Monday July 14, 2025
Morning prayer:
Good morning God,
- Thank you for this day.
- Thank you for campfires.
- Thank you for good books.
- Thank you for creeks.
- Thank you for love.
I love you!
Dear Diary,
I awoke at 7 AM. I felt well rested. I slept deeply and only woke up to pee once. Aaron woke up at around the same time and got a fire going. I started water boiling and made tea for myself and oatmeal for the girls when they woke up. We all sat around the fire and had small talk until it started to warm up outside.
Later in the morning, the girls swung in the hammock and I cut up half a watermelon for us to share. The girls ate and I walked down by the creek with Sweetie Alabama the cat. She had fun chasing butterflies and playing in the tall grass. I laid down in the sun and watched Sweetie play, then I drifted off to sleep and took a short nap.
When I woke up, I brought Sweetie up and put her on her leash. I sat by the hammock read a few chapters of Tornado Jones out loud. Aaron started packing up his stuff and I followed suit. We slowly got everything packed up. Before we left to go home, Aaron and I went to the swimming hole while the girls continued playing in the hammock. We jumped in and swam around in the water for an hour or so. It was a lot of fun. We skipped rocks and I swam under the water coming out of the culvert and let the ice cold water run over my head. It felt so amazingly good.
We finished packing up and hearted (headed) home. I followed Aaron and he took the scenic route over a really rough road. He stopped a couple of times and checked with me to see if I was ok going on such a rough road. I told him I was enjoying it as long as my highway tires held out. (The truck came with the tires when I bought it and I’m saving up to get some good quality all-terrain tires). We reached the top of a mountain and the views were incredible. You could see all of McCall and New Meadows and look down on the mountains in-between the two. It was amazing.
When we got to the highway after coming down the mountain, Aaron stopped at the stop sign. I pulled up behind him and in that instant my truck told me that one of my tires was low on air. I got out to look at it and found my portable air pump to fill it up with more air. Aaron stood with me while we waited for the tire to fill up with air. As soon as the air pressure reached 40 p.s.i. I put the air pump away and drove straight to Council.
I dropped off Angel’s friend at her house and started laundry washing at my friend TJ’s. Then I went home and unloaded our camping gear and walked to the bank and cleaned it. When I got home, I could see my one truck tire was low on air again. I quickly drove to the Cenex and filled it up at the free air pump. This time I could hear air coming out of the tire and I was able to see a small slit. I drove back to my friend TJ’s house, switched laundry and drove to the tire shop. It was closed but I parked my truck in front and walked home.
I showered and made some “nice” cream by blending up frozen bananas. Then I crawled into bed and read a chapter of my book. I wrote my blog notes and was drifting off to sleep when I received a text from TJ asking if our new baby chicks had gone into their roost for the night. I did not want to get out of bed and walk over to her house to check but I forced myself to get up. I decided it was barely light enough to ride my bicycle and still be able to see. It was a really nice ride over there even if it was uphill the whole way. I got all the baby chicks in their roost and rode home. The ride home was even nicer because it was downhill the whole way. I got back into bed and was asleep at 11 PM.
Tuesday July 15, 2025
Morning prayer:
Good morning God,
- Thank you for this day.
- Thank you for camping trips.
- Thank you for mosquitos.
- Thank you for nature.
- Thank you for love.
I love you!
Dear Diary,
I awoke at 2:30 AM when my phone was dinging saying I had messages. I looked and it was a lady with an emergency wanting me to take care of her dog for her. I told her I could get her dog in the morning at around 9 or 9:30 AM. I finished writing 2 days of my blog and posted it. At 5:30 AM I went to sleep some more and woke up at 8:20 AM. I jumped out of bed and started Angels breakfast cooking. I called the tire shop when they opened at 8:30 AM and told them my truck was sitting out front of their building with a flat tire. I was told that they already had a line of people needing help and it would probably be awhile. I said that I needed to be somewhere at 9:30 AM and was told they would see what they could do and they would call when it was ready.
I made tea and put away clean clothes. Angel woke up and ate breakfast. The tire shop called at a little after 9 AM and I walked over. I had to wait in line to pay, they were really busy and I graciously thanked them for getting to my truck right away. Then, I switched laundry at TJ’s house and drove to get Musik, the dog I am starting to pet sit, from a boarding kennel.
The kennel had a sign at the front of their driveway that said appointments were needed in order to drop-off or pick-up dogs. I looked up their number and called but no one answered. I drove down the driveway to the kennel and the sign on the door said closed. I wasn’t sure what to do from there when I saw a lady walking over. I got out of the truck and she asked if she could help me. I told her I was there to pick up Musik. I explained that Musik’s owner had messaged me last night. The lady was friendly and she went and got Musik and her food. Musik was really sweet and I slowly introduced her to Little Bit out by the truck. They instantly got along and I drove to my apartment. I took the dogs on a short walk so they could go to the bathroom. Then I got Musik settled in and gave her food and water.
Angel left for jiujitsu and I followed a few minutes later on my bicycle. Angel was getting an award today, so I cleared my schedule so that I could go watch her. I watched Angel do jiujitsu and wrote some of my blog. At the end of class, Angel was awarded another stripe and she was really excited about it.
When we got home, I cleaned for my neighbor and borrowed a floor fan from her. I set up the fan to blow the cool air-conditioned air from the kitchen into the living room. Then I laid down and took a long nap. When I woke up, I continued to lay there. I called my mom and talked to her. Then I called Aaron and talked to him. Angel came in the living room and said she was hungry. I roused myself and forced myself to get up and make Angel something to eat.
Later, I drove to my friend TJ’s with the dogs and pulled weeds. She pays me to help keep her yard nice and clean her house which is very generous of her because she also lets me do my laundry there and enjoy her house and yard anytime I want. I am so very grateful for her friendship.
The dogs ran around the yard while I pulled weeds and they had a lot of fun. I got a big patch of weeds pulled around the fire pit and felt like I had accomplished a lot. When it was almost dark, I helped the chicks into their roost and went home. I read Angel some of a Nancy Drew book. Angel read to me one of her books. Then we went to bed. I wrote my blog notes and went to sleep at 10:30 PM.
Wednesday, July 16, 2025
Morning prayer:
Good morning God,
- Thank you for this day.
- Thank you for the color pink.
- Thank you for honeybees.
- Thank you for joy.
- Thank you for love.
I love you!
Dear Diary,
I awoke at 3 AM. I let the dogs out to use the bathroom and wrote two days of my blog. I finished writing and posted my blog and went back to sleep at 6 AM. I woke up again at 8 AM. I let the dogs out and fed them. I started Angel’s breakfast cooking and she got up just as it was ready. She ate while I made her lunch and for myself, I made tea and a smoothie.
I left and drove to the fairgrounds to pick up my Azure order. The truck was there and almost everything was already unloaded. I said hello to a couple of people. Then I got my boxes and went back home. I put the food away. I got raw cheese, raw cashews, raw walnuts, raw pumpkin seeds and raw honey. Yay! I walked down the sidewalk and set up my gratitude sign in front of M&W. I let the dogs out to use the bathroom again. I got Musik settled in and told her I would be back later. Then Angel, Little Bit and I went to my first cleaning opportunity.
Angel did her schoolwork and chatted with my client while I cleaned and did laundry. Little Bit ran around playing with my clients dog Mogi. Mogi is an Australian Sheperd. Her and Little Bit love to play together. Angel did a fantastic job on her schoolwork, her reading is improving and I noticed that she is actually starting to enjoy reading. Yay!
As I was finishing up, my next cleaning client called and canceled having me come. I was delighted to have the afternoon free. I asked Angel if she wanted to go to the river. She said that she would rather go to her aunt’s house and play on the Nintendo. I told her that her aunt was working. Angel responded saying that she knew that but she saw Christopher’s truck at her aunts house. Christopher is my nephew and he’s going to be staying in town for a while. I hadn’t realized that he had arrived. I called him and I invited him to go to the river with us and after a short discussion we decided to go after we both got a few things done around town.
I drove down a couple of dirt roads to see if there were any good swimming holes along the Weiser river. Pastor Amy told me about a swimming hole off of the Lower Middle Fork road. I drove out there and checked it out. It looked ok but it was on private land. It looked like you could sign in and access the river but I didn’t want to mess with that. Next, I drove down Jackson creek road to see what the river looked like from there. That was also a thumbs down. There wasn’t a swimming hole and again you had to go on private land. I decided we would just go to the bridge right outside of Council and call it good.
I drove home and lets Musik out to use the bathroom. Then I walked to the thrift store. I found a food processor there. I’d been looking for another one since I gave mine away. While I was at the thrift store, my nephew Christopher called and said he was done with his errands. I told him I was finishing up at the thrift store and I would meet him at my apartment.
I walked home with the food processor and Christopher arrived shortly after. We drove to the Weiser river with Angel and the dogs. Musik and Little Bit had fun wading in the water and exploring the shore. Angel didn’t want to get in the water because she thought it was cold. Christopher and I waded in and I told her that it was warm. It really was warm, I was surprised by that. Christopher and I sat on a big rock with our feet in the water and talked about what we’ve been transforming in our lives lately. It was a great conversation. Angel played on the shore with some toys she brought and eventually waded in the water and realized that it really was warm. That led to her eventually getting her clothes completely wet but she had fun doing it. I was glad she was enjoying the river. We all skipped rocks and waded out to the middle of the river. It was a delightful way to spend the afternoon.
We stayed at the river for an hour and a half. Then I dropped Christopher off at my older sisters and went home. I put the dogs in the apartment and drove to my next cleaning opportunity. Angel finished doing her schoolwork and cleaning went well, other than the shower door fell off when I opened it to clean the shower. I couldn’t get it back on, it looked to be missing a piece. I told my client and he said he would put it back on later. It sounded like this wasn’t something new and happened often.
When I finished cleaning, I drove to my older sisters. She was cutting up watermelon and offered some to me. I was happy to eat some and it was really yummy. I talked to my sister a while, then I left Angel there to stay the night. I am overnight pet sitting the next 5 nights and their dog is not kid friendly or other dog friendly. Angel is staying the night at my sisters and Little Bit and Musik will stay the night in my apartment with Sweetie.
When I left my sisters, I stopped at the apartment, fed the dogs and let them out to use the bathroom. I drove out to my overnight pet sitting opportunity. My clients were almost ready to leave. We talked for a few minutes. Then they left and I spent time with Izzy the dog for a while, gently talking to her and petting her. Izzy and I checked out the garden and I ate some peas. I was told to eat whatever was ripe. I put Izzy in the backyard and opened up her doggie door that goes into the house. I told her that I would be back later, then, I drove back to my apartment. I walked to M&W and got some bananas, oatmeal and olipops. I put my groceries away and walked over to the bank and cleaned it.
When I got back home, I made 3 gallons of fresh squeezed honey sweetened lemonade and a bunch of no-bake cookies sweetened with honey to sell at the farmers market. I let the dogs out one more time, then I sat down with them and told them that I would be gone during the night but that I would be back in the morning bright and early to feed them and let them out. They understood and got into their beds.
I drove over to my friends house and made sure our baby chicks were in their roost for the night. They were still active and not going to bed but within 10 minutes it got dark enough that they all made their way into the roost. I was glad they were starting to go in by themselves.
Next, I drove to my pet sitting opportunity. Izzy came inside for the night and I petted her. I closed up the chickens and put their food away. Then I went to bed and wrote my blog and played wordle and connections. I went to sleep at 11:30 PM.
Thursday July 17, 2025
Morning prayer:
Good morning God,
- Thank you for this day.
- Thank you for the color green.
- Thank you for mountains.
- Thank you for feelings.
- Thank you for love.
I love you!
Dear diary,
I awoke at 7 AM. I got up and let the dog Izzy out. Then I fed her and gave her medicine. I went outside and fed the cats, put the chicken food out and let them out. I started the sprinkler going on the lawn and watered the garden and all the flowers on the porch. I put Izzy in the backyard and made sure the gate was closed.
I drove to my older sister’s and got Angel. Then I went home and let Musik and Little Bit out to use the bathroom. They were so excited to see me and I was just as excited to see them. Musik is such a sweet dog. We walked to M&W and I refreshed my gratitude sign. Then we went back upstairs to the apartment.
I made Angel breakfast and made myself tea. I still had my smoothie left over from yesterday and I packed it to go along with Angels lunch. Then I made 4 mini loaves of banana bread and 6 large banana muffins. They turned out perfect and I was delighted. I let them cool and put them in plastic bags to keep them moist. I let the dogs out to use the bathroom one more time and got ready to leave to go to McCall for a couple of cleaning opportunities.
We stopped at Dollar General and got some bags to put kale chips in. Then we stopped at my overnight pet sitting opportunity and I checked on Izzy and the chickens. They were looking good, I petted Izzy, gave her a treat and told her that she was a good girl. Then I continued on to McCall.
Angel told me stories on the drive and we arrived at my first cleaning opportunity right on time. Angel did puzzles and mazes that my client set out for her and I cleaned for a couple hours. When I finished we had an hour before my next cleaning. I wasn’t sure what we would do to fill the time. I drove past the museum and saw that it was open. I asked Angel if she wanted to go to it. She loves museums and said yes. I turned around and pulled into the parking lot. We found the person in charge in front of one of the building’s watering plants.
She showed us the history of the sawmill and we toured an old house that was built in 1937. The docent explained how the house was built and I was fascinated by all the thought that went into building and designing the house. The house is still in great shape with very little upkeep on it. A lot of the furniture in the house is original and it is all so beautiful.
We finished our tour with just enough time to make it to my next cleaning opportunity without being late. I arrived right on time and my client had me start on her bathrooms. She asked me if I knew how to use a plumbing snake to unclog her bathtub. I said that I did and I would be happy to see what I could do. While she went to find the plumbing snake, I started cleaning. When she found it, it was a tiny thing and was worthless. She went to the hardware store to get a real plumbing snake and I cleaned the other bathroom while she was gone.
I just finished cleaning the other bathroom when my client got back. I got started with the plumbing snake right away. I removed the overflow faceplate and slide the end of the snake down. It got stuck on something and I started twisting it. I pulled out a big clump of hair, then I could only get small chunks up after that and the drain was still clogged. After working at it for 45 minutes and only bringing up tiny bits. I resigned myself to not being able to get the bathtub drain unclogged. I moved on to the bathroom sink and that was easy. I removed the ptrap, cleared it out and put it back.
Suddenly, I thought of one more thing to try with the bathtub drain. I had my client get her plunger and I plunged the drain after putting the faceplate back on. It loosened things up and the water in the bathtub started to slowly drain, I took the faceplate off and ran the plumbing snake down again. It didn’t bring anything up but the bathtub started draining at full speed. Yay!! I did it!!
I cleaned that bathroom and vacuumed the floors. That was all I had time to do and my client was really happy with everything I was able to get done in 3 hours, including unclogging her bathtub and bathroom sink.
Before going back to Council, Angel and I stopped at an ice cream place. I got a frozen banana but I had a hard time eating it because something happened to my jaw and it hurts to chew. Angel got a dipped cone and proceeded to get it all over the inside of the truck on the way home. I wiped up most of it but I’m sure I missed some.
When we got home, I let Musik and Little Bit out to use the bathroom. Aaron had let them out once earlier while I was McCall. I had asked him, since I knew I would be gone a while. I laid down on the daybed and rested a while. Angel went to my older sisters to stay the night. I drove over and cleaned my friend TJ’s house and then drove out to my pet sitting opportunity to check on Izzy and the cats. I fed them and spent time petting Izzy.
Next, I drove to one of my clients houses and picked apricots from her tree. It was a lot of work picking the apricots but I was up for the challenge and picked two big bins full. When I got back home, I walked to M&W to buy ice to sell homemade lemonade at the market tomorrow. Then I bagged up kale chips until I ran out of bags. I thought about going to the store to get more bags but decided I had plenty of bags of kale chips to sell and called it good.
I emptied the cat litter and went to put in fresh when I realized that I didnt have more cat litter. I looked at the time and it was 5 minutes before M&W closed. I ran over there and made it in the door just in time to buy cat litter. I carried the litter up to my apartment and filled up the cat box. I let the dogs outside to use the bathroom before bed. Then I got them settled in their beds and told them I would be back in the morning.
I drove back to my friend TJ’s house and put the chicks in their roost. I stopped at Dollar General and bought more bags for my kale chips. Then I went out to my overnight pet sitting house. I closed in the chickens and put their food away. I petted Izzy and the cats and went inside to go to bed. Izzy slept downstairs but came up later in the night to sleep on the floor next to me. I got into bed and wrote my blog notes. I drifted to sleep at around 11 PM.
Thank you for reading my blog and being a part of my life. I appreciate you.
Love, Victoria
P. S. This blog post was inspired by the Holy Spirit.
P. S. S. This was Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. A lot has happened since then. Stay tuned.