2026 OneThing #44 - Sift Dirt for Planters

Although I'm writing this on Tuesday instead of Sunday, I actually got it done last week. Louie teased me about picking the "One Thing" after it was already done, but it is something that was a goal for me AND I worked at it AND I got it done. That feels good!

 

I just checked and I didn't take a picture, but here's what the planters looked like on our previous trip:

 

I put the aluminum ovals together. Louie helped me fit cardboard in the bottoms. I filled them with leaves. This was all done on October 5.

 

 

Last week, I dug up and sifted dirt from the pile past the pole barn. It took about four to five "sifters" full to get the red wagon cart half full. That was as heavy a load as I could handle. Each of these got four full carts of dirt. I thought about doing more, but my back was getting sore.

 

Still, it will be easier to do spring planting things with dirt in place (though I still think I may buy a few bags of manure and / or dirt to finish these off).

 

One big project done! Just no current photo to share. 

Now That's Weird . . . Blogger's Warning

So I recently read the recent warnings about Blogger's policies and warnings against "dangerous" content. No worries. I don't blog about inflammatory topics. 

 

But I just published a blog entry on the movie All the President's Men. And I got this message (yellow highlights are mine, added):

 

Your post titled "All the President's Men" has been put behind a warning for readers

Inbox

Blogger <no-reply@blogger.com>	2:36 PM (4 minutes ago)
to me

Hello,

As you may know, our Community Guidelines (https://blogger.com/go/contentpolicy) describe the boundaries for what we allow-- and don't allow-- on Blogger. Your post titled "All the President's Men" was flagged to us for review. This post was put behind a warning for readers because it contains sensitive content; the post is visible at https://watchedandjotted.blogspot.com/2026/10/all-presidents-men.html . Your blog readers must acknowledge the warning before being able to read the post/blog.

If you believe we made an error, you can request an appeal https://www.blogger.com/go/appeal-post?blogId=5596003474325928306&postId=5066339422152687261 which must be done within the next 90 days. Appeals are typically resolved within 10 business days, though some more complex cases may take longer. If your appeal was approved you will hear a response. You may have the option to pursue your claims in court. If you have legal questions or wish to examine legal options that may be available to you, you may want to consult with your own legal counsel.

For further information, please see the following resources:
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For more information, please review the following resources:

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• Blogger Community Guidelines: https://blogger.com/go/contentpolicy

Sincerely,
The Blogger Team

What?!?! I had to go back and read what I wrote. It will be interesting to see if this warning stays put or goes away. Is it because I compared Trump to Nixon (unfavorably)?  I don't care enough to challenge it. I just find this incredibly interesting.

2026 OneThing #43 - Remove Flat Rocks by Firepit

I don't know what I actually set as the goal, but Louie claims I was technically successful. I'm frustrated that I didn't get more done.

 

I dug up and relocated about four of the big slabs of rock that Mike gave us from his home in Cannon Falls. I think it's shale, but I'm not sure. Because we plan to sell our Jordan house and we would like to use these big flat rocks up at Strawberry Lake around our fire pit, I decided to move them.

 

While working on that project, I also used some of the retaining wall rock that I had gotten for free from a Craigslist posting last summer to build steps into the hillside leading to the firepit. I also tried to get rid of buckthorn!

 

All of this work was complicated by other commitments - subbing, sewing at RaDon, watching my grandsons, . . . and one day of rain. I did make progress, though. I should celebrate that instead of thinking of what I didn't get done. And the boys did help me for part of yesterday. But there's a lot more to be done! 

 

I didn't take photos of that, but the boys and I also moved some firewood from the back yard to the porch. And we admired Grandpa's hard work replacing the flashing and siding on the part of the chimney that had water damage. (I almost posted the picture of him up on the ladder, but I know that would upset him . . . )
 

2026 OneThing #42 - Finish Binding Morgan & Angela Quilt

I may have set "finish the quilt" as the actual goal, but this (the binding) was first on my brain. I had sewn on the binding before we went to the lake, but got very little stitching done on the back (perhaps 3/4 of one side). A few people asked why I didn't machine stitch the binding down. I've tried that method, but it does NOT look nice. Stitching it down by hand is what I know how to do.

 

It came with me to the MQ in-town retreat last week (Thur, Fri, Sat) and I stitched at it until it was done! I still need to clean up some threads, make and attach the label, and do a few other little things, but I hope to deliver it to their house this week.

 

I've blogged about this before . . . Angela and I shopped for fabric TEN YEARS ago! It was going to be a wedding quilt. But I was nervous and wanted it to be nice and so now it's a tenth wedding anniversary quilt. I hope they like it. 

 

Their bed is a California King, so this is a pretty big quilt! 

2026 One Thing #41 - Third Quarter Check-in / Review / Summary

Honestly, I don't feel as though I've been getting as much stuff done lately. But as I look over July, August, and September, there are definitely some things to celebrate. (I had to laugh as I looked back . . . I seem to pick a different title each quarter! Perhaps I should just pick one and stick with it.)

 

July was actually fantastic! Finding someone to take all of my father-in-law's music books was a blessing, we had a delightful visit with Louie's Aunt Shirley, I have my paint color picked out (though we won't be painting until next year), I finished reading the book, . . . and I tried chair yoga once that week. 

 

Exercise is definitely something I can work on! July was also when I got to enjoy a trip to Grand Marais with my sisters, spend a week at Camp Akina, and go to a quilting retreat in Wisconsin. What an incredibly fun month!

 

My verse was Galatians 6:9 "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." (NIV)

 

I love that reminder to persist in doing good - for God's sake and eternal rewards - not for any self-aggrandizement.

 

August 2026 was a bit more of a mixed bag. Lots of good intentions, but little progress. I think I feel best about sewing up that green camp chair (finally) and sorting through and getting rid of some baby toys. 

 

It was a month that flew by. My verse was Matthew 25:35 "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in," (NIV).

 

I want very much to live out my faith in Jesus. I want it to be apparent in how I treat people and how I talk. Helping others matters.

 

For September, my verse was Psalm 141:3 "Set a guard over my mouth, Oh Lord, keep watch over the door of my lips." (NIV)

 

I definitely need my mouth to be watched over! Sometimes the words jump out before I think about what I'm saying (and why). 

 

I did all right in September. I feel best about getting the Morgan and Angela anniversary quilt finished! And helping Louie with his goals up at Strawberry Lake was nice, too. I love my husband.

 

I did NOT do the chair aerobics more than once . . . I don't think twenty minutes once a month is going to help me much. 

 

All in all, I feel fairly good about the third quarter. I think this system is helping me make some progress that I might not otherwise make. Onward! 

 

 

 

 

2026 OneThing #40 - Help Louie with Goals

I wish I'd blogged about this on Sunday! Here it is, Tuesday, and I think I failed my partner yesterday. He was super short with me yesterday and when I asked him about it on the way home from the lake, he attributed it partly to tiredness and partly to me not doing enough to help us leave by 3pm. Ah well.

 

Last week, it was very interesting to have this as my goal. I found myself constantly thinking, "How can I best assist Louie with what he wants to get done?" It helped steer me away from my own goal-setting and personal focus. That was nice! (It's much too easy to be selfish.)

 

I did some research on the supplies for his workshop, I went to Ace and bought a "plug" that he needed for the electrical stuff (see pic), I helped unload the trailer of things from Jordan, I wrapped up his tie-downs, I fetched an extension cord for him from the shed, I helped get the canopy off the lift, I drove the pontoon across the lake so we could take it out, and I helped on the trip to Lowe's in Fargo to get some materials.  

 

Oh! We also took out the dock together and the pedal boat. It was hard work and tiring for both of us, but the weather was simply gorgeous! We're hiring the Mularis to take the lifts out. I hope that goes well. 

 

We're well into a new week and I need to get a move on. 

2026 OneThing #39 - Get Rid of Stuff

I know I've been working on "decluttering" for a few years now, but there's a LOT still in this house that needs to go away. I've been frustrated enough that I made it my week's goal. I'm posting this on Tuesday instead of Sunday, but most of this was done last week. And it felt good.

 

I've had these books set aside for several weeks and brought them to church one day for people to take. I didn't want to just dump them at Goodwill or in a Little Free Library, but then I realized I could bring them with me to an MQ meeting at the Recovery Church in St. Paul. They have a LFL book shelf and I believe they'll get to the hands that need them. So they will sit in my quilting space until the next time I go to a meeting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Louie said it was okay to get rid of our VHS tapes (save a few he wanted to hold on to, like the original Star Wars movies). I put the "save" videos in the bin with the VCR and dropped off the rest (mostly Disney movies) at the Goodwill. 

 

I was kind of torn about the Veggie Tales videos (I added them after taking the photo) because the old episodes were so good! (The new ones are not so good.) But honestly, we just have too much stuff. So away they went!

 

 

 

 

I had this box of puppets (some homemade) and a box with art supplies (crayons, watercolors, etc.) that I was able to donate at Harriet Bishop Elementary School. The Project Kids coordinator graciously accepted them, but asked if my grandsons wouldn't like them. I told her that I had asked them and I just wanted the puppets and art supplies to go away. I also told her that my son and daughter-in-law don't want their house to be flooded with my stuff. (True Story.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

That said, my daughter-in-law accepted this box of books. These are so cool! They have some clear pages to show you the inside of fruit, musical instruments, etc. I love these books, but they're not getting enough use here. I hope my grandsons love them.

It seems silly to put this picture here, but I used the empty bin from the VHS tapes to dump some of my sewing room stuff that needs to be sorted and dealt with. The TWO boxes that I emptied went to a neighbor who is packing to move. (Yes, I asked her first if she wanted them.)

 

 Titus was just hanging out. I'm not getting rid of him!

 

 

 

 

 

I also have a vacuum cleaner that uses a bag. We don't ever use it any more because we have the cool canister kind. This will get dropped off at Bridging another week when I have more time (and maybe more stuff?) to donate.  

 

I think that's it for last week. Progress, not perfection. It felt really good to get rid of things. I have so many other things going on this week that I won't move forward with more decluttering for a week at least. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2026 OneThing #38 - 100% Prepped to Long Arm

I did it! I finished the two pieces of the quilt top (it's too big to do all as one). I bought, laundered, and pressed backing fabric (from SR Harris). I ordered the bamboo batting for a king size quilt. I did all this before we went to Duluth and now I've got everything ready for tomorrow. Rose and I have communicated a bit about this project. I brought my Lori Kennedy quilting book with me and did some reading and doodling practice. I am very hopeful that things go smoothly tomorrow!

 The main part of the quilt (lower right) is 92" w x 102" long. The smaller part which will hang down one side of the bed is 24"w x 102 long. 

 

The backing is 108" x 153". (I just bought the rest of the bolt, knowing it was more than I needed, but I should definitely have enough!) 

 

I'm just realizing that I don't know the dimensions of the batting . . . just that I ordered a king size piece. It's theoretically 120" x 122" so I should be okay. I'll just need to be careful how I lay everything out. I'm not excited by the splicing I'll have to do with the two pieces. . . but I'm excited at the thought of getting this "wedding" quilt done before their tenth anniversary! 

2026 OneThing #37 - Chair Aerobics 3+ times - FAIL

Oh my. I thought this was a fairly easy goal. The videos I use are 15-20 minutes long. I did a session one day. One. Day. All week long.

 

It felt great, but it's definitely not a habit yet! So now I'm not journaling in the morning. I'm not consistently exercising. I'm not being very disciplined about my devotional / prayer time. . . . Something needs to change.

 

Here it is, Tuesday morning, and I'm just now doing my "Sunday blogging." Ugh.

 

Since success builds success, I'll focus on last week's positives. Here are a few (in no particular order):

• I had a lovely lunch date with Emma.
• I baked some chocolate chip cookies.
• I brought Joyce a card and some flowers on her birthday.
• I consulted with Rose about the quilt for Morgan and Angela so now I have a plan.
• We got to have Morgan and the boys over for dinner on Saturday!
• I am blessed and have so much Praise for God! 

Because I love to include photos, here's one from the MQ (Minnesota Quilters) meeting on Saturday:

It's a money gift envelope, but I don't remember which Asian country it's from. I love it!

 

2026 OneThing #36 - Finish Reading Luke's Book - Kind of a Fail

So back in 2020(?), my nephew wrote a novel. He wanted some help with editing in the hopes of getting it published. I prefer to read a work first, then dig into editing later after getting an overall impression. He didn't really need help with spelling, grammar, punctuation as he is quite literate. Those are my strengths. But I found as I was reading that I didn't find it to be a compelling story. 

 

Then life got busy and I kept intending to finish reading it so I could talk with him about it. And I just kept putting it off. Then at a family gathering a week and a half ago, another aunt asked him about his book. I apologized to him for not following through and he brushed it off. But I felt bad. I never intended to ghost him about his book. So I found my folder with notes and made it my goal to finish the book!

 

I had read 47 chapters. But when I went to my Google Drive to find the story he had shared with me, it wasn't there. I searched several ways but couldn't find it. I texted Luke and he was lovely in his response. I would still like to sit down and talk with him about it. 

 

In my notes from our first conversation, he said he had two years invested in it. He said he had about 160,000 words and was "about" halfway done. I feel like a jerk for putting it on the back burner in my own time management for so long. 

 

So yes, last week's OneThing was a fail . . . but I tried. What I *did* get done was enjoy time at the lake, spend time with loved ones, and read. I've also done some cleaning. On to a new week! And I think I'll make time to visit with my nephew about my initial reactions to his book without being hurtful.
 

2026 OneThing #35 - Install Oven "Mat"

 I can't believe how long it has taken me to do this . . . here's the story.

 

Sometimes things in the oven spill over and make a mess. One time, my sister-in-law Delavon was at our house and I expressed frustration about this issue. I do not love scrubbing my oven. She raved about a product you could put on the bottom of the oven to deal with it. I told her I wasn't interested. I want less stuff, not more. She was insistent and ordered some for me.

 

I was resistant to her suggestion. (I can be a stubborn pill sometimes.) The box sat in my cupboard until I just about forgot about it.

 

Then I was at her house and something spilled in the oven. We waited for the oven to cool down after the meal, then I went to clean up the mess. It wiped right off. No fuss. I was amazed. Ah! Now I understood her insistence that we use the product! It worked great.

 

But I kept not reading the information and installing the stuff. Don't ask me why . . . more projects than time? Out of sight, out of mind? So I finally made it my "One Thing" this past week.

 

I don't have cool photos, so I'll just share the directions. Because our oven in Jordan is double and has a covered heating element, I cut it so that there was an inch between the mat and the walls / door of the oven. I laid it ON the bottom rack in each oven. 

 

I did have an issue when making pizza. As I tried to shift the baking stone that was resting on the mat on the rack, the whole mat moved. I had to get creative in using oven mitts to hold the mat in place AND move the pizza stone. Minor issue and I'm sure I'll get used to dealing with it.

 

I highly, highly recommend these things for anyone who loves to bake and hates to scrub out the oven! I really need to thank my sister-in-law. Now it's time to put the third one in the oven at the lake . . .  (The box she ordered for me had three sheets in it.) 

 

 

2026 OneThing #34 - Sort Through Baby Toys

This was interesting. I wanted to keep some baby toys for visitors but don't anticipate having any more babies in my life on a regular basis. I started with the board books. Then I kept the toys that I thought were the best / favorites for my grandsons or other young guests. Instead of downsizing the bin, I put a few "older" kid toys in that fit. I don't have photos of that process, but I delivered a box of books and toys to my sister-in-law who has a new grandbaby.

 

Then we came across two army men . . . and my husband commented that we had a bin of them in the garage. He and our grandson Joshua retrieved said bin and I was dismayed. If I didn't even know we had them, I was ready to just get rid of them! But Joshua had fun sorting through and pulling out the fortification pieces. I have now put the entire set on Craigslist for sale. If no one wants it, I'll probably just donate it. 

 

 

They also brought in a bigger bin of "Nick's K'nex." I didn't even know Nick owned any! He doesn't want them, but Alex will add them to his collection. It was fun to sort through them and see the many things Nick made from cardboard, duct tape, and other stuff to supplement his play. Joshua latched on to the vehicle with missiles you can fire. I suggested he and his dad go visit Alex to play with K'nex . . .  Grandma is really trying to reduce the amount of stuff in her house!

 

 

Along with all this, I spread out all the "stuffies" on the sofa. Joshua and I took turns selecting a favorite to put in the bin. After we had saved our faves, I put the rest in a box to donate. Although there's enough room in the bin for more, I really want to cull out the toys that aren't being played with. I have a lot of puppets that I may see if Joshua's teacher wants for the classroom . . . 

There's more I could write about this process, but I'm ready to move on with my day. And perhaps get to work on this week's OneThing!
 

2026 One Thing #33 - Sew Green Chair

When I sat in one of the big green chairs we got from my in-laws' downsizing and it tore (last fall? last spring?), I was determined to fix it. I brought it home and had it in my sewing room for a long time. Then I got some green "horse blanket" fabric and fashioned a new seat. Then my dilemma was how to sew it ON to the aluminum tubing. Louie suggested a sewing tool he had purchased. I brought the frame and the "new" seat to the cabin.

 

This trip, I finally asked him for the sewing tool. It is awl-based and called "Speedy Stitcher." I opened the little box and read the directions. I was confused. A few days later, I watched a video (there are several, though when I typed in www.speedystitcher.com, it came up with an error message. Just now, I got straight to their website!). The videos (and there are many online) are much more helpful than their print documentation.

 

Then I decided to use the black thick waxy thread Louie had bought for another project instead of the pre-loaded tan thread. Unspooling (and re-wrapping it on an empty spool) the tan, then carefully winding the black thread onto the spool, threading the tool, and trying to sew took me longer than I'd like to think about. But the black thread wouldn't pull through! It was like a brick, so I unspooled it and went back to winding the tan thread. 

 

Finally I was ready to sew! It was harder than regular sewing and it took me a while to get the hang of it. I'm not proud of how it looks, but the chair is usable now! And I've learned how to use a new tool. The one thing I didn't really hear mentioned was leaving a long enough piece of thread for the length of your project (so you have enough for a knot at the end). 

 

 

You can see that the stitching on one side is neater than where I started! Actually, both sides look "iffy." But again, it was harder than regular sewing and it's done! The green of the seat is darker than the seat back, but I don't really care about that. I would use this tool again for a hard to reach bit of sewing.
 

 

 

2026 OneThing #32 - Quarterly Review - April / May / June

Right off, I'll say that I've not been super successful with this . . . since it's August 11 when I'm writing a quarterly review! I try really hard to not be "too busy" for things. Life is more pleasant with some down time and a slower pace. But here's what those three months looked like:

 April's verse was Ephesians 2:8-9 "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast."

 

I feel pretty good about the stuff I got done in April. Nothing major or momentous, but productive. I was subbing and doing other life stuff as well.

 

 

 

May's verse was the same as April! Apparently, I forgot to select a new one. Or perhaps I decided I really needed that message. Or perhaps I didn't read it / say it as I sat in my studio. That's problematic.

 

Although I got my May "OneThing" items done, it seemed like too little, too late. NONE of my freesia bloomed. I planted so many of those dang bulbs and I LOVE freesia flowers. Pooh.

 

What else did I do in May? Subbed, puttered, . . . it's gone now.

 

 

 

 

June's verse was Philippians 4:4 "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!"

 

It was another good month, but not an extremely productive month. I did succeed in four of the five tasks. (I still haven't bought tickets to go see the Obama Center.)

 

I remember feeling pretty good about the Health Care Savings Plan money and finding a new home for my father-in-law's music. Praise God for the things I was able to do in the second quarter of the year.

 

I'm typing this at the lake. Being here is just another home. I hope it becomes our primary / only home soon. But July and August (so far) have been busy. I need to be more deliberate about how I spend my time.  

 

  

2026 OneThing #31 - Prep for Pahl Picnic (fail)

I'm really on a roll . . . of not successfully getting my OneThing done. I thoroughly enjoyed the picnic with my cousins, but I did not spend time preparing for it. My Pahl family notes, photos, etc. are not extensive, but it would be nice to share. It surprised me to realize / remember that my cousins are older than we four "Somers" kids (Not sure about Chris and Tom - they are about the same age). They have memories and stories of grandma and grandpa that I don't! I didn't realize that the "shack" to the south of our house on Aldrich (long since torn down) was the Pahl home before the "big" farmhouse was built! Jane told me that.

 

Here's a picture that Raymond sent to us four:

 

Front row: me, Barb (Kevin's), Jane, Ann, Louise, Julie, Tom

 

"Middle" row: Raymond, Linda (Mark's), Kathy (Chris's)

 

Back row: Louie, Kevin, David, Bob, Mark, Chris

 

 

Or in order of eyes: Louie, Jeanne, Barb, Kevin, Jane, David, Ann, Bob, Raymond, Louise, Mark, Linda, Chris, Julie, Kathy, Tom 

 

I did get other things done during the week. Specifically with family genealogy, we visited with Louie's cousin Chynne and now I have four more boxes of LaMoore history and photos. There's some really neat stuff, but it's a lot! Stacie has offered to help go through it. My basement is more full, not less.

 

One of my Pahl cousins commented that it was unusual for all eight of them to be in attendance. Many have lost spouses . . . Marilyn (Raymond's), Steve (Jane's), Chuck (Julie's ex), Becky (David's), Nan (Tom's) . . . and I'm not really sure about Bob. I feel as though I don't know my cousins very well! Next summer, I hope to be more on the ball. I had also forgotten that I missed the 2025 picnic. I don't remember why, but it's a priority for me moving forward.

 

Oh! At the quilt retreat that Ann won (A Place to Sew in DeSoto, Wisconsin), I put together the fleece pieces for a baby blanket / decrease my fleece. This past week, I snipped the seams for a finished baby blanket for Del and Jeff's new grandson Leon. Yay! I didn't take pictures of the finished blanket, but here are the "layout" pictures:

 

2026 OneThing #30 - Try Chair Yoga

This one isn't a huge success . . . because I've tried one fifteen minute thing one day. And I've been intending to start doing this for a long time! When I took my father-in-law to the exercise class at his assisted living facility in September, I thought I would get into doing a workout at home. Ha! Over two weeks ago, my youngest son's father-in-law shared a couple of YouTube links with me that he uses. (These exercises have helped him lose 18 pounds!) 

 

And finally, last week, I tried one. I was surprised and pleased at how it felt like an actual workout. And that was it. Once. So far. I'm blogging on Tuesday instead of Sunday. 

 

I've thought about doing the chair yoga instead of my morning journaling. I apparently struggle with priorities. Here are the two links he shared with me (I've tried the first one):

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttX60COiU4E&list=PLHiXDbUkO4Kw

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26t2WVY9ITo&list=PLHiXDbUkO4Kw&index=2

 

The first one is more geared to women; the second to men. They both have percentage done bars and countdowns. Now I just need the motivation and determination to do morning exercises! Health is wealth.  

2026 OneThing#29 - I Was Busy

First, I made "Akina playlist on my phone" my OneThing. Then I realized that I didn't want to pirate the songs OR buy all the music. I figured I could just play the Christian music already on my phone in a pinch. (Which worked out fine because the wifi was better this year AND other people had the newer, more popular songs on their phones.)

 

Then I made "Finish reading Radium Girls" my OneThing because I figured I'd have a little down time for reading throughout the week. Well . . . that didn't happen.

 

I came home from Grand Marais on Sunday, July 19. I left for Akina camp near Pillager, MN, on Monday. I got home from camp on Saturday, July 25 and left for a quilt retreat the next day. I had my packing for all three trips mostly done before I left for GM on Friday, July 17.

 

Camp was excellent, but kept me very, very busy. The kids were dynamic but I don't have permission to share pictures of their faces. I can share a picture that Lonna took of some of their tie-dyed shirts hanging out to dry.

 

According to my step tracker, I got the following steps at camp:

Monday - 10,735 (my drive day / planning / no kids)

Tuesday - 20,029

Wednesday - 22,225

Thursday - 15,952

Friday - 15,048

Saturday - 13,824

 

So . . . yeah. I was tired. Helping with the tie-dyed shirts was fun. I learned a lot. I'm still not terribly good at it, but this was better than my first attempt. I was with Sara for our small group of girls. What a blessing! And the Amazing Race challenges were especially good this year.

 

I am writing this on the Wednesday after my busy week! And I've already changed my OneThing for this week twice . . . because I'm mostly just trying to catch up with things. 

 

2026 OneThing #28 - Pick House Paint Color

I'm really glad I set this as my one thing because it was both easy and difficult and now it's done. Our house currently has cedar siding on the front and a yellowish color on the rest of the masonite. Here's a (not current) pic:

 

You can't really see the yellowish color, but it will show up in the background of my next pic.

 

I had initially thought we would hire someone to replace the siding (with vinyl?) but my thrifty DIY husband said he would paint it.  So I made a list of all the things, including pressure washing, replacing boards that are rotted, taping plastic over the windows, etc. Number one on my list was picking a color. 

 

I've been grabbing paint swatches from different stores. I started with a rust red / maroon and some greens (mostly forest green). I strongly dislike beige and grey. Personal preference. I had several conversations with people like Delavon, Alex, Louise, Kathy, . . . and did some reading online. After talking it over with Louie and deciding that my goals include both selling this house in the next few years AND enjoying it while I'm here, I've picked a color!

 

 I chose the top left "mint" (my opinion) green:

 

This is the final set of paint chips at the store. I liked mint green, caramel, and pale yellow.

This is what the paint chips looked like on the side of the garage. I didn't take everyone's advice, but I like the one I picked! (Bottom one in this picture.) It's Behr "Green Bank" and Louie is okay with it.

 

I figure whoever buys the house can do whatever they want - replace the siding, repaint, whatever. I don't care about "trendy" colors. I just want to make forward progress.

 

Having this decision made feels good. I'm not sure when we'll get around to painting, but at least we have the color and type of paint chosen. On to the next thing! 

Frustrating Observations and the Creep of AI

I happened to remark that my blog posts seem to be getting more and more readers. I wondered who is starting to read my blatherings . . . and our middle son who was visiting said, "AI." 

 

Oh. Of course. The "spiders" of early internet have developed into monsters of seeking input to spew out their own machine "learning" of content. Ew. I know some people rave about the wonders of artificial intelligence; others say it has its place. I personally despise how we rely more and more on it as a society. I'd rather be less reliant on technology (she says as she types on her laptop which is connected to the internet . . . ).

 

Oh well. It's not as though I'm blogging for any specific human audience. It's mostly for my own gratification. Still, it was nice to think that some humans somewhere were reading my content . . .  

2026 OneThing #27 - Visit Shirley

It may seem like an odd choice for my "OneThing," but sometimes I get too focused on my to-do lists to the detriment of more important things like relationships. As we spend more time at the lake (bliss!), it's too easy to be selfish with our slow time. But being here means we're much closer to many members of the Mohr family. We're not the best at getting together and socializing! But we do try. So I set this as my goal for the week.

 

Louie was waffling (mostly because he really wants to get work done on getting electricity to the pole barn and he was already working MTW) but I was blunt: if you ARE coming with me, I'll go visit on Thursday or Friday. If you're NOT coming with me, I'll go while you're working. Once I asked for a yes or no, he was in. I texted her daughter Susan about the visit, but didn't contact Shirley! (My social graces are a work in progress . . . )

 

We went and surprised her and had a lovely visit! I think she looks fabulous for being 89 years old. She is very happy being in assisted living and was a delight to chat with. She misses Grant (of course), but loves having visitors. She talked about her thirteen grandchildren and thirteen great-grandchildren. What a blessing. I'm really, really glad we got to visit. 

 

After our visit with Shirley, we had a lovely dinner with Louie's cousin Jim and his daughter Terri. I love the Mohr family so much! 

 

This was a good choice for my One Thing and I'm glad it was a success.