Not you (of course), just a work situation being very annoying, and probably not getting much better for the foreseeable future (kinda working on it, though, buuuuut it's slow going).


Edit: Another day, but less GAAH than yesterday, thankfully.

I went downstairs to get the bag of Chica's food from the freezer. I used to keep pet food in there to keep it fresh. For bird food, freezing it kills off any bugs or eggs that may be lurking among the seed. I'd also keep the bulk-size bags of rice we'd buy once in awhile in there as rice can also come with moth larva.

Upon opening the freezer, I was hit with a smell that stunk like there was a dead body being kept in there. At some point the freezer died; nobody said anything. The reason it stunk like a dead body is because we used to kept meat in there. The food was shrink wrapped and all of that, but it still gives off odor which permeated into the inner walls of the freezer.

Chica's food was fine as the bag had never been opened, but the 2 bags of Jingle's food, ( we've been transitioning her from one diet to another) a bag of rice that I opened a couple of weeks ago and a opened bag of bird food went into the trash. If they were sealed, I wouldn't be worried, but since I don't know how long the freezer had been sitting not running, I thought it was better to be safe than sorry. I have plenty food for the bird and Jingle. New bags of food for both of them will be delivered tomorrow.

We won't be replacing the freezer. We don't need it and I'm over replacing things that we don't use all the time. When the heating company is done doing their thing, I'll call the trash company about doing a pick up for the freezer. I've been told they have better prices than 1-800-Got-Junk; we'll see.

Today is a good day to have a great day!

Despite it all, I have peace of mind and always will because that is what is promised to me.

Have you ever had an accident in public? Well let's back up a moment to how I think I acquired gastroenteritis. So I got it from some place where I get free food but of course I am being targeted so it was only me and I should have listened to my instinct but for whatever reason ignored it. Then the second time I ignored my instinct I didn't make it to the bathroom. Ah yes, I do so love making things so much more complicated for myself unintentionally, lol. I remember mentioning about how some people make a habit out of poor prioritization and well that's me likely because when I'm in a moment of hyperfocus, it is difficult for me to snap out of it.

I have no friends, no one to count on (from this dimension) so of course I had to walk in front of everyone to grab what I needed to clean up and change. Yup, held my head high because hey I'm human and obviously still make mistakes and being an adult does not mean that ever stops. But it does mean it's rare than when I was a kid but then again that's a different story and that's not the subject here. Sure my enemies both supernatural and human just loved that and won't shut up about it but they are free to stay stuck in the past as it doesn't bother me, not one iota.

It's interesting because that's something embarrassing right? Well, not for me. I was not embarrassed at all. I did not care nor do I care what anyone says or thinks as the only one with importance underneath Him is me and no one else I give permission to. I said I would keep moving forward and I meant that because I know for a fact none of this will matter in the future and I will be rewarded for all my pain, suffering and hardships. It is not the only reason why I go against the grain to have the world against me, there is a close and special bond that I have and I will not forego that bond. I am going to cross that finish line and finish this race. There are no ifs, ands or buts about it.

All that to bring into focus something my mother told me and yes I still remember her lessons and they guide me quite well indeed: "No one can make you feel bad unless you give them permission to."

She was right. It is so very fascinating how overcoming my own insecurities, my own weaknesses in my mind and how much that greatly and positively impacts my life. Basically the whole stoic philosophy of stop caring about what others think because It Does Not Matter. Others opinion's mean NOTHING, unless I allow it to.

ACCESS DENIED.



*One night the moon reminded me of the Cheshire cat's smile and then I remembered I don't think I have read Alice in Wonderland by Caroll Lewis but really wanted to and a few days later I was allowed to pick out a book to keep for free and what do you know? One of those books was Alice in Wonderland by Caroll Lewis so of course I chose that book, lol.

It has been a day of a giant nothing burger. I hate that phrase, but that is what it has been.

The drama over where I have blood work done; continues. I finally dragged our insurance company into the conversation because saying "My insurance company will not pay for blood work that is done at the clinic" continues not to be heard. Then there was a melt down over the fact that I order my own blood work that they want me to have.

All the drama boils down to one thing; money. I told them 3 times today that if they wanted to charge me $100.00 for all blood work they want done, again ( it is a repeat of what I had done in Nov), I'll pay them the $100.00. They told me no bueno. It isn't about the blood work or me; they just want to charge my insurance company out the nose for basic things. I'm not always the brightest bulb in the box, but I didn't fall off a turnip truck yesterday either. If they were that concerned, they'd agree to it. I'm not expecting anything for free.

So now I wait for a second supervisor to call me back. I've been told that all this bullshit is new; I guess so. The whole thing is beyond stupid. Acting like they're having their wigs snatched because they can't get a few hundred bucks out of me.

To clarify , the furniture was here from the previous owner (one of my paternal aunts and her husband). Not only is the house falling apart, but so is the items inside.

It would take a stronger Buy\Build Mode in such a Sims-like house to fix these breaks. we're strapped for cash and right now it is more a matter of investment in semi-retirement

This week though. Can somebody wave a magic wand and make it go away?

The doctors office is now sending me physical letters about things that I've already dealt with on my end. It is not my problem that they do not do their job. I'm still waiting for a phone call that I was told would happen yesterday. This morning I sent a email asking to have my account deleted from their portal. It's not helping. It's frustrating, annoying and stupid. Instead of deleting it, I have to get my doctors permission first. WTF! There is nothing normal about any of this. It's chaos and insanity.

The insurance company finally sent the form we needed. It had people listed on it that we don't know. Upon calling the insurance company inquiring about possible insurance fraud, they wouldn't say why there were strange people on our insurance tax form, but they are aware of the fact that this is a problem and that they will send a new, corrected one. The moon is also made of cheese. They didn't say the moon part, but they may as well have.

This morning I got on the phone with our CPA. I explained what happened and that if we continue to wait for the insurance company to figure shit out, we're going to have file for a extension. Not as a dodge to avoid taxes ( we already give big government a interest free loan by overpaying..), but rather because the insurance company can't be bothered to see their fuck ups before they happen. The fuck up wasn't hidden. It was in-their-face and they proceeded to send the forms anyway. I was told not to worry about it and move on with our plan which is to drop off taxes this weekend. There is plenty of proof ( many years worth) that we have health insurance.

The only good thing that has happened this week thus so far? It is going to be in the 50's for the next few days. We're finally getting out of the deep freeze that has been happening since January. Once it gets into the 60's and the ground is no longer mush, not only am I going to go outside and touch grass, I'm going roll around on it. People want to be a pain in the ass? Ooops, sorry. I didn't hear the phone ring and I can't roll around on grass while having a screen in my face.

"Chronos, Gaia, I wish pay day would be here soon!" (Fairy Godparent joke. The most powerful forces of Father Time and Mother Nature have to guard me because I am that messed up.)

You and me both, GC...not exactly the days we want. Nothing going right.

Last night, my parents were asleep and slept through dinner prep so I just went to bed without a dinner of any sort and drank my evening meds down with a blue iced tea made from Thai flowers.

We also were supposed to buy groceries and pick up medicine, but that looks like I will be doing my own grocery shopping this week. Along with getting an unwanted package back to sender (Amazon was never reasonable with the window of cancellation), the downs of life are piling up.

As far as my budgets, I had to work on a rather tight one this month and until I get my $27 for a mistake, not much is going to happen.

I have to wait for my parents to wake up as my father can help me with the unwanted package.

Today is still young, just listening to Bob Marley Greatest Hits. I restarted a playthrough of Resident Evil 3 (1999) since I am having difficulty getting pass a certain part. The part where I have the battery to use the elevator lift, and get the fuse and the G. Launcher then head back to the train where Nemesis appear. Then the train crashes and Jill ends up I think at a church and I had no more ink ribbons to save the game and I was caution on health so of course a bat or was it a raven or crow killed me, lol.

Though I do the old school style of saving where I make at least 2 different save slots in case I need to backtrack and I can if I want but decided to start a new save and this time on easy and with Special 1 outfit. I'll go back later to the other save and see if I can keep trying. It makes me wonder if I ever did finish RE3 (1999), I think this is my second and third time playing it. The first time I think I had it on the Nintendo GameCube. I get more jumpscares than I do with RE2. I miss playing the modern REmakes but the classics are so good still too.

I'm skipping lunch today. I think I will watch a movie today, Mars Attack. The last movie I watched was one I seen I think once as a child, Joe's Apartment (1996). Unfortunately, I remember falling asleep on it a few times, not because I found it boring but because I was sleepy and didn't get enough sleep. The movie is funny and is described to be a black comedy/dark humor musical.

Yesterday I was so hot when walking that today I left my winter coat to wear something light, a zippered hoodie. I think the weather will be getting cooler/colder again but Spring weather will gradually come.

Pay day came and I paid my dues, bought groceries and dishwasher detergent pods (it's my responsibility to keep the house clean and dishes are a constant.), bought some fun things, drinks, kitchen tools, storage media, objet d'art, the short movie "Happiness is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown" which was the new materials based on old stories from the Peanuts group (written by Craig Schulz, Charles' son and Steven Pastis of Pearls before Swine), and I had sushi for dinner.

The Amazon package will be here on Saturday. The dishwasher pods will be delivered Friday.

Still, for the interim, my family found a variation on our usual type.

The heating guys have been here since 7:30 AM. It is a completely different experience dealing with a small business than with the gas company who installed the old heating system. These guys are polite, they've been busy since they got here, if there is any swearing going on, I haven't heard it, ect...

I know we are going to save money on the heating bill with the new system. While I can't give a exact number, the number in my head should end up being bigger than I originally thought.

Part of the reason the old system was constantly coming on, not blowing out heat, and so on was because the coil on the bottom of the old system was caked with old bird feathers. Not the top feathers; the down feathers that are underneath that keep a bird warm. It looks like somebody took wet paper towels and layered them on the coil. Ewww! In laymens terms, the old heating system couldn't 'breathe' because it was being smothered with 20-plus years of bird plumage.

There has already been discussion about getting the heating system on a yearly maintenance plan. After spending lots of money for this new system, it is going to be cleaned at least once a year. There will be no more heating related issues because of bird. The generator has to have yearly maintenance anyway; may as well get them both on the same schedule. It is cheaper to spend $350.00 once a year ( that I'll save over the course of a year. We can handle $6.73 a week we need to put aside for 52 weeks...) than spending over $10,000.00 to replace things. Part of that is for the AC, but still... not cheap.

We'll also be saving on the electric bill as I'll now be able to hang up clothes downstairs to dry and they'll actually dry verses being wet for days at a time. Clothes that are constantly wet start to stink after a day or two which means they need to be washed again.

The following is a long article; I picked out a few bits. The link for the full story is below.








https://www.marketwatch.com/story/f...f?mod=home_lead

People have spent the past 4 years ranting about prices of things. While I'm not a fan of inflation or stagflation, it is interesting that while all of this complaining is going on, people are more than happy to pay 30% on a credit card while the average for inflation has been roughly 3%. Which is more? 30% or 3%.

I could also get into the whole thing about big government printing money. The more they print, the less value a dollar has, hence it costs more dollars to do things. Funny how this point didn't make it into the article. Piles and piles of money has been printed over the past decade and people are tired of it? Debt clock sez otherwise.

https://www.usdebtclock.org/

1.3 trillion of credit card debt floating around. One day of no spending is not going to send a message to big business, banks or otherwise. They're going to roll their eyes much like what EA does when the masses get mad when TS4 breaks ( again) and people declare they're never buying another pack and yet most of these very people are the first to buy the new stuff.

I have no idea what I am doing in life anymore if I ever did in the first place. I am so sick and tired of hearing being blessed for living another day because others didn't get to wake up this morning. Well provided their names are in the Book of Life, then I am happy for them and it is nothing to be sad about at all. I know where I am going if I "die" and it is nothing to be sad about like I am not sad at all for my mother. Just the temporary separation is all.

What is life right now? I have no clue, lol. People are so weird to me. I don't understand them.

My values are different and thus my life goals are not the norm. My definition of success is not the norm. I strive to learn and grow which is a never-ending life journey to continue to be a better version of myself. That means that I actually enjoy and love introspection and the truth even when it hurts I do not shy away despite how it may make me uncomfortable. That is something that most in the world lacks and a part of the reason why the world is the way it is. Hence Michael Jackson's Man in the Mirror.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PivWY9wn5ps

Success to me is also to know wisdom, to know truth and take heed.

I notice in the story of the rich man and Lazarus, the rich man's name is not even noted. That says a lot too besides which side of the gulf each ended up in based on their acts, not their worldly possessions, social status and so on. Does my Father love me any less because I am poor?

Success to me is not a job, it is not a career, it is not an education (in worldly terms), it is not the latest year make and model of a vehicle, it is not a house, it is not a husband, it is not a family, it is not wealth, it is not popularity, it is not social status, and so on. Success to me is being authentic in a world that attempts to kill all individuality, all common sense to promote a hive mind of what is right is wrong and what is wrong is right. Success to me is being free, not a slave in bondage like the world stuck in the matrix through blissful ignorance or willful ignorance.

I have been very successful lately in my chores. Just one demerit so far. Just means for that one, I lose $1.19 out of $39 maximum.

Otherwise, yesterday I had eaten a whole crown of broccoli 🥦.

I had it with cheese 🧀 and it does go well together. My mom was right.

Sometimes, I have to try things for the opportunity to either like it or knock it.

I could have a fondue party. One side of the room would have cheese, with veggies and crusty day old bread and the other would have chocolate, with fruit and pretzels...but then again, my anxiety would make me panic 😰.

Parties aren't my strong suit with people. 😱

It has been a typical Saturday. The day starts with a couple things to do then the list grows.

The plan for today was to clean up from the past few days downstairs, drop off taxes and bring the pigs to the vets. Lincoln was due for his yearly physical. Both of them needed nail trims.

Vet appointment was uneventful and taxes were dropped off. Upon cleaning up downstairs, I finally put my foot down about the downstairs ceiling. It is a drop down ceiling the former homeowner installed. There were a few tiles missing, others were stained from fish tank filters leaking, ect... The ceiling downstairs has been a peeve for over a year and half. A box of 16 tiles is $40.00. There is no reason this project couldn't have been done a long time ago other than Dingus didn't feel like dealing with it.

I also replaced my favorite sweatshirt as the tab on the zipper broke off and can't be fixed. The broken tab got sucked up in the vacuum cleaner last night which I wasn't happy about, but it was better than Jingle eating it then having to deal with whatever became of that. A $12.00 sweatshirt is cheaper than spending hundreds in vet bills.

Well, although my shipment was undamaged, the packages that held certain things together came loose in the boxes.

Either way, I am testing my new things. Everything is looking good so far...

But that cheeky American Tourister gorilla obviously saw big money at Amazon, as my parents joke (I once watched the old commercial in a retrospect when I was 9.)

I guess I missed the memo stating that the year 2025 was the year of people trying to be sneaky and underhanded.

The year started with being at war over a medication. Instead of just owning that the insurance company didn't want to pay for the drug of choice, they lied, about everything. Then of course there was the most recent SNAFU with the insurance company knowingly sending out bad tax info.

There has been the ongoing battle with the doctors office. They're mad because I won't pay them for over-inflated prices for blood work. Instead of addressing this issue like adults, they resorted to using their own portal like something that would be found on Twitter or whatever obnoxious social media platform. Then my doctor decided he was going to use one of his nurses as a human shield and wanted me to to have a sit down, chit-chat with her. Yeah, no. She's the person that is the adult in the building, she's not the problem. I had to call and make a appointment to have a chat with overgrown man-child in April because he can't figure shit out. Only time will tell if he keeps appointment or not.

The company the installed our generator thought they were cute a couple of weeks ago. They decided to send out $50.00 coupons to people that have done business with them in hopes they would get rave reviews in return. I called them last summer while in the middle of all the mess of fighting with assholes from the electric company about installing a outdoor camera. They never returned my phone call. When I sarcastically thanked them for never bothering to return my phone call and for the coupon that I had zero interest in using, the excuses started flowing. If I'm going to influence people do to something, it isn't going to be to put up with BS from a company that can't be bothered to return what should have been a simple phone call.

Fast forward to this past week. I gave praise to the contractors that were here for the heating / AC thing. While they got the job done, they left a surprise for me to find.

Last night as Dingus and I were cleaning up dust, bits of plastic, insulation and filth from the floors, I noticed there something on the dryer. The dryer is white so any chemicals that were dumped on it would show up. Note: We're talking about the same dryer that we bought on New Year's Eve day. The chemical in question was neon yellow and allowed to not only dry on top of the white towel that I left (on purpose; to protect the top of the dryer) but also on the dryer itself. The chemical is the same color as the stuff they used on the PVC pipe they put in.

I made a phone call, left a message and got a email shortly after that. The installer was contacted and admitted that there was a problem and didn't bother to say anything. Mo-fo could take my second payment of just over 6,000.00, but couldn't say anything about the shit that was left on the dryer. Accidents happen, I get that. It's the fact that it was just left for me to find that has me pissed off.

Long story short, said contractor will be back. If they can't remove the shit from the top of my new dryer, then they're the going to pay for a new top. How fuckin' big of them. No, they don't have to do this, it is principle of the whole thing. This situation could have been prevented in one of two ways. The first one being not using the dryer as a work bench. The second option is they could have asked me for something other than a towel to protect the top of the dryer. I would have happily supplied them with a pile of broken down cardboard boxes.

I'm sitting on the edge of my seat to see what March brings because so far this year is feeling like a game of Whack-A-Mole.

EDIT: Ikea on Sundays is scary; don't do it. Waaayyy too many people.

We made the trip on a whim to replace a metal, shelf-thing I bought from Amazon right before covid. It completely rusted out because of the humidity during the summer time. Now that we'll no longer have the humidity issues, it was time to replace the tetanus hazard.

Got a refund on my unwanted items.

Ate 2 apples with powdered peanut butter that was reconstituted. I used a special 16 slice apple slicer I received in the mail a couple days ago.

I stowed the money away in special money counting jars (again, I received these a couple days ago. The shipment was huge, but I didn't appreciate the abuse a box full of drinks received from someone who was transferring it to the truck to my house.)

Either way, I have yet to test my blank DVD discs...

Just another manic Monday....

It has been one of those days where my brain feels like it is going in a hundred different directions. I hate these kinds of days; they're exhausting.

Taxes are done. We won't see credits or whatever from the furnace and A/C until next year.

Top of the dryer is still neon yellow despite efforts made by heating company. There should be a new cover/ top... whatever a person wants to call it in on Friday. I've since ordered washer and dryer covers. I know this seems stupid after the fact, but having a water-proof cover will also prevent other problems when we're not at odds with the heating company people. i.e- If The Boy leaves the jug of laundry detergent on top of the machine and it drips.

Spent the afternoon dealing with houseplant things. Most of them did okay over the winter. There are a few that are meh. I haven't decided what I'm going to do with them.

Cover for the A/C condenser came in. This was subject of discussion last Friday. To cover the condenser or not to cover the condenser. Some people say that they should be covered. Others say don't cover it because moisture gets trapped which leads to rust and rot. The happy medium was to order a mesh cover. They allow air flow but keep things like pine needles and oak tree leaves out, so I ordered a mesh cover. It has a piece that sits on top that is solid to keep snow out. It attaches with velcro so it is easy enough to remove during the summer.

Now I need to make some dinner then crawl into bed. I've had enough for the day.

The blank DVD-Rs work as expected. Verbatim, I salute to thee your commendable efforts in physical media to help with backing up data for offline use.

(The weather tends to knock the WiFi out often.)

(Still working on saving money for things I want to do with my life.)

After a long search of Higher St. Budeaux church yard, which dates back at least to the time of Sir Francis Drake (who was married there) so we're talking about a LOT of graves, I finally located my grandmother's grave. I had not been there since I was a child, so I only had a vague memory of where it actually was.

I had almost given up, thinking that the gravestone must have fallen over and got covered up by vegetation, as many others have. But it turned out I was looking in the wrong place. Then, quite by chance, I found myself looking at a rather plain headstone, which was indeed looking a bit lopsided, and on which the inscription was so obscured with lichen I could hardly read it. But I could just make out the name "Phoebe". That had to be it! With the aid of a damp cloth I cleaned it up a little and sure enough it said "beloved wife of Sidney G. -------". That clinched it: Sidney was her second husband and my mother's stepfather. He was later buried in the same grave.

What confused the matter was that elsewhere in that same cemetery is my great grandfather and great grandmother's grave, and there is an inscription on that in memory of their daughter Phoebe. But I knew she was not actually buried there, and that Sidney had her buried elsewhere.

Now that we have finally found it, my brother and I hope to obtain permission to inter my late mother's ashes there. We will give that grave a good make over and add a small plaque with my mother's name on it.

As of late, I had to get a refund for an expensive gadget. As far as I know, I was happy to get my money back and buy some blank BDXL-Rs for my archives.

I also decided to test a pair of translation earbuds and I got some colorful star shaped barrettes (like actually a star shape and not those banana clips, mind you...) since my hair is growing out.

Currently having a drink of Jamaica (ha-MY-kah), a still soft drink served usually at traditional Mexican restaurants. Been a favorite drink since I was in high school.

My father and I are seeing our therapists today to help with our moods. Mine swings and he felt weighed down. Hurts me to see family suffer. Especially since I suffer from such issues.

I hope to figure out how to go forward next.

I forget but I think it's my fourth time going to Tai Chi Chih class and my third time going to the Chair Aerobics class and both have been really enjoyable. Though I also want to try the Art Class but that starts at the same time as Tai Chi so I am not sure how that works out, if it does. Then there's also another class I want to try is Sewing Class. Today I got a Shamrock from the Chair Aerobics instructor...it reminded me also of my Irish ancestry that my maternal grandmother told me about and where I think I may have gotten my dark auburn hair from but may also have an unexpressed red hair gene to pass down...when and if I find the right man.

Not a man just of biology but a gentleman of heart and mind too. It must be why I keep every now and then having OCD episodes of thinking of someone from my past because thinking back he seemed the most compatible and I really would have liked to have gotten the opportunity to know his personality, beliefs, morals, likes, dislikes...learn more about him. But being my instructor and me his student...though in college and I was legally an adult I liked that professionalism he portrayed and respected him for it. Though it's not like he liked-liked me anyway...maybe. No, he definitely showed an interest and now the annoying what if's but just from what time we did spend together showed me he's the kind of man I may give my heart to and marry for love. Because I do not care if a man is a billionaire, if it's not love I am not interested. I don't care about material things. Sure all that is a blessing and a bonus but not a requirement for me to fall in love...whatever that feels like I never once fell in love but I hope in the future to know what that's all about. Something deep and genuine, not at all superficial. For now and forever if that be the future I'm fine remaining happily single.

Moving on, I got some free clothes and went just a tad bit overboard...I really am crazy about turtlenecks. I needed more bottoms, not tops, lol.

Found myself yesterday shopping for groceries as well. I bought spring water for a blood draw and Quaker rice cakes in lightly salted and white cheddar.

I ended up also buying batteries to offset the ones I received from my father for my coin counting banks (I am the child of both a Jack and a Jill of All Trades. My parents started working in the early 1980s and never had stayed in the exact same job for a long time. They would either get promoted or change jobs at different employers. They worked at a bank when they met via blind dating. I sometimes helped my mother rolling coins for deposit, so I have the coins separate in 4 color coded jars. The 3 jars are for my 2 projects and my remaining one for my downtime.)

I just need to give my father 16 AAA batteries for the ones I used for the 7 banks (one set was a pair of duds).

The majority of my life right now is taking responsibility for any losses\gains based on my direct actions.

I am currently working on washing dishes and currently, today is another shipment. 😕 However, my sparkling water I ordered at the beginning of the week will be here next week at the earliest.

Edit: The roof from last year's storm is finally fixed. For now, there's peace in my mind to know that it was fixed (the damage was on the roof over my room).

It has been a week. Not a exciting one, but a week nonetheless.

I was sick with a cold for a few days. I haven't been anywhere besides Ikea last weekend. I'm guessing I got it from some gross person there.

The cover for the dryer wasn't replaced yesterday. The part won't be in until Monday; whatever. I wasn't in the mood to have people around anyway.

For years I've talked about how much I hate coffee. As a means of trying to ditch my Diet Pepsi habit which I think is causing ( at least in part) the magnesium issues I've been having. It's like I can't get enough which is causing cramping and other issues. Doctors office know about it and what I'm doing in terms of using supplements, ect... Anywho, I decided I would try to dabble with cold brew coffee. According to the Starbucks website, iced coffee is not the same as cold brew. Cold brew is coffee that brewed in cold water while iced coffee is cooled hot coffee. Their explanation makes sense. It is the same thing as cold brew tea.

While I don't use their [ Starbucks] recommended amount of coffee, it's been pretty good. I have it with non-sweetened oat milk, and a teeny pinch of salt to cut any lingering bitterness. Dingus and The Boy like dark roast coffee which could grow hair on a persons toenails, so I ordered some blonde roast ground beans. Making cold brew at home is dirt cheap compared to buying the cold brew concentrate which is what I bought the other day.

We're not doing much today; we're certainly not going back to germ-infested Ikea. Instead we're going to get a paper, temporary blind for one of the living room windows. It is the window I have most of the plants in front of. That side of the house cooks during the summer and since I like plants with dark leaves, some light control is in order. Plants with dark leaves do not like full sun for extended periods of time. Too much sun makes their leaves look horrible and eventually crunchy and dead.

The rest of day is going to be spent stinking up the house with the scent of Neem oil. One of my plants has mealybugs.



Image is not mine and it is magnified. To the naked eye, mealybugs look like sticky pieces of a cotton ball stuck to a plant.

https://www.bhg.com/gardening/house...d-of-mealybugs/

Mealybugs are not a big deal and plant bugs happen, but I'm confused where they came from. I haven't bought any new plants since last summer. Mealybugs didn't come in from plants outside as all of the outdoor plants are dormant. This is one of those mysteries that will remain a mystery, but all plants are going to sprayed as mealybugs spread like wild fire is left unattended.

EDIT: Since we were going to be out to buy a blind for the window, I decided that we should go to our favorite plant store to ask about the mealybugs and to ask about using leaf shine. I've avoided using leaf shine on my plants because I've never been able to get a straight answer. Some people say never use it because it clogs the pores of plant leaves, others say it is okay to use.

Seems as though it is the time of year for mealybugs. The person I spoke with is also having a problem with them and hasn't brought any new plants into the house. Same person confirmed that leaf shine is fine to use and actually helps prevent problems. It also helps to keep dust at bay.

The only time a leaf shine product should not be used is for plants that have fuzzy leaves such as a African Violet as a example. If leaves don't have fuzz, there is no reason not to use leaf shine.

If you're wondering if I came home with plants, the answer is yes. Dingus loves cacti, so he bought one that will go to work with him on Monday. I bought a Florida Ghost and a Rattlesnake Calathea. Both plants will be hanging out away from all other plants until the mealybug problem is resolved.

https://houseplant-homeschool.co.uk...-florida-ghost/

https://www.thespruce.com/growing-r...-plants-5088292