BUSY DAY HOUSECLEANING

Oops,did something I haven't done in a long time this morning,after I cut the alarm off I fell back to sleep.I'm glad hubbie called me to move my van so he could dump some gravel or no telling how long I would have slept.It's 9:00 and that means I'm already an hour behind and the day hasn't even started yet,oh boy!!!
After I grabbed a bowl of cereal and cup of tea I started laundry and housecleaning ,my house hasn't had a good cleaning in about 3 weeks,since the plumbing adventure started.I wonder how it gets so dirty around here with just the few people that live here,my goodness,I worked steady until 4:00,only taking a break for lunch and did 5 loads of laundry during this time,the 5th load was all my little 4-legged friends beds and covers that haven't been washed in a while.Got a call from a neighbor that has an apple and vegetable farm,she said the hail pretty much wiped them out,in one of their orchards it actually cut apples in half,she has some of the hail balls still in her freezer,she said it looked like snow falling,hopefully insurance is going to cover their loses.
I went outside,rounded up all the outside dogs and put flea drops on them,they are getting better about these drops and don't run and hide anymore.Went downstairs and found a place to put all my canned goods in a cooler place,they have been stacked on a bench in the living room.
Hubbie came home,took the tractor and spread the gravel he dumped today.Daughter and I went over to one of my Avon customer to get her an account set up on my website so when she goes back to Florida she can order her Avon on the computer.She is an older lady but was surprisingly sharp about internet use.After we left we tried to find a place that had some honeycrisp apples left but of the ones that were still open nobody had any,that is daughter and I both's favorite apple. We came home and had a sandwich for supper,put my dogs up.It is raining as it has been since about 3:30,not hard rain but just enough to make it messy outside so no walking today.I need to get started baking since I skipped it last night.I made 34 layers, 1 7-up pound, 2 blackberry wine,1 apple butter cake.It is 11:00 and my last ones are still in the oven.I am listening to the news and blogging.I haven't taken time to post anymore of my native plant uses in the last few days so tonight I will start that back.CATNIP grows wild in a large patch in one of our pastures and when I walk I always pick leaves and enjoy their aroma.It grows wild throughout America and appears to drive cats into a rolling frenzy when they get in it,thus the name.Leaves of this plant are edible and add minty flavor to salads.Chewing raw leaves will relieve digestive disorders.A strong tea made with the leaves will stimulate sweating thus reducing fevers from flu and colds,the tea will also calm the stomach.Catnip oil is a favorite in aroma therapy.
This plant is called CHINESE LANTERN,it is obvious why.This is a member of the nightshade family,with potatoes and like potatoes unripened fruit is poisonous.The leaves have been used for many medicinal purposes,including treatment of malaria.It's main use is decoration as these lantern shaped pods are easy to dry and will remain intact for a long time.They are a very popular fall decoration.I had a big patch of these,unfortunately it was where our new water line is and they all got dug up,but I'm sure they will be back next year.This is a beautiful plant that God put here for our enjoyment.

Well all cakes are out and the blackberries have been glazed,I am ready to call it a day,at least my house is clean tonight and everything seems back to normal now,at least for today. Thank you Lord for all your wonderful blessings. Good Night.