Where did Monday go?

Oh, that's right, I cleaned from 9:30 yesterday morning until 9:30 at night. Managed to get some things organized, do four loads of laundry, and sweep all the floors. (There was a LOT of organizing.). Today I'll dust, scrub toilets and tubs, mop and continue with the mountain of laundry. I'm pretty sure the sewing machine is not going to get any use at all this week except maybe, just maybe, I'll get the kitchen curtains made for here in Sta. Rosa.

We really need to find someone who can come in periodically and at least dust, sweep and mop. It might be kind of fun to come out and not have to clean house every time. Hoping that the organizing will make it easier to find things (and that people will put things back where they find them). But seriously, even though this is on a dirt road and I know we can always count on a film of dust everywhere, the amount of dirt I cleaned off the floors this time was RIDICULOUS.

Had to tear out one piece of furniture that had been right under a leaky roof for years and literally just rotted in place. It was a kitchenette type of cabinet my BIL built many years ago so that the large back bedroom/bath addition could, in a pinch, be used separately. Well-built and should have lasted for years but incessant water damage did it in. That and the horde of ants munching away on the rotting wood. Last year we tore out one of the kitchen cabinets for the same reason.

Less than half the citrus trees we planted survived the extremely dry winter conditions. We're honestly surprised any of them made it. The weeds flourished though; the yard looked like a hay field when we arrived. As Ivan worked out there yesterday, he was not happy with the amount of debris dropped by parrots. They build nests with thorny branches and frequently drop a branch or seventy-two as they fly over. He had to do a lot of raking before he could even begin to mow. As I sit here this morning I can hear their raucous cries and I wonder what kind of social creatures are they? They sound like a bunch of angry women who can't agree on the color of the nursery carpet. Loud and obnoxious! 

Some friends are coming tomorrow for a couple of days; Ivan's aviation buddy and his wife (their photo is on the November 22 post, Week 47 of Project 365). Magdalena is a vegetarian so I've been mulling over possible ideas. Ivan thinks I should just have lunch ready and then find out from Magdalena what she enjoys and maybe have her show me how to prepare some things. Since it's so hot, I was thinking a couple of salads: pasta salad with lots of vegetables and some small cubes of cheese, and Mari's yummy cornbread salad. Ivan's not confident they'll like the cornbread salad because it's so different from anything they might have here, but I think they might enjoy trying something new. But in case he's right and they don't care for it, I'll have the pasta salad too. Although how anyone could dislike cornbread salad is beyond me! It is one of those perfect foods you come across only once in a blue moon...the melding of delicious cornbread with lots of vegetables, beans and a creamy ranch dressing. Bliss in a bowl!

I made the cornbread yesterday at noon, so we could have creamed chicken over cornbread for lunch. It made a nice hearty meal to fuel us for the long day of work. We were so exhausted by last night that after showers, we ate yogurt and granola with fruit for supper at 10:30 p.m. and it really hit the spot. I'm having more of the same for breakfast this morning.

By the way, I discovered that I can make a decent homemade granola using Karo syrup (which I can buy here) and almond extract. So my real maple syrup stash is safe and can be used occasionally on pancakes. I figure if I'm careful I can stretch it out for the two years we have left before furlough.

Looks like it will be another beautiful, hot, sunny day. Perfect for drying clothes on the line quickly. I'm going to hop to it and get a load going. Then I have a date with the mop bucket. Hasta luego!