1:30pm, me and Yorkshire tea today in the barn with some raisin oatmeal cookies.

I was mulching along a boxwood border which I had finally edged the other day. Also finished edging another five or six feet of that same border and ended up putting down 2.5 bags of mulch. I was one sweaty mess. I enjoy sitting in the big comfy wicker chair in the barn in front of the big "picture window", esp. when working outside and needing a break. Had the side door open too, so a breeze came right through and out the bigger door. By 3:30p, the afternoon temp was getting up there so I opted for the air conditioned house.

We got some measurable rain, thank goodness. Could use more. I wasted the whole day.

I've been useless with a head/chest cold/bronchitis issue. Blasted doctor won't give me antibiotics unless I still have it 10 days from now.

"My" Purple Martins have all fledged and left for Brazil. There were 54 new chicks at the end of the season.

Wes has been working with a jeweler to design a "25th anniversary" ring for me. It incorporates the pear-shaped diamond my mother gave me, a halo of amethysts, and Celtic knots.

I posted about both events on the Kitchen Table since neither could be considered "Smaller Homes" related by any stretch of the imagination. LOL

The Martins' report is on page 2; the ring ideas are on page 3.

Now I'm off to painfully cough and hack while not being able to sleep. Thanks, Doc!

54! Great! Now what will you do with your time ;-)

I'm left with no consolation except for watching the Countdown App on my iPod.

It shows I have "7 months, 4 Weeks, 0 days, 15 hours, 37 minutes, 24 seconds" before their return.

Heavy sigh. LOL

So... rounded off....8 months.

I decided to tackle the sewing room today. The dust! The cobwebs! I don't sew much these days so I'm going to see how many toys I can put in the drawers. I have drawers and cabinets. I have toys. Even found some things I forgot I had. That would be another week reorganizing them.

Maybe after I make a path in there I will get inspired.

Two of the burners on my 1940,50's Magic Chef stove went out about this time last year, the first of the week another one appears to be on its way out too. So I called a local appliance store to beg a repairman to at least come out and look at it. Could be something easy like plugged lines, let's hope. He said, "Parts are the problem". Yeah, I know.

Anyhoo, he's coming tomorrow morning at 9am. So I need to make sure the stove is reasonably clean under the burners, don't want him to find any surprises if you know what I mean. Plus a cabinet needs moved out in case he wants to go behind and turn off the gas. It's a bear to move, I only do it once a year to clean behind. ugh. I may just wait and do that only if he asks tomorrow to see behind the stove. Then he can help me. Problem is, there's probably toast crumbs and cat hair to greet us.

Ohhhh, Happy! From this distance it sounds like fun. Could you snap some photos of the toys as you go along? We could all get inspired.

Here's one of the toys I want to try out soon. It's a Singer edge stitcher foot, #36865, for short shank machines.

http://www.singersewinginfo.co.uk/simanco/36865/

" ... Even found some things I forgot I had ... l

Isn't that the most fun of all? It's like getting something new all over again - without having to shop or pay for it.

SchoolHouse, I know that it's a pain trying to get parts, and someone talented enough to install them, but it would be so worth the effort to get that jewel of a stove working again.

When I lived in California there was a shop in Petaluma that restored, refurbished, and sold all sorts of appliances, big and small, from the 1920s onward.

Don't give up on your Magic Chef!

Too late. Almost everything found a hiding place. A few things are going to the dumpster. Still a bit of use in them but I have enough stuff. And lots of stuff with "a bit of use left in it". I'm going to be more stoic and throw it. I'm going to use my nicer stuff. I'm almost 71. What am I saving it for?

You are quick.

You inspired me to creep into my sewing room. I'm sorting/clearing out the items in the top drawer of the chest-on-chest.

Maybe tomorrow I can tackle the second drawer.

I'm down to that last bit that ends up left over. I WILL finish today.

IF I cleaned more often would I eventually not have anything in the room?

I know. This stove has been with me for 39yrs., and my uncle probably bought it new in the 1940s, it just seems to be part of the house. I will grieve if it has to go.

There are places online that will restore them, re-chrome parts, etc. I was in communication with them a couple years ago. Too bad I'm in Ohio and they are in California or some such place. Shipping would be a nightmare. They also sell restored stoves, so beautiful.

I drooled over the restored stoves, too, and realized they were out of my price range.

Well, update. The repairman came. Tested the two burners that had been out for nearly a year - of course they both burned as bright as can be........ugh. Even the right rear burner that was low this morning, and low when he first lit it, suddenly reared to life. Can you believe it? He said there must have been a little debris clogging something and that it dislodged at some point. Then he showed me how to remove the burners (which I didn't know you could take them out!) and clean the gas line from the ON/OFF knobs that go to the burners.

I was a little embarrassed, but at least I know I have all four burners now - to the tune of $79.88(!). They must charge $75 an hour, only he wasn't here nearly that long. The rest was tax. He was nice and I would call them again if I had trouble.

Whew! Good news!

Can you take the whole long part out? The part that goes from burner to burner on each side? I've always had a gas stove except for a couple of years when it wasn't available. After I did the kitchen remodel I realized there were modern stoves 39 inches wide. I didn't leave that much space between cabinets. Now I'm stuck with the narrower newer stoves forever :-(

No, can not take the long piece out, only can lift the burners and the part they are attached to, it looks like an elbow.

Now I'm in the process of getting some new insulation to lay across the upper half of the stove under the burners. Probably not explaining it right, but it insulates the heat from the oven from the stove top. When I first moved in here, mice had chewed it to bits. Several years ago I thoroughly cleaned the stove and used a sweeper hose to remove it. Admittedly, at the time I had no idea really that it was insulation! duh. There are online sources from antique and vintage stove restorers, so it's available. I wouldn't trust myself to install in tho, even if it means just laying down. ha.

"I'm going to use my nicer stuff. I'm almost 71. What am I saving it for?"

I'm with you on that! That's what I've been doing for a few yrs. This past year, I've been buying things that will make my life easier, safer, more comfortable.

This next year, i'm going to buy one of those Roomba vacuums. And I think an air purifier for my bedroom. Living in the desert, I get a lot of sand/dirt that sifts thru when we have sand storms. I think those 2 things will help curb the dog hair and dander too - and make my life easier and more comfortable.

In about another month, I'll be looking for a newer car. my mechanic will help me. I'm looking for a Honda CR-V.

And i'm stopping the gift buying for the kids and gkids. That'll do away with the wrapping, packing and trips to the PO. I'll have to do something different, like send $s for a pizza night or something. I mailed a pkg out today, the gift cost 20.00 and postage was 15.00 $s! So, I have to stop doing that.

I've had the air purifiers. You'll have to clean it every week. The dust/dirt gets inside and makes it icky. You might think you are dusting furniture more often and you probably will be. Something about the ions making the dust heavier and it settles everywhere. I've forgotten now how that all works. I don't have any of them running now. I used them for a number of years but as each died I didn't buy a new one. I had 2 of them refurbished but as time has gone by, I don't think they do anything. Maybe if I would start them up again I would change my mind but I can't tell the difference now that they aren't running. Oh, I take that back. I still have one running in the dog boarding room but I don't know if it makes any difference.