage in diningroom from leak. dentist appointment. picked up Ann & Izzy and to Zerelda's concert, which was excellent. you could hear her singing. she loves to sing, just like her dad. many comments from teachers about how she has really come into her own at school. the girl is really flourishing there. I am so proud of her. and so happy for her.

once again I successfully avoided doing something I did not wish to do. avoidance is a way of life.

Kevin took an early out and "we" worked on fence. he started chopping on that tree growing up in the "hidden windmill" and progress was made. and I had a chat with my Missouri granddaughters.

slept in. although I slept very soundly at Hotel Savoy and here at home, I am EXHAUSTED. like bone tired. Betsy?

picked up Rip, which was fun with the detour. did some mudding in the Highlander and the old gal did good. she did get pretty muddy. talked myself out of going to Trenton, which was on today's to-do list. Ann cancelled her dr. appt. tomorrow, so penciled it in for then. Kevin mowed our yard. I finished up my pigeons, made some shrinky dink signs and license plates AND my first circle window. mulched flowers in front of house, cleaned out flower bed.

we spent a delightful weekend in KC staying at a classy old haunted hotel, going to see Uncle Kracker and Kid Rock in concert (this was on Kevin's bucket list)

and seeing our Kansas daughter and grands.

Kid put on probably the best show we've seen since Alice Cooper. lots going on. there was a lot of flag apparel in the crowd. and they went wild when he played a President Trump video. wild. it was a bit scary. very intense. people were swept up in the moment. Swept. Up. if I could've fit under my seat, I would've crawled down there. it was uncomfortable. but he did put on a good show. we walked to and from concert from hotel and got some exercise. this is something Kevin likes to do. it is always such a nightmare leaving a huge venue when everyone else is trying to leave. and I was reminded that parking garages freak me the fuck out.

The Savoy Hotel, KC, MO.

this has long been on my list. I love beautiful old hotels, especially ones with stories of hauntings. We stayed April 19-20, 2025. We were on the 4th floor, room 423. The "haunted" apartment is 505 on the 5th floor. took service stairs because if I was a ghost - that's where I'd be. 505 is the other side of the building. walked throught Floor 5 hallways. there are blank doors in the halls, original hotel rooms were much smaller back in the day, I suppose. no bathrooms, for starters. todays discerning hotel guest wants a private bathroom.

I had a tingly feeling in my stomach and legs as I rounded corners looking for 505. I touched the blank door briefly, took my pictures. walked back down to 4 on regular stairs - which were delightfully creaky - so made a video walking back up them. as one would. then I heard a door on 5th floor creak open and I scurried away like a peeping Tom, heart racing.

our toilet is in a window. but there is a shade. I love old hotels. super friendly staff. beautiful historic building. of course Gustavo came with, and my ghost hunting night gown. took the "haunting' pics of ghost hunting in our room. And I started reading Rosemary's Baby. the bed was super duper comfy, and I found a crime show to lull me off to sleep, but although I slept soundly, was very exhausted all day today. could barely keep my eyes open. what are you up to, Betsy Ward?

half of mom's house is roofed.

Russell didn't order enough supplies and ran over with the rafters, etc. which were found after original bid. came up with some more $ for him today. he'll need $3500 more but that's in the bank that Paypal charges me a fee to transfer $ from, so will get $ out of there Monday. if I give him a check, he has to wait for it to clear.

sewed together the first 2 rows on Scooby Doo Gang quilt. I'm thinking so far, so good. made, baked, and painted 4 pigeons and a barn cat. ordered pigeons but they were too small and lost 3 of them on way to basement. these homely mofos I made are big enough to be noticable and so homely only a mother could love them. want to get a tiny bottle of teal paint to finish them off. also vacuumed. packing for our trip tomorrow. just an overnighter. figured out what phone apps the hotel reservation and concert tickets are on. AND had time for some Nancy Grace, bless her heart.

oil change. Kevin showed me the eagle nest. wow.

it's not ON his farm, but you can see it FROM his farm. amazing. once upon a time we drove to Mound City (I think?) on my birthday to see eagles on Eagle Day. and now we just randomly see them right here where we live. did a Mountain Dew run for mom. they're putting shingles on the roof. changing up my farm fence idea. maybe?

Mom had another accident. had to cut short our park visit and Izzy was having such a day. sliding and climbing and crawling and swinging and doing it all by herself.

today I learned that Trashcans and Rocks are her favorites. along with the Green Vaccum and the Purple Vaccum. Mom went to ER, got checked out. went home. a combination of high wind and a dump trailer. I'm not sure if she was more pissed or indignant that her neighbor called the ambulance. she was certainly fiesty enough with the medical staff after I arrived to convince me she didn't have a concussion. did a quick Zerelda visit. went from picking her up from school and hanging out to barely seeing her. NEXT week I will do better. I. will. will try to get to Lineville Park.

I made some phone calls today. got an oil change appt for car tomorrow. switching to Chillicothe instead of Kirksville. a little closer. I feel more comfortable driving there. and called the surgeons office. they hadn't rec'd info, so called speciality clinic, they refaxed, and surgeons office called right back to tell me they had rec'd for review and would be setting up an appt. having a bit of a flare up, so got over my talking on phone hangup. briefly.

Zerelda thinks Miles would like Woody or Buzz for his birthday gift from her.

rethinking Scooby Doo quilt. furiously sewing. have pieced what I think (once again....) are the last 3 blocks....

Kevin wanted to check on roof progress after work. seems to be coming right along. a lot of hard work. they're earning every penny. spent my day with Proving Demons, a UFO book, and a chair nap where I was back at Wade 3. time to feed the pigs. time to feed the pigs. time to feed the pigs.

quick mom visit. one of the cats died. they started ripping off roof today. and her migraines are back.

WORD OF THE DAY April 14, 2025 pilose [ pahy-lohs ] adjective covered with hair, especially soft hair

Kevin is in negotiations to trade in brush cutter for new brushcutter.

after text and photo troubleshooting last night and this morning, we journeyed to Kirksville to buy a new water heater for trailer.

the boys successfully installed while Izzy and I spent some time in the sun picking flowers and listening to birds sing. had a nice long chat with Katie. I miss that girl.

cleared brush outta fencerows. mowed at farm.

taxes. Kevin applied for his passport and shopped for a different brush cutter.

lunch at Pizza Hut, where someone we know asked if I was still retired. that still sounds SO weird. I think of myself as currently unemployed. I fully intend to never work again unless I have to, of course...which I guess pretty much means retirement? it feels more like...I dunno. freedom. a change of pace. relaxation. happiness. peace. catching up with the little things. picked up Rx. almost back to 5000 points on fetch, and we all know what THAT means.....$3 amazon gift card!!!

today I whipped out the shed, the house, AND the treehouse.

and most importantly, got to see Violets first grade Barnyard Moosical. it was amazing. hugs from all grands, then back home. stopped at Target. just not as magical at Easter as it is at Halloween and Christmas. (sad face emoji.)

ideas, ideas, ideas.

a magnifying glass quilt block. now I'm envisioning a barbwire fence with a tiny version of my dad's no hunt, no fish, no trespass, no mercy sign. cause the barn turned into a farm. with a planned abandoned 2 story house with real broken glass windows, critters inside, a hole in the roof. a tin open front shed with a noose, maybe an old tractor sitting inside? and the tree needs a tree house. probably with a no girls allowed sign. a woodpile by house.

pieced the Zombie Girl quilt block.

finished up getting tax stuff ready. (I confuse myself so badly at any task these days...this one was a doozy.) using prime credits to watch a movie and then got on amazon and bought 2 used books by this girl I watched a video on today....family dispute. killed her uncle. he had requested a civil standby. but went before they arrived. touchy situations can go bad so quickly. especially when you have access to a gun. I'm glad we used a civil standby in the situation we were involved in. she was a novelist and actress. she killed him in 2016. convicted in 2020. made this movie inbetween. it was released in 2020.

added some tree buds, tiny sticks, and a 'tree branch' to well.

had a playdate with Izzy. got a call back from clinic. they have referred me to a KC surgeon.

I also left a voice mail at specialty clinic re: upcoming appts. but didn't hear back.

made a windmill. working on a well underneath, will pour a bit of epoxy into 'well', have fingers peeking over side, and a voodoo curse jar floating. (cackle). made a basketball hoop for barn, and the Fire Proof sign for top of hotel like the one in Chillicothe. will also add angel numbers. learned about them today on Proving Demons.

I hate making phone calls.

I stutter. I lose my train of thought. my messages ramble endlessly. (and needlessly). but this was The Morning Of The Phone Calls. thank you Monica for calling me so I didn't have to call you. you don't know how much easier it is to answer the phone than to place the call myself. I've booked KJ's tires and oil change for this afternoon, then pick up stuff at RJ. booked Rips boarding in June. made oil change appt for new truck Wednesday. whew. and it's only 8:50 a.m. I am woman, hear me roar.

we went to an afternoon matinee...The Working Man. I bought our tickets online at the senior rate. which is the exact same price as the adult rate? but, I am acknowledging our movement into a new stage of life.

ran into Dave & Melissa, who live just up the road, at Walmart and had a catch up, blocking all kinds of annoyed customers. sorry! restocked some craft supplies. now gathering shades of white to make patchwork ghosts to sew onto different colored blocks. kind of a crazy ghost quilt. also want to make that haunted looking Ella doll soon to put in Katie's room. riding through Chillicothe today, I always admire that hotel sign downtown...now my hotel needs one, as well. made that. added a vulture to the trashbags by the wreck. put the last 3 huge black paper birds on hotel and barn. and putting some real estate signs on the barn.

today involved sleeping VERY late and lounging about with quick bursts of energy.

I needed a barn down by the Goatman's Bridge....a weathered red barn with faded red paint, some holes in walls, and inside: a well. a ghost. a hangmans noose. and a monster. made 3 trash bags of probably body parts to be tossed off bridge. placed the old Dinty Moore 4x4 down in the holler where it ran off the bridge.

KJ had a flat tire. so traded him cars. Kevin said he needs 4 new tires. I'll get them ordered, get his flat fixed, and run his car in when the new tires come in.

I might have to declare myself incompetent.

I have broken the only rule of my household....(the only rule I could come up with at some long ago go-round-the-circle crap at some mandatory training at my long ago job )....take a Pepsi, put one back. had to run out to farm, went to grab my mandatory one-for-the-road-cold-one. not a bottle in the fridge. and only ONE can. I clearly need to get my head out of my ass. clearly. (insert eye roll emoji here.) mulched Leafy Tree. and tried to troubleshoot the wifi. Ben The GRM Guy saved the day. someone (not pointing any fingers here, some grandma plugging in a new lamp) unplugged the battery backup. ermygawd.

back to work on Goatman's Bridge. working on supports.

did a ride along on Kevin's chiropractor visit. phone chat with Katie. supper at our fave Trenton eatery that has been listed for sale.

10:24p.m. is the bridge done? kinda think I need someone hanging off the side by that mysterious blood stain. or the old Dinty Moore Explorer (or Blazer?) off patio tipped over sideways on bridge. but it's all drizzly and wet outside and it's dark. so....maybe I'll grab it tomorrow and dry it off. not sure exactly where it is. somewhere by the pots. or a leg or something on rocks under bloodstain....or, hear me out.... a head or a torso? or just a bulky trashbag. yeah. a trash bag. spooky. so probably not done. cause it's not done till I just look at it and think...huh. it's done.

yesterday I made a wooden pallet Goatman's Bridge and cut out the cardboard base for the stream.

cleaned up flower bathtub, raked leaves off patio. Kevin mulched the new flower bed.

did the majority of rock gluing last night, finished up today. also 'made' a tree from that cool branch I found ages ago and leftover potpouri. Izzy spent the afternoon here. had to do a major clean on grandkids room....dead lady bugs everywhere. EVERYWHERE. went ahead and vacuumed entire house. while Iz was working in her office in Katie's room I got the glue gun and glued Stonehenge together so the stones would stop toppling over. also glued the pigs to pig mountain. they tend to fall off. a. lot. then did a TikTok of Izzy playing and my Creepy Christmas Village. Kevin christened the new lawnmower and mowed most of our yard. first mow of the year. just makes it grow faster. Kevin and I (and Ann & Izzy) tag teamed on cleaning out old Avalanche. then Papa helped Zerelda plant her tree from school. then Z & her family helped me rearrange her room so her early birthday present of a desk, chair, lamp, and desk accessories would fit. Izzy inherited my old toybox. quite a day.

did my first epoxy resin pour for the little puddles in my rockbed under Goatman's Bridge. sprinkled with a packet of silica gel bubbles. cause puddles wouldn't be perfectly smooth. will see what it looks like tomorrow. did I create a nuclear bomb? (maybe I won't see what it looks like tomorrow?

the much anticipated little pigeons arrived today, and per the usual, I do not understand measurements.

in any way, shape, or form. these are microscopic, need a magnifying glass to see what they are. so, now there's a flock of pigeons in the Civil War Battlefield. and I ordered 4 pigeons and 2 squirrels from Etsy that are big enough to see. they are unpainted. I can do that. right? didn't want to pay triple to have them expertly painted. they're just going to perch on an abandoned hotel. in a basement. in the outskirts of a town of 317.

took mom on her rounds today....courthouse....x-ray...specialist. they took sling off with some restrictions and physical therapy in a month and followup in 6 weeks. on the way out the door she declared herself released. meanwhile, Russell is evaluating damage in attic from leaky roof...

my passport arrived today! I feel so continental. and I WILL be taking a picture of my foot in Canada. watch me.

now another party is interested in The Avalanche. it deserves more adventure than sitting in a yard year round.

finished the last blocks of my projected (amended) needed # to complete quilt. or so I thought. I laid it out with great fanfare. need 1 more monster. and decided to add 2 plain blocks to each row, so 14 more of those. (I made 2 extra plains. dunno.) but we are getting closer. progress is being made. and the stack of blocks is getting heavy to lug around laying out.