Thursday, June 9, 2011

2nd post

Jill, I meant to comment on your cat perch. That must be magical for a cat and such a good idea. It's indoors, is it? Love your flowers, too. I see things on down the way that I've meant to comment on and forget to do it.

Rosey





Several years ago, I had our side porch enlarged by the wonderful cabinetmaker who remodeled my kitchen. DH saw potential in Trevor's leftover wood bits and made it into a 'sculpture' which sits at the side of our back field. It's name, naturally enough, is Trevor.


I very much enjoy my glass top stove. For spills I use a razorblade paint scraper and I use the stove top cream which I purchase at our grocery store. My oven doesn't take long to heat up but I do know that the element is beneath a covered metal piece. After 30 years with my other stove, anything was welcome and this does a great job for me.



Sara, after a week or more of scorching, hot, humid days, the temps have dropped this morning to a more reasonable range but I don't know how you cope with the heat down there in Fla. Airconditioning must be a blessing.


Rosey

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Stove top

I use one of those magic eraser type of sponges on the top of my oven. If there is stuck on gunk I use a bit of oven cleaner. Fumes don't really bother me so it's what I use.

The reason the oven heats so darn slow is that the element is underneath the bottom surface rather than exposed like most ovens. It's pretty silly. It has to heat up the metal floor of the oven before heating the rest of the oven. My hubby picked it out. Not for the heating element but for the flat top. Oh well, I don't have top cook, do I? heheheh
Sandi

cleaning glass top stove, and so on

The huge monster stove that was in this house when we moved in died about 10 years ago. At that time we bought the GE with the flat glass top. I have liked it. I also wondered about what to clean it with. For regular day to day stuff, I just wet a micro fiber rag and wipe it off. For the burned on stuff I use the Bon-Ami cleanser. There is special gel-type cleaner that they try to sell with the stove, but it has lots of harsh things in it. The Bon-Ami is old fashioned cleanser, that "Hasn't scratched yet". Not that modern people know what that means, but it doesn't scratch the glass.
Love the dog pictures, and all. How do you get both of them to sit still for the photo?
I've decided that weed grow about 3 X as fast as flowers and grass. Didn't make it outside early enough to pull them (before 7:30) so will put it off until tomorrow.
Right now I'm waiting for a phone call back from Mayo clinic here in Jax. for whoever said my eye Dr. appt. isn't set up for the end of the month. I talked to someone, they sent me a letter with the date, time, etc. then someone called this morning to say I missed an appt. yesterday. Good grief.
The Dr. is great, but the staff there leaves lots to be desired. If I don't have an appt. set up, how did I get the letter with the appt. time? So frustrating.
Has anyone bought/used a "Thunder Shirt" for their dog? Darling Dog #1 has anxiety with thunder, and also riding in the car. I had to sit and hold her on Monday while the storm came through. I'm about ready to buy it. Supposed to have a money back guarantee.
Going to watch the noon news.
Sara in Fla.

Pets/Plants/no appliances :)




The comments about washers are so interesting, I thought the front loaders were the end all.
I haven't made the jump, but would love using less water.
Changing any thing out here is like pulling hens teeth.
The pet picture is Alex with his new BFF Quinn. He lives down the street and Alex received
an email play date invitation! We have been laughing about it all week.
They both had a great time and we plan to do it regularly.
The cat is my feral(not so much any more) Bruiser. He is enjoying the "tower" in the outdoor
cat house, where my spoiled indoor cats go to enjoy some summer sun and bug chasing & their
Mom gets to do a little reading.
Temps, way below normal here, only a few days even in the 70's. I don't know when we will even have strawberries.
Perfect weather for poppies!
I just love your puppy Rosey!

More pets/appliances

Our pup, Murphy, has almost reached his full growth at 85 pounds. He is an insistent digger, hence the little green wire fence. For some reason he understands that he has to stay out of the flower beds with the fences. They aren't the most attractive things, but they seem to work. The hosta is called Sum and Substance, and it hasn't quite reached its full growth for the season, either.


We recently bought a glass top stove, and I quite like it. It has two ovens, however. A small one over the larger one. The small one is what I use for everything except tall roasts, etc. I can do casseroles, pizzas, french bread and the like in it. Most of the larger things are only for family dinners or holidays, so I've only used the bottom one infrequently. The top one does heat up VERY quickly. What do you all use for cleaning the glass top? I have the cleaner from the appliance store, but didn't know if there were cleaners available at more convenient locations.

The weather here has been odd this year, too. We have had only one day with temps in the 80s and mostly in the 50s or 60s. Lots more rain and wind than usual, too. I complain until I think of my son in Iraq where it is already 110*+. I think I'd rather have cool and wet!

Kathi

Stuff

The dog photos are great! And, Rosey, I see that you have the same stove we have. I love the flat top but the oven! Ugh! It takes forever to heat up. Hmmm, I think this might become an appliance discussion forum, teehee

We had 103 degrees yesterday, whew! Pretty odd for this early in June. It was dry and windy so not really terrible. The day before was into the 90's and humid. My van temp said 107, in the shade, yesterday. I need to water the plants this morning, they are parched.

See ya,
Sandi

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

dogs

Rosey P. - I absolutely adore the photos!!! The expression on Hope's face, in the photo on the left, is priceless. She looks like she is saying, "Ma! Get this kid away from me!"
;-D

I see (at weather.com) your high is going to be 91F tomorrow. Yikes! It was 95 or 96 here today, but at least the humidity was under 40% so it is somewhat (ha!) tolerable. Without air-conditioning, 90F and humid is awful. I am ever so grateful for electricity and A/C. We're supposed to get a break in our weather by next week, with some highs of only (ha!) 88F.

We are being told that for middle Tennessee, this has been the hottest June on record, so far. How nice. (not!)
Sophie and I get out and walk verrry early in the morning, like 6:30 a.m., before the temps hit 80F. Neither of us cares to suffer heat exhaustion.

AnnieBelle & Hope



Puppy Anniebelle is growing up into a gangly, happy teenager. She is close to 5 mos. of age. No relation in lineage to Hope, she adores her older 'sister' and brings much joy into our home. The dog gates are courtesy of DH, one on each entrance to the kitchen and they are lifesavers. Annie has a predilection for the legs on my island (at the right edge of photo) and for my ancient rocking chair despite a toybox full of stuffies and two teething bones.


Very, very hot and humid today. This morning began at 4:30 a.m. with a huge electrical storm that literally lifted me off the bed, the cracks of thunder were that loud. Then, out came the teensy, weensy black flies that feed off the backs of everyone's necks, faces, arms or in our hair so that we carry them inside with us buzzing around our heads. Almost makes me wish for winter.....nah, don't say that...

Rosey

Monday, June 6, 2011

front loader washing machine

A few years ago I bought the newer front loader machine and have been very happy with it. At that time it was rated very high by Consumer Reports mag. It is a Kenmore, made by Whirlpool. A year after that bought the Whirlpool Cabrio dryer. Once in a great while the front loader doesn't "spin" out all the water in the towels, but only about every 4 mo. or so. I just re-set the "final spin" cycle again and it spins it all out. I figured it was a hic-up.
As for sheets, I have a king size bed and wash those sheets once a week. Never had a problem with them not cleaning well, or not spinning.
As for a quilt--are you talking a big one, king size, queen, etc. Maybe it gets unbalanced and needs to be re-balanced. On mine, I just open the drawer that you put the detergent in, which stops the machine, open the door, and fluff a bit. If it just doesn't spin out all the water at the end, fluff, then set on "final spin" again. It should work.
The sales lady at Sears said I shouldn't need any of the hi-eff. detergent, just use less of my regular one. Have to use the perfume and dye free for DH's skin allergies.
I also have gone back to washing on "warm" instead of cold for towels and sheets. The cold is supposed to be a savings of $ and better for the earth, but things seem to smell fresher with the warm water. Also use a fabric softener sheet in the dryer, which doesn't seem to affect the skin problems.
More info than anyone would ever want to know about my life I'm sure!
Really wish all those flood waters in the middle of the country would send water our way. Dry,dry, dry. No, the humidity doesn't make up for it. Just makes you sweat more. There is smoke and haze around from the fires that are smoldering south of us. Thankfully the A/C keeps me cool and calm during the day.
Love the pictures of the flowers everywhere. Keep it up.
Sara in Fla.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

From Jean in Mill Bay (BB doesn't seem to want her to post)












Here are three that I took a few days ago, intending to put them on the BB in answer to Rosey's request. The views are from three sides of my house. I should take some flower pictures, too -- and it is a shame I can't bottle the scent from the lilacs and arbutus trees. The whole yard smells intoxicating! I think this is the most beautiful time of year here, with everything blooming and just bursting with life. Of course I have just come in from about three hours in the yard and should be spending that much time every day to keep on top of things!




After a record setting cold wet nasty Spring we have suddenly been vaulted into summer weather. I am not complaining, but it is a shock to the plants. Maybe now things will start to catch up...


Jean



central vac

Is what we call the built-in vacuums, where you plug the hose into an outlet in each room. I've never had one, but it would be nice, except the hose has to be really long and I would probably trip over that, too. At least we don't have to try to sweep carpeting with a broom! My allergies would go bonkers.

Bee, is your washer the same exact model, number and all? I wonder if it is one of the newer "high efficiency" models. I didn't think you have top-loading washers in NZ. I thought that was an American thing. Is your washer under warranty? Perhpas the repair man should be called? Lifting a soaking wet quilt out of a bathtub can damage your back and the quilt (pulled seams). Ack. Any washing machine purchased these days needs an extended service contract bought with it. Seriously. They don't make 'em like they used to.

While we're on the subject of tangled sheets

I am looking at five beds of sheets to wash after guests leave this morning. If I didn't go to Curves, I don't know that I'd have the muscle-power to haul them out of the washing machine. And on the same subject of frustration with machinery where function doesn't follow form, try vacuum cleaners. For those lucky enough to have the kind of in-house plug-ins...brainfart, can't think of the name of them...try hauling around a vacuum cleaner that gets tangled up in your feet, around chairs, couches and bangs into the paint on floor trim. I equate these things with whoever invented pantyhose.
Rosey

Hm, also love the photos.

I chicken out with washing 2 sheets at the same time. I wash one and other bits and the next time I wash , late in the week I wash the other one . I must admit my sheets are coloured so I don't have to keep them with whites. I also find if the machine isn't full all sorts of things happen. While we are on the subject of washing machines, my newish one is the same make, size, motor capacity as my last one and I can't wash my quilts in it. I used to fill the machine and wash by hand, drain by hand and then rinse also by hand and only turn it on to give a little spin much better than dragging the quilt outside and handwringing it. For some reason the machine won't even turn over and I am back to washing in the bath. All this annoys me heaps as I purchased my machine because it was the same make etc. Any ideas ???? Hugs Bee in a wet and wild NZ.